Hidden by Sophie Jordan

This is the third novel in the Firelight series by Sophie Jordan.

My review of #1: Firelight.
My review of #2: Vanish.

WARNING - This book will contain spoilers from the previous novels in the series. Continue reading with caution!

Even though Jacinda got away from the Hunters and wasn't forced to go to the laboratory  they did take Miram, Cassian's younger sister. And while Jacinda and Miram are not friends, she's not going to leave her there going through tests and experiments the rest of her life.

So instead of escaping to her new life with Will, she, Cassian, Will and Tamra are off to save Miram. No one has ever tried to escape IN before, so this out to be interesting.

The plan is simple: Jacinda will be the "captured" draki, she will find Miram when inside, and then everyone else will come rescue her.

Only that's not how things worked out. They started to experiment on Jacinda right away. And she also got to meet a unique draki - one that has metal spikes on his skin and who doesn't talk to any of the other draki's.

Just when Jacinda was giving up hope on Will, Cassian and Tamra to save her, they swoop in and cause quite a mess for the Hunters.

The good news is that everyone - even the other captured draki - get out. The bad news? They are stuck with the gray, spiky draki. And it seems that the Hunters are able to track them more easily now. Turns out, Miram had a tracking device implanted inside of her while she was captured.

So now Jacinda and everyone else need to get ahold of their pride and find a way to get the tracking device out of Miram before the Hunters find them.

But there is another problem. Once they get through this mess - if they get through this mess - Jacinda will need to pick who she wants to be with once and for all: Will or Cassian. She has reasons for being with both guys, but there is only one that she will pick.

Can Jacinda save her pride, along with figuring out which guy she is meant to be with for forever? Read Hidden by Sophie Jordan to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
The end of this series is here! I can't believe it! I flew through all three of these novels. Doesn't seem like it should end just yet...

I enjoyed this book. Not as much as the others, but that is because I had my own feelings on how things should end and it didn't go the way I wanted it to. Yes, I"m keeping this spoiler free, so I'm not going to tell you how it ended to make me sad. You'll have to read it for yourself and then figure it out!

Overall, I'm glad on how things ended. There was a lot of action and one particular plot line really shocked me.

Actually, quite a few plot lines surprised me on where it went during this last book.

I really think Jacinda grew a lot character wise throughout this series. At first she was spoiled and was treated like a princess because she was a special draki, but she soon got over her needs and realized that there are bigger things out there than what she wants or needs.

And Tamra. I had such a hard time with her. She drove me crazy! But in the end, she grew up as well, which I was very grateful for.

I'm not going to talk about Will or Cassian because that might give away something in this book and I'm bound and determined to keep this spoiler free!

So, overall, good. I would suggest this series to other readers wanting to read about a different world and if they want to read about dragons. Great series and definitely love Sophie Jordan's YA novels as much as her adult novels. Will there be any more upcoming YA's from her?!? I hope so!

Vanish by Sophie Jordan

This is the second novel in the Firelight series by Sophie Jordan.

My review of #1: Firelight.

WARNING - This will contain spoilers from the first novel! Continue reading with caution!

When Jacinda decided to go with Cassian, leaving Will behind in his little desert town, she was heartbroken.
But when she was confronted by his hunter family, one of whom saw Jacinda manifest into her draki, she knew they were in trouble and were about to manifest.

Only Tamra started to manifest. She's never been able to bring her draki out and everyone thought she was a defunt draki. However, it turns out she is one of the rarest draki's - a shader. She brings a mist and any human who touches it loses their memory of whatever the draki wants them to.

Now Jacinda and her pride are safe from the hunters because Tamra made them forget about knowing any of them. She even made Will forget about Jacinda, which tore a hole in her heart knowing that he will not come looking for her again or he won't recognize her if she sees him again.

When they all get back to the pride, things are extremely different. Jacinda used to be the most prized possession. Now, no one will talk to her except her sister and Cassian. Tamra, on the other hand, is treated like royalty and is learning how to be a shader draki.

