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Firelight #1
Firelight
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.
323 pages, Hardcover
First published September 7, 2010
About the author
Sophie Jordan
70 books8,549 followersPseudonym:
Sharie Kohler
Sophie Jordan took her adolescent daydreaming one step further and penned her first historical romance in the back of her high school Spanish class. This passion led her to pursue a degree in English and History.
A brief stint in law school taught her that case law was not nearly as interesting as literature - teaching English seemed the natural recourse. After several years teaching high school students to love Antigone, Sophie resigned with the birth of her first child and decided it was time to pursue the long-held dream of writing.
In less than three years, her first book, Once Upon A Wedding Night, a 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Nominee for Best First Historical, hit book shelves. Her second novel, Too Wicked To Tame, released in March 2007 with a bang, landing on the USA Today Bestseller's List.
Sharie Kohler
Sophie Jordan took her adolescent daydreaming one step further and penned her first historical romance in the back of her high school Spanish class. This passion led her to pursue a degree in English and History.
A brief stint in law school taught her that case law was not nearly as interesting as literature - teaching English seemed the natural recourse. After several years teaching high school students to love Antigone, Sophie resigned with the birth of her first child and decided it was time to pursue the long-held dream of writing.
In less than three years, her first book, Once Upon A Wedding Night, a 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Nominee for Best First Historical, hit book shelves. Her second novel, Too Wicked To Tame, released in March 2007 with a bang, landing on the USA Today Bestseller's List.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,896 reviews
December 18, 2015
His black T-shirt is a second skin, plastered to his lean chest. In our shadowed cave, his wet hair looks nearly black. It could be lighter when dry. Medium brown or even a dark blond. But it’s his eyes that hold me. Deeply set beneath thick brows, they drill into me with a stark intensity, scanning me, all of me.Oh, god save us all from insta-love.
In that single moment we connected. Somehow it happened.
The plot is dumb because the stupid little emo rhymes-with-itch main character, Jacinda, is dumb as shit. It essentially goes like this: special dragon-girl is special. She doesn't want to be special, but can't help it. She's practically engaged to the prince of her people because she's so special. She has to hide the fact that she's a dragon (because people kill dragons, more specifically, Hunters kill dragons). I guess dragon parts are like rhinoceros horns, they're aphrodisiac and shit, which is confusing because whenever I read about Jacinda interacting with her insta-love, I don't feel turned on, I feel like puking. Despite knowing she has to hide, Jacinda breaks the rules, turns into a dragon and flies at dawn because SHE WANTS TO FEEL THE SUNLIGHT ON HER SKIN (no, really, that's why she endangers her entire species). Her mom freaks out because she feels that her daughters are being raised in a dangerous cult and brings Jacinda and her non-dragon-turning twin sister Tamra into the Real World (not the MTV show). Tamra is happy. Jacinda is miserable and spends the rest of the book whining and being emo and a gigantic brat about how HER MOM'S RUINING HER LIFE. Like every single teenager ever. Oh, and she falls into insta-love with the one guy who's part of the Hunters (in case you guys don't remember, Hunters are the ones who want to kill all the dragons and chop them up for parts).
Brilliant, right?
In case you guys didn't get the drift from my introductory sentence, this book was fucking terrible. We've got the holy trifecta of YA idiocy. Insta love (see above), a speshul, speshul Mary Sue who's SO DIFFERENT AND UNIQUE AND RARE!
I breathe fire. The only fire-breather in the pride in more than four hundred years. It’s made me more popular than I want to be.Well, whaddya know, such a thing has never happened before in YA literature. Annnnnnnnnnd the final part in the holy trifecta of idiocy, falling in love with your enemy.
“Jace! You’re glowing!”
That jerks my attention back. I glance down at my arms. My skin blurs in and out, shimmering faintly, like I’ve been dusted with gold.
The draki in me stirs, tingling, yearning to come out.
“God, get a grip, jeez!” Tamra hisses, leaning closer. “You see a hot guy and start to manifest? Have some control.”
Who, is, of course, the most best wonderfulest most chastestest boy in the whole wide world who, naturally, remains completely pure and uncatchable until he *clasps my heart* sees her!!!1!one
“Well. Will…” A wistful smile curves her mouth. “He’s elusive. None of the girls here interest him.” She rolls her magnificent eyes and sighs dramatically. “Course that just makes us want him harder.”So original. So surprising.
Stupid delight flutters inside my chest.
But yeah. This book is dumb. Have I said that before? I might have. There's so much fucking insta-love.
But I still feel him. Yearn for him. Know he’s there even when I no longer see him.FOR FUCK'S SAKES, YOU KNEW HIM FOR 30 SECONDS. For the rest of the book, Will is mentioned CONSTANTLY. How dreamy he is. How much she thinks about him. Their secret, unknown, impossible connection!
His words echo inside me. You should stay away from me. Something I already know, but sitting in the front seat of his car, I’m not quite succeeding at that. I wish I could. Wish I didn’t feel this pull, this constant tug toward him. Wish my draki didn’t revive around him.Fuck me.
She does stupid shit to get herself in danger, like, oh, ALMOST SHOWING HER TRUE FORM AT HER HUMAN SCHOOL BECAUSE A BOY MADE HER PANTIES MOIST.
Even hunters don’t know draki manifest into human form. It’s been our most carefully guarded secret. Our greatest defense. And it’s not like I was unfurling my wings in the hallway. Not quite, anyway.Oh, right, she only almost did it. So much better. Falling in love with the enemy is such a conflicting thing, isn't it?
When it comes to Will, my feelings are terrible and confusing. To want him safely back one moment, but pray that whatever draki he hunts is safe and free in the next. The two wishes conflict.
Will is so wonderful. So caring that he finds out where she lives without her knowledge.
“It’s not hard to find out. Your address is on file in the school office.”So romantic! And there's nothing better than forbidden love. Especially forbidden love of which Jacinda reminds us every, oh, 15 seconds.
“You broke into the school office?”
“No. I know one of the office aides. She got me your address that first day.”
My first day. He’s had my address all this time.
Every moment with Will, I feel at risk, exposed. Danger hangs close, as tangible as the heavy mists I’ve left behind. And I can’t get enough of it. Of him. I crave his nearness still. Like a drug needed to survive, to get by each day. An addiction. A powerful, consuming thing.The characters are so one dimensional. Jacinda really doesn't give a shit about anyone but her wish to be a dragon and Will. Her relationship with her twin sister is flat. She ignores her mom. The side characters, like the kids in school, are just stereotypical portrayals, the bitch, the jock, the creepers. The entire book revolves around Jacinda, and god help us if any one else gets their own moment in the spotlight. Every single girl is portrayed poorly.
Don't waste your time with this book.
July 14, 2013
Incredibly disappointed. Those two words sum up my feelings for this book pretty succinctly. What could have been an awesome teen book with dragon shifters and the trials of wanting to fit in turned into a whine- and pine-fest the likes of which I’ve never seen before. (And no, I have not read Twilight.)
There aren’t any glaring spoilers in this review, at least nothing that couldn’t be gleaned from the dust jacket, but I do discuss most of the book here, so you’re forewarned!
Preemptive apology here – I realize this is a long review, but it’s #100 for me, and I felt the need to rant, so …
Jacinda is a fire-breathing draki (dragon-like creature) who lives in a cultish commune with other draki. She’s sick of the rules, especially the ones designed to keep her safe, and so decides she just has to go flying during the day, when it’s quite possible that humans will see her. She goes out flying with her friend and of course they’re spotted by hunters. One hunter, a boy near Jacinda’s age, finds her trapped in a cave and decides to let her go and lead his hunter friends away. Although both girls make it back, Jacinda’s mother decides it no longer safe for Jacinda in the pride and takes off for the fictional desert town of Chaparral, 90 miles outside Las Vegas. From here is where the book takes off in a ridiculous direction.
Jacinda’s pride lives somewhere in the Cascade Mountains. Her mother takes her to Nevada to enroll in high school, hoping to “kill” Jacinda’s draki in the dry desert heat. Now I bet you’re thinking, between the Cascades and Nevada there’s probably more than one high school, right? Well then, what are the odds that the hunter who found Jacinda in the mountains is enrolled at the high school in Nevada? Well, this is a teen book we’re reading here, so of course the “beautiful” boy, Will, who saves Jacinda is also in the same grade in the same school, a few states away. Totally makes sense.
Ok, so maybe I can get over the coincidence that they’re attending the same school. But still, Will is a hunter! Hunters kill and maim her people, selling them as meat and skin to the highest bidder. And yet, she instantly falls head over heels in love with him. And also, when she realizes he’s in the same school as her and her twin sister, she doesn’t warn her family! She doesn’t say, “hey, you remember just a week ago when I was running for my life from hunters? Well, at least one of them is enrolled in the same high school as us.” Yeah, don’t protect your flesh and blood because you don’t want your mom to pull you out of school and make you redo the “wretched first day all over again, suffering the heat and climate somewhere else without a beautiful, exciting boy around.” Seriously, are you kidding me? You don’t want to keep yourself and your family safe because of some awkwardness and hormones? This is beyond selfish.
I started to count the amount of times that Jacinda would notice Will before she saw him. It gets ridiculous and this is just another instance of the author filling up the pages with more whining and pining. (Seriously, that should have been the name of this book.) I get what she’s trying to establish; that Jacinda and Will’s relationship is something special that defies meaning, but the way she went about this was just cheesy and sappy. Here’s what I came across that stuck out for me:
It’s like every time Will enters a room he sets off some sort of motion sensor in Jacinda. Why do they love each other? The only thing they have in common is being good-looking and an association with draki – they don’t know anything about each other and the only thing drawing them together is this physical attraction that the author has forced into being “love.”
A lot of Jacinda’s inner monologue makes absolutely no sense. She’s constantly telling herself to stay away from Will, that she should rely on herself and never forget that he’s a hunter. But then, she goes and does the exact opposite, and she starts the whole thing over again.
Ok, good. That makes sense. Good thinking.
No! What happened to the smarter girl 40 pages back?! You barely know him, he lives a double life killing your race, and the only reason you're attracted to him is probably because you're a draki and he's something ... else. Not in spite of it.
Ok, good. We’re back to Jacinda being sensible. Hopefully things will stay like this …
But, but … we were doing so well five pages back! Now she’s back to pining for the boy who is dangerous to both her and her family. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
Alright, good. She’s thinking clearly again.
Whew. Still going strong!
Uh oh, she’s losing it again.
Alright, she had a momentary lapse, but she’s come back ‘round to the side of the sane again.
That idea should be cemented now, right? Ah, but we know how this all ends, it is a teen love story after all.
This whole book is FILLED with this type of back-and-forth shite. “I can’t be near him, I love him, I need to forget him, he’s the only one I can be real around, he hunts my kind and I must never forget, I LOVE HIM…” Ugh, it’s just so annoying.
As for the rest of the characters, I didn’t like any of them at all, besides Cassian. Will does some decidedly stalker-ish things to Jacinda which made me like him even less. Both Jacinda’s sister Tamra and their mom are whiny and can’t understand most of what Jacinda is going through; not that it gives Jacinda the right to be just as whiny and even less understanding, but they didn’t make me sympathize with them at all.
The mythology of the draki was the book’s strongest selling point, but unfortunately it’s something that feels tacked on rather than the core of the story. I found myself wanting to know more about the draki Jacinda left behind in the pride, as well as Cassian. I really thought she could have expanded on the draki more than focusing on the “love” story between Will and Jacinda. The next book continues Jacinda’s story so maybe I’ll get my wish.
This book was such a mess; a sad, sad mess of poorly written teen angst and melodrama, and an obvious example of an author trying to cash in on the genre. Will I read the next one? Yes, because I’m stupid and masochistic, but also because I’m sure my library will get it in. But please, do NOT spend money on this book, it’s just not worth it.
There aren’t any glaring spoilers in this review, at least nothing that couldn’t be gleaned from the dust jacket, but I do discuss most of the book here, so you’re forewarned!
