Firelight (Firelight, #1)

From School Library Journal Gr 7 Up–Jacinda is extraordinary–even for a draki (descendants of dragons who can shift into human form): she is a fire-breather. Unique and invaluable to her “pride,” the 16-year-old is kept on a short leash, and it has already been ordained that she will mate with the alpha male, Cassian. Jacinda's determination to do things her own way finds her nearly captured by dragon hunters, but a surprisingly kind young hunter named Will allows her to escape. Rather than suffer the pride's punishment for her daughter's risky behavior, Jacinda's mother decides the family should flee to live among regular humans. Masquerading as a typical high school student would bury Jacinda's draki nature until it died out. When Will turns out to be a classmate, Jacinda finds that her inexplicable attraction to him keeps her feel of fire and flight alive. Being near a hunter is the most dangerous choice Jacinda can make, yet her desire for him–and need to preserve her inner dragon–cannot be ignored. This distinctive twist on the popular supernatural romance theme will appeal to fans of the genre, even if a lack of resolution at this story's culmination may frustrate some readers. “Twilight” fans ready to move beyond vampires will jump right in.–Tara Kehoe, Plainsboro Public Library, NJ?(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. From Descended from dragons, the draki's ability to appear human protects them from hunters. Jacinda lives with her pride in the Cascades, but she chafes under her special status as the only fire-breather in hundreds of years. Recklessly breaking the “no-fly” rule, she attracts hunters; mercifully, one hunter, a beautiful boy who looks upon her with wonder, lets her escape. After this, the pride intends to hobble her rebelliousness, and Jacinda is forced to flee. But while twin sister Tamra, who never manifested and was shunned, is happy with the move, Jacinda feels only anguish within Nevada's desert climate. Then she meets Will and, despite recognizing him as the same draki hunter, feels herself come alive. Jordan's compelling addition to the supernatural star-crossed lovers theme is equal parts taut suspense and sensuous romance, with visceral writing and believable relationships among characters, particularly among Jacinda's family. A foreshadowed twist and a thrilling confrontation in the end pages leave Jacinda heartbroken and in trouble, and readers will howl for more. Grades 8-12. --Krista Hutley

A Hidden Truth.
Mortal Enemies.
Doomed Love.

Marked As Special At An Early Age, Jacinda Knows Her Every Move Is Watched. But She Longs For Freedom To Make Her Own Choices. When She Breaks The Most Sacred Tenet Among Her Kind, She Nearly Pays With Her Life. Until A Beautiful Stranger Saves Her. A Stranger Who Was Sent To Hunt Those Like Her. For Jacinda Is A Draki—a Descendant Of Dragons Whose Greatest Defense Is Her Secret Ability To Shift Into Human Form.

forced To Flee Into The Mortal World With Her Family, Jacinda Struggles To Adapt To Her New Surroundings. The Only Bright Light Is Will. Gorgeous, Elusive Will Who Stirs Her Inner Draki To Life. Although She Is Irresistibly Drawn To Him, Jacinda Knows Will's Dark Secret: He And His Family Are Hunters. She Should Avoid Him At All Costs. But Her Inner Draki Is Slowly Slipping Away—if It Dies She Will Be Left As A Human Forever. She'll Do Anything To Prevent That. Even If It Means Getting Closer To Her Most Dangerous Enemy.

mythical Powers And Breathtaking Romance Ignite In This Story Of A Girl Who Defies All Expectations And Whose Love Crosses An Ancient Divide.

publishers Weekly

magine Loving Someone... So Much That You Would Give Up All You Ever Wanted For Yourself. It's One Of The More Insidious Myths Girls Face: The Need To Lose One's Very Self To Love. It's Also The Goal Of Jacinda, The Dragon-human Draki For Whom It's Love At First Sight When Bad Boy Draki-hunter Will Calls Her Beautiful. While The Notion That Women Find Their Highest Calling In Self-sacrifice Is Common In Romances, Paranormal Or Otherwise, It's Distressing To See It Presented So Plainly. Jacinda Does Have One Other Option: She Can Allow Herself To Become A Flightless Broodmare With The Son Of The Draki Pack Alpha Instead. The Rest Of The Plot--the Usual High School Posturing, Human/draki Tensions, A Mother Who Doesn't Understand, A Bratty Sister--comes Down To This Choice Of One Romantic Obliteration Or The Other. The Prose In Adult Romance Author Jordan's Ya Debut Is Solid, And There's No Reason These Star-crossed, Cross-species Lovers Should Be Any Less Popular Than Their Vampire And Werewolf Counterparts, Which Makes Jacinda's Lack Of Independence All The More Disappointing. Ages 12 Up. (sept.)

A hidden truth. Mortal enemies. Doomed love. Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki, a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form. Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away;if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy. Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide. The first book in an addictive, romantic trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan is perfect for fans of Laini Taylor, Tahereh Mafi, and Claudia Gray.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 forces 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 the gorgeous, elusive 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.Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide, from New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan. When sixteen-year-old Jacinda, who can change into a dragon, is forced to move away from her community of shapeshifters and start a more normal life, she falls in love with a boy who proves to be her most dangerous enemy.