Hidden by Sophie Jordan

Publisher’s summary:
A dangerous journey.
Shattered bonds.
Undying passion.

Jacinda was supposed to bond with Cassian, the "prince" of their pride. But she resisted her fate long before she fell in love with Will—a human and, worse, a hunter. When she ran away with Will, it ended in disaster, with Cassian's sister, Miram, captured. Weighed down by guilt, Jacinda knows she must rescue her to set things right. Yet to do so she will have to venture deep into the heart of enemy territory.

The only way Jacinda can reach Miram is by posing as a prisoner herself, though once she assumes that disguise, things quickly spiral out of her control. As she learns more about her captors, she realizes that even if Will and Cassian can carry out their part of the plan, there's no guarantee they'll all make it out alive. But what Jacinda never could have foreseen is that escaping would be only the beginning... .

Loyalties are tested and sacrifices made in the explosive conclusion to Sophie Jordan's Firelight trilogy.

My take: Wow! This book surpassed my expectations by a mile as the final book in the Firelight trilogy. When I first picked up Hidden and saw that there were only 260 pages, I was concerned that I wouldn’t be fully satisfied with this book. Well, my worries were unnecessary because I got so much more than I hoped for. Sophie Jordan outdid herself with Hidden and I’m actually really sad that this trilogy is over.

I could list multiple reasons why this series is amazing. First off, the story is a lot of fun to read. Who would have thought that books about dragon shifters would be such an awesome series? And I’m not quite sure that very many authors could pull off the allure to dragon shifters like Sophie does. Second, is Sophie’s writing style; the whole story moves smoothly and very quickly and Sophie was able to suck me in and keep me attached to the story from the very first page. Throughout the story, there was one crazy scene after another, and between each crazy scene there was always an intense, underlying emotional scene…with both romance and heartbreak. And Sophie was able to accomplish all that without it becoming too much. And the last, but certainly not the least, thing that I loved about this series was how Sophie Jordan was able to emotionally attach me to all the characters. I not only learned to love or hate each character for their individual reasons, but I learned to passionately hate the lifestyles that the enkros, The Hunters, and the draki lead.

I absolutely fell in love with Firelight and the cliffhanger had me picking up Vanish immediately, but I’m thinking that Hidden is the best of the three. Sophie Jordan did an amazing job finishing up the series.

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Publisher’s Summary:

New soul

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?
Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.

My Take: When I first picked up Incarnate I was a little worried because it didn’t immediately grab my attention, but once I started to catch on to the strange fantasy world that Jodi created I was hooked!

First I’m gonna say, I’m not going to go into very much detail about what this book is about because it tells you enough in the “Publisher’s Summary” above.

I’ll once again admit that it is a strange world but what I picture is colorful, magical and amazing! And that is just the scenery. This world has all sorts of weird magical creatures, but the most common creatures in this book are dragons and these weird, shadowy ghost thingies that burn, and can kill, by just a touch. All the parts with the dragons were extremely mesmerizing to me. But it was not all hunky-dory when the dragons were around; they would cause immediate destruction and hysteria between all the reincarnated humans. Since the humans have had thousands of years’ worth of horrific memories, the fear returns whenever the dragons come back to attack their town.

OK, so I REALLY have to talk about the human reincarnation. One thing that I had a hard time relating to and felt was a little bizarre was that they didn’t always return as the same gender. Ana has a hard time understanding this as well. When someone has just lived 75 years as a male, how could they be comfortable living in a female body and vice versa? And they did this over and over again for 5000 years??? Not only that…they are also born into a new human body, so each lifetime they look completely different, and they also end up having different parents and the majority of the time end up with different lovers. There are very few reincarnated souls who always seem to find their true love again (each-other!) every time they are reincarnated.

I grew a strong bond with Ana. It broke my heart whenever she thought so little of herself, thinking that she didn’t deserve to have true feelings. Her mom raised her to think that she doesn’t have a soul and convinced her that she doesn’t have the capability to love, hate or have fear. I grew a strong hatred and anger toward her mother because of this. Especially when I learned more of what her mother did to her growing up.

It’s not just Ana’s mom who has a hard time accepting her. It seems as though a huge percentage of the people who live in Heart don’t accept her and almost fear her. This is mostly due to the soul who never returned when Ana was born. The people fear that this may happen to them.

I heart Sam. He is the only person who can truly see her as a “newsoul” and not as a “nosoul”. When Sam finds Ana in danger, he immediately takes her under his wing to protect her and tries his very hardest to take care of her. He seems like he is always trying to convince her to accept herself for who she really is and to stop thinking so little of herself.

In the end there is MAJOR chaos and action! Right in the middle of all this chaos, there are a couple of really good twists that make the whole book awesomesauce. This is where Ana shows how brave and strong she can truly be. AND, yay!...we also find out why she now exists and the “could be” fate of the rest of the souls.

Received ARC from HarperCollins for my honest review.

Vanish by Sophie Jordan

Publisher's Summary:
An Impossible Romance.
Bitter Rivalries.
Deadly Choices.

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.



My Take: Yay!! Vanish ended in the perfect spot possible and it still leaves me anticipating the next book and it’s release date. I want to know the date now!  It's so bad that I am searching all over the internet trying to find it! Grrrrr!!!!  If someone knows, please tell me! Firelight had such a crazy cliff-hanger that I was really worried that Vanish would end with the same type of cliff-hanger…or worse. But I am more than satisfied with the direction Sophie Jordan is taking with this trilogy.

