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.

can I be a drakia please???

my 17 year old daughter and I love this series! we have listened to it over and over. each character has such distinct personalities. it's funny because u think that u know what's going to happen, but always there's another twist or turn. u feel empathy for Jacinda and her sister. each book gets better and better. give it a try. it's definitely worth a credit!!

as a mother that believes books should be rated in my opinion I would rate these books a PG to PG13 not mamy curse word and even though there is a love story it isn't grafic. hope u give it a chance!

Unique, Compelling, Great Book!

over all I found this a very good book.
The story was different enough to keep me guessing from start to finish, and with each new plot development it was like another piece of the story would unfold.

Firelight was written for the young adult readers and because of this it doesn't have the graphic content in either sex or language (which for me was a good thing (although there are some steamy kisses...wow)) even though this is a YA book adults will enjoy it also.

the story itself was compelling and thought provoking making me ask questions like
"is it right to try to fit into the "norm" just to please those we love?"
"what price do I pay or make my kids pay (or anyone really) when we can't except ourselves and others for who and what they are?" (does that mean I'm giving away pieces of MY soul?)
" just because someone is special or has unique gifts does that mean that person automatically has no say in the course their life must take... are they nothing more than their gifts... or should they be allowed to be themselves and choose their own path, even if its not what everyone else thinks they should do or become?"

while I enjoyed the story I felt that the narration dragged (or maybe there was just an unnecessary amount of words to tell the story) and that I could've read the book myself in half the time it took to listen to.

and last but not least... expect a cliffhanger end... but don't worry too much because there are 2 more book in the series (which I've not yet read but have great hopes for.)

Good

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this series. Would like to listen to more of the same.

Very teen angsty story

This was okay if you are a teenager. I was definitely affected by not knowing this was part of a series. Let's just say that the ending would be atrocious for a standalone book! I like the culture and description of the draci. The family dynamics are decent. This reminds me a bit too much of Twilight, and not necessarily in a good way. I would recommend this for young listeners, but for adults, do yourself a favor and choose something else.

Fresh Subject

What did you like about this audiobook?

Fresh subject and good story, but writing is too descriptive. Nothing is left to the imagination and your emotions are not allowed to formulate. I had to turn off sometimes and only listen for short time because of being too detailed. The words took over the story and became overwhelming.

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

Interested subject - very creative.

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

Much too detailed and descriptive - Too many words took away from the story and became distracting.

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

The Narrator did an excellent job. Offering a good distinction between the male and female voices.

Twilight part 2

Jacinda is a decendent of dragons, and she's unbearably like a mopey teen. She is pretty lame and makes poor decisions that could result in the deaths of herself and those she cares about. I was excited to get into this book, but it's too much like Twilight and that's already been done. A dragon should be more fierce and cunning than Jacinda was. Also, do we need another forbidden hunter/hunted romance? Narration was very nice though.

Fun Idea, Too Much Angst, and Over Described

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I tried, I really did. Fun premise, idea, but come one, if one more shudder ran through her I was gonna scream... we get it, you yearn for him, now get to the parts about being a dragon already!

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Really fun idea.

Any additional comments?

Maybe I just needed to be a teenager to read it...or someone who liked Twilight.

disappointing

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

The story line had a lot of potential, but she didn’t take the story in any fun direction.

Overwrought. Overwritten. Vapid.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I think a younger audience might like this book, but I don't want to recommend it to tweens or teens because it holds up the terrible Twilight fantasy that the ONE MAGICAL BOY is what makes life worth living.

The book suffers from inconsistent and incomplete world-building (does she have hands or talons? do all dragons have hair?) and frequent repetition of Jacinda's angst about returning to her people, her romantic interest, her love of her mother and her sister. The simply cycles through these feelings until it reaches the moment when all is revealed (a twist that can be guessed halfway through the novel).

What do you think your next listen will be?

Look, I'm a fan of YA. But this is terrible YA. Worse than Twilight by a factor of 10. Please, please, please delve into another series.

Dragons, highschool angst, and teen romance, Oh my

What would have made Firelight better?

Some progress to maturity in the main character.

Would you ever listen to anything by Sophie Jordan again?

No.

What does Therese Plummer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The voice of the main character.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment.

Any additional comments?

First person narrative of a young girl ( and a very self-centered, and immature one at that) set against a faint magical background that is not well defined. No growth in the main character. No sign that any of the disastrous actions that she makes has any effect on her at all.

The reader did a nice job with the material she was given, the recording was well done, sound quality nice, and the small bits of Michael Whelan music were welcome.