Review: Firelight by Sophie Jordan

By Sophie Jordan
Published: September 7th 2010 by HarperTeenFormat: Hardcover
Pages: 323
Source: Borrowed from friend
Buy the book: Amazon : B&N : Goodreads


From Goodreads:

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.

The concept in this book is pretty good. I loved the world of the draki that Jordan created, but there were a few things that brought the book down for me.

This book is one of those that I think of as "easy to get along with." The characters are likeable from the very beginning and just about anyone can relate to at least one or more of them. While the plot may include Draki and other supernatural situations, it was also one that included many situations that everyday teens have to deal with. It did start out kind of slow for me but mid-way through it picked up and finished very nicely.

Likes: The draki and their world. It's different than a lot of the dragon ideas that I've read and I'm really happy to see some change.
The strong, determined characters. Regardless of what was happening they seemed to always push and go for what they want.
The ease with which the book flows. One could actually read this while doing anything. The plot flows simply from one point to the next and there's nothing too elaborate to figure out. The writing is very simple as well; one has no doubt what the author is trying to say.

Dislikes: Very, very predictable. I guess this may come from the plot and writing style, but it did not feel very original at all to me. It was like I was reading a book for the second time and just discovered that there's draki in the mix. The best part for me was the ending and where the next book is headed.
The high school drama. In this type of book some is expected. However, this one is overloaded with it. Imagine every kind of scenario in a high school teen movie and know that they occur in this book.

Overall, the book really is a good read. Especially if you are just looking for something to pass the time and escape for a little while. It won me over well enough that I will definitely read Vanish when it comes out. If the plot continues as is, I think it will be even better.