Because Jacinda betrayed the pride, she is under surveillance and is treated like a traitor. Also, she is starting to get the feeling that the alpha of the pride, Cassian's father, only wants to have Jacinda start breeding more fire-breathers. And the two candidates for that job would either be Cassian or Corbin, his cousin and someone who makes Jacinda's skin crawl.

And Cassian has been spending a lot of time with Tamra, now that she is a rare draki and all. Maybe the chance that Jacinda once had. But she's happy that he might be interested in Tamra, since she's had a crush on him for years. On the other hand, he's always around and she feels something toward him that she thought she could only feel for Will.

Then the impossible happens. Will remembers Jacinda and everything they mean toward one another. Which is impossible since he was surrounded by the mist Tamra created. But with the draki blood in his system, he is more than human, even if he isn't fully draki.

Now Jacinda has to decide who she belongs with: Will or Cassian. And if she chooses Will, she will have to leave her friends and family behind forever. Before she can decide though, hunters find her and another draki. When the other draki is captured, she has to return and save her, otherwise she will never be found again.

Read Vanish by Sophie Jordan to find out what happens!

My Thoughts/Reflections
So glad I had this book! I flew through it - basically finished it in one sitting.

I have to admit this: I'm team Cassian. I loved him and Jacinda and want them to be together rather than her and Will. There less whining and complaining when she is with Cassian, and he is always trying to protect her. I just think they are better together than her and Will, but that's just my thoughts.

And Tamra. I had such a hard time with her in the first book because she was always "poor me, I never get anything". Well, I still have a rough time liking her because now she has this rare draki ability and now she's like "look at me, look at me!" and still treats Jacinda like she's trying to take her spotlight.

I dunno, for some reason she rubs me the wrong way and I don't know how Jacinda can stand living with her.

But there were times when they got along and I didn't roll my eyes when she was in the scene. Like when they got to fly together for the first time. I really liked that scene.

During the book, someone was following Jacinda, but she couldn't see them. I definitely knew who it was and why she as doing it, but the ending did throw me for a loop. I didn't see it coming and am very excited to continue reading to see what happens.

I doubt my happily ever after of Cassian and Jacinda will work out, but a girl can hope right?

So far I'm really enjoying this series, with the exception of Tamra, and the books are very easy to read and they fly by when there is action scenes.

I would definitely recommend this series to other readers, but I would strongly recommend that the readers read the novels in order. This book started right where the first book ended, so it might be confusing to start out of order for readers. Now, on the next one! :)

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

This is the first novel in the Firelight series by Sophie Jordan.

Jacinda is not a normal 16 year old girl. A major difference is that she is a draki, a descendant of dragons where she can shape shift from her human body into her draki skin. But even in the draki world she is unique because she is a fire-breather, the first one born in numerous generations.

So she has always been watched by the leaders in her pride. And she is also expected to mate with the "to-be" alpha of her pride, Cassian. Even if Jacinda doesn't want to be with Cassian, she is expected to try and get more fire-breathers in the pride, by having children.

But when Jacinda and her friend shape shift into their draki's during the daylight, she gets a punishment worse than death. A punishment so horrifying, that her mother takes Jacinda and her twin sister Tamra away from the pride.

And they go to a town in the middle of the desert, where Jacinda has a hard time changing into her draki. She needs moisture and mist - not dry humid air where she is slowly suffocating and can't feel her draki most of the time.

But she can feel it when she is around a particular person: Will. Who also happens to be a hunter, a person who kills draki's for a living. And he is also the hunter that let Jacinda go when she manifested into her draki the day at the lake.

With Will, she feels her draki come to life. For some reason, she is attracted to Will, and so is her draki. She can't control her feelings and she almost manifests when she is around him. Which would be horrible, since Jacinda knows he will kill her if he finds out what she is.

Things are about to get complicated, though, when Cassian comes and finds Jacinda in her town. He wants her back. Not because she is a fire-breather, but because he misses having her around. But Jacinda can't go back to pride, not if they want to clip her wings.

And Jacinda also has to worry about Will and his family of hunters. Because the more she is around him, the more risk there is of him learning her secret. But Jacinda is not the only one with a secret - Will is also hiding something from her. Something that could put Jacinda in a horrible situation.

