Firelight

By: Sophie Jordan

Narrated by: Therese Plummer

Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

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 drakia 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.

©2010 Sophie Jordan (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

It is only a piece of a book

The story was quite enjoyable until it suddenly dropped off in the middle of things. I had no idea it was part of a series from the name. I thought that it was a short story but no it is only a piece of one. A good stroy has a rythm and if it is part of a serial, some resolution at the end with room for expansion. This was the most graceless cut off I have run into. I thought that maybe I had missed downloading a part but no. It pissed me off to the point where I am done. I see parts 2 and three are even shorter. It should really be one story.

good read

Loved it. It was easy to connect and follow. I am looking forward to the second in the series.

Took my breath away

Firelight has been the most captivating and refreshing YA novel I've read for a long time. It is a splendid mixture of fantasy, supernatural and romance. Especially the romance part. I was intrigued by how intense and intoxicating the romance was in this book. I've read hundreds of YA paranormal romance, and many of them I quickly dismissed because they sounded so cheesy, shallow and empty, so.....plz, not this again!!! You won't find that in Firelight. I have rarely felt so connected with a character before. Jacinda is a distinctive individual, a heroine you will come to like. Her emotions, her desires, her fears.....they were still so vivid in my mind that it's hard to get over. All the unique characters, the fluid and beautiful writings, the intense details made this book addictive and irresistible! I was completely and helplessly sucked in.

Original idea with some weak parts

Dragons! Well, not exactly dragons but dragon/human shapeshifters called draki! Firelight is a new paranormal series that’s a refreshing break from the typical werewolves and vampires.

Jacinda’s rare fire breathing ability is prized and highly protected by her pride. Unfortunately, this special ability means a strict and suffocating lifestyle for Jacinda. To save her daughter from the oppressive life in the pride, Jacinda’s mother sneaks her daughter out of the pride’s village hidden in the mountains and into a human town in the desert.

Although far away from the overbearing rules of the pride, Jacinda is no longer in the cool and wet climate which enables the draki to thrive. Their new and dry desert home threatens the survival of the form that brings Jacinda the most freedom. To keep her draki from withering away, Jacinda is driven into the arms of the alluring and dangerous draki hunter, Will. In the presence of a hunter, draki instinctively manifest to protect themselves. Jacinda knows that her connection to Will is the only way to keep her inner dragon alive but her relationship may put her and the entire draki world at risk.

Although this is Sophie Jordan’s first Young Adult novel, she has written many adult novels and her experience is evident in her writing. She uses beautiful descriptive language and her sett and she clearly is a pro at writing romance. When describing Jacinda’s moments with Will, I could feel the electric connection between them. Their forbidden attraction is intriguing and keeps you reading.

I thought the author’s concept of human/dragon shapeshifters was really very original. The draki evolved from dragons and have many varying traits and abilities within the species. Jacinda’s best friend, Azure, is a water draki with the ability to form gills and stay under water for long periods of time. Some have invisiblity while others are onyx black and can fly at high speeds. The whole draki concept is refreshing and creative. I want to learn more about the many different types.

My only complaint about the book is that it was difficult to visualize the draki. When describing them, the author interchanges descriptions of human features with dragon features. They have dragon-like skin, eyes, wings, but the author also describes Jacinda as having hair in draki form. This was confusing to me as I really didn’t like the idea of reptile having human hair. Also while in draki form, Jacinda huddles and rubs her calves for warmth. To me this is a very human movement and struck me as odd.

I wanted to envision a dragon but the author kept interjecting these images that didn’t go with the dragon image I had in my head. This didn’t ruin the book for me but it was a little distracting. I looked passed the this, envisioned the draki the way I wanted to, and still had fun reading it.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Firelight and I am very eager to find out what happens next in Vanish (Firelight #2). I have a tiny inkling of what the title could mean and I’m anxiously awaiting it’s release in September 2011.

A good read even for adults

I was worried that a high school book would be too young for me but it's dark enough to not feel like a little kid's book. The world created by Jordan is fascinating and the characters are very round.

Totally Surprised

I know this is a teen story, however I thoroughly enjoyed it and immediately downloaded the next book. I love the direction of the story, and the idea of dragons/drakkie. I would recommend this story for anyone who loves dragons.

How many ways can we tell the same story?

Twilight, Buffy, Anita Blake, V Academy, Sunshine (McKinley) etc Like Legos, just mix the brix and assemble. Not a bad story; fun if you like it. It sort of blends in with the crowd for me. If you haven't read the others, reading this first may be just as good a place to start as the others.

Wonderful listen

I am surprised I got sucked into this book. Getting the next one very soon.

very good listen

I am a huge fantasy lover and this ranks way up there. the characters are well thought out. It keeps you listening until the very end wanting more and more.

enjoyable

I liked it, even though it was a little monotonous in the middle like it was going in circles. by the end I was hooked, though.