Preemptive apology here – I realize this is a long review, but it’s #100 for me, and I felt the need to rant, so …
Jacinda is a fire-breathing draki (dragon-like creature) who lives in a cultish commune with other draki. She’s sick of the rules, especially the ones designed to keep her safe, and so decides she just has to go flying during the day, when it’s quite possible that humans will see her. She goes out flying with her friend and of course they’re spotted by hunters. One hunter, a boy near Jacinda’s age, finds her trapped in a cave and decides to let her go and lead his hunter friends away. Although both girls make it back, Jacinda’s mother decides it no longer safe for Jacinda in the pride and takes off for the fictional desert town of Chaparral, 90 miles outside Las Vegas. From here is where the book takes off in a ridiculous direction.
Jacinda’s pride lives somewhere in the Cascade Mountains. Her mother takes her to Nevada to enroll in high school, hoping to “kill” Jacinda’s draki in the dry desert heat. Now I bet you’re thinking, between the Cascades and Nevada there’s probably more than one high school, right? Well then, what are the odds that the hunter who found Jacinda in the mountains is enrolled at the high school in Nevada? Well, this is a teen book we’re reading here, so of course the “beautiful” boy, Will, who saves Jacinda is also in the same grade in the same school, a few states away. Totally makes sense.
Ok, so maybe I can get over the coincidence that they’re attending the same school. But still, Will is a hunter! Hunters kill and maim her people, selling them as meat and skin to the highest bidder. And yet, she instantly falls head over heels in love with him. And also, when she realizes he’s in the same school as her and her twin sister, she doesn’t warn her family! She doesn’t say, “hey, you remember just a week ago when I was running for my life from hunters? Well, at least one of them is enrolled in the same high school as us.” Yeah, don’t protect your flesh and blood because you don’t want your mom to pull you out of school and make you redo the “wretched first day all over again, suffering the heat and climate somewhere else without a beautiful, exciting boy around.” Seriously, are you kidding me? You don’t want to keep yourself and your family safe because of some awkwardness and hormones? This is beyond selfish.
I started to count the amount of times that Jacinda would notice Will before she saw him. It gets ridiculous and this is just another instance of the author filling up the pages with more whining and pining. (Seriously, that should have been the name of this book.) I get what she’s trying to establish; that Jacinda and Will’s relationship is something special that defies meaning, but the way she went about this was just cheesy and sappy. Here’s what I came across that stuck out for me:
"I still feel him. Yearn for him. Know he's there even when I no longer see him." (51)
"My flesh pulls and tightens with awareness, and I know it's him before he enters the room." (56)
"And almost as if I've summoned him, I feel him arrive. My skin shivers, and the tiny hairs at my nape stand on end. Like in the hall today before I even saw him, but knew he was near." (73)
"That feeling comes over me again, and immediately I know he's here." (87)
"That much-missed vibration ignites in my chest, spreads to my core. My skin snaps alive. My head turns, eyes searching, honing in on Will as he walks into the room." (108)
"His presence always does this to me. Breathe life back in. Chases away the phantom like fast-fading mist. My skin tightens, rushes with awareness. My chest vibrates. Swells with relief, gratitude, and something else." (177)
It’s like every time Will enters a room he sets off some sort of motion sensor in Jacinda. Why do they love each other? The only thing they have in common is being good-looking and an association with draki – they don’t know anything about each other and the only thing drawing them together is this physical attraction that the author has forced into being “love.”
A lot of Jacinda’s inner monologue makes absolutely no sense. She’s constantly telling herself to stay away from Will, that she should rely on herself and never forget that he’s a hunter. But then, she goes and does the exact opposite, and she starts the whole thing over again.
"The only thing I need to know about him is that his family hunts. I must not forget that. Ever. They kill my kind or sell us to the enkros. In their foul hands, we're either enslaved or butchered. My skin shrinks, and I remind myself he is part of that dark world. Even if he helped me escape, I should avoid him." (59)
Ok, good. That makes sense. Good thinking.
I want to sit with him, talk to him, see him, go out with him ... everything. As long as I'm here, anyway. And not just for the sake of my draki. I would have liked Will Rutledge no matter what I was." (98)
No! What happened to the smarter girl 40 pages back?! You barely know him, he lives a double life killing your race, and the only reason you're attracted to him is probably because you're a draki and he's something ... else. Not in spite of it.
"It's the wake-up call I need. I'm a fool to think a hunter is going to save me. Protect me. Keep me alive. I'll find another way. My fist clenches around his note, crumpling it into a ball in my hand. I'll forget about Will. Sever whatever bond I feel with him. Only the decision doesn't make me feel any better. My chest hurts even more." (101)
Ok, good. We’re back to Jacinda being sensible. Hopefully things will stay like this …
"I don't know if Will's back, but I tell myself it shouldn't matter either way. I can't go out with him, can't let myself rely on him. I won't. Big words. I feel like such a fake. Because despite my vow to forget him, I haven't. I remember everything about him. I feel his absence. Like the loss of shaded skies mists, and pulsing earth. He cannot possibly be all that I remember, all that I crave to see again. Even as I know it's wrong. Even as I know that I must avoid him." (106)
But, but … we were doing so well five pages back! Now she’s back to pining for the boy who is dangerous to both her and her family. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
"Unable to speak, I shake my head, crack open my chemistry book, and stare blindly at the page, telling myself that I'm glad he ignored me. I needed this to remember the vow I made to myself to stay away from him." (110)
Alright, good. She’s thinking clearly again.
"I'm aware of the promise I made to myself. The promise to avoid him." (123)
Whew. Still going strong!
"His words echo inside me. You should stay away from me. Something I already know, but sitting in the front seat of his car, I'm not quite succeeding at that. I wish I could. Wish I didn't feel this pull, this constant tug toward him." (128)
Uh oh, she’s losing it again.
"Apparently, our kiss only convinced him that we needed to pursue this thing between us. Except, our kiss told me the opposite. Kissing him told me what I already knew, but had been denying. I can't risk being with him." (133)
"At school, I won't talk to him, won't look at him ... and I certainly won't ever touch him again. If it kills me, I'll ignore him and forever keep my distance." (134)
Alright, she had a momentary lapse, but she’s come back ‘round to the side of the sane again.
"For a moment, I'm there again, hunters in fast pursuit. Wet cold hugs my body. Agony lances my wing, tearing the membrane. It took days for that to heal, for the pain to fade. I drag that memory close, hold it tight, determined to remember. Xander is part of that memory. But then, so is Will. Maybe that's something I've let myself forget. I shouldn't have. I can't. Even with the taste of him still lingering sweetly on my lips, I vow never to forget again." (160)
"I can forget him. Turn off everything I'm feeling. I can. I will. He's too dangerous for me to be around. I can do this." (161)
That idea should be cemented now, right? Ah, but we know how this all ends, it is a teen love story after all.
"He looks beautiful standing there, and a familiar ache starts in my chest as I wonder how I can love and fear the sight of someone with the same intensity." (216)
This whole book is FILLED with this type of back-and-forth shite. “I can’t be near him, I love him, I need to forget him, he’s the only one I can be real around, he hunts my kind and I must never forget, I LOVE HIM…” Ugh, it’s just so annoying.
As for the rest of the characters, I didn’t like any of them at all, besides Cassian. Will does some decidedly stalker-ish things to Jacinda which made me like him even less. Both Jacinda’s sister Tamra and their mom are whiny and can’t understand most of what Jacinda is going through; not that it gives Jacinda the right to be just as whiny and even less understanding, but they didn’t make me sympathize with them at all.
The mythology of the draki was the book’s strongest selling point, but unfortunately it’s something that feels tacked on rather than the core of the story. I found myself wanting to know more about the draki Jacinda left behind in the pride, as well as Cassian. I really thought she could have expanded on the draki more than focusing on the “love” story between Will and Jacinda. The next book continues Jacinda’s story so maybe I’ll get my wish.
This book was such a mess; a sad, sad mess of poorly written teen angst and melodrama, and an obvious example of an author trying to cash in on the genre. Will I read the next one? Yes, because I’m stupid and masochistic, but also because I’m sure my library will get it in. But please, do NOT spend money on this book, it’s just not worth it.
October 3, 2013
Shape-shifters are nothing new.
But shape-shifter-dragons?
How cool is that? OR NOT!
I loved the idea, but unfortunately, I struggled a lot with Firelight and story fell short.
There were such high expectations for this book, but it sucked .......BIG TIME!!!!
The tagline for this book is:
→A hidden truth.
→Mortal enemies.
→Doomed love. <----- See, this part was what intrigued me the most!
But after a few chapters, this unique story about draki's turned into a "new girl in town meets hot distant boy at school" story and it lost all uniqueness it had going for it.
MAJOR RANT-FEST :
*********Never say I didn't warn you!!!*******************
Firelight is much less about dragons than it is about yet another love story between the apparently-average-but-actually-very-special-outsider-girl and the mysterious-has-a-dark-secret-is-her-mortal-enemy-but-is-ultimately-just-a-complete-sweetie-and-love-of-her-live-bad-boy .........
❶ Jacinda is, without a doubt, the worse MC I have read in a looong time.
(And, trust me I've read more than my share of infuriating-as-hell MCs.)
No!
Look at me.
You, Jacinda, are selfish, infuriating, stupid, AND selfish.
I wanted to strangle her.
Whiny little bitch.
'Oh I must do this for my family they must be happy oh no what do I do oh Will is hot hot hot oh no my family OH NO!'
God. Really, I think the author was trying to make the main out as a selfless character. It totally backfired. She just whines about what she think she needs to do, without actually DOING anything.
You are worse than Bella Swan, because while she infuriates me as well, I can better tolerate an ridiculous overload of foolish selflessness rather than childish selfishness.
You.Make.Me.Angry.
The overall story does that to me, too, but you are really the main reason why I simply stopped caring.
(And, let me tell you it's not a good feeling at all!)
She call's her mother, in one fleeting scene... a sadist.
You're sixteen, you're angry, I get it. But for a moment, please, just shut up.
See, Jacinda is possibly the epitome of adolescent over-reacting.
By the way, to have more brain cells inside your brain wouldn't hurt, Jacinda.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING CHANGING INTO A DRAGON AND FLYING OUT IN THE OPEN WHEN YOU KNOW FULLY WELL THERE'RE EVIL DRAGON HUNTERS OUT THERE?????
In case you disagree with me, consider this:
Living in her Draki community, Jacinda feels trapped. Living the the *human* community, Jacinda feels trapped. Living in her Draki community, Jacinda complains of being used. Living with her mom and sister, Jacinda complains about being used. There is no other reason for her mother to make them all leave the Draki community other than Jacinda's safety . If she wanted to leave just for her and Tamra's happiness, wouldn;t they have dragged Jacinda away from her community the instant they learned of her father's death?
I'm getting pissed off just remembering it all.
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❷Hello, stereotypical high school and teen angst-ridden
There is lots of standard teenie romance with a special dose of high school drama.
But my biggest problem is that Firelight is a lust story, not a love story.
Also, totally did not buy the romance.
Sorry, but no.
So Jacinda can "sense" Will.
Big whoopdee-doo, and I mean crap, we're only told this like five bazillion times, that she lights up like a Christmas tree and starts hyperventilating whenever Will is within a five mile radius. Wonderful.
Is this supposed to make me believe they're in love?
Because um... it doesn't.
There is no relationship developed between Will and Jacinda.
Why do they even like each other?
They're both hot.(OH, wow, no prizes for guessing!)
They never talk, and when they do it's very brief, yet we're supposed to believe Will is in love with Jacinda and that Jacinda loves him oh so deeply she'd do anything for him.
They spend more time making out than getting to know each other.
As to the male lead Will, I would have been okay with him
*major plot spoiler warning* if only he didn't turn out to be a freaking stalker.*end of spoiler*
Twilight-esque Dialogue
(Even the name Firelight resembles Twilight, hah!!!)
