FIRELIGHT Review - Sophie Jordan

FIRELIGHT by Sophie Jordan
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 323
My Recommended Age Group: Young Adult to Adult
Released: September 7, 2010
Other work in series: Vanish (September 6, 2011)
Our Rating:


From Goodreads:

A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.

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.

My thoughts:

I am not the last person on the face of the planet to read this!  Really, I'm not.  I can actually guarantee that my three-year-old daughter has not read this yet.  So there.

That being said - why on Earth had I not read this sooner?  Sure, there were other books that were supposed to come first - other books that had priority.

Boy was I wrong.

FIRELIGHT by Sophie Jordan was absolutely superb.  Not only was the story completely awesome, but the world and the characters were so beautifully built that I actually finished the book (and the two bonus chapters of Vanish that mine came with) and was pretty bummed out that I still have to wait for Vanish to be released.

Jacinda is a draki - an evolutionary offset of the ancient dragons that used to soar the skies.  From what I can gather, the draki are smaller and possibly shaped in more of a humanoid fashion.  They come in different varieties with different talents and an array of beautiful colors.  Their biggest secret, however, and one that they must guard quite closely is their ability to take the form of an ordinary human being.  Coming in quite useful when they need to hide from the Hunters that chase after them in the hopes of selling off their skin, blood, and anything else they can gather from the draki's strong bodies, their human forms can be quite a benefit although they may be a bit weaker while in that shape.

When Jacinda is forced to leave her Pride against her will, she finds that life as a human is not easy.  While others around her adapt easily to it, Jacinda yearns to release her draki and soar on crimson wings like she was born to do.  One thing keeps her from completely losing her sanity - Will.  Any sort of relationship with him is completely forbidden and dangerous not only to her, but to her kind as well.  Something about him, however, keeps drawing Jacinda back and the two quickly discover that there is a stronger connection between them than either had imagined.

What first hooked me on FIRELIGHT?  As with most books - the cover.  The model is gorgeous, the artwork is gorgeous and overall, the cover is captivating.  Next, it was the premise behind the story.  A girl who can change into a dragon-type being.  Plus, who can resist forbidden love?  Lastly, it was the way that Ms. Jordan developed her characters and turned them into people that we really cared about.  Although set in a fantasy type setting, the characters felt very realistic with very realistic emotions, expectations, and struggles.  These were characters that pulled you into the story, making the reader a part of their journey.

I absolutely love the work that Ms. Jordan put into Jacinda.  She is officially one of my favorite female leads now.  She really is one of those characters where you can't help but sit on the edge of your seat, flipping pages like a madwoman (or madman) as you desperately read along to find out what happens next.

A+ Ms. Jordan!  FIRELIGHT is a fantastic read and one that definitely can't be missed!  Now, off to wait mostly impatiently for the release of Vanish and the exciting story that promises to unfold there.