Firelight (Firelight, #1) in Addicted to YA

Dec 12, 2010 Logan rated it liked it

Shelves: borrowed-library, borrowed-ebook, shifters, paranormal, young-adult

First impressions: I was so intrigued by dragon shifters! In the first scene, she's being hunted, and I was completely drawn in to this modern world full of dragon descendents.

Lasting impressions: Jacinda makes a really interesting character, and like a werewolf, she's not always in control of her shift to draki form, which amped up the tension. I was sold on the concept alone.

Conflicting impressions: I do wish that the draki lore had been expanded a bit, so we knew more about their culture. Jac First impressions: I was so intrigued by dragon shifters! In the first scene, she's being hunted, and I was completely drawn in to this modern world full of dragon descendents.

Lasting impressions: Jacinda makes a really interesting character, and like a werewolf, she's not always in control of her shift to draki form, which amped up the tension. I was sold on the concept alone.

Conflicting impressions: I do wish that the draki lore had been expanded a bit, so we knew more about their culture. Jacinda and her family exit that life so quickly that I was a bit confused on how much of the world knew of their existence or what the real consequences would be if that information got out. I mean, sure it would be bad, but how bad? How many hunters are there? How many draki? I had way more questions than answers.

Overall impressions: This was a fun, different read that I enjoyed a lot more than I anticipated. Jacinda is an interesting character - a draki shifter who flees her home because her status as a rebel firebreather has put her in danger, and her mother and sister are not able to shift. They desire a normal life, and haul Jacinda out to the Southwest deserts to kill off her dragon side.

Jacinda doesn't handle this too well, despite knowing there wasn't much of a life to look forward to back at the draki camp. She was betrothed to Cassian, a headstrong guy who just doesn't do much for Jacinda, and would be expected to make little firebreathing babies with him. Because of her penchant for sneaking off and breaking rules, she also had some stiff punishment facing her. Knowing all of this doesn't make her agree to run for the hills and try to live normally, though. She just wants to fly.

This selfish nature was a bit trying at times, and when she kept digging herself into holes I found it hard to heartily root for her to get out instead of maybe taking a bit of what was coming to her. Not that it was much easier to root for her to kill off an essential part of herself just to appease her whiny sister and depressed mother. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place on who to side with here.

Enter Will. A boy with secrets of his own, he is drawn to Jacinda as much as she is to him. They have an insta-love connection, and Jacinda has total Edward Cullen Syndrome going on - she can't control her impulse to turn draki around him. This means lots of tentative kisses, followed by the need for restraint when things get too hot and heavy, thus avoiding any kind of physical intimacy the author (or audience) may find uncomfortable.

Give me a break.

Despite my frustrations at times, I did enjoy the setup of the draki world versus the real world, and look forward to reading the next book (Vanish, out now). I want to know more about the draki, and find out whether Will and Jacinda can find a way to be together, or whether Cassian will end up winning us over. It's a pleasant story with a unique twist, and is a nice read for fantasy fans. ...more

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Sep 04, 2010 Melissa rated it really liked it

This book is the first in a trilogy. All books are to be published in the fall. So, I will start out with my main complaint with this book... I have to wait until next year and the year after that to read more! I really enjoyed this book and it was an easy and fun YA PNR shifter read (heh, that was a mouthfull!). I really liked the main character, Jacinda, and the fact that she really does have more fire than what she breathes. Unfortunately, because she is such an unusual draki, it means that o This book is the first in a trilogy. All books are to be published in the fall. So, I will start out with my main complaint with this book... I have to wait until next year and the year after that to read more! I really enjoyed this book and it was an easy and fun YA PNR shifter read (heh, that was a mouthfull!). I really liked the main character, Jacinda, and the fact that she really does have more fire than what she breathes. Unfortunately, because she is such an unusual draki, it means that others that surround her want to control her for various reasons. The pack wants to create more like her, her betrothed wants to possess her, her mother wants to kill the draki inside of her so she won't be controlled by the pack she hates. Jacinda is torn between all of this trying to find a way to satisfy others while not being controlled by them. Thus, this is the first book in the trilogy. Of course there is much more to the story and some of it will have you worried about her choices as well as where the story head. That part, I will not spoil for you as it really keeps the story going.

My biggest frustration in this story was Jacinda's mother. The reasons of control were obvious to me in regards to the draki pack (not that I agreed with it) but her mother wanting to kill her draki was inexcusable to me. She believed she did it out of protection, but I suspect there were more selfish reasons involved. Plus, it was a rejection of who her daughter truly was inside. To do that to someone you care about is heartbreaking especially when she knew what it was doing to her. Jacinda had made it clear that to kill her draki was akin to killing her. So, to me, even under the guise of protecting her, making her something she wasn't WAS a rejection of Jacinda, herself.

I give this story 4 stars. I really could have been 5, but if you've read my blog you know how I hate cliffhangers. While this cliffhanger was tolerable, it still was one. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good YA PNR. Seriously, I think it was a great read.

Goodreads First Reads program supplied me with this ARC. I received no compensation for my review. ...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Berenice rated it really liked it

Jacinda is different from her kind and because of that she is treated differently for she is special for them and because of that they wish her to marry the alpha to be Cassian. It's not only the fact that no one asked her if she ever wished to be with Cassian, Jacinda also respects the wishes of her twin sister Tamra who has had a crush on him since they where kids.
Trying to feel free Jacinda and her best friend Az take a little trip that goes against the rules of her people, and gets into trou Jacinda is different from her kind and because of that she is treated differently for she is special for them and because of that they wish her to marry the alpha to be Cassian. It's not only the fact that no one asked her if she ever wished to be with Cassian, Jacinda also respects the wishes of her twin sister Tamra who has had a crush on him since they where kids.
Trying to feel free Jacinda and her best friend Az take a little trip that goes against the rules of her people, and gets into trouble. They are being hunt down and Jacinda and Az separate and the hunters get really close to catching Jacinda, but thanks to a mysterious young hunter that lets her get away she is safe to return home.
At home everyone is worried, glad and mad at seeing Jacinda come back, the threat of a punishment worries her mother enough that she decides to take her twin daughters out into the dessert so they could have a chance at a normal life.
In her new life Jacinda is fighting to survive while her mother and sister only wish for her to forget about the past and adapt, but that will turn out to be more difficult than they think when Jacinda is reunited with the young mysterious hunter.

Jacinda may have done some stuff that could be called stupid, I call it rebellious with a mother to afraid of it all and playing always on the safe side of things only encourages her behavior and her sister Tamra that is more interested in fitting then her own sister. Both mother and sister made me feel for Jacinda is now trapped in an environment that she must do everything she can to survive.
I give the mom credit for standing out to her people (even if it was by running away) but she hides behind safe way to much and Cassian the guy who everyone wishes to pair up with Jacinda, might have been a little weird to the point of where we could think he is creepy but as you read you find that he has a more that meets the eye.
But it's Will, Jace love interest that steals the show with his sweet and kind nature, the fact that he is a hunter yet he doesn't wish to be one and that secret he keeps.
Overall I liked the book, but at times it was somehow repetitive and a couple of times predictable. Yet it seems to redeem itself with a couple of twist and good writing.
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Oct 15, 2010 CJ Thompson rated it it was ok

Shelves: reviewed

This book is definitely NOT one of the more shining examples of the paranormal YA genre. Don't get me wrong, Firelight was very well written. But do good writing skills make for a fresh, original plot? One with an engaging main character, solid world-building, and a realistic romance? I'm afraid not.

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