Basically half of the novel Will tries to convince Jacinda he and his family are dangerous and she should stay away.
Later on, Will completely makes a 180 and shows up at her house saying he's tired of trying to stay away from her.
I want to see why the characters fall for each other and I love to see how they fall for each other.
Will and Jacinda are just two teens in lust with one another.
I don't want to read about a whiny dragon-- I want to read about a fiercely awesome, fire-breathing, scare-the-pants-off-you, courageous, warrior-princess dragon!
Sigh... I know, I demand way too much from my books.
❸Seriously?
If I read ONE MORE BOOK with The Blond Bratty Cheerleader who becomes oh-so-jealous because The Unattainable Guy is head-over-heels for the "Flawed Female Protagonist" because they are "inexplicable drawn to each other"-- I. Am. Going. To. Snap.
Seriously.
❹Oh, and there's a love triangle. 'nuff said.
I can stop right here, because anyone, I repeat, ANYONE can practically spell out the rest of the story from this point.
PS: If you can handle cliches flying from all directions, then you might be okay with this book.
January 21, 2018
Ach Menno, ich kann dem Buch leider echt nicht mehr als 3 Sterne geben und das obwohl die Geschichte so viel Potenzial hat und es sich so schnell lesen lies. Allerdings waren hier so viele Jugendbuchklischees enthalten, vom Highschoolzickendrama über Instalove bis hin zum Anfang eines Liebesdreiecks. Darum musste ich 2 Sterne abziehen obwohl mir die Idee, das Worldbuilding und soweit eigentlich auch die Charaktere gefallen haben. Klar, Jacinda war manchmal ein wenig eigen, aber ich finde es gibt nervigere Protas 😅 trotz allem negativem wollte ich immer wissen wie es nun weitergeht mit unseren Drakis, also war das Buch ein super Pageturner für gute Unterhaltung für zwischendurch und ich werde dem zweiten Teil definitiv auch noch eine Chance geben 👍🏻
January 2, 2013
Beware of spoilers!
I feel so... immoral to give this one two stars. However, it doesn't entirely deserve one star either. I was contemplating quite hard before giving this book two stars. Yeah...
First of all, Firelight? It's a good thing that doesn't sound like Twilight because that would have been really stupid...
Firelight was about... *tries to think up words* Ummm... uh... eeeh... ohh... Really. What was it about? *ding* Oh, yeah! Firelight was about a monotonous, pessimistic, idiotic, depressing little twit namedBella Swan Jacinda Jones. She's a fire-breathing dragon, Whoops! I meant draki. That's it. I mean, there wasn't really a praise-worthy plot. Come on. She falls in love with the wrong boy. She has to go back to her own kind. Blah, blah, blah. Whatever.
The characters:
Jacinda was a clone of Bella Swan. How, you ask? Hmm... let's see.
1. Pessimistic - I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE! I HATE MY LIFE! EVERYTHING HAS TO BE ABOUT ME! EWW, SCHOOL SPIRIT!
2. Monotonous - Girl: YOU'RE ABOUT TO GET BLOWN TO BITS, WOMAN! Jacinda: Don't, please.
3. Insanely dependent on a guy who stalks her
4. Idiotic
This girl is the epitome of nothingness. She's an astonishing, beautiful, different, rare, fire-breathing Mary Sue of a loser. She's from Planet Loser. Planet Dumbass. Planet I'm-too-stupid-to-live. Planet I'm-a-waste-of-draki-skin-and-fat. You get the point, right? She's a horrible mixture of Nora Grey and Bella Swan. She's so freaking pathetic with her sob story. She's so dependent on Will. She can't seem to grasp the difficulties of life and MOVE THE HELL ON! She needs Will all the time. "Oh, Will. He's the ONLY one who makes me feel alive inside." Oh, shut the hell up, you stupid twit. She's so damn clingy and stupid. She's a poor excuse for a protagonist.
- Will Rutchelgodfodjfkdfkdjf. Whatever his stupid last name was. Guess who he reminded me of? Just take a wild, wild guess.
Except he's not a 107-year-old virgin!
Will and his oh-so-velvety voice stole the heart of Jacinda. Thank God Jordan didn't mention that Will had a fruity smell to his chest. I would have gone nuts. Will is the perfect Edward Cullen.
1. He creepily watches Jacinda from a distance through a window without her knowing. Oh, and Jacinda doesn't mind... AT ALL. In fact, she welcomes it. Splendid.
2. He saves her from stupid accidents.
3. He's the lion and she's the prey.
4. Velvetty voice, beautiful face, chiseled body, Gary Stu.
The plot:
What plot? Please. Girl has to leave her home. She hates her new home. She falls in love with a stalker. Stalker is her hunter. She has to go back to her home. The end.
Oh, and I forgot to mention how much of a horny, immoral couple this was. Jacinda and Will. They're the type of people that make Aphrodite and Erik from House of Night look like saints.
Okay, maybe not that horny, but they made out in a horrid room filled with dead draki skin. Jacinda's people. And Jacinda mentioned that her FATHER might have been in there. Splendid, right?
The writing:
I couldn't decide whether it was good or not, but now I can. It was horrible! Yes. Jordan took purple prose to a whole new damn level. It's like, "I need to have awesome description so I'm going to go completely overboard with adjectives and adverbs." Holy crap. It was too dense for my taste. Her sentences were extremely choppy and abrupt. They contained so many commas. Jordan is definitely a Commanist.
- "My lips, dry and charred, touched his, cool and soft. Delicious. I let myself melt into him, feeling his warmth and dying to get more of it, enveloping my arms around his hard waist. Hard, smooth waist."
Oh, and how many freaking times can a girl lick her lips?
"I licked my lips. I wet my lips. I ran my tongue across my lips." I seriously read that every two sentences.
- And this is one of the weirdest sentences I've ever heard: "A feather muscled in his jaw." Or "A muscle feathered in his jaw." Not sure, but it sounded just terrible.
- And this...
"The wind kissed my skin."
"The water hugged my body."
"I drank the air in."
That just sounds weird and wrong.
Why I gave it two starts:
Dragons! I love them. I haven't read about them since I finished the Harry Potter series years ago. I found the concept of the draki slightly interesting. I thought the story could have been tons better if it wasn't for the insane resemblance to Twilight. I felt like Jordan had a tiny idea forming in her heard, but she just couldn't get the execution right.
Overall, Firelight was just a bad, bad, BAD case of Twilight meets Romeo and Juliet. R&J because of the whole "I-can't-love-you-I'm-supposed-to-hate-you" bullcrap. Jordan's romance ruined the whole book.
I feel so... immoral to give this one two stars. However, it doesn't entirely deserve one star either. I was contemplating quite hard before giving this book two stars. Yeah...
First of all, Firelight? It's a good thing that doesn't sound like Twilight because that would have been really stupid...
Firelight was about... *tries to think up words* Ummm... uh... eeeh... ohh... Really. What was it about? *ding* Oh, yeah! Firelight was about a monotonous, pessimistic, idiotic, depressing little twit named
The characters:
Jacinda was a clone of Bella Swan. How, you ask? Hmm... let's see.
1. Pessimistic - I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE! I HATE MY LIFE! EVERYTHING HAS TO BE ABOUT ME! EWW, SCHOOL SPIRIT!
2. Monotonous - Girl: YOU'RE ABOUT TO GET BLOWN TO BITS, WOMAN! Jacinda: Don't, please.
3. Insanely dependent on a guy who stalks her
4. Idiotic
This girl is the epitome of nothingness. She's an astonishing, beautiful, different, rare, fire-breathing Mary Sue of a loser. She's from Planet Loser. Planet Dumbass. Planet I'm-too-stupid-to-live. Planet I'm-a-waste-of-draki-skin-and-fat. You get the point, right? She's a horrible mixture of Nora Grey and Bella Swan. She's so freaking pathetic with her sob story. She's so dependent on Will. She can't seem to grasp the difficulties of life and MOVE THE HELL ON! She needs Will all the time. "Oh, Will. He's the ONLY one who makes me feel alive inside." Oh, shut the hell up, you stupid twit. She's so damn clingy and stupid. She's a poor excuse for a protagonist.
- Will Rutchelgodfodjfkdfkdjf. Whatever his stupid last name was. Guess who he reminded me of? Just take a wild, wild guess.
Except he's not a 107-year-old virgin!
Will and his oh-so-velvety voice stole the heart of Jacinda. Thank God Jordan didn't mention that Will had a fruity smell to his chest. I would have gone nuts. Will is the perfect Edward Cullen.
1. He creepily watches Jacinda from a distance through a window without her knowing. Oh, and Jacinda doesn't mind... AT ALL. In fact, she welcomes it. Splendid.
2. He saves her from stupid accidents.
3. He's the lion and she's the prey.
4. Velvetty voice, beautiful face, chiseled body, Gary Stu.
The plot:
What plot? Please. Girl has to leave her home. She hates her new home. She falls in love with a stalker. Stalker is her hunter. She has to go back to her home. The end.
Oh, and I forgot to mention how much of a horny, immoral couple this was. Jacinda and Will. They're the type of people that make Aphrodite and Erik from House of Night look like saints.
Okay, maybe not that horny, but they made out in a horrid room filled with dead draki skin. Jacinda's people. And Jacinda mentioned that her FATHER might have been in there. Splendid, right?
The writing:
I couldn't decide whether it was good or not, but now I can. It was horrible! Yes. Jordan took purple prose to a whole new damn level. It's like, "I need to have awesome description so I'm going to go completely overboard with adjectives and adverbs." Holy crap. It was too dense for my taste. Her sentences were extremely choppy and abrupt. They contained so many commas. Jordan is definitely a Commanist.
- "My lips, dry and charred, touched his, cool and soft. Delicious. I let myself melt into him, feeling his warmth and dying to get more of it, enveloping my arms around his hard waist. Hard, smooth waist."
Oh, and how many freaking times can a girl lick her lips?
"I licked my lips. I wet my lips. I ran my tongue across my lips." I seriously read that every two sentences.
- And this is one of the weirdest sentences I've ever heard: "A feather muscled in his jaw." Or "A muscle feathered in his jaw." Not sure, but it sounded just terrible.
- And this...
"The wind kissed my skin."
"The water hugged my body."
"I drank the air in."
That just sounds weird and wrong.
Why I gave it two starts:
Dragons! I love them. I haven't read about them since I finished the Harry Potter series years ago. I found the concept of the draki slightly interesting. I thought the story could have been tons better if it wasn't for the insane resemblance to Twilight. I felt like Jordan had a tiny idea forming in her heard, but she just couldn't get the execution right.
Overall, Firelight was just a bad, bad, BAD case of Twilight meets Romeo and Juliet. R&J because of the whole "I-can't-love-you-I'm-supposed-to-hate-you" bullcrap. Jordan's romance ruined the whole book.
August 11, 2010
Of course, I love it!! :)
November 15, 2010
Warning: 99,9% of his review has nothing to do with this book.
I was going to review this, but I'm having the same problem as my good friend Jess: I honestly don't know what to say about this book. It could be because of the circumstances. I'll give you a few examples when you should not be reading a book.
Yes, there are certain places/cases/events where you shouldn't be reading, quit scowling at me, you silly person.
Some suggestions:
- While driving a car
- While doing open heart surgery on somebody
- While you are cleaning (but I've heard some people try)
- While getting a tattoo
Which makes me think about one of the things on my I-have-to-do-this-before-I-die-list: Extreme chess
I don't think I would have liked this book under any normal circumstances, but I read 40% of it while I was in the middle of suggestion number 4. I was so out of it I didn't even get the chance to become annoyed.
But I'm glad I did, because I don't think I would have kept on reading if I hadn't been desperately trying to find something to distract me from the 2-hour session with a needle hammering in my skin, at a speed that could only be described as 'legendary'.
So, by now, I still haven't managed to say anything even remotely related to this book so here goes:
I liked it. Sequel, where are you?
