Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Release Date: September 7, 2010
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 336

Jacinda isn't human. Well, not all the time at least; she's a Draki, which means she can manifest to her dragon form. Since she's the first fire-breathing Draki for many generations, she is closely guarded by her pride. Too closely, if you ask Jacinda--she hates how Cassian, an onyx Draki who will be the next alpha, thinks she is his property. Constantly hovering and watching Jacinda, Cassian wants her as his mate simply because she is the first fire-breather in decades. The rest of the pride is no better; they believe that they have control over her just because she's unique. But as much as she enjoys living with her kind, Jacinda will not submit to their control willingly.

Being Draki comes with risks, and with her father long dead, Jacinda knows that. Still, she cannot help but want to fly alone with her closest friend, Azure, away from the pride's watchful eyes. Sneaking out for a flight with Azure one night, the pair is met by a pack of hunters and soon Jacinda is flying for her life. Taking refuge in a cave where she is soon discovered, she is surprised when one of the hunters, a teenage boy, spares her life. Her relief is short-lived however, since Jacinda's mom decides it's too dangerous to stay with the pride anymore. With Cassian and the pride's angry reaction to Jacinda's newest bout of rebellion, Jacinda's mom fears the pride's intentions for Jacinda.

Now tucked away in a small town in the desert, Jacinda hates her life. She hates how her mom wants her Draki to wither away and die, just as her mother's did. While Jacinda is miserable, her sister, Tamra, is happier than she has ever been. Tamra's draki never manifested, making her feel out of place with the pride, but now at a normal school, she fits in seamlessly.

But just how normal is this town? When Jacinda meets the hunter that spared her life that night, she feels inexplicably drawn to him. She knows she should avoid him since he and his family hunts her kind, but something tells her he, Will, is different than his family. Playing with fire, Jacinda gets to know Will better and gets far more tangled in the small town than she had originally wanted. Even as she's fighting to keep her draki alive in the hot desert, Jacinda cannot stay away from Will. How long can she and her family hide from Will's family, though? What would be more dangerous, Will's family learning her true identity--or the pride tracking her and her family down?

Firelight is a great start to a new series! Sophie Jordan has begun to create an interesting world with Draki, their own culture and the world that surrounds them. I would have loved to learn more about the Draki in this book, but hopefully there will be more information on them in the next book! I am a fan of fantasy and paranormal books, but it refreshing to read about dragons since the paranormal market has been filled with books about vampires and werewolves lately! I haven't really read a series with dragons lately, so Firelight was a nice change!

Although romance is one of the main themes in Firelight, I'm glad it also included an adventure! It's nice to see the main character not just moping around, waiting for a guy to come by and fall in love with her, but also to see her own struggles and the challenges she has to face when that guy does come by! Jacinda has never felt more out of place surrounded by people who are normal while the only other Draki around her (her mother and sister) would do anything to forget their Draki roots and just fit in. I enjoyed reading Firelight and eagerly await the next novel in the series!