VANISH by Sophie Jordan

A Firelight Novel #2
Publisher: Harper
Date published. September 2011
ISBN: 9780061935107
Young Adult/Fantasy
Hardcover
Reviewed by Tammy
Obtained via: publisher


The second Firelight novel from Sophie Jordan, VANISH, is teenage angst, drama and extreme emotions at its best.

Jacinda is a fire-breather, descended from a long line of Draki. In order to save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda revealed her Draki nature and manifested in front of a family of hunters. Now she has fled back to the safety of her pride and must face the consequences of her actions, knowing she will most likely never see Will again. Back home now, Jacinda finds the pride dynamic has changed with her sister’s surprising revelation. Jacinda and her mother are greeted with hostility and shunned by even their closest friends. Thankfully, the pride’s heir apparent, Cassian, is still in her corner, intent to win her heart and after a while, it appears that he just might. While Jacinda knows she needs to move on from Will, she still clings to the hope that one day they will be reunited. When the opportunity arises, the big question is will she choose love over her pride?

VANISH picks up where FIRELIGHT left off. Having read VANISH first, this reviewer can assure readers that though this is part two of this series, VANISH does manage to stand alone just fine. Although she breathes fire and sprouts wings, Jacinda is still a fairly normal, if melodramatic and angst-filled teenager. Luckily, author Sophie Jordan is a master at penning these strong emotions and balancing them with interesting action scenes and moments of personal development.

VANISH is well written, a constantly changing emotional roller coaster, with a good deal of action and angst. The Draki culture is well thought out and original. The set up of the love triangle is building nicely as Jacinda begins to mature in spite of the extremely selfish and headstrong decisions Jacinda continues to make. But isn’t this exactly what makes young adult fantasy so intriguing? While teens will see a lot of themselves in Jacinda, Jordan’s more mature audience will recall exactly how difficult those teen years seemed at the time and empathize with Jacinda.

This reader enjoyed VANISH so much that I went out and picked up a copy of the first book in the series, FIRELIGHT. Just so you know, this book too did not disappoint. Like FIRELIGHT, VANISH ends by setting up the next book in the series. This reader sincerely hopes that the wait between books is short. If you enjoy young adult fantasy, VANISH (and FIRELIGHT) by Sophie Jordan are not to be missed.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.