Review: Vanish, by Sophie Jordan

Vanish, by Sophie Jordan
Publish Date: September 6, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
ISBN: 9780061935107
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pages: 304
Source: ARC for review
Series: Firelight #2

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone. 

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love? 

In bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s dramatic follow-up to Firelight, forbidden love burns brighter than ever.

NOTE: This review was written on May 21, 2011, prepared for posting today. This review will most likely contain spoilers to Firelight, so if you haven't read that one, you should probably stop reading now.

My feelings toward Vanish are bittersweet. I love the world Sophie Jordan has created, and I devoured Vanish just as easily as I did Firelight. However, to put it bluntly, the endings piss me off. There is no climax followed up by falling action, in my opinion. It's more like the incredible build to a climax, only to end during said climax. Firelight's cliffhanger was a killer but it was tolerable. Vanish's cliffhanger left me raising my eyebrows.

Jacinda's indecisiveness was another thing that annoyed me in Vanish. She can't seem to figure out where she belongs, and once you think she has it figured out, she changes her mind. She also didn't stand up to some people that I personally think she should have told to suck it. People treat her like shit, and she allows it and even thinks she deserves it. Hell no.

We know how I feel about love triangles. I'm not going to go into that. However, it doesn't really bother me in Firelight. I don't know why, but I feel as though the pride life and the secondary characters provide enough entertainment for me to overlook the love triangle/square. It probably also helps that I absolutely love both Will and Cassian, and though I know who she'll end up with, I really have no idea who I want her to end up with.

You can't help but feel for every character in these books. (Well except for maybe the hunters and the pride leaders. They can go to hell.) But everyone else! Everyone is going through some sort of personal struggle and you can't help but wish there was a way to make a happy ending for everyone involved.

Despite the few times I wanted to reach into the book and slap Jacinda (or better yet, slap someone for Jacinda) I ate. it. up. There is never a dull moment in these books. Words are never wasted and we're never given more or less than we need, with action from beginning to end, you just don't want to put it down. And then it ends.

And then you die.

4.5/5 Stars

Review: Firelight, by Sophie Jordan

Firelight, by Sophie Jordan
Published: September 7, 2010
Publisher: Harperteen
Pages: 326
Overall Rating: 5/5

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. 

Firelight is definitely one of my favorite releases for 2010.

You probably hadn't noticed, but I haven't been reviewing nearly as often as usual. That's because I haven't been reading nearly as often as usual. Supernatural (the epic show) took over my life for a couple of weeks. I'm all caught up on that now (and going through withdrawals), so I picked up Firelight, hoping to get sucked into it and never want to leave. It most definitely delivered.

The story is completely believable, from the very start. One of my concerns going in, was that the author wouldn't have been able to pull off a dragon shifter. It's a unique concept, and Sophie Jordan describes it so vividly, you can picture it all happening.

Google "draki". You know you'll find? Nothing but Firelight. Why? Because this is a world all its own. Sophie Jordan created her own mythological world, that sets its self apart from every other supernatural world that I have ever read about. This is a risk, because if you can't make it believable, people simply won't buy into it. But I never once found myself doubting anything. Sophie Jordan paints this picture with perfection!

Jacinda and Tamra are twins, but Tamra never manifests. So she is basically a human. It's difficult for me to convey how Jacinda and Tamra are so different, and yet so very similar. They're both very passionate about what they want, and while it's two completely different things, they seem to handle it the same way. Like twins (because they are). Make sense? If not, it will when you read it.

Will is a draki hunter, but is still drawn to Jacinda in a magical way. He is an adorable character, and I completely understand why Jacinda is drawn to him.

Jacinda's mother really ticked me off. She claimed she was wanting to do what was best for her daughters, but in my mind, she was nothing but selfish. She seemed to care about petty things like cheerleading when it came to Tamra, but Jacinda is literally dying inside, and her mother wants this. I couldn't understand her reasoning at all. Tamra felt the same, but I felt differently about her. While I think she could've been more understanding, for the first time in her life, she was slightly happy. So I understood her actions.

The ending! I cannot wait for Vanish. The ending of Firelight leaves you dying for more!!

Cover:

5/5

Plot:

5/5

Pace:

5/5

Characters:

5/5

Ending:

4/5

Writing Style:

5/5