I was going to review this, but I'm having the same problem as my good friend Jess: I honestly don't know what to say about this book. It could be because of the circumstances. I'll give you a few examples when you should not be reading a book.
Yes, there are certain places/cases/events where you shouldn't be reading, quit scowling at me, you silly person.
Some suggestions:
- While driving a car
- While doing open heart surgery on somebody
- While you are cleaning (but I've heard some people try)
- While getting a tattoo
I don't think I would have liked this book under any normal circumstances, but I read 40% of it while I was in the middle of suggestion number 4. I was so out of it I didn't even get the chance to become annoyed.
But I'm glad I did, because I don't think I would have kept on reading if I hadn't been desperately trying to find something to distract me from the 2-hour session with a needle hammering in my skin, at a speed that could only be described as 'legendary'.
So, by now, I still haven't managed to say anything even remotely related to this book so here goes:
I liked it. Sequel, where are you?
July 27, 2016
4,5
Muy entretenida historia, Jacinda es una protagonista interesante, decidida y fuerte. Me gusto como comenzó el libro, sin mucha introducción que digamos. Espero continuar con la saga y ¡que sea aún mejor!
Reseña completa en Gracias a los Libros.
Muy entretenida historia, Jacinda es una protagonista interesante, decidida y fuerte. Me gusto como comenzó el libro, sin mucha introducción que digamos. Espero continuar con la saga y ¡que sea aún mejor!
Reseña completa en Gracias a los Libros.
June 13, 2011
First off, let's start with the things I liked about Firelight:
The writing. Fairly good. Although maybe a little too easy for my taste (I think the biggest word she used was confidante), it had a nice flow that made it easy to flip pages at rapid-fire speed. Also, I thought that the world she created was slightly more original than other paranormal worlds out there right now. I liked the whole "draki" idea, it made for a fresh plot that was more engrossing than most copycat (*cough*vampires*cough*) ideas being published today.
The romance: Team Will or Team Cassian? To be honest, I didn't much care for either. Will definitely had his shining moments, but they were few and far between and I felt that he fell flat as far as memorable male characters go; I don't see myself remembering him even next month. And as for Cassian - to be quite honest - he just wasn't in the novel enough for me to really get to know him in order to properly gauge him as a character. Although I will say that in the small glimpses we do see of his character, I found him to be more intriguing than Will.
The main character, Jacinda: At first I liked her voice on the page. But then she started to seem a little bit irritating. Mainly because throughout the novel she goes back and forth between wanting to be with Will and thinking that she must stay away from him; I lost track of how many times she did this. That hackneyed plot line (along with the love triangle) just doesn't work for me anymore.
I think the only thing I ended up liking about her character was that I could empathize with her and the situation that she was put in because of her mother.
I found Jacinda's sister, Tamra, to be very annoying and I just wish she could have been a little more supporting of her sister. I've never liked vain characters.
Since I've basically mixed in the good with the bad I'll just finish saying that, all in all, this wasn't horrible, it just didn't live up to my expectations. And as for the sequel, Vanish . . . it's safe to say that I won't be reading it.
The writing. Fairly good. Although maybe a little too easy for my taste (I think the biggest word she used was confidante), it had a nice flow that made it easy to flip pages at rapid-fire speed. Also, I thought that the world she created was slightly more original than other paranormal worlds out there right now. I liked the whole "draki" idea, it made for a fresh plot that was more engrossing than most copycat (*cough*vampires*cough*) ideas being published today.
The romance: Team Will or Team Cassian? To be honest, I didn't much care for either. Will definitely had his shining moments, but they were few and far between and I felt that he fell flat as far as memorable male characters go; I don't see myself remembering him even next month. And as for Cassian - to be quite honest - he just wasn't in the novel enough for me to really get to know him in order to properly gauge him as a character. Although I will say that in the small glimpses we do see of his character, I found him to be more intriguing than Will.
The main character, Jacinda: At first I liked her voice on the page. But then she started to seem a little bit irritating. Mainly because throughout the novel she goes back and forth between wanting to be with Will and thinking that she must stay away from him; I lost track of how many times she did this. That hackneyed plot line (along with the love triangle) just doesn't work for me anymore.
I think the only thing I ended up liking about her character was that I could empathize with her and the situation that she was put in because of her mother.
I found Jacinda's sister, Tamra, to be very annoying and I just wish she could have been a little more supporting of her sister. I've never liked vain characters.
Since I've basically mixed in the good with the bad I'll just finish saying that, all in all, this wasn't horrible, it just didn't live up to my expectations. And as for the sequel, Vanish . . . it's safe to say that I won't be reading it.
July 29, 2016
LA PEOR INVERSIÓN QUE HICE EN MI VIDA. Y encima no me lo aceptan en ninguna casa de libros usados. Casi me largo a llorar cuando pedí que me lo cambiaran por uno de Shakespeare (no funcionó ODIO A LA VENDEDORA).
Cuando lo leí el año pasado a principio de año, dije: "Me gustó, qué se yo". Pero ahora siento que me volví mucho más crítica y cada vez que lo veo me da vergüenza tenerlo ahí en el estante. Dios. Me lo quiero sacar de encima y no sé cómo. Me había llamado la atención que fuera sobre dragones, y en efecto es sobre dragones; pero no en el modo que pensé que sería.
Esto es, literal, una copia de Crepúsculo. Es el típico amor paranormal imposible de "Ay, soy una especie diferente de la tuya, la que tu especie caza. No podemos amarnos", "Espera, podemos amarnos. Podemos superar todos los límites, porque el amor lo es todo", y "Tendremos que escapar, escapar y que nadie más nos moleste. Tengamos hijos y seamos felices y comamos perdices". Basta. Stop it. Muy malo. Romance barato.
Jacinda o Jacinta o Jazmín o como te llames, querida, fuiste insorportable, ya creo yo que te fuiste tan al extremo de ser peor que Bella. ENCIMA EN PRIMERA PERSONA, TE ODIÉ, TE DETESTÉ Y QUERÍA QUE JAMÁS TE DEJARAN ESTAR AL LADO DE WILL POR INSOPORTABLE. Will no es lo único que existe en tu vida, por el amor de Dios.
No voy a decir nada más.
February 5, 2012
Alrighty, so I just finished this book. And I'm wavering between a 2.5 and a 3 star review.
Overall, you know, it wasn't bad. I've read much worse (Fallen series, anyone? Anyone?) The premise of the story is different, which I definitely liked-- I mean, a book about a girl who descends from dragons? That's cool.
But...
I don't know, try as I did, there were just things about this book that left me frustrated. It's not that I didn't like it-- more that I think it had the potential to be a lot better.
Jacinda is a "draki" -- a descendant of the ancient dragon prides that once roamed the earth. Her kind are now an endangered species, as modern-day hunters capture and kill draki for their valuable skins. One of the draki's main defenses is that they can shape-shift into human form in order to blend into the human world-- however, if anyone ever found out that draki can disguise themselves like this, it will probably mean the end of their race. The best thing they can do is stick together and stay as hidden and isolated as possible...
Sounds like the start to a kick-ass story, am I right??
Well don't get your hopes up just yet.
So the first few pages, I was super excited-- Jacinda and her friend Azure sneak off to transform into glittery, iridescent dragons and fly over lakes and mountains, and I was like, sweet! This is going to be some awesome, high-fantasy adventure, all Lord-of-the-Rings or Brisingr-like with dragons and magic and battles...
Yeeeeah, not so much. About 5 pages later, Jacinda and her sister Tamra are in a beat-up old car with their mom, escaping from the dragon "Pride" for some small town in Nevada.
Goodbye, magical world.
Hello, stereotypical high school and teen angst-ridden love story.
The biggest problem I had with Firelight was the choice of setting. Like I said, the story starts out in this forest with an enchanted village where the draki live, and it's all nature-y and magical, and I'm all ready for this crazy whirlwind dragon adventure. But then, the story takes this huge, random swing over to some modern-day school near Las Vegas-- and now all of a sudden we're in Been-There-Done-That Territory.
What???
I don't get it. Why take such an amazingly unique plot and turn it into the same ol' same ol'?? What happened to the dragon/draki mythology??
I wouldn't have minded the juxtaposition of the two worlds-- draki and everyday-- but we barely got to see anything about the draki. I am seriously hoping that the next book takes place in the draki world, because honestly, I am not a fan of the overdone, cliche high school drama-fest.
Sorry, I'm just not.
(SIDE NOTE: I'm ALSO not a fan of lust and shallow physical attraction being passed off as some deep, meaningful, loving relationship-- but I'll leave that lovely little rant for another day.)
(SECOND SIDE NOTE: OK, can we please talk logic and geography here for a second? Fact: Jacinda's draki pride is located in the Cascade Mountains. This means she and her family lived somewhere between British Columbia and Northern California. THEN Jacinda's mom moves Jacinda to some high school near Las Vegas, Nevada. OK, now PLEASE TELL ME: How is that Will, the hunter who was after her in the Cascades, happens to go to the EXACT SAME SCHOOL in.... Nevada. What are the odds of this? I'm no mathematician, but there ARE more than say, two high schools, between the Cascades and Las Vegas, right? Seriously, I am not buying this ridiculous coincidence.)
(THIRD SIDE NOTE: Seriously? If I read ONE MORE BOOK with The Blond Bratty Cheerleader who becomes oh-so-jealous because The Unattainable Guy is head-over-heels for the Flawed Female Protagonist because they are "inexplicable drawn to each other"-- I. Am. Going. To. Snap.)
(Seriously.)
So let's talk about Jacinda's love interest, Will. Once again, he's not horrible. He's not Edward Cullen or Daniel Grigori, if you know what I mean. Yes, he's got the whole "I'm-bad-stay-away-from-me" vibe going on, all handsome and irresistibly mysterious, and of course Jacinda can not stay away. Since Will is from one of the hunter families who kill draki for their skins, it was a good conflict to have Jacinda--a draki-- fall in love with him. Overall, I liked Will. (Umm... except the part where he went into Crazy-Stalker-Mode and looked up Jacinda's school records-- to see where she lived-- and then SHOWED UP there-- in the middle of the night-- totally uninvited. Yeah. I know.)
Jacinda herself was an easy enough character to like-- I just didn't think it made any sense to portray her as a typical, average teenager. I mean, she comes from an ancient line of freaking DRAGONS, right?! I just think she should have had something more mystical and ethereal about her-- more depth and connection to her dragon heritage. She just seemed... boring. And she gets kind of whiny at times. I don't want to read about a whiny dragon-- I want to read about a fiercely awesome, fire-breathing, scare-the-pants-off-you, courageous, warrior-princess dragon!
Sigh... I know, I demand way too much from my books.
Basically, I just wish that Jacinda stood out from any other teenage character I've read about and had some backbone, because she's a dragon for crying out loud (wow, have I made that point clear yet?)-- not to mention, she's the only fire-breather dragon to exist in over 400 years! Because of this, I wanted to see her be a little more kick-ass and assertive, and a little less (ugh, here it comes) Mary Sue.
I mean, when I think "dragon," I think:
OH HELLZ YEAH. Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! Freaking Brooklyn the Bimbo and her sissy cheerleader cronies would get snuffed out like candles if Jacinda was anything like this bad-ass! XD
Also, totally did not buy the romance. Sorry, but no. So Jacinda can "sense" Will. Big whoopdee-doo, and I mean crap, we're only told this like five billion times, that she lights up like a Christmas tree and starts hyperventilating whenever Will is within a five mile radius. Wonderful. Is this supposed to make me believe they're in love? Because um... it doesn't. Oh-- and how about the fact that Will and his family HUNT AND KILL Jacinda's species and rip them to pieces for their skins?? Hmmmm... I don't know about you, but I would say that's a wee bit of a turn-off, no?
Finally, the writing style was not my favorite. It wasn't horrible by any stretch of the imagination, and it was able to tell the story between Jacinda and Will fairly adequately.
