Author: Sophie Jordan (site)
Published: September 7th, 2010 by HarperCollins
Pages: 336
Price: $9.49 Book Depository $9.93 Amazon
Series: Firelight #1
Rating: 5/5
Synopsis: With her rare ability to breathe fire, Jacinda is special even among the draki—the descendants of dragons who can shift between human and dragon forms. But when Jacinda’s rebelliousness leads her family to flee into the human world, she struggles to adapt, even as her draki spirit fades. The one thing that revives it is Will, whose family hunts her kind. Jacinda can’t resist getting closer to him, even though she knows she’s risking not only her life but the draki’s most closely guarded secret. (Goodreads)
Initial Thoughts: I loved the idea of a dragon shifter falling in love with a dragon hunter. However, I really hate the name Jacinda. Also- amazing cover!
Review: I love that somebody started doing dragons. I used to love Anne McCaffrey's books. However, the dragons in this felt vague and awkward. From the descriptions given, I couldn't picture them. The seemed like human with scales and wings? I really have no idea. And if that's what they looked like, then how did no one know that they could shift to human form? That was all a bit weird. I loved the community dynamic. It was so interesting, the whole dictator/king thing was promising. I wish we'd spent more time there, hopefully we will in the next book. The characters were a mixed bag. Jacinda and her sister were typical teens-a bit too self-absorbed. By the end, I really disliked Jacinda's whole family. The things that they expected her to were unrealistic and the lack of sympathy and understanding was unbelievable. I was hoping that they would die by the end. There was the typical instantly-drawn-to-a-stranger aspect, but there was reason for it. The group of high school dragon hunters were a scary bunch. Nothing was really elaborated on, but you get the feeling that they do some pretty bad stuff to human girls. I'd like to hear more about them-there's nothing like a good villain. I'm also dying to know more about the other prides. The different groups of dragons are secluded (due to ancient feuds almost wiping them out) and the main character knows almost nothing about the way other dragons live. I really enjoyed this book, although (looking back on it) nothing much really happened expect for the beginning and ending chapters. I really felt connected to the main character. The end is a huge cliffhanger (why do they do this to me?!) and I'm dying for the next one.
Quick Review: Half-dragon girl falls for dragon hunter while on the run and all hell breaks loose. Jacinda was great, her family was horrible, the love interest was genuinely likeable, and the villains were great.