Can Jacinda find a way to be with Will even though she is a draki? Will Jacinda have to choose between her life with Will or Cassian? Read Firelight by Sophia Jordan to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I have always had a fascination with dragons, so I was extremely excited when I found these books and that the series was complete! Of course I had to get it and, with no surprise, I loved this first novel!

There were times that I got annoyed with Jacinda or her sister Tamra. Not everything is life or death if they don't have the right clothes (Tamra) or if they don't have any friends (Jacinda). I do have to say, Tamra was not my favorite person. The amount of complaining she did drove me up the wall and I just wanted Jacinda to slap her.

Thankfully, it was Jacinda's point of view, not hers. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to finish this book!

I was slightly confused as to who Jacinda liked: Will or Cassian. I got the impression she didn't like Cassian but when he came back for her, she said she could vision herself with him at the pride. Maybe this ending will be more complex than I thought when I first started reading!

Also, I definitely knew something was up with Will. He couldn't be just a normal hunter - not with the strong attraction Jacinda felt for him from the moment they met. So I was glad that happened, because now Jacinda really needs to decide what to do between the two men in her life.

Overall, I really did enjoy this book. I read Sophie Jordan's adult romances, so I knew I would like her writing style and had no hesitation picking up this book!

The best part is the trilogy is over with and I have the second book in hand! No waiting after that horrible cliff hanger and I can delve right into the next part of the story!

I would definitely recommend this to readers who like fantasy aspects, especially dragons. I think it's more suited to female readers because it's Jacinda's story, but I really enjoyed it and think other readers will too!

Every Day by David Levithan

Each morning when A wakes up, it is a new experience because (s)he is always in a different body.

A is not a boy or a girl, but rather a person in a guy or a girl's body for the day. A doesn't like strictly boys or girls, but rather who the body (s)he's residing for the day. A does not know the person (s)he's living for the day personally, but can find facts in the person's brain when (s)he needs to go to school, what sport they play, etc.

This is normal for A. A goes through the motions that are right for each day, act like the person for that day, and wait to see who (s)he will be the next morning.

A has never been the same person twice. The only consistent thing is that A wakes up in Massachusetts.

Living like this didn't bother A. But one day, A was Justin. And Justin had a girlfriend named Rhiannon.

Somehow, A could not forget Rhiannon. She was unlike any girl A had ever met before. Usually A forgets about the previous day to concentrate on the new day and new person, but Rhiannon stuck in A's mind.

Then A did the unthinkable; he told Rhiannon the truth. Everything, exactly what happens to A every day. At first Rhiannon didn't believe him, but day after day A would try to meet up with Rhiannon to prove that everything A said was the truth.

And A started to fall in love with Rhiannon.

However, there were things that kept them apart, physically and mentally. Some days, when A was a female and saw Rhiannon, there was tension between them. When A was overweight, Rhiannon was distant. Other days, there was a spark between them.

It was a complicated relationship. Not to mention that Rhiannon was still with Justin.

So A tried really hard to figure out how to fix this problem. And A was also living a different life a day, trying to make sure he didn't get anyone in major trouble for something that A did while living their life for that day.

Will A and Rhiannon be able to find a way to be together, when A changes bodies every day? Read Every Day by David Levithan to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. There was so much that I loved about this novel. I have a few friends who love David Levithan but this is the first book of his that I've read. I will be fixing that shortly.

So, A. I kept imagining A to be a guy, even when (s)he was in a girl's body. I bet that other readers read A differently, but that's how I kept imagining A to be.

I also loved the fact that there was every single type of person in here. Straight, gay, transgender, overweight, depressed, suicidal, you name it. Levithan added it. And A was able to be that person for one day. Some days were better than others, but A knew without a doubt that (s)he will be leaving that body after waking up the next morning.

I think that's why I love this book so much. I think any and every reader will find something to relate to with this novel. This isn't a "oh, you might like it because the character likes to read" sort of recommendation. This is just full of amazingness.

It's also realistic when it comes to Rhiannon and A's "relationship". You can imagine that trying to be together with someone who has no idea where (s)he will wake up the next morning is a little difficult. And Levithan shows that. It's not a normal relationship and it is extremely hard for them not to get mad at the other for certain things.