I just don't like when writing. is. choppy.
And fragmented.
And breaks up sentences.
Into phrases.
Like, every.
Other.
Line.
Know what I mean? It's OK if it's to create a feeling or a mood or to explain the main character's thoughts, but it's just so dang difficult to follow throughout an entire book!
I will be reading Vanish when it comes out. Because really, I feel like this story has a unique premise and that a lot can still be done with it to make it stand out. I'm really hoping that we find out more about the draki- about Azure, Cassian, Nidia, Severan-- honestly, those are the characters I wanted to be reading about, screw the dumb cheerleaders! How do the draki live? What do they do with the gems? Are there dragon battles between the different prides? Can Will become a draki? Will Jacinda's mom rediscover her inner draki and kick some butt? What exactly are the Enkros? I am dying to know!
So all in all, this story has captured my interest, despite not quite meeting my expectations so far. I still have hopes that the next book in this series will answer my questions and deliver some of that fantasy and magic I'm looking for!
~Lea @ LC's Adventures in Libraryland
Overall, you know, it wasn't bad. I've read much worse (Fallen series, anyone? Anyone?) The premise of the story is different, which I definitely liked-- I mean, a book about a girl who descends from dragons? That's cool.
But...
I don't know, try as I did, there were just things about this book that left me frustrated. It's not that I didn't like it-- more that I think it had the potential to be a lot better.
Jacinda is a "draki" -- a descendant of the ancient dragon prides that once roamed the earth. Her kind are now an endangered species, as modern-day hunters capture and kill draki for their valuable skins. One of the draki's main defenses is that they can shape-shift into human form in order to blend into the human world-- however, if anyone ever found out that draki can disguise themselves like this, it will probably mean the end of their race. The best thing they can do is stick together and stay as hidden and isolated as possible...
Sounds like the start to a kick-ass story, am I right??
Well don't get your hopes up just yet.
So the first few pages, I was super excited-- Jacinda and her friend Azure sneak off to transform into glittery, iridescent dragons and fly over lakes and mountains, and I was like, sweet! This is going to be some awesome, high-fantasy adventure, all Lord-of-the-Rings or Brisingr-like with dragons and magic and battles...
Yeeeeah, not so much. About 5 pages later, Jacinda and her sister Tamra are in a beat-up old car with their mom, escaping from the dragon "Pride" for some small town in Nevada.
Goodbye, magical world.
Hello, stereotypical high school and teen angst-ridden love story.
The biggest problem I had with Firelight was the choice of setting. Like I said, the story starts out in this forest with an enchanted village where the draki live, and it's all nature-y and magical, and I'm all ready for this crazy whirlwind dragon adventure. But then, the story takes this huge, random swing over to some modern-day school near Las Vegas-- and now all of a sudden we're in Been-There-Done-That Territory.
What???
I don't get it. Why take such an amazingly unique plot and turn it into the same ol' same ol'?? What happened to the dragon/draki mythology??
I wouldn't have minded the juxtaposition of the two worlds-- draki and everyday-- but we barely got to see anything about the draki. I am seriously hoping that the next book takes place in the draki world, because honestly, I am not a fan of the overdone, cliche high school drama-fest.
Sorry, I'm just not.
(SIDE NOTE: I'm ALSO not a fan of lust and shallow physical attraction being passed off as some deep, meaningful, loving relationship-- but I'll leave that lovely little rant for another day.)
(SECOND SIDE NOTE: OK, can we please talk logic and geography here for a second? Fact: Jacinda's draki pride is located in the Cascade Mountains. This means she and her family lived somewhere between British Columbia and Northern California. THEN Jacinda's mom moves Jacinda to some high school near Las Vegas, Nevada. OK, now PLEASE TELL ME: How is that Will, the hunter who was after her in the Cascades, happens to go to the EXACT SAME SCHOOL in.... Nevada. What are the odds of this? I'm no mathematician, but there ARE more than say, two high schools, between the Cascades and Las Vegas, right? Seriously, I am not buying this ridiculous coincidence.)
(THIRD SIDE NOTE: Seriously? If I read ONE MORE BOOK with The Blond Bratty Cheerleader who becomes oh-so-jealous because The Unattainable Guy is head-over-heels for the Flawed Female Protagonist because they are "inexplicable drawn to each other"-- I. Am. Going. To. Snap.)
(Seriously.)
So let's talk about Jacinda's love interest, Will. Once again, he's not horrible. He's not Edward Cullen or Daniel Grigori, if you know what I mean. Yes, he's got the whole "I'm-bad-stay-away-from-me" vibe going on, all handsome and irresistibly mysterious, and of course Jacinda can not stay away. Since Will is from one of the hunter families who kill draki for their skins, it was a good conflict to have Jacinda--a draki-- fall in love with him. Overall, I liked Will. (Umm... except the part where he went into Crazy-Stalker-Mode and looked up Jacinda's school records-- to see where she lived-- and then SHOWED UP there-- in the middle of the night-- totally uninvited. Yeah. I know.)
Jacinda herself was an easy enough character to like-- I just didn't think it made any sense to portray her as a typical, average teenager. I mean, she comes from an ancient line of freaking DRAGONS, right?! I just think she should have had something more mystical and ethereal about her-- more depth and connection to her dragon heritage. She just seemed... boring. And she gets kind of whiny at times. I don't want to read about a whiny dragon-- I want to read about a fiercely awesome, fire-breathing, scare-the-pants-off-you, courageous, warrior-princess dragon!
Sigh... I know, I demand way too much from my books.
Basically, I just wish that Jacinda stood out from any other teenage character I've read about and had some backbone, because she's a dragon for crying out loud (wow, have I made that point clear yet?)-- not to mention, she's the only fire-breather dragon to exist in over 400 years! Because of this, I wanted to see her be a little more kick-ass and assertive, and a little less (ugh, here it comes) Mary Sue.
I mean, when I think "dragon," I think:
OH HELLZ YEAH. Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! Freaking Brooklyn the Bimbo and her sissy cheerleader cronies would get snuffed out like candles if Jacinda was anything like this bad-ass! XD
Also, totally did not buy the romance. Sorry, but no. So Jacinda can "sense" Will. Big whoopdee-doo, and I mean crap, we're only told this like five billion times, that she lights up like a Christmas tree and starts hyperventilating whenever Will is within a five mile radius. Wonderful. Is this supposed to make me believe they're in love? Because um... it doesn't. Oh-- and how about the fact that Will and his family HUNT AND KILL Jacinda's species and rip them to pieces for their skins?? Hmmmm... I don't know about you, but I would say that's a wee bit of a turn-off, no?
Finally, the writing style was not my favorite. It wasn't horrible by any stretch of the imagination, and it was able to tell the story between Jacinda and Will fairly adequately.
I just don't like when writing. is. choppy.
And fragmented.
And breaks up sentences.
Into phrases.
Like, every.
Other.
Line.
Know what I mean? It's OK if it's to create a feeling or a mood or to explain the main character's thoughts, but it's just so dang difficult to follow throughout an entire book!
I will be reading Vanish when it comes out. Because really, I feel like this story has a unique premise and that a lot can still be done with it to make it stand out. I'm really hoping that we find out more about the draki- about Azure, Cassian, Nidia, Severan-- honestly, those are the characters I wanted to be reading about, screw the dumb cheerleaders! How do the draki live? What do they do with the gems? Are there dragon battles between the different prides? Can Will become a draki? Will Jacinda's mom rediscover her inner draki and kick some butt? What exactly are the Enkros? I am dying to know!
So all in all, this story has captured my interest, despite not quite meeting my expectations so far. I still have hopes that the next book in this series will answer my questions and deliver some of that fantasy and magic I'm looking for!
~Lea @ LC's Adventures in Libraryland
April 14, 2021
⭐5/10⭐ - reseña completa en tiktok!
September 23, 2015
1.5
Obviously, Firelight did disappoint me. With dragons/draki and all that shit, I thought this will be different, really different, but no. It was a freaking love story dressed in dragons. The romance overthrew the plot. *shakes my head*
This is my first book, if my memory isn't failing me, about dragons. And this concept of dragons/draki is unique and new to me (since it was my first dragon book lol) but the story is so, so cliché. It is like the typical shows cater by our local television when it comes to peculiarity and trying to fit in. *sighs dramatically*
Obviously, Firelight did disappoint me. With dragons/draki and all that shit, I thought this will be different, really different, but no. It was a freaking love story dressed in dragons. The romance overthrew the plot. *shakes my head*
This is my first book, if my memory isn't failing me, about dragons. And this concept of dragons/draki is unique and new to me (since it was my first dragon book lol) but the story is so, so cliché. It is like the typical shows cater by our local television when it comes to peculiarity and trying to fit in. *sighs dramatically*
Read
March 11, 2015My favorite thing about this book is the draki world that Sophie created. I feel like she only scratched the surface there and that she has so much more to tell us. What an exciting new series to be able to read! I'm very much looking forward to the second book. Is it wrong to beg another author for an advanced copy because I'm not too proud to beg.
June 14, 2014
2.5 stars. If you can handle cliches flying from all directions, then you might be okay with this book.
Firelight, one hell of cliched book it is, to a point that I want to make a cliches check list:
(1) A heroine who is so very special, she's also the only one of her kind? Check.
(2) A heroine who is tired of everyone paying extra attention to her, and wants nothing to be ordinary? Check.
(3) Said heroine encounters a hunter boy who's supposed to hunt and kill her, but somehow he doesn't? Check.
(4) Meeting said hunter boy again in her new school against all odds? Check.
(5) Said boy being a dreamboat who's hotly sought after by every girl in school? Check.
(6) Heroine being awkward and a misfit in her new school? Check.
(7) Bullying, mean spirited Queen Bee in school, who picks on the heroine because she's jealous of the latter? Check.
(8) The hunter boy notices/being attracted by no one but the heroine? Check.
(9) Forbidden romance? Check.
(10) Aside from the hunter boy, the heroine has another admirer, who has been around ever since their childhood and won't let the girl go? Check.
(11) Love/Attraction At First Sight? Check.
(12) "You know you shouldn't be with him but you want him anyway" cliche? Check.
(13) Everyone seems to want the heroine? Check.
(14) "It's so dangerous to be with you, but I want you anyway" cliche? Check.
(15) Love triangle? Check.
To be honest, Firelight reads like Twilight, a slightly better and more eventful version of Twilight if only S.Meyer actually has the tiniest bit of writing talent to save her life. That's all I can say.
I also would have forgiven all the cliches in the book if the main character, Jacinda actually did something and had a mind of her own, making her own decisions and carrying them through instead of just ranting about how suffocating her life was whilst allowing herself to be dragged around whenever the pride, her mom and Cassian took over and ran her life for her.
The idea of a girl grew up bearing a huge amount of expectation and pressure,how she dealt with it and found herself, is an interesting one, but throughout the book I remain rather indifferent with Jacinda and what she had gone through.
By the way, to have more brain cells inside your brain wouldn't hurt, Jacinda. WHAT ARE YOU DOING CHANGING INTO A DRAGON AND FLYING OUT IN THE OPEN WHEN YOU KNOW FULLY WELL THERE'RE EVIL DRAGON HUNTERS OUT THERE?
As to the male lead Will, I would have been okay with him if only
Jacinda's mother and twin sister are the supporting characters whom we would see the most frequently, but Jacinda's mom was controlling and cruel, wanting to kill a part of her daughter whilst murmuring "It's for your own good". The twin sister Tamra turned out to be a whinny and a complainer. I know we're supposed to pity them and see how difficult their lives must be, but these two are just so over-the-top that they are unbearable to read.
In fact, the briefly mentioned dragon hunters clan seems to be a lot more interesting than Jacinda and her family adding together.
Firelight, one hell of cliched book it is, to a point that I want to make a cliches check list:
(1) A heroine who is so very special, she's also the only one of her kind? Check.
(2) A heroine who is tired of everyone paying extra attention to her, and wants nothing to be ordinary? Check.
