Reading Rainbow: Vanish by Sophie Jordan

Last year I read and recommended Firelight by Sophie Jordan (you can read the rec here). I ended the post by saying that I wanted to learn MORE about the draki. I was completely mystified by the idea of a dragon-ish species living as human. Well, I'm very happy to say that Sophie Jordan must have read my rec (hah!) because she delivered in Vanish, the sequel to Firelight.

From Goodreads:

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

In bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s dramatic follow-up to Firelight, forbidden love burns brighter than ever

*SPOILER ALERT* If you haven't read Firelight yet, this post might have spoilers! I won't spoil anything from Vanish, but I can't promise to be spoiler-free for Firelight!

Okay, I'm jut going to go ahead and say it: I liked this book BETTER than it's predecessor! Perhaps that is because I loved the world-building in this book - rather than being set in a typical town, this is mainly set in the home of the pride. I loved learning about the details of each draki and how they all added something to the pride. And the flying! Hello, that was awesome. It was so great to see Jacinda letting herself be who she truly is inside. I loved that.

And, if that all wasn't enough, you'll find a ton of action and suspense in this book. There are beautiful moments (KISSY SCENES!), but there are also moments that will have have your heart pumping in anticipation or, in my case, worry. Jacinda takes huge risks as she begins to figure out what is most important to her, and although I wanted to yell, "NO! It's too dangerous," it does make for an excellent story.

So, if you liked Firelight and are ready for more, definitely pick up Vanish. You might even find yourself liking it better!

Reading Rainbow: Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Sometimes you just need a good, angsty romance with a supernatural twist. Firelight by Sophie Jordan is the perfect way to fill that need.








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.

This book is serious. It sucked me in quickly and I found myself wanting to know more. Her draki pride (like a lion's pride) want her to mate and have little fire-breathing draki. Her mother wants to leave the pride and protect her from that fate (and worse). Her sister, whose own draki never manifested, wants to be a normal, teenage girl, and depends on Jacinda giving up her draki nature to do so. Jacinda, caught in the middle of all of this, is trying to find what it is she wants, while holding on to her draki. Her inner struggle is intense and very well crafted. Many times I found myself wanting to yell out, "Go! Fly! Be a draki!" and it was almost painful, as a reader, when she was unable to do so.

And then, of course, *cue the hot boy on campus* we have Will. Their love story is desperate, but true, and sadly, star-crossed. Again, there is an intensity here as Will has his own internal struggle with his family, who are draki-hunters. Despite their circumstances, the two are drawn together.

I was completely drawn into the world of the draki, and honestly, I wanted more of it. I'm secretly (okay, not secretly) hoping that the next book goes into the history of the draki in more detail, or that we just get more draki, especially Jacinda's draki. And Will. And Will and Jacinda. And... Oh, you get the point.