Monday, January 7, 2013

Review: Vanish by Sophie Jordan

Vanish (Firelight #2) by Sophie Jordan
Synopsis (Goodreads):
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?
My Thoughts: I had a few issues with book 1 - namely Jacinda's mom's decision to basically kill off the draki side of Jacinda without giving her any say in the matter. Book 2 sends Jacinda, Tamra and Mama back into the not-so-loving arms of their pride. This time around, I was making scowly faces at the idea that these girls would be forced into a mating if they didn't choose a draki male of their own. And their mom was like "You'll get over it. Just go with the flow." and I'm all o.O "You suck as a parent." Needless to say, Jacinda's mom is NOT one of my most favorite characters ever. I get that she was trying to protect Jacinda and Tamra the only way she knew how -- first by running and then by trying to fit back into the pride -- but MY GAWD! grow a freaking backbone and FIND ANOTHER WAY. That might just be the mama bear in me coming out, though.

Beyond all that tomfoolery, I really liked this book. I feel for Cassian. Jacinda has it tough because she loves a hunter and blah, blah, blah but Cassian is caught between loving a girl who doesn't love him back and his dictatorial father who is leading the pride on a platform of fear and hatred. I find Cassian to be oddly honorable in the middle of all this craziness. He steps in when Jacinda is about to be maimed, he finds ways around his father when things are at their worst. He *tries* to give Tamra a chance. And... I don't see how all this is going to end well for the poor guy.

On the other hand, I can't blame Jacinda for not being able to turn off her feelings for Will. She tries. She knows that nothing good can come from loving him. She goes through the motions of being a dutiful member of the pride... and she's dying a little inside because of it. I like her as a character. I can't find fault in her actions. She felt trapped, she did what she thought she needed to do. Sure, things didn't turn out well but she took a stand and she was going to deal with the consequences of her actions.

Bottom line: I hate Mama, kinda love Cassian, and do NOT see how anything these crazy kids are about to attempt can end well.

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Firelight
1. Firelight
2. Vanish - Paperback | Kindle
3. Hidden
Breathless

Sophie Jordan
| Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon |


3 comments:

  1. *cocks eyebrow* Is that a love triangle I smell?

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    Replies
    1. Not to me. It's one of those where the guy she's going to end up with seems pretty cut and dried. There just happens to be another guy there. Who I like. A lot. *shrug*

      Okay, yes. Technically, it is a love triangle. But it's the type of triangle that has one really short leg and you kinda know that the other two legs aren't going to... you know, I can't really figure out how to end this analogy. So... yeah.

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