(3) Said heroine encounters a hunter boy who's supposed to hunt and kill her, but somehow he doesn't? Check.
(4) Meeting said hunter boy again in her new school against all odds? Check.
(5) Said boy being a dreamboat who's hotly sought after by every girl in school? Check.
(6) Heroine being awkward and a misfit in her new school? Check.
(7) Bullying, mean spirited Queen Bee in school, who picks on the heroine because she's jealous of the latter? Check.
(8) The hunter boy notices/being attracted by no one but the heroine? Check.
(9) Forbidden romance? Check.
(10) Aside from the hunter boy, the heroine has another admirer, who has been around ever since their childhood and won't let the girl go? Check.
(11) Love/Attraction At First Sight? Check.
(12) "You know you shouldn't be with him but you want him anyway" cliche? Check.
(13) Everyone seems to want the heroine? Check.
(14) "It's so dangerous to be with you, but I want you anyway" cliche? Check.
(15) Love triangle? Check.
To be honest, Firelight reads like Twilight, a slightly better and more eventful version of Twilight if only S.Meyer actually has the tiniest bit of writing talent to save her life. That's all I can say.
I also would have forgiven all the cliches in the book if the main character, Jacinda actually did something and had a mind of her own, making her own decisions and carrying them through instead of just ranting about how suffocating her life was whilst allowing herself to be dragged around whenever the pride, her mom and Cassian took over and ran her life for her.
The idea of a girl grew up bearing a huge amount of expectation and pressure,how she dealt with it and found herself, is an interesting one, but throughout the book I remain rather indifferent with Jacinda and what she had gone through.
By the way, to have more brain cells inside your brain wouldn't hurt, Jacinda. WHAT ARE YOU DOING CHANGING INTO A DRAGON AND FLYING OUT IN THE OPEN WHEN YOU KNOW FULLY WELL THERE'RE EVIL DRAGON HUNTERS OUT THERE?
As to the male lead Will, I would have been okay with him if only
Jacinda's mother and twin sister are the supporting characters whom we would see the most frequently, but Jacinda's mom was controlling and cruel, wanting to kill a part of her daughter whilst murmuring "It's for your own good". The twin sister Tamra turned out to be a whinny and a complainer. I know we're supposed to pity them and see how difficult their lives must be, but these two are just so over-the-top that they are unbearable to read.
In fact, the briefly mentioned dragon hunters clan seems to be a lot more interesting than Jacinda and her family adding together.
July 15, 2010
Whoever designed this cover was a genius. I loved that this girl actually had a head and a (mostly) visible face. I get worn out with all the headless covers in YA. Still, you have no idea what this book is about because you can't see the body, but one glimpse at this (mostly) human face--the bright red hair, the glitter and the shine and the subtle scales--and you know that somewhere in there, there's some sparkly fantasy. I saw this cover and drooled just a little bit. It was enough for me to start coveting like a sinner.
I couldn't wait to dive into this book, and from page one, I was hooked. I mean, come on, a humanoid descendant of dragons saved by the dude who hunts her kind? Love it. Hunter falls for his prey? Okay, so I definitely got some TWILIGHT vibes there. So yes, TWILIGHT fans will probably like this book.
(You know there's a giant BUT, right?)
BUT, while FIRELIGHT has the whole lion-falls-for-the-lamb bit going for it (a premise I think is brilliant, by the way), that's pretty much where the similarities end. For one thing, the female mc is the supernatural being, and a dragon-like shapeshifter at that. She has a special ability, too, and this ability creates a major conflict for her. Yet Jacinda has to deal with major responsibility, including the welfare of her mother and sister, so her own suffering has to be suppressed.
Overshadowing everything, however, is the romance with Will, which is just. so. dreamy....the lovers who have every reason to hate one another, but find themselves pulled to be together anyway--and yet their unchangeable identities make it impossible to be together. So Romeo and Juliet, no?
I loved the way the story played out. I can't say that I didn't suspect Jacinda and Will would fall for one another (eh hmmm, it IS a romance), but I did NOT see that end coming. Still, you'll want to read it for more than the end. I was captivated by the original handling of mythological concepts, the premise, the lively main characters, the interweaving of the paranormal and the reality-based setting, and the witty, genuine-feeling dialogue. I was sucked in from the start.
I couldn't wait to dive into this book, and from page one, I was hooked. I mean, come on, a humanoid descendant of dragons saved by the dude who hunts her kind? Love it. Hunter falls for his prey? Okay, so I definitely got some TWILIGHT vibes there. So yes, TWILIGHT fans will probably like this book.
(You know there's a giant BUT, right?)
BUT, while FIRELIGHT has the whole lion-falls-for-the-lamb bit going for it (a premise I think is brilliant, by the way), that's pretty much where the similarities end. For one thing, the female mc is the supernatural being, and a dragon-like shapeshifter at that. She has a special ability, too, and this ability creates a major conflict for her. Yet Jacinda has to deal with major responsibility, including the welfare of her mother and sister, so her own suffering has to be suppressed.
Overshadowing everything, however, is the romance with Will, which is just. so. dreamy....the lovers who have every reason to hate one another, but find themselves pulled to be together anyway--and yet their unchangeable identities make it impossible to be together. So Romeo and Juliet, no?
I loved the way the story played out. I can't say that I didn't suspect Jacinda and Will would fall for one another (eh hmmm, it IS a romance), but I did NOT see that end coming. Still, you'll want to read it for more than the end. I was captivated by the original handling of mythological concepts, the premise, the lively main characters, the interweaving of the paranormal and the reality-based setting, and the witty, genuine-feeling dialogue. I was sucked in from the start.
January 5, 2021
2.5 stars.
So many clichés that I was about to cry. I read it when I was 16 (6 years ago) for the very first time, and I must admit that in that time, I loved it and I don't know why. Now, I reread it and I wanted to kick Jacinda. Will was nice to me in that then, now he's annoying too.
I don't remember if I read the other two books 6 years ago (my bff used to borrow me, lol), and perhaps I'll do it now, idk. Right now, I'm just sick and tired of these clichés.
So many clichés that I was about to cry. I read it when I was 16 (6 years ago) for the very first time, and I must admit that in that time, I loved it and I don't know why. Now, I reread it and I wanted to kick Jacinda. Will was nice to me in that then, now he's annoying too.
I don't remember if I read the other two books 6 years ago (my bff used to borrow me, lol), and perhaps I'll do it now, idk. Right now, I'm just sick and tired of these clichés.
October 15, 2010
Quiet surrounds us. So thick I can taste it. He sends me a sidelong glance, the gold of his hazel eyes sparking warmth in my chest, igniting a burn I thought was dying.
Wow, what a stunning book! Firelight was a beautiful tale of forbidden love, danger and mythical abilities. I had high hopes for this book and it didn’t disappoint.
You can tell Jordan is an experienced writer. The way it flowed, the way it captivated me from the first page, it was just magical. I have so many quotes that I love from this book.
I adore Jacinda. She showed so much strength while struggling to choose between what’s right for her family and what’s right for her. Will is a crush worthy character. Mysterious, protective and a caring soul. Jacinda and Will definitely have great chemistry. Sparks were flying. Those kissing scenes were gorgeous. I found Cassian to be an interesting character even if we know little about him. It sounds like he will be a major part in the next instalment and hopefully we will get to understand the guy behind the dragon.
Okay I did have one minor little complaint but that was more to do with my mood than the actual book. The whole mean girl thing bugged me. I thought Jordan wrote it well but I just wanted one book where the girls in the story got along. I guess that is not realistic unfortunately.
Ending of course was a big cliffhanger. I could see it coming about 30 pages before the end and starting screaming oh no! But don’t let that stop you from getting Firelight right now because I thought it was well worth the pain of a cliffhanger.
Overall, a breathtaking read that I suggest you pick up next time your at the bookstore.
Note: I love the cover! It is even more gorgeous when you have it your hands :)
Wow, what a stunning book! Firelight was a beautiful tale of forbidden love, danger and mythical abilities. I had high hopes for this book and it didn’t disappoint.
You can tell Jordan is an experienced writer. The way it flowed, the way it captivated me from the first page, it was just magical. I have so many quotes that I love from this book.
I adore Jacinda. She showed so much strength while struggling to choose between what’s right for her family and what’s right for her. Will is a crush worthy character. Mysterious, protective and a caring soul. Jacinda and Will definitely have great chemistry. Sparks were flying. Those kissing scenes were gorgeous. I found Cassian to be an interesting character even if we know little about him. It sounds like he will be a major part in the next instalment and hopefully we will get to understand the guy behind the dragon.
Okay I did have one minor little complaint but that was more to do with my mood than the actual book. The whole mean girl thing bugged me. I thought Jordan wrote it well but I just wanted one book where the girls in the story got along. I guess that is not realistic unfortunately.
Ending of course was a big cliffhanger. I could see it coming about 30 pages before the end and starting screaming oh no! But don’t let that stop you from getting Firelight right now because I thought it was well worth the pain of a cliffhanger.
Overall, a breathtaking read that I suggest you pick up next time your at the bookstore.
Note: I love the cover! It is even more gorgeous when you have it your hands :)
July 12, 2016
*3.5 FIRE-BREATHING STARS*
“What good is safety if you're dead inside?”
Yeah, this book wasn't really my thing, I kind of expected more from it.
I loved the whole draki concept but I wish Sophie Jordan executed it a little better. As you all know, I absolutely hate insta-love and that's exactly what happens here. They meet one minute, they have an instant connection and POOF, butterlies fly and they're madly in love. No, just no.
“What good is safety if you're dead inside?”
Yeah, this book wasn't really my thing, I kind of expected more from it.
I loved the whole draki concept but I wish Sophie Jordan executed it a little better. As you all know, I absolutely hate insta-love and that's exactly what happens here. They meet one minute, they have an instant connection and POOF, butterlies fly and they're madly in love. No, just no.
March 15, 2011
I loved this book! I sat down on my bed with it and didn't get up until I finished! Sophie, you must give me the second one IMMEDIATELY!
August 28, 2010
As a fan of dragons, the premise sounded promising - a hiatus from vampires, werewolves and angels while still lingering in the paranormal zone. Curled up in my bed for a couple hours, I read this novel in one sitting, my attention constantly tethered to the rapt and engaging plot. But alas, my eyes uncovered a paltry, watery novel that washed through my mind and caused me to forget about it soon after.
I love the concept of draki, the descendants of dragons, morphing into human, and their customs are interesting. However, I wish the author included more draki lore and history, along with their feud with the dragon hunters. For example, Jacinda mentions an "evasive flight maneuvers class", which sounds interesting, and I would like to learn more about. Jacinda barely spends any time with the dragon pride, and the reader merely experiences them through her memories. Reading this book would be a much more enthralling affair if we actually encountered the pride alongside her, gaining background information about drakis and enriching myself, thus making the rest of the novel more enjoyable.
The majority of the characters are lifeless and perilously flat. Will, who I've now nicknamed as "the Wallflower", fails to be mysterious and sexy as the author intends. He only snags my attention when Jacinda begins pining and whining over him, and though many other reviews claim their love to be intriguing and captivating, all I see is another paranormal romance that bores me. Their love is unbelievably instantaneous and predictable, lacking any depth. When Jacinda's inner draki flares to life around Will, it is the definition of cheesy, especially since the author reveals no explanation of Jacinda's fascination of this bland child. Many other reviews state their relationship to rival the romance in Twilight, but while I'm not a fan of that book, at least the author explains Bella and Edward's love. The romance in Firelight flounders to grapple my regard.
