Book Review: Firelight by Sophie Jordan.

Product details:
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Paperback, 336 pages.
Release date: March 3rd 2011 (First published September 2010)
Rating: 4½ out of 5
Ages: 12+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form. 

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide. 

From its stunning opening sequence to its exciting action-packed conclusion, Firelight, the first book in Sophie Jordan’s new dragon-themed YA trilogy impresses in every way.  I’ve read countless YA Paranormal Romances, some I’ve loved, some not so much, but nothing I’ve ever read has been quite like this one. Firelight is rich in mythology, totally unique in theme, and definitely a new series to obsess over.  Impressed by it’s sense of mystery, danger and of course a totally hot and forbidden romance, I read this in one sitting, and I was totally left wanting more!

Dragon themed, eh? Well, actually, it’s draki – descendants of dragons, with the ability to shift into human form. I never thought dragons or their descendants could be so utterly appealing to me, but Jordan makes it so.  We join Jacinda, a draki who is unique amongst her kind due to a special gift which brings with it a whole new set of pressures.  Jacinda’s favourite form of escape is to fly in the early dawn light, and while it is beautiful and magical, it is also highly dangerous and goes against the fundamental rules of her pride.  When Jacinda’s early morning flight ends in near disaster, she, along with her mother, and twin sister Tamra, must go on the run, and escape the wrath of the pride.

Away from her pride and her world, Jacinda’s draki begins to fade, that is until she encounters Will, a mysterious boy from her recent past.  Jacinda already knows Will’s secret, but if he finds out what she really is, it could mean the end for Jacinda, her whole family, her entire pride and every draki in existence.

 Don’t you just love a dangerous edge to your romance? I do! This romance is totally forbidden, it’s dangerous, dark, edgy and also sizzling hot!  Jacinda and Will’s chemistry practically leaps off the page, and even though they know they shouldn’t be together, they just can’t resist each other. Can Jacinda trust Will with her secrets, even though she knows he could be a deadly threat to her? And what of Cassian, the hot alpha-in-waiting of her pride who keeps on showing up unexpectedly, all dark and brooding and promising to take her back to where she belongs, where her draki will flourish, and where she can truly be herself.  While this book very much focused on Jacinda and Will and their actual smokin’ hot kissing scenes, I think we’ll be finding out more about Cassian in the next book, something I’m definitely looking forward to.

As for Jacinda, I loved her character. She is flame-haired, fierce, feisty and entirely free-spirited, which leads to some interesting situations to say the least. I also found the dynamic between Jacinda and her twin sister, Tamra very interesting.  I didn’t quite take to Tamra, and she annoyed me quite a bit in places.  Having never manifested, she’s pretty much a normal teenage girl, and is resentful of Jacinda and her special gift.  She also harbors a crush on Cassian, who is fixated solely on her sister, so there are some pretty fraught scenes between the two.  I definitely felt for Jacinda, away from her pride, and living with a mother and a sister who don’t understand her and who just want to live normal lives like normal people.

Firelight ends on a nice twist, a cliffhanger and unanswered questions that have left me counting down the days until the next book in the series. With wonderful romance, appealing characters, captivating world-building and mythology, and blistering action sequences, I enjoyed everything about this one.  If you’re looking for something a little different from your usual YA fare, then look no further than Firelight. Highly recommended!

 

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Vanish, the next book in the series will be released in September 2011 in the US & UK. I am totally intrigued by this cover, and can't wait to figure out the mystery behind that blonde hair. Hmmm...Very interesting!

Stop by tomorrow when Sophie Jordan will be here to tell you about her dream Firelight movie cast as part of the Firelight blog tour!