Synopsis: 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. -Goodreads

Review: Dragons! Well, sort of. But either way, this book definitely stood out from the crowd for me. I had a very good feeling about it as soon as I saw the cover, and was in no way disappointed. This book was exactly the change of pace I’ve been looking for in fantasy YA and Sophie Jordan executed it wonderfully.

The one element that really stood out for me was the romance. I know I’m a little picky on this front, but I’ve found a lot of the YA love stories I’ve read lately to be too forced and unrealistic. But, with Jacinda and Will it really feels like that fluttering in your stomach, can’t get enough, always on your mind feelings that come with being a teenager. The thrill of just a look was described perfectly and I loved every moment of it.

I also fell in love with the world of the draki. It’s obvious that significant thought was given to everything from draki culture to physiology. It’s heartbreaking watching Jacinda struggle to keep that part of herself alive while people who love her are content to watch it wither and die, thinking it’s in her best interest.

The one upside to discovering this great series so late, is that I don’t have to wait to read the next book. I’ll be picking up Vanish on my next trip the book store. So if you haven’t read Firelight yet, I highly recommended it. You’re in for an adventure.

Buy the book @Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN)

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Second Opinions:
@Vy’s Blog
@A Journey of Books
@FictionFolio