A review by longtimereader
Talon by Amanda Greenslade

5.0

Talon is a young man, about 20. For his people, he is behind. He lacks his Rada-Kin. That changes, quite suddenly, and it is awesome! Talon finds his Rada-Kin, an blue icetiger. They are very rare, almost extinct. She is a magnificent creature, and being bonded to a Rada, changes everything for both of them.

I *LOVE* that right off the bat it's make clear that the humans were made in their creator's image and given dominion over the Earth and the creatures in it. Because of that Talon is even kinder and more connected to his icetiger. Both Talon and his new Rada-Kin serve The Lightmaker, Yes! This quickening of being Rada-Kin gifts the special animal the person is bonded to an extra level that other animals don't have. They become as sentient, self aware, as humans. Using the waves around them, they are able to communicate telepathically to the person they are bonded to, and they can sense each other's senses. That is fun, and while I have seen it in other books, I really liked it here.

This is the tip of the "iceberg". Talon may, or may not have a second gift, and he is also tasked with saving his people. Rekala, meaning Fury, the icetiger is kidnapped, and from here things just keep moving.

This is a well written, multi=layered super fantasy read. I really want to read the sequels. My copy came from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review and nothing more.