I am extremely glad this is located at my library where I work, because if it wasn't, I would buy it to put it in there. I hope other teens will check it out and find something that they will love about this novel, because I would find it hard not to myself (obviously, haha).

Now, I need to go and get more of Levithan's novels to see if they par up to this amazing book!

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

This is the first novel in The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater.

Living with a family of psychics is interesting. For Blue, it's normal when random strangers come to her house to get their reading done, and hearing phrases that would normally make other people raise an eyebrow.

Also, ever since Blue was 6, her mother and her two friends Calla and Persephone have stated that she will kill her true love with a kiss. And it's not just Blue's friends and family who have said that - other psychics around the country have stated that same phrase.

So, it's safe to say that Blue has never had a boyfriend, nor really any guy friends for 10 years.

One night during their yearly visit to the graveyard where Blue's aunt hears the names of all the souls that will die within the year, Blue sees a boy.

Blue never sees a boy, or any other spirit on this night.

See, Blue isn't psychic like her mother. But she can make any psychics ability 10x stronger just by being in the same room.

So when Blue saw the boy, it meant one of two things. One, he was her true love. Or two, she was going to kill him.

After finding out his name, Gansey, Blue meets up with him in real life along with his 3 friends Noah, Adam, and Ronan.

Now Blue seems to be friends with not only one, but three guys when she has obviously sworn off boys for life.

But Gansey and his friends are looking for the ley line - the magical area where magic can be used if only the person knows what to sacrifice in order to possess the magic.

Gansey has been looking for this for over a year, and he's getting close now that he's met Blue and her eccentric family.

Will the secret of possessing the ley line magic get uncovered? And why did Blue see Gansey that night when she's having some feelings for Adam, his friend? Does this mean Gansey isn't her one true love? Read The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I have been a devote fan of Maggie Stiefvater since she first wrote Shiver of The Wolves of Mercy Falls series (which I haven't wrote about!!! I will fix that!!) and her recent novel The Scorpio Races.

So of course I would love this new book by her!

It was a little different though. The narration switched between multiple characters so we got a lot of different viewpoints.

And honestly, if I wasn't a devoted Stiefvater fan, I'm not sure if I would have been as interested in this book as I was. I'm hoping that someone who hasn't read her novels before would still pick this up and like it, but it was very deep and delved really far into the story line before coming back out crystal clear (well, kinda).

Blue is a unique girl but she kind of has to be when growing up she never got any commands - just simple remarks that her mother made letting her decide what she wants to do.

And the Raven Boys - boy are there some deep, troubled things going on which each of these boys. I love all of them for different reasons, but I think Gansey was my favorite. Being a nerd who likes to do research is not always found in lead boy characters, so of course I fell for him!

There is a lot of content in this book and once the reader gets to the end, everything makes sense. Just stick it out!

I would recommend this anyone who wants to read about magic, friendship, society, and second chances. I am looking forward to the sequel, which won't come out until September 2013 so I have a while to wait, but I'll be picking it up when it gets released!

Eona by Alison Goodman

This is the second book in this series. I have reviewed the first novel here: Eon. 

Now that Eona's secret has been leaked that she's a female Dragoneye, she's finding herself on the run. Her and her group are trying to find Kygo, the true heir to the throne.

Kygo is building an army to go against his uncle, Sethon, who has declared himself Emporer instead of Kygo.

Along with the Emperor and political problems, Eona has found herself one of the last two Dragoneyes, including Lord Ido. As much as Eona hates to admit it, she needs Ido's help to controlling her Mirror Dragon, so she has to sneak in and out of Sethon's castle to get Ido.

Eona finds herself falling for two guys. Kygo is drawing her attention as the sparks start to ignite between the two of them, but she's unsure if Kygo likes her as a person or the power that she holds as a Dragoneye.

And the more she uses her Dragoneye power with Ido, the more she is sucked into an attraction of darkness with Ido. But he's a murder - killing the other 10 Dragoneye's to gain unlimited power.

