***The Starry-Eyed Revue***: talon

We so borrowed this idea from Sara at Forever 17 Books, who got the idea from an article on Babble called Judging a Book by Its Cover: A 6-year-old Guesses What Classic Novels Are All About. Basically, it's about getting a child's perspective on the story inside the book based on just the cover art. It can be hilarious, but it can also be enlightening.

Okay, I totally missed doing these posts with Katie, and it looks like it's been right at a year since our last one. While cleaning recently, I found the folder that I kept her previous iterations in -- all 33 of them! -- so I begged April to see if Aubrey would be up to contributing, too. Lucky for me, she was! =)

This week, the girls are working on the following book:

Title: Talon
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Talon, book #1
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: October 28, 2014
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.

Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.

Behold, the girls' attempts at recreating Talon by Julie Kagawa...

Aubrey's masterpiece & guess:

Aubrey says:

"I think it's about a red lizard that likes to eat people and he has a long tongue."

Clearly that must be what it's about right? lol. I think she might be off a little but I admire her imagination. And paying attention to detail. when I asked why she thought it had along tongue she was sure to point it out on the cover. I've actually purchased this one already, but I'm not sure when I'll get to it. Soon I hope because I love everything Julie Kagawa has written. :)

Katie's artwork & thoughts:

Katie says:

"I really think it's about dragons going to people and killing them. They could be burning down houses and blowing fire on the ground."

Hmm...I haven't read this book yet, but based on the summary, I'm sure dragons and humans aren't exactly on friendly terms. Still, I don't know how much killing there will be. I've heard the dragon aspect isn't explored all that much in this first book, sadly. I loved Kagawa's post-apocalyptic vampire series, so I was hoping she'd do something fantastic with dragons...

Have you read this book or do you plan to? What do you think of the girls' artwork and their thoughts on the story's premise?

Labels: aubrey, cover art, dragons, fantasy, harlequin-teen, judging a book by its cover, julie kagawa, katiebug, talon

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WoW selections are...

's Pick:

Title: Talon
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Talon #1
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: October 28th, 2014

Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.

Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.

I've always had a thing for Dragons. When I saw Julie Kagawa was writing about them, I danced a little. There isn't a book that woman has written that I didn't love, so I'm anxious to get my hands on this one! :)

's Pick:

Title: A Darker Shade of Magic
Author: V.E. Schwab
Series: A Darker Shade of Magic, book #1
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: February 24, 2015

From V.E. Schwab, the critically acclaimed author of Vicious, comes a new universe of daring adventure, thrilling power, and parallel Londons, beginning with A Darker Shade of Magic.

Kell is one of the last Travelers—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel universes—as such, he can choose where he lands.

There’s Grey London, dirty and boring, without any magic, ruled by a mad King George. Then there’s Red London, where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne—a place where people fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. And once upon a time, there was Black London...but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see—a dangerous hobby, and one that has set him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations, who first robs him, then saves him from a dangerous enemy, and then forces him to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive—and that is proving trickier than they hoped.

Ah! Another book from the awesome Victoria Schwab!!! I read both of the books in The Archived series -- and I'm praying there will be a third! -- and Kristen and I buddy-read Vicious, which turned out to be even more delightfully villainous than I'd been hoping. And I have The Near Witch on my shelf, waiting for me to give it a chance. What I'm trying to say is, I will read anything Schwab writes because each book I've read of hers has far exceeded my expectations, and I have no doubt that A Darker Shade of Magic will be the best yet. I mean, c'mon...you read that synopsis, right? ;0)

What are you desperately waiting for this Wednesday? Let us know in the comments or share a link to your own WoW post!