Title: Firelight
Author: Sophie Jordan
Publisher: HarperTeen (September 7th 2010)
Genre: Young Adult
Series: Firelight #1
Pages: 323
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 $0.02
I started this frickin' awesome book early this morning around 12:30 AM and I just finished it right now at 10:00 PM on the dot! WOW! I couldn't put this book down! I was messing around this morning, when I decided to pick it up and read it. I kind of have this thing where when I first buy or receive a book, I have to start it ASAP or else the excitement of starting it drains, LOL - anyone else kind of feel like that? Hmm, maybe it's just me!
I love how Jordan begins the story with an intriguing hook! I flipped through the first few pages so quick! In the beginning, there's this chase going on - where Jacinda (Jace), our MC, and her friend Azure gets chased by hunters - now for me, I always believe that no matter what, the MC can't die, there's just no story without them, so I knew Jace wouldn't die, but Jordan throws her into this situation where it feels like she possibly could; which leads her to her first meeting with Will, Will Rutledge *swoon* Their first meet is...enchanting! There's no other word for it - the fear on Jace's eyes to the wonder in Will's was so captivating!
The world of draki (pronounced drak-ee, if any of you were wondering, LOL, cause I was) is like nothing I've ever read before! I had a hard time picturing Jace go through her shifting forms between human and draki. The way Jordan describes how Jace's wings would fold back within her; that was a little difficult for me to imagine! But the world was still fascinating, nonetheless!
Jacinda is one very strong and tough heroine! She holds her own! But as she begins to interact more and more with Will, you can just imagine how difficult it was for to keep her draki within her because Will stirs her inner draki to life. The relationship between Will and Jace is so sweet and precious! There's this one particular scene where I could just imagine the difficulty for Jace to flee from Will and the confusion on his face - it all played out in my mind like on a big screen! It was almost hard to watch! Towards the beginning of their relationship, it kind of seems to be like it isn't much of anything; random conversations in study hall to make-out sessions in the secluded hallways - definitely nothing there! Towards the end, their relationship comes full circle as Will confesses his "like" for her! I just have to say, I squirmed so loud when I read that line on that page! It was so cute! As the book comes to a close, I thought for sure that there would be some sense of a happy ending, woaah did I guess wrong! Jordan literally has you on the road leading into the sequel!
*cue the music* Dun duuun duuuun! Enter Cassian! Throughout the book, we don't see very much of this prince! Although that was fine with me, because then there's more Will and Jace time *__* but towards the end, I become very curious of him. I want to learn more; as I'm sure Jordan will definitely shed some light on him in Vanish (Firelight #2). He reminds me somewhat of Renier Laroche from Andrea Cremer's Nightshade. He seems to be tough and top-notch on the outside, but when he's with Jace, we see little glimpses of vulnerability in him. I would surely like to see more of that. Although, I'm pulling for Will and Jace, I thought for sure that Jordan was going to throw in a kiss there between Jace and Cassian!
Also, the relationship between Jace and her sister Tamra, reminded me very much of the relationship between me and my sisters. They don't get along very well at all - they even despise each other sometimes, but they still had this very deep sisterly bond that I noticed every time. Tamra doesn't have the ability to manifest into draki form like Jace - so she has never fit in in their world. I also caught the relationship between Will and Xander (ooh, he's definitely one to watch out for) and Cassian and Corbin - they're cousins of each other and their relationship is one of "I'm better than you!" Sort of, lol!
Incredible debut! Had my eyes locked into it! I couldn't stop reading it! The storyline, the characters, the love story...Will Rutledge ♥ - awesome! I cannot wait for Vanish; I want my hands on a copy NOW! I've convinced my niece and nephew to read it and I suggest you do the same!
