Shin Lina and her young sister became orphans as children. Eventually they find safety, protection, and companionship in the form of the Talon gang. As years progress, Lina becomes the Reaper of Sunpo, a trained and skilled assassin, while her sister Eunbi is safely tucked away at a school in the mountains. When the kingdom’s most-feared crime lord has the entire Talon gang killed, Lina must work for him if she wants to save her sister from the same fate. When Lina steals an ancient yet priceless tapestry from a Dokkaebi temple as ordered, she unwittingly brings upon the immortal’s wrath – which comes in the form of an unwinnable game. Last of the Talons by Sophie Kim follows Lina as she tries to defy the odds and kill the Dokkaebi emperor – per his stipulations – or else she risks losing the last thing in the realm she cares about. 

After LIna steals the tapestry and takes it apart in order to sell the jewels for her boss, the mysterious Pied Piper kidnaps him from his bed in the middle of the night. Asina, the boss’s second-in-command and lover, orders Lina to go retrieve him. If she doesn’t return with him in 30 days, her sister dies. As Lina reluctantly embarks on this journey, the Pied Piper then approaches her and takes her to his realm. He eventually reveals to her that he took her boss hoping to lure her to him. The Pied Piper is actually Haneul Rui, the Dokkaebi emperor. And unfortunately for Lina, the tapestry she stole and destroyed was important to him. Thus, he wants her to pay the price. 

LIna’s punishment comes in the form of a game. She has 14 days to kill Rui or else she loses her head (or she gets an arrow to the heart – Rui can’t decide). And if she dies, she can’t bring her boss back, which means her sister dies too. Having no choice but to agree to the terms, the stakes become that much higher for Lina in Last of the Talons. She must use any advantage she can find – whether it’s stealing weapons, finding rebels, or seducing the emperor. No strategy is off the table. What Lina nor Rui don’t expect is to be drawn to one another in a way that complicates their goal. 

Kim beautifully draws inspiration from Korean mythology to create a fantasy world with captivating characters. Yes, there’s the enemies-to-lovers trope, but that just ups the ante during the more intimate “just kiss already” scenes. She really captured the inner conflict that our narrator has. She has to kill Rui in order to save her sister, but she begins to fall for him instead. While Last of the Talons is a YA fantasy, Kim integrates more mature themes that will undoubtedly entertain older readers as well. Add to that a well-developed badass main character with a heartbreaking backstory, and you’ve got a book that is definitely worth picking up. 

Sophie Kim joins us for a Cantina Conversation to talk about her experience releasing her first novel, her inspiration from Korean mythology, and what readers can look forward to in the second book. Keep an ear out for an upcoming episode on The Nerd Cantina Show podcast and preorder Last of the Talons, available September 27.