“Firelight”

Author: Sophie Jordan

Unique, that is all I can think to call this book. It was very different, like none I had ever read before. It was not the greatest book I have read, but I thought it was well done.  There were a few elements in the story that caused me to dislike it, like, public school issues, family problems, and other actions some might find inappropriate. The main character is a mystical creature called a “draki” that lives in our present day world. They are like dragons with special talents and they all have a very important ability. This secret has kept their species safe for thousands of years, the ability to disguise themselves as humans.

Jacinda is the only fire-breathing draki in her pride. Because of her special talent, the pride wishes to protect and use her as a way to create more fire-breathers. After she breaks some flight rules, she is nearly killed by human hunters, but one of the hunters, (who happened to be handsome) shows mercy towards the beautiful draki, saving her life.  Jacinda, her twin sister Tamra, and their mother flee the pride. Tamra (the twin) is more than grateful to be moving to the human world because she has not manifested into a draki and doesn’t fit into the pride. Jacinda, on the other hand, is festering with hate towards her sister and mother for leaving her true home. In hopes to protect Jacinda and kill the draki within her, their mother takes them to a new home in the Nevada desert. A place where draki can’t survive, leaving only the human part to live on. (Their mother had already killed her inner draki when she found out Tamra would be an outcast.) Attending her new school Jacinda fights with the draki within her, trying to keep it alive, but also hidden. Despite the heat and dry air, the only thing that seems to spark up the draki within her is a student named Will, the draki hunter who saved her life. She ends up having a big crush on Will. Keeping in mind, he is a hunter of her kind, and she should be trying to stay away from him. A forbidden romance is quickly blossoming between prey and hunter. Can she keep her draki identity a secret, if the only thing that keeps it alive is a hunter?

The whole entire story is about Jacinda trying to deal with the feelings she should not have towards Will. I would definitely classify it as a romance novel. It was alright, but it was not something I would highly recommend. It had a cliff hanger so I am hoping the author plans to write the second part.