Advance Review: Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Book: FIRELIGHT
Author: SOPHIE JORDAN
Genre: YA FANTASY


I received this ARC at BEA, from the author, Sophie Jordan

Review
Jacinda is a Draki; a dragon. She has the ability to breathe fire, which makes her a hot commodity in her community. But, her disobedience for the rules lands her in an untenable situation, and Jacinda is forced to leave the only home she's ever known, and the only place where she can be herself.

Trying to fit into the human world is hard for Jacinda, and her mother and sister can't understand her need to hold onto her Draki side, no matter how dangerous it might be for the three of them. The only person that Jacinda feels a connection to is Will. A hunter of her kind. And, the time is coming when she won't be able to hide from him any longer.

FIRELIGHT is the first book in Sophie Jordan's new paranormal YA series. It's an emotional tale about a girl who wants to preserve the one part of herself that could destroy her. It's not just that the other Draki in her community want to use her, but Will, the boy she has such strong feelings for is part of a family of Draki hunters. He becomes the dangerous addiction because he brings out the Draki side of Jacinda that she desperately needs.

The struggle between Jacinda and her family was one of the plot points that really stuck in my head. Her sister doesn't transform, and her mother had voluntarily let her Draki die years earlier. So, Jacinda is on her own trying to reconcile her need to keep her Draki alive, against the inherent danger this decision would bring. And, though her mother is seen as an adversary, it's clear that she cares for her daughter. I very much enjoyed reading about a parent who was not neglectful, and felt the need to hold some importance in her children's lives.

The relationship that Jacinda has with Will does seem to develop very quickly. Though, I don't feel that it developed too quickly, I'm also curious as to how it will progress over the next books in the series. I finished FIRELIGHT with a sense of anticipation for the second novel, and an appreciation for how well Jordan's writing drew me into this story.

4/5 for plot
4/5 for characters
4/5 for language

My Rating: 12/15 Highly Recommend
Bonus Cover Points 4.5/5 (ARC cover)

EXAMINED: Eternity and a Day by Aline Hunter

Book: ETERNITY AND A DAY
Author: ALINE HUNTER
Genre: URBAN FANTASY/PARANORMAL ROMANCE/EROTIC ROMANCE


I bought this book from the online bookstore Loose Id
Picture courtesy of Good Reads

EXAMINATION
Runa Charon is all dressed up for the Samhain Ball, certain that this could be her year to win, when she is waylaid by her scheming sister, Octavia. A man waits for Runa, and she must go meet him, and then Octavia drops the big bomb: the man is a Draigen. One of the beings that can only travel between the human world and the Otherworld during Samhain. It's a chance for Runa to meet a very tempting creature.

Only the creature is Eric Locke, and the only fey that he wants to meet is the criminal Octavia, so that he can bring her back to the Otherworld to face judgment for her crimes. Mistaking Runa for her sister, starts the two on a journey that will introduce Runa to the dangers of the Otherworld. Though she is half-fey herself, she is burdened with mortality, and has been sheltered by her celestial guardian and brother.

Now, she is the disputed property of a Draigen, whose kind mates for life, and cannot exist without the one who is made mate. After barely surviving her first night in the Otherworld, Runa has no trust for Eric, and she knows that staying with him condemns him to a mortal lifetime. He will have to move heaven and earth to prove that they belong together, for eternity.

The first that I heard of this book was from Twitter. It seems that I am getting more and more of my book recommendations from there, and from reading book blogs. It has opened my mind to books that I might not have found otherwise, and even if I had seen/heard of (in the case of ebooks like this one) the book, I might have been more hesitant to jump in. However, the author herself ( JA Saare, writing under a pen name) has a great personality, and she tweets about her own life, not just using Twitter as a solely self-promotional tool. I've found that the more I like an author in his/her tweets, the more I'm likely to like their writing.

ETERNITY AND A DAY was a departure from the type of urban fantasy that I have read lately, in part because it is adult, not YA, but mostly because I decided to blog about an erotic romance. This is a genre that I read in my own time, but have never featured on my blog in a full-fledged review. All I can say is that I am very happy that this novel was one of the first that I read for the blog.

Hunter introduced many characters in this book, the two main characters being Eric and Runa. But, my appetite was whetted by several minor characters that were featured. I was really interested in finding out more about the brother that protected Runa throughout her childhood, with the help of Runa's guardian. Some of Byron's past is alluded to, but I personally need to know more. Like right now! He is an immortal being, but somehow Byron has compassion and love toward his mortal sister. Unlike Octavia, the sister who sets her up for capture, Byron tries his best to keep Runa from the being a part of the atrocities committed in the fey courts.

I have a pretty high comfort zone when it comes to violence and fear, as well as gore. So, the fight that occurs near the beginning of the story, where Runa's mortality is discovered by Eric, could certainly be slightly disturbing to some readers. I thought that it was very well-written because of the impact that it had on Runa. Not just because it revealed her inability to heal herself, but because it showed the amount of damage that a fey could potentially take, and the Otherworld creatures wouldn't even consider it making an impact. The Otherworld is a rough place, and Hunter establishes this in the beginning.

I could say something about the first sexual encounter that Runa and Eric have. I think that it is another part of the novel that would challenge a reader and their comfort zone. Again, as with the rest of the novel, I was amazed at the language and writing. Even the dialog contributed greatly to the emotional aspect of the situation. If I hadn't been moved or affected, I would say that the author had missed out. But, Hunter pegged everything. I felt uncomfortable with the use of a certain band. Not that it was used at all, per se, but that it figured so greatly in the very first time that Runa was with a man. But, be it a love scene or a fight scene, there is no denying that Hunter has a great talent for storytelling.


My Examination Results:
4.5/5 for plot
4/5 for characters
4.5/5 for language

13/15 Highly Recommend


Find the author as JA Saare, and as Aline Hunter