Review of Firelight by Sophie Jordan

July 18, 2010

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review of Firelight by Sophie JordanFirelight by Sophie Jordan
Series: Firelight #1
Also in this series: Hidden
Also by this author: Hidden, Reign of Shadows, How the Dukes Stole Christmas, This Scot of Mine, The Duke Effect, The Duke Goes Down, The Countess
Published by Harper Collins on September 6th 2011
Genres: Young Adult, Love & Romance, Social Issues, Adolescence, Fantasy & Magic
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-half-stars

A hidden truth. Mortal enemies. Doomed love.
With her rare ability to breathe fire, Jacinda is special even among the draki—the descendants of dragons who can shift between human and dragon forms. But when Jacinda’s rebelliousness forces her family to flee into the human world, she struggles to adapt, even as her draki spirit fades. The one thing that revives it is the gorgeous, elusive Will, whose family hunts her kind. Jacinda can’t resist getting closer to him, even though she knows she’s risking not only her life but the draki’s most closely guarded secret.
Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

Immediately, the reader is engaged in Firelight by Sophie Jordan. The book starts with a bang, Jacinda our lady of draki is doing some illegal flying with her BFF when suddenly, they wind up in the middle of a hunt. BT-dubs, draki are dragons who have evolved to become people who turn into dragons. Makes the animorphs look like amateurs. I mean why evolve into a bird when you could be a dragon? (Actually I would turn into a unicorn if I had a choice). Adrenaline, it pumps. Of course, this book isn’t about a dead dragon, so we know what the outcome is. What ensues is essentially Romeo and Juliet with a dragon, cuz you know dragon hunters aren’t supposed to date dragons. Something about predator and prey…

I personally enjoyed the roms in Firelight by Sophie Jordan, although it left me with questions. Such as how exactly does that, um, work? Assuming they fully round the bases, does Jacinda turn into a dragon or stay human? Do Will’s dangly bits get burnt off because she breathes fire? But, guys, these are questions which come from a one track mind, and I bet you all are a bit more chaste in the cranium than me. They do have great make out sessions though, when they kiss, oooooo FIRE!
I’ve seen reviews harping on Jacinda for being selfish. I think the opposite. Also, if she is selfish, so I am I. You take me away from what is my essence, then yes, I will be pissy. Even worse if I was still a teen and also dealing with my changing body. I thought this book perfectly illustrated the futility of being a young adult. You have arbitrary independence, but when your parents make a choice to move, you don’t get a say in the matter. Yeah, of course you’ll be pissed. Anyone who says differently is a liar.

I felt I was able to empathize with each of the characters in Firelight by Sophie Jordan and understood their perceptions. Life’s complicated, you have to make tough choices. So rarely is there an easy choice that is also the right choice. I liked that there was ambiguity. This is definitely another read where I clamor for a sequel.

Other Reviews of Firelight by Sophie Jordan:

All Consuming Books Reviews By Tiger
Mindful Musings
Bookworming In The 21st Century

Series order:

Firelight (Book One)
Vanish (Book Two)
Hidden (Book Three of Firelight)

 

four-half-stars
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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.
Filed Under: book reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
About April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

Comments

  1. Michael Antonio Araujo says
    July 18, 2010 at 8:37 pm

    Oh how lucky you are for reading Firelight! I seriously can not wait until it's released so that I can buy it right away. It seems like an epic read and an epic story!

  2. Riv Re says
    July 18, 2010 at 8:40 pm

    I am DYING for this book! I can barely WAIT!!

  3. Nomes (inkcrush) says
    July 18, 2010 at 8:41 pm

    haha @ the dangly bits on fire 🙂

    this books sounds pretty awesome 🙂

    xx

  4. Alex (Tales of a Teenage Book Lover) says
    July 18, 2010 at 11:45 pm

    This. Book. Is. Amazing. Nuff said.

  5. Chachic says
    July 19, 2010 at 12:30 am

    Your theories on how the romance will work cracked me up! I already have this book in my wishlist and it's good to know that you enjoyed reading it. 🙂

  6. Allison says
    July 19, 2010 at 1:23 am

    I'm excited to read this, sounds interesting. Maybe I'll have time to erase the picture of burnt dangly bits out of my mind before I pick up a copy 😛

    You make me laugh.

  7. HarperTeen Editor says
    July 19, 2010 at 9:59 am

    We're so stoked you loved Firelight! Though your romantic theories made us blush a little, haha!

  8. Eleni @ La Femme Readers says
    July 19, 2010 at 1:18 pm

    Great review! Can't wait to read it..

  9. Emma says
    July 19, 2010 at 2:21 pm

    Haha, I really love your reviews. I got this one at BEA.

  10. Juju at Tales of Whimsy.com says
    July 19, 2010 at 4:06 pm

    Great review! I gotta read this.

  11. brizmus says
    July 19, 2010 at 7:27 pm

    I also would turn into a unicorn!
    Excellent review! Now I'm psyched about this book!

  12. Natalie (Mindful Musings) says
    July 19, 2010 at 8:07 pm

    I agree with you about Jacinda (not) being selfish. In my review, I think I actually mentioned that I'd like for her to think about herself a little more, because I thought she based almost all of her actions on what would be best for her family.

    And Lol about "Fire." Now I have the song stuck in my head.

  13. Kristen says
    July 19, 2010 at 10:37 pm

    Why do I never read your reviews? They are freaking hilarious. You cracked me up. But seriously.. that's totally what I was thinking – but well, in romance novels – there's always a way *wink*. At least – in my reading experience.

  14. Amy says
    July 21, 2010 at 1:38 pm

    Heh, great review. I am definitely hoping to read this one, it sounds hilarious. And I bet I will wonder some of the same things as you!

  15. Amanda says
    July 22, 2010 at 9:20 am

    Another one of my friends really liked this, but I don't think I could read it. I just don't like the whole "creatures" thing – vampires werewolves zombies dragons unicorns etc

Trackbacks

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    February 20, 2012 at 10:00 am

    […] And the occasional unicorn thrown in!Thanks for visiting!Were you on tenterhooks at the end of Firelight by Sophie Jordan? With that cliffhanger ending I was DYING to see what would […]

  4. The Sweetest Dark | Shana Abe | Book Review says:
    March 13, 2013 at 1:05 pm

    […] if you’re really just interested in the dragon-people aspect, then I would recommend you read Firelight by Sophie Jordan instead as it is more well-written. Unfortunately, The Sweetest Dark was a bit of […]