"Firelight" by Sophie Jordan (Debut Author)

What would you do if the guy you fell in love with came from a family that wanted to kill you? Sophie Jordan’s Firelight explores this concept, bringing a new type of fantasy to the currently packed supernatural star-crossed romance tables. Instead of vampires or werewolves or fallen angels, we’re introduced to draki, a being descended from the dragons who is able to take on a human form and live among us undetected.

One of the best things about Firelight is the fact that it’s the female main character, Jacinda, who is the mythical being. Lately, it’s pretty much guaranteed that the supernatural being is male, while the female is mortal. In this case, however, even Will, the guy Jacinda falls in love with, is more than he appears. He comes from a family of hunters intent on killing the draki, though he has more of a conscious and hates what he is.

The star-crossed duo find themselves falling in love at first sight once Jacinda moves away from her brethren and enrolls at the local high school. At first, our heroine tries to stay away from Will, knowing who and what he is, but finds the task impossible, especially since being near him means remaining in tune with the draki within. One of the reasons she had to move away was because of an incident that happened that nearly exposed the pride. They have a terrible future in store for her, and to protect her, Jacinda’s mother moved everyone into the desert, hoping to kill the draki part of her daughter.

I don’t want to spoil much about the plot, but I will say that if you pick this up, expect to wait for a sequel. This book isn’t a stand-alone, and ends on a note that had me pulling at my hair. Firelight sucked me in right from the start. The imagery and detail is vivid, especially when Jacinda manifests from human to draki. It was also interesting to read about the plight of Jacinda’s twin sister, Tamra, who was never able to transform. In this new world of high school, it is she who is special and stands-out, not her sister, the last fire-breather in the pride.
If you’re sick of supernatural romances with the same over-used plot and cliché characters, Firelight is a refreshing change of pace. It’s still full of fantasy, but manages to add a new type of character to the mix. It’s a compelling read that will instantly have readers begging for more, and guaranteed to have knock-offs nipping at its heels if it takes off with readers looking for something a little bit different these days.