Title: Firelight
Author: Sophie Jordan
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: September 7, 2010
Hardcover: 336 pages
Where’d I Get It: Purchased

Synopsis (From Goodreads): 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.

My Thoughts: From the moment I found out that this book was oozing with Dragonish bits, I had to have it.  What can I say, I do love a good Dragon story.  I went in with low expectations, admittedly.  Not every author can pull off a good tale involving any kind of Dragon, especially not as unique an idea as the Draki in Sophie Jordan’s novel.  And, admittedly, the first few pages left me going -what?-…mostly because the sentences were just a tad too short and choppy for my liking.  Around the middle of the 1st chapter, though, Ms. Jordan finds her flow and the story bursts into something extraordinary.  Jacinda is a typical teenager, despite being, well…not a typical teenager.  She’s a strong female lead and she’s got a positive, level personality with focus and intent.  I kind of love her.  Her twin sister is a bit of a brat, but she has her reasons, and the mother is most definitely an interesting character.  We didn’t get to see too much of her this time, but I expect, given some hints in the story, that we will learn more in future novels.   Firelight is a story rich with detail, and most importantly – it’s detail that is relevant to the story itself.  There’s not a lot of fluff, and there is a whole lot of substance.  Definitely a good read, and I cannot wait for the sequel!

Rating: 8 of 10

Bellaesque Rating: Nope, don’t think so.  Jacinda is strong, independent, and while she has attachments to people (esp. Will), well…she’s not pathetically desperate.  I like that she can stand on her own two feet.

Giveaway of Signed Firelight Swag!

Thanks to dear Casey over at The Bookish Type and the lovely Sophie Jordan herself, some of us participating in the Fall Into Fantasy Fiesta of Fabulousness (ok so I added that last bit, but I couldn’t resist) are able to offer some signed Firelight Swag for our readers.  If you’d like to enter, please visit the link that I’ll provide below.  There’s chances for extra entries, but these are not required. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Giveaway Closed.  Winner will be announced shortly!