Review: Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Finished: August 13, 2011

Synopsis: Jacinda is a Draki - a descendent of the dragons from long ago. She is also a fire breather which is rare among the Draki. Forced to leave her pride, Jacinda must attempt to survive in the human world, and slowly let her Draki die. She struggles to keep that part of her alive while also keeping her true nature a secret.

Thoughts: I was torn in two directions by this book. It was a page turner and the story had wonderful pacing. I never felt bored and was eager to see where the story would go next. I loved learning about the history of Jacinda’s pride and the different traits possessed by the different dragons. I thought the dynamics in the pride were interesting as well. That part of the book was very well done and since I have not read much about dragons this really held me to the story. I’m definitely going to be reading more books in the future that center around dragons.

On the other hand, the romance in this book was too Twilight-esque for my taste. Jacinda is immediately drawn to a boy named Will and he quickly becomes all that she can focus on. We receive lots of physical descriptions of Will and just how beautiful he is to the point of nauseating clarity. He is the only thing keeping Jacinda’s Draki alive and I really did not like that. Jacinda is a descendent of dragons and you’re telling me she needs some high-school boy to keep the fire inside her alive? I think not. Even with what we learn about Will in the end (which I saw coming) I still can’t see why Jacinda couldn’t rely on herself to keep the fire inside of her burning.

I wish this book had focused more on Jacinda and her dragon side instead of the “hunter falls in love with the hunted” aspect of things, but it was very enjoyable and I will pick up the sequel as soon as it is available.

Rating:

Three out of Five Coffees