Melissa Callahan lives in a world where people live in fear of dragons. While some of them, like Blues, are relatively peaceful-seeming, others, like Greens, don't mind burning up and eating a few humans on occasion. The government has used the dragon threat to put in place a system akin to martial law. It's rough world to grow up in, where black is the most prevalent color and dragon sympathizers are despised. Melissa Callahan, who lost a mother to dragons, isn't exactly happy with the world in general, but she survives. When a rogue trip to the local dragon reservation later ruins her life, Melissa is dismayed to be tossed into life as a rebel dragonrider and discovers she has a special ability that the government wants to possess. Things do not improve for Melissa, and she faces trial after trial, eventually ending up in a frozen government prison/torture facility, along with her favorite dragon and the boy that she has feelings for.
With a choppy storyline, dull characters and too many tragic events, Talker 25 was a tough read. The plot is very rushed and many parts of the story are left unexplained. The romance between the protagonist and her love interest is forced and contrived, and there isn't much actual attraction between the two of them. Out of the whole cast of characters, I loved the dragons the most, especially the silver dragon baby. She's precious, and the other dragons are quite wonderful. Unfortunately, there is a great many scenes of graphic, lengthy dragon torturing and killing; it was gratuitous enough to make me wonder if maybe it should be labeled as an adult book instead of a YA novel. Overall, I would say that while this book has some merits, the violence and lack of answers are severe marks against it. Thank you, Edelweiss and Greenwillow / HarperCollins for letting me access this digital review copy.