Just like Firelight, I was completely sucked into Vanish, and the beginning of the book totally ROCKED! I was a little concerned that I was starting to have ill feelings for Jacinda due to her thoughtless actions and decisions. Especially the lying!  But she totally redeemed herself. There is still one particular thing that she did that really bothers me, but I guess I'll let it slide...  But I woudn't be surprised if it bites her a** in the last book.  Oh boy will that cause drama!.!.!

I ♥ Tamra now. Just thinking about her makes me think, "ahhhh!". In Firelight, Jacinda and Tamra’s selfishness was getting on my frickin' nerves.  I was really starting to get worried that the characters are nothing but Debbie Downers.  But just like Jacinda, Tamara proves that she's worth the love. Overall, even if they did have their self-pity moments, they would still think of how their actions affected others. I have also grown to have a soft spot in my heart for both Cassian and Az.

I’m also really happy that I was able to learn more about the pride in Vanish. It helped me get a better understanding of the pride people’s dynamics and understand why Tamra was happy to leave them in the beginning of Firelight. There is a twist at the end of Firelight about Will (I won’t say so I don’t spoil Firelight) but I was thrilled when I learned more about that twist at the end of Vanish.

I really love this series! I feel like I was able to get my young adult urban fantasy romance fix and I never had any of those annoying moments like I see in a lot of YA UF books these days...when I feel like I have already read it in another book. Now I am super excited and eager to learn about this supposed “enkros” (I hope I spelled that right.)

This is a series that I will be pimping out!

I'm going on a road trip with some friends up to Seattle to the Smart Chicks Kick It! tour.  So I need to make sure I get myself a copy of Vanish so I can get it signed by Sophie Jordan in October.  Yay...I'm so excited!

Received eGalley from:

HarperTeen

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Publisher's Summary:
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.



My Take: I’m freaking out here! Seriously. What an anxiety inducing cliff-hanger at the end of Firelight! Luckily I have an eGalley copy of Vanish (the second book in this series) waiting for me, and I am dying to start reading it RIGHT now!

Oh, my, gosh! This book was amazing! I love a YA romance that gives me the tingles, gives my stomach butterflies and does a couple flips; and this one causes all these tingling emotions throughout the whole book. And even better, this romance story is set in a completely new type of fantasy world where humans can shift into a dragon-like form (they’re called “draki”.) The main character in this trilogy is Jacinda, and when she first manifests her draki, her people discover that she is a fire-breathing draki, the first in generations. Her people believed fire-breathing draki were extinct, so she is very important to the pride (the society of draki people), and the pride is determined to see her conceive more fire-breathing draki.

In the very beginning of Firelight, Jacinda goes on a rebellious daylight flying adventure with her draki friend, Az, which ends in a near disastrous draki-hunter attack. But during Jacinda and Az’s desperate escape attempt, one of the hunters, Will, finds Jacinda (in her draki form) hidden in a cave. Will (my heart *tap, tap, tap*) is mesmerized by the beauty of Jacinda’s draki form and tells the other hunters there’s nothing in the cave, essentially saving Jacinda’s life.

But after the hunter attack, the draki pride is so upset at Jacinda’s foolishness and near-death experience that they are determined to see that Jacinda never has the chance to put her life in danger again (so she can breed more fire-breathing draki!) So, Jacinda’s mom takes Jacinda and her twin sister, Tamra, and runs from the only life they’ve ever known.

While reading, I kept debating with myself over which sister was the most selfish. Jacinda is extremely upset they needed to run from the pride, but Tamra is thrilled (you’ll find out why when you read Firelight!) Yeah, they’re both extremely selfish but I understand Tamra’s point of view, and, at the same time, I also felt really bad for Jacinda.

This is a book that I would recommend to anyone looking for a good YA Urban Fantasy Romance. So, read up and enjoy!

Buy it here:
Amazon ★ Barnes & Noble ★ Book Depository

This book was purchased with my own money.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Summary: When young Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his adopted family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of inescapable destiny, magical forces, and powerful people. With only an ancient sword and the instruction of an old, mysterious, hermit storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a Emperor whose evil and power knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands….

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

Summary: OATHS SWORN . . . loyalties tested . . . forces collide.

Following the colossal battle against the Empire’s warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still there is more at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.

First is Eragon’s oath to his cousin Roran: to help rescue Roran’s beloved, Katrina, from King Galbatorix’s clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength—as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices— choices that take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice.

Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once-simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?

I thought Eragon was OK, I liked Eldest better than the first and I really liked this book! Christopher Paolini is a really creative writer, some of the ending results to the book was predictable but he is a very discriptive, creative writer and there were a couple twists I wasn't expecting. The one thing I didn't like about the book is it doesn't really end, leaving you hanging in hopes for the next book to come out soon.

Eldest by Christopher Paolini

Summary: Darkness falls ...Despair abounds ...Evil reigns ...Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in magic and swordsmanship, the vital skills of the Dragon Rider. It is the journey of a lifetime, filled with awe-inspiring new places and people, each day a fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and Eragon isn't sure whom he can trust. Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle back home in Carvahall - one that puts Eragon in even graver danger. Will the king's dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life ...

I liked this book way better than Eragon (Inheritance, #1). I liked learning about the elves. I liked how this book told all the stories and went from Eragon's story to Roran's story and Nasuada's story. And then there was a really nice twist at the end.