Title: Rogue
Author: Julie
Kagawa
Published: April
28th
By: Harlequin
Teen
First line: I stood before a silent, watchful table, six pairs
of eyes on me, keen gazes ranging from suspicious to appraising as we waited
for the charges to be declared.
Last line: “Welcome to
the future”
Synopsis: Ember Hill left the dragon
organization Talon to take her chances with rebel dragon Cobalt and his crew of
rogues. But Ember can't forget the sacrifice made for her by the human boy who
could have killed her—Garret Xavier Sebastian, a soldier of the dragonslaying
Order of St. George, the boy who saved her from a Talon assassin, knowing that
by doing so, he'd signed his own death warrant.
Determined to save Garret from execution, Ember must convince Cobalt to help her break into the Order's headquarters. With assassins after them and Ember's own brother helping Talon with the hunt, the rogues find an unexpected ally in Garret and a new perspective on the underground battle between Talon and St. George.
A reckoning is brewing and the secrets hidden by both sides are shocking and deadly. Soon Ember must decide: Should she retreat to fight another day…or start an all-out war?
I actually
read Talon (#1 in the Talon series) and Rogue in one go which anyone who gets
addicted to a series knows is a dream scenario as you get to avoid the agony of
the year long wait between instalments.
In this case that was certainly a bonus as I think I might have gone
crazy if I’d had to wait for the usual period of time!
I liked this
sequel immensely. As the plot progresses
we find Ember, Garett and Riley all trying to find their own path away from the
confines of whichever organisation they were previously aligned to and it’s a
process which is, predictably, not as easy as it sounds. Garett is now a traitor and an enemy of Talon
whilst Riley and Ember are now deserters and therefore the enemy of Talon as
well as being potential fodder for St George.
Escaping from both therefore should be easy but when is life ever that
simple. Ember is still clinging to the
hope that her twin Dante will leave Talon and join her, refusing to see his blind
devotion to the corrupt society and Riley is still entwined with the same group
as he tries to help those who see Talon for what it is and want to escape. Garett is to all intents and purposes a
wandering soul looking for somewhere to lay his hat.
There are
some points in the plot which are sort of predictable, but every word written
still had me glued to the page nonetheless, as much as I was screaming at the
characters at times! I do like
multi POV here. It highlights the conflict
between the three major players. There’s Ember who struggles with her two
personas – Dragon vs Human and the way that each of these identities differs in
their feelings towards Garett and Riley.
There’s Garett who is struggling with his past as a dragon killer and
his feeling towards Ember, a creature who he should hate and then there’s
Riley. Rogue finds our rebel leader struggling with his role in aiding Ember to
‘rescue’ her brother which is to all intents a suicide mission. At the same time he finds it hard containing
his dislike of Garett, his natural enemy and his rival for Embers affection, a
situation which he feels defies nature. The additional storyline which detailed his
background was enjoyable too as you are left with a clear picture of how he
became rogue and you can certainly understand his reasons!
That said,
the dynamic between them when they’re really up against it is strong and it’s
clear that above all else they all want to do what is right. I do see the potential for an almost ‘Puck
and Ash’ type relationship developing between Garett and Riley. I’d like that
very much! And given the way that Rogue ended there’s the potential for a
rather explosive next instalment. There
are loads of unanswered questions. For
example, will Garett find some kind of peace of mind? What is so important
about Ember that they don’t just destroy her like they have the other rogues? Who is destroying the safe houses and where
are they getting the information from? And ultimately will they be able to put
a stop to the destruction that threatens wyrmekind and will they get St George
to realise that their bloodlust is all kinds of wrong? I can’t wait to get my
hands on it!
4/5 Really enjoyed it!
If you haven’t started this series yet I’d recommend it.
