F i r e l i g h t by Sophie Jordan
Release Date: September 7, 2010
Publisher: Harper Teen
Age Group: Young Adult
Sequel: Vanish
Pages: 323
Source: Own/Purchased
Go Buy It: Amazon★Barnes&Noble
★BookDepository
Word Blurb: Exhilarating and intoxicating!
Synopsis- "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."
Quick Thinking: Unique and exhilarating was this first look in this draki-filled world of Firelight, where these outwardly human-lookalike descendants of dragons isolate themselves in beautiful, secluded areas to protect themselves from being exposed to the hunters looking to obliterate them for personal gain. Here YA book readers will find themselves enraptured by the mystical beauty and power of these dragon-like creatures, engrossed in Jacinda's story of attempting to acclimate to human society, her struggle to reinstate a part of herself which her family seeks to hide and destroy, and a sizzling romance that sparks in the midst of all the angst and danger within the pages of this novel.
My Thoughts In-Depth: *Note: May not be spoiler-free.* When I think Firelight, intoxicating quickly comes to mind. For me, the best part of reading this book was learning all I could about the draki in Firelight. They were a constant source of fascination that carried throughout the book. Just visualizing them for the first time right in the opening scene when first meeting Jacinda, the way their skin and hair look, their eyes, and the wings that spring up from their backs like another set of limbs. Fascinating, I tell you!
The plot was indeed what got me the most: the backstory of the draki, the reasons for the hunters tracking and killing their species, and what their intended next move was going to be toward these clusters of draki known as 'prides'. I wanted to learn the inner-workings of how the pride functioned, how it's leaders were chosen, how the location for their settlement was agreed upon. The mystery behind Jacinda's father's untimely and suspicious death. Never before had I been so absorbed in a story before!