Jacinda's remarkably selfish twin sister Tamra and mother are extremely irksome and undeveloped. Her mother forfeited her draki spirit and eschews draki culture seemingly without any reason, and her sister complains about the most frivolous things. They aggravate me using their barely there personalities and do nothing more than set up meek obstacles of conflict for Jacinda to jump over. The character redeeming the rest is Jacinda, since she is surprisingly developed compared to the others; during the novel, my liking for her escalates as she demonstrated selfless, unpretentious qualities. She actually tolerates her irritating family members. I notice some other reviews chastising Jacinda for being selfish, endlessly complaining about the situation that her mother puts her in. However, I would probably react similarly if somebody hacks away part of my soul, just as Jacinda's mother attempts to rip away her draki. Jordan successfully captures Jacinda's raw anguish and the torture of allowing her draki to die, which is the equivalent of losing part of one's soul. She describes Jacinda's quest to maintain her identity using simple, emotional phrases.
"I once saw a show about an amputee who lost his leg and still feels it. He actually wakes up at night to scratch his leg as if it's still there, attached to him. They call it a phantom limb.
I would be like that. A phantom draki, tormented with the memory of what I once was."- page 37
The author's writing is very bland and repetitive, and after a while, I began to tire of Jacinda's distressed musings and cravings for Will. Jordan tends to echo Jacinda's thoughts in an annoying manner, and all her sentences are short and choppy, structured too simply. Though constructed using prose that lacks description, this book still consistently maintains its hooking attribute.
The ending is so annoying abrupt and unsatisfying that I couldn't help but roll my eyes once I was finished, asking myself if somebody had pruned off the real end of the manuscript. Don't get me wrong, I always bask in the afterglow of anticipation after reading a superb cliffhanger, but Firelight left off without any conclusion or thoughts to hold onto whatsoever. When I read a cliffhanger, I run off a cliff, though there are always questions and unsolved mysteries that keep me dangling on the edge. Firelight, however, has nothing sparking further curiosity, so I gallop over the edge and plummet to the ground.
Overall, this typical paranormal romance ensnared my attention for most of its three hundred pages, causing me to dub it as 'mildly addicting' and file it away at the very back of my mind. I'm sure, like many other paranormal romances, it'll acquire a teen fandom when it releases in September, 2010. I'll probably skim the sequel just to see what's in store for Jacinda and company, but I hold very little hope that this series can possibly redeem itself after this slight disaster.
Cover: 2/5 - I'm usually partial to people on covers, and this one's no exception. I dislike how up-close the girl is, and the artificial shade of her hair. However, the golden scales add a mysterious touch.
I love the concept of draki, the descendants of dragons, morphing into human, and their customs are interesting. However, I wish the author included more draki lore and history, along with their feud with the dragon hunters. For example, Jacinda mentions an "evasive flight maneuvers class", which sounds interesting, and I would like to learn more about. Jacinda barely spends any time with the dragon pride, and the reader merely experiences them through her memories. Reading this book would be a much more enthralling affair if we actually encountered the pride alongside her, gaining background information about drakis and enriching myself, thus making the rest of the novel more enjoyable.
The majority of the characters are lifeless and perilously flat. Will, who I've now nicknamed as "the Wallflower", fails to be mysterious and sexy as the author intends. He only snags my attention when Jacinda begins pining and whining over him, and though many other reviews claim their love to be intriguing and captivating, all I see is another paranormal romance that bores me. Their love is unbelievably instantaneous and predictable, lacking any depth. When Jacinda's inner draki flares to life around Will, it is the definition of cheesy, especially since the author reveals no explanation of Jacinda's fascination of this bland child. Many other reviews state their relationship to rival the romance in Twilight, but while I'm not a fan of that book, at least the author explains Bella and Edward's love. The romance in Firelight flounders to grapple my regard.
Jacinda's remarkably selfish twin sister Tamra and mother are extremely irksome and undeveloped. Her mother forfeited her draki spirit and eschews draki culture seemingly without any reason, and her sister complains about the most frivolous things. They aggravate me using their barely there personalities and do nothing more than set up meek obstacles of conflict for Jacinda to jump over. The character redeeming the rest is Jacinda, since she is surprisingly developed compared to the others; during the novel, my liking for her escalates as she demonstrated selfless, unpretentious qualities. She actually tolerates her irritating family members. I notice some other reviews chastising Jacinda for being selfish, endlessly complaining about the situation that her mother puts her in. However, I would probably react similarly if somebody hacks away part of my soul, just as Jacinda's mother attempts to rip away her draki. Jordan successfully captures Jacinda's raw anguish and the torture of allowing her draki to die, which is the equivalent of losing part of one's soul. She describes Jacinda's quest to maintain her identity using simple, emotional phrases.
"I once saw a show about an amputee who lost his leg and still feels it. He actually wakes up at night to scratch his leg as if it's still there, attached to him. They call it a phantom limb.
I would be like that. A phantom draki, tormented with the memory of what I once was."- page 37
The author's writing is very bland and repetitive, and after a while, I began to tire of Jacinda's distressed musings and cravings for Will. Jordan tends to echo Jacinda's thoughts in an annoying manner, and all her sentences are short and choppy, structured too simply. Though constructed using prose that lacks description, this book still consistently maintains its hooking attribute.
The ending is so annoying abrupt and unsatisfying that I couldn't help but roll my eyes once I was finished, asking myself if somebody had pruned off the real end of the manuscript. Don't get me wrong, I always bask in the afterglow of anticipation after reading a superb cliffhanger, but Firelight left off without any conclusion or thoughts to hold onto whatsoever. When I read a cliffhanger, I run off a cliff, though there are always questions and unsolved mysteries that keep me dangling on the edge. Firelight, however, has nothing sparking further curiosity, so I gallop over the edge and plummet to the ground.
Overall, this typical paranormal romance ensnared my attention for most of its three hundred pages, causing me to dub it as 'mildly addicting' and file it away at the very back of my mind. I'm sure, like many other paranormal romances, it'll acquire a teen fandom when it releases in September, 2010. I'll probably skim the sequel just to see what's in store for Jacinda and company, but I hold very little hope that this series can possibly redeem itself after this slight disaster.
Cover: 2/5 - I'm usually partial to people on covers, and this one's no exception. I dislike how up-close the girl is, and the artificial shade of her hair. However, the golden scales add a mysterious touch.
January 22, 2015
The problem of such books is just that sometimes the write style or the characters or the combination of both, take all the tension. And the book turns out to be fucking awful.
The idea behind the book is actually intriguing and it makes you long for more, but the execution of this idea leaves a lot to be desired...It could have been much better.
It was not. This is the reason why I gave only 2 stars. Sorry... I wish I could give more.
The write style was sometimes just too long-winded and unrealistic. Sometimes Jacinda acted like an adult, a wise woman and then, suddenly without any reasons like a fangirling teenager...And it made me feel
Same problem with the other characters. All of them were too much character and not enough personality. I did not like a single one.
The book didn't magane to capture me. I felt a certain distance to everyone and everything in this book. It is a pity, but true...
December 13, 2021
3,5/5⭐
“A hunter in love with his prey.”
Hace rato que quería una lectura ligera y juvenil y este libro no decepciono.
La forma de escritura no me pareció algo para destacar y si tuvo muchos cliches. Pero el cliche enemies to lovers simplemente puede conmigo.
Me encariñé con los personajes y disfruté mucho de leerlos.
“A hunter in love with his prey.”
Hace rato que quería una lectura ligera y juvenil y este libro no decepciono.
La forma de escritura no me pareció algo para destacar y si tuvo muchos cliches. Pero el cliche enemies to lovers simplemente puede conmigo.
Me encariñé con los personajes y disfruté mucho de leerlos.
December 9, 2013
This book is full to the brim with stupid. Now, some of that I expected because it's clearly a YA angst novel. Jacinda is exactly the angsty teen Mary Sue you'd expect from the setup. All the hot, socially alpha boys love her but her life isn't that keen because all the girls hate her. Also, everybody is picking on her (except the hot boys she actually likes). Yadda yadda. Like I said, I knew that going in, so that wasn't the problem.
The problem is that everybody in the novel is stupid. Let me illustrate: in one scene, Jacinda and a friend are confronted in the girls room by four of the cheerleader/popular squad. Words are said. Eventually, the claws come out and the confrontation becomes physical. The principal suspends Jacinda for bullying. That's right. In this world, a principal is so un-utterably stupid that he'd actually believe that four popular girls were being bullied by two outcasts, one of which was completely new to the school.
And don't get me started on her mom.
So stupid, irrational mom. Stupid, irrational school officials. And stupid, irrational protagonist (which is the only one I expected having to put up with). Add in stupid, irrational everybody else (from her sister to the cheerettes to the love interest, Will), and you have enough stupid that I simply couldn't choke it down any longer.
The book is otherwise competently-enough written. Jordan has a talent for evocative description and crafts atmosphere marvelously. I wish that talent had been employed in delivering a better story.
A note about Audible: I really enjoyed the narrator, but she has a quirk that once you notice, you can't not notice. I didn't mind, but it bears calling out. I'm going to spoiler tag it because nobody should have this inflicted on themselves without me being able to say "told you so" afterwards. Go listen to a sample and see if I'm not right.
The problem is that everybody in the novel is stupid. Let me illustrate: in one scene, Jacinda and a friend are confronted in the girls room by four of the cheerleader/popular squad. Words are said. Eventually, the claws come out and the confrontation becomes physical. The principal suspends Jacinda for bullying. That's right. In this world, a principal is so un-utterably stupid that he'd actually believe that four popular girls were being bullied by two outcasts, one of which was completely new to the school.
And don't get me started on her mom.
So stupid, irrational mom. Stupid, irrational school officials. And stupid, irrational protagonist (which is the only one I expected having to put up with). Add in stupid, irrational everybody else (from her sister to the cheerettes to the love interest, Will), and you have enough stupid that I simply couldn't choke it down any longer.
The book is otherwise competently-enough written. Jordan has a talent for evocative description and crafts atmosphere marvelously. I wish that talent had been employed in delivering a better story.
A note about Audible: I really enjoyed the narrator, but she has a quirk that once you notice, you can't not notice. I didn't mind, but it bears calling out. I'm going to spoiler tag it because nobody should have this inflicted on themselves without me being able to say "told you so" afterwards. Go listen to a sample and see if I'm not right.
November 15, 2010
Itsy bitsy tiny spoilers ahead!
I don’t know what it is with this book but I’m having an extremely hard time reviewing it.
Maybe I can’t come up with anything to say about it because it’s just like every other paranormal YA novel out there right now? Granted, the whole draki idea is new but they’re basically described to be just like werewolves. Living in a pack with hierarchic structure which is lead by an alpha, displaying an extremely territorial behavior...yada yada yada...Ring a bell? Anyhow, “Firelight” is definitely one of the better YA novels out there, I really enjoyed it and I was sucked into the story right from page one (which is definitely a plus).
I have to say that there were an awful lot of things which reminded me of Nightshade, and I can’t help but compare the two books. (don’t know and don’t care which one was published first, I like Firelight better than Nighshade)
Both Calla and Jacinda are supposed to become alphas (or at least the alpha’s wives) someday, meaning they are both already promised. Both of them fall in love with a human who, in the end, turns out to be not so human after all - yay, surprise! (I know, there are some differences but I’m just talking about the basic idea here). In both books we’ve got a love triangle between our heroine, the boy she’s promised to (who’s a jerk in both books) and the human (who’s a crybaby only in Nightshade, thank God). For what it’s worth, I liked the love triangle much better in Firelight than in Nightshade, probably because it was not that much of a triangle to begin with, seeing as our heroine doesn’t really like the guy she’s promised to and we don’t have that forbidden fruit vibe going on.
Both books start with the first meeting of our heroine and the human boy in a life-and-death situation. Calla saves Shay’s life, Will saves Jacinda’s – and that’s also where their instant, soul deep connection originates from. *mega sigh and eye-roll* Yeah sure, what else? Even though I’m very sick of these kind of relationships, I didn’t mind it as much in Firelight as I did in Nightshade. Don’t ask me why. I just liked Will a hell of a lot better than Shay. *coughs* Wiener! *chough cough*
Um yeah...that’s all I’ve got to say. I really liked Firelight but I don’t feel like elaborating further. Oh, one more thing. I have to agree with Nic, I’m also fed up with the mean girl routine and we’ve got an especially mean specimen in this book.
