Firelight by Sophie Jordan Series: Firelight #1
Published by HarperCollins on September 7th 2010
Genres: Dragons, Unicorns & Mythical, Fantasy & Magic, Love & Romance, Paranormal, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
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.
Lynn’s Review:
Firelight is a bit Romeo and Juliet, a bit Twilight, and a side of OH LOOK, DRAGONS.
The main characters of Firelight are Jacinda, a draki, and Will, a dragon hunter. See what Sophie Jordan did there? She switched up the whole Hunter & Prey situation. Jacinda is the only fire-breather in generations, and the Alpha of the pride has plans for her. Yes, those plans are pretty obvious. But then, Jacinda is almost caught by some hunters while she’s breaking the rules and flying during the day. The thing about draki is they are actually descended from dragons. And they actually have the ability to disguise themselves by looking like humans. To protect Jacinda from the pride’s plans for punishment, Jacinda’s mother sneaks Jacinda and her twin Tamra out of the pride’s home to live as humans. Part of the plan to be normal humans includes enrolling in high school. This is where Jacinda meets Will. Will is your typical teenage boy. And by typical, I mean the kind that likes to hunt. Hunt Dragons, that is. And no girl has ever piqued his interest before Jacinda. Much to the consternation of all the other girls in the school.
Firelight is definitely a set up to a series book. You know the kind. Lots of back-story. Cliff-hanger at the end. Lots of potential. But for me, also kind of predictable. I like the switch up of the girl being the super-natural being. But of course she would fall in love with someone who is trained at tracking and hunting her kind. I liked the characters and the plot, but was left wanting more. More interaction between the main characters. When they did interact, it was fireworks. I wanted more plot, and less back-story. Jacinda spends an inordinate amount of time thinking about her father, trying to figure out how to run back to the pride. I would have rather she looked forward. tried to figure out how to live with her family and still be a draki in the human world.
Overall, I was hooked from the beginning. And I’m looking forward to the next book in the series. I just wish there was more to Firelight than just a series set-up.
This is a book that’s been sitting on my shelf gathering dust, Lynn. You have me wanting to pick it up soon! I like the fact that the girl is the supernatural as well. Plus, I’m a sucker for dragons. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed it overall. I look forward to seeing what you think of the next installment.
Bookworm Brandee recently posted…That’s What HE Said #32 ~ Thirty Thursday & Hungry Hearts #11
Thanks, Brandee. It had been sitting on my shelf for quite some time, too. The dragons were pretty impressive!
I loved the descriptions of the Draki in this book. They just sound stunning. I loved the audio book too. Guess I should read the rest of the series too.
I agree, Julie. I have a vivid idea in my mind of the draki. All of the different colors and styles.
I liked it, though I’m not sure if I read the sequel. Back-story and cliffhangers are both dying species what with the public’s interest moving toward standalone contemporaries. It’s kind of sad 🙁
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I was just thinking that I needed to start a next in the series shelf on good reads. Unless the book was completely fantastic, I keep forgetting that I need to read the next one. And I agree with you, Ramona, back-story does seem to be missing in a lot of books lately.
Lots of back-story. Cliff-hanger at the end… hum…. not sure if it is for me 🙂 great review Lynn!
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Thanks, Daniela!
I’m glad you liked this one for the most part! I really enjoyed Sophie Jordan’s other novel UNINVITED, and this one has been on my wish list for absolute ages. Sad about it being predictable though… but oh well. DRAGONS! Hope you enjoy the next book more. Great review! 😀
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Thanks, Rabiah! I’ve enjoyed all of her other books. And Uninvited was the first one of Ms. Jordan’s that I read! If you haven’t already, check out Unleashed. It was really good, too!