(Cover picture courtesy of Reading Revels.)

A hidden truth.

Mortal enemies.

Doomed love.

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 forces 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 the gorgeous, elusive 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.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

Despite the amazing cover, when I read the blurb I was both full of hope and cringing at the same time.  With a concept like forbidden love between predator and prey authors can either write a really awesome story or completely ruin it.  So what was Firelight?  Well, surprisingly, it was the former.

Sophie Jordan’s world of draki and Hunters is incredible!  I love how she incorporated old dragon lore into her story and put her own twist on it, making the draki both human and dragon believably.  You see, Jacinda is drawn to her draki heritage and has to control things like her manifestation (transformation into a dragon) when she’s angry or aroused and has to fully manifest regularly or she loses her ability completely.  She has the temper of a dragon at times and has to control the fact that she’s a firebreather, a draki that can breathe fire.  Did I mention she’s the first one in many generations to be able to do that?  Kind of cliché, but minor compared to the fact Sophie Jordan actually used her imagination to create the draki.

Unlike most Insta-Love, you don’t have Jacinda or Will proclaiming it love at first sight, merely an interesting attraction.  They’re drawn to each other for some odd reason and the excuse isn’t fate at the end, as we find out.  There’s no prophecy hanging over their heads, but a reasonable explanation for why Will is both drawn to Jacinda and one of the best draki trackers out there.  They have a stormy relationship as they both try to figure out their feelings, but by the end you get the feeling that it actually is love between them.  With the threat from Cassian and Tamra’s dangerously reckless behavior, there’s even more added tension.

I love this new series!  It’s unique, well-written and fast paced.  What more could you really ask for in YA right now?  With such a cliffhanger at the end of the novel, I can’t wait to read Vanish.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

Amazon     Barnes and Noble