PS: While reading, I counted how many times Jacinda’s “skin tightened”. I don’t know why but I was bothered by the extensive use of that description.
I don’t know what it is with this book but I’m having an extremely hard time reviewing it.
Maybe I can’t come up with anything to say about it because it’s just like every other paranormal YA novel out there right now? Granted, the whole draki idea is new but they’re basically described to be just like werewolves. Living in a pack with hierarchic structure which is lead by an alpha, displaying an extremely territorial behavior...yada yada yada...Ring a bell? Anyhow, “Firelight” is definitely one of the better YA novels out there, I really enjoyed it and I was sucked into the story right from page one (which is definitely a plus).
I have to say that there were an awful lot of things which reminded me of Nightshade, and I can’t help but compare the two books. (don’t know and don’t care which one was published first, I like Firelight better than Nighshade)
Both Calla and Jacinda are supposed to become alphas (or at least the alpha’s wives) someday, meaning they are both already promised. Both of them fall in love with a human who, in the end, turns out to be not so human after all - yay, surprise! (I know, there are some differences but I’m just talking about the basic idea here). In both books we’ve got a love triangle between our heroine, the boy she’s promised to (who’s a jerk in both books) and the human (who’s a crybaby only in Nightshade, thank God). For what it’s worth, I liked the love triangle much better in Firelight than in Nightshade, probably because it was not that much of a triangle to begin with, seeing as our heroine doesn’t really like the guy she’s promised to and we don’t have that forbidden fruit vibe going on.
Both books start with the first meeting of our heroine and the human boy in a life-and-death situation. Calla saves Shay’s life, Will saves Jacinda’s – and that’s also where their instant, soul deep connection originates from. *mega sigh and eye-roll* Yeah sure, what else? Even though I’m very sick of these kind of relationships, I didn’t mind it as much in Firelight as I did in Nightshade. Don’t ask me why. I just liked Will a hell of a lot better than Shay. *coughs* Wiener! *chough cough*
Um yeah...that’s all I’ve got to say. I really liked Firelight but I don’t feel like elaborating further. Oh, one more thing. I have to agree with Nic, I’m also fed up with the mean girl routine and we’ve got an especially mean specimen in this book.
PS: While reading, I counted how many times Jacinda’s “skin tightened”. I don’t know why but I was bothered by the extensive use of that description.
March 6, 2016
Creo que es una historia y una propuesta muy interesante. Sophie de nuevo me sorprendió con su fluidez y naturalidad al escribir, aunque tengo varias cosas para criticar.
El final medio te vuela la cabeza, te dan ganas de más. No puedo esperar a leer el segundo.
El final medio te vuela la cabeza, te dan ganas de más. No puedo esperar a leer el segundo.
November 20, 2015
Another YA Paranormal Romance filled with teen angst! Despite all that, I enjoyed this dragon story for the most part. A nice quick easy read! 3.5 stars
February 6, 2011
(Now with extra British swearing at the end!)
When I say that I just finished this book, I want you to understand- it's been about three minutes.
This does not mean that this book is OMGZ amazing. This is a measure of how righteously OUTRAGED I was at the ending of it.
I cannot even believe that anyone would think to write a book that goes doo, doo, doo, story story story EXCITEMEN- FULL STOP, sorry guys, better pre-order the sequel now.
Eff you, Sophie Jordan. That wasn't even at a lull in the action, or a point where the next book will start out with a literal bang (see: Bruce Coville's Dark Whispers. Now, there's a cliffhanger.) This was the most completely illogical place to end a book I could imagine. Compounded, somewhat, by the fact that Jacinda (who I rather liked for a while) suddenly lost all of her brain cells and
Dammit, I wanted to love this book. DRAGONS. Shapeshifting freaking DRAGONS. FFFFFFFDRAGOOOOOONS. (I love dragons. LOVE 'EM. Have at times wished I was one.) Thankfully, Sophie Jordan is not capable of ruining my favorite mythological creature for me. Not even Todd McCaffrey's horrible, nightmare-inducing attempt to distort his mother's Pern series can ruin dragons. ('Cause I've still got Toothless, and Norbert, and Ramoth, and Skysong, and... you get the picture.)
What Jordan did do is ruin her own book for me.
I am still so pissed at this I can hardly- nope, I can't. No words.
Well, profanity.
But I won't share that here.
All I have to say is: Dear Sophie Jordan, I will never read one of your books again. You write better than Becca Fitzpatrick or Stephenie Meyer, but that won't absolve you. And unlike Rachel Caine, I haven't read something of yours that I actually like. So we're done.
And now I get to go write a scathing galley review for my library.
OHYEAH. The second star is for the dragons. Have I mentioned how dragons are the shit?
Edit: Here, I found a way to express the profanity properly.
When I say that I just finished this book, I want you to understand- it's been about three minutes.
This does not mean that this book is OMGZ amazing. This is a measure of how righteously OUTRAGED I was at the ending of it.
I cannot even believe that anyone would think to write a book that goes doo, doo, doo, story story story EXCITEMEN- FULL STOP, sorry guys, better pre-order the sequel now.
Eff you, Sophie Jordan. That wasn't even at a lull in the action, or a point where the next book will start out with a literal bang (see: Bruce Coville's Dark Whispers. Now, there's a cliffhanger.) This was the most completely illogical place to end a book I could imagine. Compounded, somewhat, by the fact that Jacinda (who I rather liked for a while) suddenly lost all of her brain cells and
Dammit, I wanted to love this book. DRAGONS. Shapeshifting freaking DRAGONS. FFFFFFFDRAGOOOOOONS. (I love dragons. LOVE 'EM. Have at times wished I was one.) Thankfully, Sophie Jordan is not capable of ruining my favorite mythological creature for me. Not even Todd McCaffrey's horrible, nightmare-inducing attempt to distort his mother's Pern series can ruin dragons. ('Cause I've still got Toothless, and Norbert, and Ramoth, and Skysong, and... you get the picture.)
What Jordan did do is ruin her own book for me.
I am still so pissed at this I can hardly- nope, I can't. No words.
Well, profanity.
But I won't share that here.
All I have to say is: Dear Sophie Jordan, I will never read one of your books again. You write better than Becca Fitzpatrick or Stephenie Meyer, but that won't absolve you. And unlike Rachel Caine, I haven't read something of yours that I actually like. So we're done.
And now I get to go write a scathing galley review for my library.
OHYEAH. The second star is for the dragons. Have I mentioned how dragons are the shit?
Edit: Here, I found a way to express the profanity properly.
September 12, 2017
Fue amor.
Es muy básico y cae en varios clichés, incluso llega a ser predecible al final. Pero tiene algo, no es una historia corriente, tiene mucho gancho, está lindo escrito y -la reina de las ironías- por momentos me pareció un soplo de aire fresco.
Me enganchó mucho, no quería terminarlo y me dejó con ganas de empezar Vanish ya, y probablemente vaya hacerlo (brilla como un diamante en mi biblioteca en este momento, tentándome, susurrando que lo agarre. Y soy débil :P)
Reseña completa en LEE.SUEÑA.VUELA :D
Es muy básico y cae en varios clichés, incluso llega a ser predecible al final. Pero tiene algo, no es una historia corriente, tiene mucho gancho, está lindo escrito y -la reina de las ironías- por momentos me pareció un soplo de aire fresco.
Me enganchó mucho, no quería terminarlo y me dejó con ganas de empezar Vanish ya, y probablemente vaya hacerlo (brilla como un diamante en mi biblioteca en este momento, tentándome, susurrando que lo agarre. Y soy débil :P)
Reseña completa en LEE.SUEÑA.VUELA :D
October 3, 2010
The back of the ARC describes Firelight perfectly, "Mythical powers and irresistible passion ignite" to make Firelight one book that I was so enraptured with, I read it in one sitting. I've always been intrigued with the mythology of dragons, but I haven't read a book that made me really fall in love with them until I read Firelight. Sophie's characters and her world building hooked from page one and left me wishing her sequel was already out.
Firelight introduces a whole new character in the paranormal world- a Draki. Draki's are descendants of dragons who can shift between both dragon and human forms. While the pride closely guards their secret and where they live, they can easily blend in with humans and no one would know it.
Jacinda's rare gift of fire breathing makes her a unique Draki who's excepted to be with Cassian, the brooding, hot, Draki Prince whom she was once close to. Now that she's closely watched by her pride, and doesn't have a say in her future, she yearns for freedom. Wanting to get away, Jacinda goes against the pride's rule and flies during the day. This not only puts her in warms way when Draki hunters spot her, but she endangers the whole pride. She also wouldn't have met the Draki hunter Will, who finds Jacinda's Draki just as fascinating as Jacinda finds him. What's even more surprising, is that Will protects her from the other hunters.
Jacinda's already lost her father. In order to protect Jacinda and not lose her to the Draki world as well, Jacinda's mom flees from the pride with Jacinda and her sister 13 yr Tamra. Living amongst human's isn't easy for a Draki and living with a mom and sister who can't under Jacinda's Draki needs is even harder. Jacinda struggles with her new life, finds herself at a new school and face to face with the hot Draki hunter Will.
Sophie's talent for writing romance makes for some amazingly hot chemistry between Jacinda, Cassian and Will. Will and Jacinda have an undeniable attraction that left the pages of Firelight smoldering. It's not only one of danger as she's a Draki and he's a Hunter, but there's something more to it. I was really drawn to it. That isn't to say there's no attraction with Cassian, but Jacinda fights it. She doesn't want to be with someone who she thinks rule over her. She yearns for her freedom and wants to be loved for who she is, and not what she can do. Personally, I think there's more to Cassian than how Jacinda portrays him. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of them together in the sequel.
With it's hot chemistry, a captivating world, and an amazing dragon mythology, Firelight is one book I'll be reading over again. If you're looking for a fresh paranormal book to read, I highly recommend picking up Firelight it releases September 7th.
Firelight introduces a whole new character in the paranormal world- a Draki. Draki's are descendants of dragons who can shift between both dragon and human forms. While the pride closely guards their secret and where they live, they can easily blend in with humans and no one would know it.
Jacinda's rare gift of fire breathing makes her a unique Draki who's excepted to be with Cassian, the brooding, hot, Draki Prince whom she was once close to. Now that she's closely watched by her pride, and doesn't have a say in her future, she yearns for freedom. Wanting to get away, Jacinda goes against the pride's rule and flies during the day. This not only puts her in warms way when Draki hunters spot her, but she endangers the whole pride. She also wouldn't have met the Draki hunter Will, who finds Jacinda's Draki just as fascinating as Jacinda finds him. What's even more surprising, is that Will protects her from the other hunters.
Jacinda's already lost her father. In order to protect Jacinda and not lose her to the Draki world as well, Jacinda's mom flees from the pride with Jacinda and her sister 13 yr Tamra. Living amongst human's isn't easy for a Draki and living with a mom and sister who can't under Jacinda's Draki needs is even harder. Jacinda struggles with her new life, finds herself at a new school and face to face with the hot Draki hunter Will.
Sophie's talent for writing romance makes for some amazingly hot chemistry between Jacinda, Cassian and Will. Will and Jacinda have an undeniable attraction that left the pages of Firelight smoldering. It's not only one of danger as she's a Draki and he's a Hunter, but there's something more to it. I was really drawn to it. That isn't to say there's no attraction with Cassian, but Jacinda fights it. She doesn't want to be with someone who she thinks rule over her. She yearns for her freedom and wants to be loved for who she is, and not what she can do. Personally, I think there's more to Cassian than how Jacinda portrays him. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of them together in the sequel.
With it's hot chemistry, a captivating world, and an amazing dragon mythology, Firelight is one book I'll be reading over again. If you're looking for a fresh paranormal book to read, I highly recommend picking up Firelight it releases September 7th.
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