Firelight

Author: Sophie Jordan

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published Date: September 2010

Hardcover: 326 pages

Genre: YA Fantasy

ISBN# 978-0-06-193508-4

FTC FYI: library copy

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.

FYI: This review contains some small spoilers, so if you don’t like spoilers, go read the book and then come back and tell us what you think.

Whoever designed the cover of this book knew what they were doing. I couldn’t help but pick up Firelight in the “New Arrivals” section of the library. I credit (blame) Jessica Day George for my interest in dragons; Dragon Slippers sparked my curiosity.

Anyone who reads (or reads about) YA fiction these days knows that there are often certain “characteristics” found in a lot of YA fiction, especially YA fantasy. Many of them are in Firelight: young girl inevitably attracted to/dependent on the very thing that will kill her, single/divorced parents, a unique gift that sets her apart even from those around her with similar gifts, the love interest isn’t what he seems, etc.

Knowing me like I do, this would get old real quick. Fortunately for me, I don’t read a lot of YA, so I have not yet tired of these “characteristics” like some avid YA readers. This, along with my interest in the concept of draki, helped me enjoy Firelight.

Like a lot of books released in this genre in the last few years, there are those who “LOVED IT!!!!” as well as those who gave it 1 star and the “Twilight comparison.” Are there similarities? Absolutely. Do I feel that makes Firelight deserving of 1 star? Nope.

What worked for me:

• I liked Will. The first scene in the cave hooked me enough to want to learn more about him.

• There is plenty of chemistry and it’s clean- good kisses but no hanky-panky. Though there is a somewhat cheesy scene where Will takes off his shirt to stop a wound from bleeding. They obviously spend a lot of time alone, so if that’s something that concerns you, you may want to revisit your rules with your daughters if they read this book.

• While there are two guys vying for Jacinda’s attention it’s not your typical love “triangle.”

• It was a fast and interesting read- something you could read in one sitting.

While I enjoyed Firelight for more than just the above reasons, there were a couple of points that kept me from giving it 4 stars:

• Out of all the places Jacinda’s family could have moved in the country, they just HAPPENED to go to the very town and the very high school that the hunters attend. I think there was enough potential chemistry and interest that Jacinda and Will could have still found each other and had the story play out well without the need of attending the exact same high school and the same classes. In fact, I would have been very interested to see what the author could have done with the story without that “convenience.”

• I’ve read several reviews that have criticized Jacinda for being very selfish. And she is. A lot of teen girls are very selfish. I also considered Jacinda’s sister, Tamra, pretty selfish. Throughout the book, though, I found myself caring less about Jacinda and wondering more about Tamra’s story. I have a feeling that I’ll find Tamra much more interesting in the long run. I hope the author will develop her character and bring her much more into the story.

• Despite being told about how dangerous Cassian and the pride are, I never really felt it. Even when Jacinda is face to face with Cassian, I wasn’t quite convinced. Maybe I missed something, but the fact that Jacinda is undeniably attracted to a hunter and risking everything to see him on a near daily basis seems much more risky than dealing with the pride. I would have liked to have been much more afraid of them.

• I believed that Will truly loves and cares for Jacinda, but I’m not quite convinced that her affections run much deeper than needing Will to keep her draki alive. I hope that we will see her love for him grow and mature into something much more real in the future.

• I’m still not sure how I feel about how the book ended. Something had to happen to bring about certain events, but it also felt somewhat contrived and a little forced. I’m not sure if I liked how it all came about or not.

I will read the sequels, hoping that they stay as free of sexual content as the first book. Sophie Jordan also writes historical romance that, if one were to judge by the covers, are not so clean. The title of the next book in the series is VANISH, though I was unable to find any release dates.

Heads Up

Language: I remember 2 (possibly 3?) swear words said one time each & they were from the milder group.

Sexual Content: As stated above, good kisses, no sex, lots of alone time including some heavy kissing on a couch where Will’s hand touches Jacinda’s back under her shirt and the scene ends shortly afterward.

Violence: Mild and mostly insinuated with the hunting of dragons, etc. Also a fight scene involving Jacinda in the girls’ bathroom.

Drug Use: There is mention near the end of the book of a keg being brought to a party in the mountains.

My Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Would I-

• read it again? I will probably read it again right before reading the sequel

• recommend it? For the most part; to teens 14/15+ and adults who enjoy YA Fantasy

• read more by the author? Only this series for now.