Firelight

August 23, 2010
"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.

November 1, 2010

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

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2010

Dragon shapeshifters steam more than sparkle in this romantic fantasy. High schooler Jacinda is the treasure of her "draki" pride, the first firebreather in centuries. But after flouting the rules once too often, she is forced to flee to a "normal" human life that leaves her dragon-self withering--until she meets Will. Although his family hunts her kind, she can't resist the immediate attraction. But any involvement with Will endangers all dragonkind, and her intended draki mate isn't ready to let her go. The first-person, present-tense narration fires up the intensity with short choppy sentences and vivid sensual descriptions. Jacinda's self-centered viewpoint scarcely acknowledges any other character--even Will displays little personality beyond being Beautiful, Tortured and Desperately in Love. Some might cavil at the instantaneous passionate bond between lovers who keep so many secrets and wonder at the implausible logistics of draki society. But this isn't a story for skeptics; it's all about swooning at the tragic star-crossed love, savoring the brooding jealousy of the obligatory triangle and agonizing over the abrupt cliffhanger ending. Just surrender to the sizzle. (Paranormal romance. YA)

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

June 1, 2010
Grades 8-12 Descended from dragons, the drakis 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 Nevadas desert climate. Then she meets Will and, despite recognizing him as the same draki hunter, feels herself come alive. Jordans 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 Jacindas family. A foreshadowed twist and a thrilling confrontation in the end pages leave Jacinda heartbroken and in trouble, and readers will howl for more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2011
Jacinda's mother relocates the family far from their pride of draki, dragonlike shape-shifters. Struggling to assimilate into human life and fearing she will lose the ability to shift, Jacinda finds solace in a relationship with Will--whose relatives hunt draki for sport. This star-crossed supernatural romance occasionally gets bogged down in awkward dialogue and self-indulgent angst, but lyrical descriptions of draki experiences soar.

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)