I rather liked 'Talon of the unnamed Goddess'. It has the type of story I like, about a woman in a men's world (that of a Talon: a bodyguard and warrior). Clearly she’s at a disadvantage, but she also has two advantages: she thinks things through more than her fellow warriors (and her enemies), and she gets chosen by the unnamed goddess. Using those characteristics allows her to protect her charge when her kingdom is taken over by her neighbour. This book is an easy read and definitely has potential.

On a more critical note, the book doesn’t entirely follow through on its potential. The characters are a bit flat. Aisha’s main characteristic is that she wants to be a Talon. Apparently this is because her family got murdered when she was younger and she wanted to take revenge. However, this revenge is not forthcoming. She never even speaks of it. Also, she doesn’t even blink the first time she kills someone, which seems rather unrealistic, and she hardly shows any emotion when fellow Talons are killed. In the end, all we know about Aisha is that she wants to be a Talon and that she comes to like her charge. Which is a pity, since she is clearly an unusual woman, given the fact that she has chosen the Talon life.
All in all, the book could have used more depth for its characters and more background, for instance on what happened during Aisha’s training. The book has potential, but the writer could have done more with it. ( )

I got this book hoping I would fall in love with it - a strong female lead, fantasy genre and swords - SWORDS. It fell short for me because the writing itself is a bit one dimensional; a lot of time and energy is spent on planning battles, and way too little is spent on developing the characters or the world they live in. I got this as an e-book and found myself wanting the print version, for no other reason than to look at the map again! There's a lot of land travel and not a whole lot of reference material for reminders of where we are. The writing itself is great, for what it is - there's a lot of strategy and you get a good idea of the different sides without hearing anything about the cultures of the "opposing" side. This feels like a great start to a potentially awesome environment, but it's lacking in the grit that will endear us to the heroes and spur hatred of the foes. ( )

The story of Aisha a young women newly graduated to Talon in the Raptor Clan. The Raptors perform body guarding services for those who contract with them to do so. After graduation Aisha is to guard undercover, as a chaperon, one Rhiannon who has through the death of her mother and brother become the sole heir to the throne. After thwarting one attempt in the castle and saving Rhiannon's life in an attack on father's traveling camp Aisha finds herself alone with her charge searching for help.

They escape to a neighboring kingdom where they learn that nobles from Rhiannon's father's kingdom are taking over reporting that she too had been killed along with her father. This sets Aisha and Rhiannon on the road to revenge and winning back the throne for Rhiannon. Aisha draws up the plan of battle. With the aid of the leader of the kingdom they are in Rhiannon forms a pact and gains fiance and the beginnings of an army.

Through a series of battles they recapture Rhiannon's homeland and restore the throne to her. In the process Aisha wins praise from the Raptor Clan leadership and also finds love. The story boils down to a young women finding her way in a man's world and coming out the winner. A very good and interesting read. ( )

High adventure and lots of action make for an enjoyable read and I don't normally like war stories. Aisha Talon, one a few warriors of the Raptor Clan has fought most her life for the honor of being a clan member. Her first mission is as a body guard for the highest lords daughter after the rest of his family has been killed. Aishe and her ward Rhiannon have to run for their lives as Aishe's talents are put to the test. Nice story with strong female heros. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon in the sun. ( )

Aisha recently graduated and became a full-fledged Talon (an assassin/mercenary). Her first assignment is to protect a spoiled princess from assassination attempts. However, the princess has to grow up quickly if she wants to save her kingdom from usurpers. Aisha is talented but she can only do so much...

I really enjoyed this book in the beginning. There was plenty of action and intrigue. Since Aisha isn't the strongest or the fastest, she makes up for it by exploiting the enemy's weakness.I liked her since she has a strong assertive personality and knew exactly what she wanted to do. However, she was the only character that stood out to me. I cared very little for the other characters. It was good to see the princess' character development but I still found her dependency on Aisha pretty annoying. Aisha takes note of it but nothing is ever really done about it. If the princess can't make a decision on her own without looking for Aisha's nod, she won't become a strong monarch.

The last third of the book was a bit disappointing. There was less action and it felt more and more unrealistic. For someone who's been trained to love only her duty, she fell in love hard and fast. There was barely any development in it. It's to the point where it seemed like she gets complimented a few times and then she's all over him.

Pro: Strong heroine, good solid beginning, character development
Con: iffy romance, stereotypical bad guys, last third of the book wasn't as interesting, secondary characters aren't memorable

I would recommend this book to anyone who's not too picky and just wants a good fast read with plenty of action and strategic warfare.

Won in a giveaway in return for an honest review ( )