The closer Eona's group gets to Sethon's army, the more things start to become confusing. Eona has no idea who to trust, she can't trust her feelings for either men, and she's also getting odd feelings with her ancestor's belongings, feelings of betrayal, power, and rage.

Will Eona be able to do the right thing for their country, or will the power of her Mirror Dragon be too much for her to resist? Read the sequel, and final, book in this series, Eona, to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
This is a great ending to this two novel series! Goodman put the reader back into the story where the first left off, not wasting any time jumping back into the adventure and chaotic world of the Empire of the Celestial Dragons.

In this novel, Eona stopped with the pretense of going under the name of Lord Eon since most have found out that she's a 16 year old girl instead of a 12 year old boy. She's also undercover a few times in this novel to sneak into places, and has to portray a girl, which she finds hard since she's been a boy for the last 4 years.

Again, I really enjoyed Alison Goodman's writing. She created a whole new world with unique traditions and rules - something which I would find hard to do as a writer.

She also really made the reader crush on both male characters (well at least me anyway!) I truly disliked Ido in the first novel, but the more Eona and Ido were together, I could see the connection and almost root for them to be together.

And there was always a connection between Eona and Kygo, even if she was acting as a boy in the first novel. In this book, we got to see their connection increase more now that Kygo knew she was female.

I really loved these two novels and where Goodman went with it. I would definitely recommend these books and try to convince readers that, even though they are large novels, they are definitely worth reading to experience the world of the Empire of the Celestial Dragons!

Eon by Alison Goodman

Every year, a new apprentice is chosen for the year of the Dragoneye. This year, it is the Rat Dragon who is looking for a new apprentice to one day become the new Dragoneye.

Eon is one of the candidates trying to become the apprentice. No one thinks he is going to stand a chance because he's crippled - he was run over by a wagon and shattered his hip.

But Eon does have one thing to his advantage: he can see all 12 of the Dragons - not something that just anyone can do.

There is a deep secret about Eon though... he's actually a 16-year-old girl named Eona. Only females aren't allowed to be Dragoneye, so she's hiding her true self hoping that the Rat Dragon will choose her to become the new Dragoneye.

When Eon doesn't get chosen by the Rat Dragon, everything is lost.

Until Eon sees the Mirror Dragon - the dragon that has been missing for 500 years. The Mirror Dragon picks Eon as it's human Dragoneye, but Eon would not confess her true name in front of the Dragon council.

Because of that, Eon cannot call her dragon. But she is the new "hero" to save the emperor, the new Mirror Dragoneye after 500 years, and everyone is looking to her to save their council.

Things get even worse when Lord Ion, Lord of the Rat Dragon, tries to take over the whole Dragon council to become the one Dragoneye Lord.

Will Eon be able to connect with her dragon? Can she save everyone from war and destruction without being killed for lying about who she really is? Read Eon by Alison Goodman to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
It's been a long while since I've read a fantasy novel, so I immensely enjoyed getting back into this genre - and I picked a great novel to start again!

Alison Goodman did a fantastic job with this dragon based world! The writing was easy to follow and she was very detailed in this new world for the readers to understand.

I loved Eon! This character was very brave, very courageous, but also able to act older than what she is and face a whole council of Dragon Lords who have been studying this for the last 12 or more years. She had about a week tops.

If I were in Eon's shoes, I'm not sure I would have done as well at 1) hiding who I really was 2) follow along with the Dragoneye politics or 3) prepare to do ceremonies that only very well trained Dragoneyes could do.

She's like the new Katniss, only I think better as she not only had to fight other adults but had to rule her part of the Dragoneye council.

And she has to work with dragons, which can be very temperamental.

I really enjoyed this novel. Sure, it's 530 pages and there might be a few times where I glanced over paragraphs that were too descriptive and not enough action. But overall, I loved this novel and can't wait to delve right into the second (and last book) of this series.

For anyone who wants another version of the Hunger Games or likes fantasy with dragons, this is definitely the book for you. Also, anyone who loves a strong female leader, you need to pick this up right away.

I'll be reading and reviewing the next book, Eona, right away, so stay tuned!