Hidden by Sophie Jordan [REVIEW]

TITLE: Hidden (Firelight #3)
AUTHOR: Sophia Jordan
PUBLISHER: HarperTEEN
PUB DATE: Sep 1 2012

Summary from Goodreads:

"Jacinda was supposed to bond with Cassian, the "prince" of their pride. But she resisted long before she fell in love with Will—a human and, worse, a hunter. When she ran away with Will, it ended in disaster, with Cassian's sister, Miram, captured. Weighed down by guilt, Jacinda knows she must rescue her to set things right. Yet to do so she will have to venture deep into the heart of enemy territory.

The only way Jacinda can reach Miram is by posing as a prisoner herself, though once she assumes that disguise, things quickly spiral out of her control. As she learns more about her captors, she realizes that even if Will and Cassian can carry out their part of the plan, there's no guarantee they'll all make it out alive. But what Jacinda never could have foreseen is that escaping would be only the beginning....

Loyalties are tested and sacrifices made in the explosive conclusion to Sophie Jordan's Firelight trilogy."

Rating:

Jacinda and Will believe that nothing can stand between their love, even with Jacinda being a Draki and Will being a part of the hunters who pursue their race for the enkros.

When Miram, the sister of the prince of their pride, Cassian, was captured by the hunters, Jacinda feels responsible for her capture. She intends to get Miram back to the pride before she runs off with Will, and find her mother.

Posing as a prisoner, she ventures into enemy territory. Her goal is to reach Miram and get out as fast as she can, but there is danger lurking about in the enkros’ laboratory... and their escape doesn’t mean the hunters won’t give chase...

Book Haul [16]

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My "Weekly Book Haul" is pretty much just like In My Mailbox by the Story Siren, This Week In Books by Pop Culture Junkie, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews and all the other titles with the similar concept here and there. This is a weekly post showcasing the books you received for the given week, either bought online or from a physical bookstore, borrowed from the library or from a friend, received for review or won from a giveaway, etc.

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Hello there! Let's go straight to this week's book haul:

HIDDEN by Sophie Jordan (Hardcover)
SWEET VENOM by Tera Lynn Childs (Paperback)
THE BEST OF ARCHIE COMICS, BOOK TWO by Various (Paperback)
ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins (Paperback)

"Waiting on" Wednesday [4]

*"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Hello everyone!

Let's get down to business:

TITLE: HIDDEN (Firelight #3)
AUTHOR: Sophie Jordan
EXPECTED PUBLICATION DATE: September 11, 2012
PUBLISHER: HarperTEEN

"Jacinda was supposed to bond with Cassian, the "prince" of their pride. But she resisted long before she fell in love with Will—a human and, worse, a hunter. When she ran away with Will, it ended in disaster, with Cassian's sister, Miram, captured. Weighed down by guilt, Jacinda knows she must rescue her to set things right. Yet to do so she will have to venture deep into the heart of enemy territory.

The only way Jacinda can reach Miram is by posing as a prisoner herself, though once she assumes that disguise, things quickly spiral out of her control. As she learns more about her captors, she realizes that even if Will and Cassian can carry out their part of the plan, there's no guarantee they'll all make it out alive. But what Jacinda never could have foreseen is that escaping would be only the beginning...

Loyalties are tested and sacrifices made in the explosive conclusion to Sophie Jordan's Firelight trilogy." - Source: Goodreads

THE FINALE!!! I really like Sophie Jordan's Firelight and Vanish so I'm really looking forward to this. I just think the titles kind of get less creative as the series progressed but the story is still amazing. 

How 'bout you? What's your pick for this week? 

Bare Book [6]

Bare Book [6]

by The Blair Book Project

The Bare Book Project simply gives attention to the books I've already read and which are now just sitting on my shelf for a long time.

For more information please view the Bare Book Project page.

Vanish by Sophie Jordan

        

Vanish (Firelight #2)
by Sophie Jordan

Summary from Goodreads:

"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?

In bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s dramatic follow-up to Firelight, forbidden love burns brighter than ever."

Rating:

Absolutely beautiful!

A lot of changes have happened since Firelight, the first book of this series. If you’ve read that, then you know that Jacinda, Tamra and their mother went back to their pride, with Cassian of course.

So on with what I found changed, it’s mostly on the characters:

Jacinda, didn’t come out to me as a striking character from Firelight, but here in Vanish… Ugh! She is annoying. I don’t like the fact that she’s pining over both Cassian and Will. Stick with one guy, girl! Not cool! But at the same time, I totally feel sad for her, being separated from Will and dropping to the lowest of low and being distrusted by the pride, it was just so much for her to bear.

Tamra, who was the annoying one before is now so lovable! She’s not so bitter anymore. And I like that she and Jacinda are now bonding, as sisters should be.

I didn’t like Cassian from the first book but that hasn’t changed. Of course, I appreciate the way he looks after Jacinda but most of the things he do to help her benefits him more. And don’t get me started on his sister. She’s absolutely aggravating! Despite the fact that I didn’t want her hurt, she totally deserved what happened to her.

I adored Will before but sadly he wasn’t much of a standout here, except during the last few chapters where there’s another mystery to be solved over his connection to the draki world. Although I did find it sweet of him to beat the odds to find Jacinda, but still, I already know that of him. I would’ve wanted to see something new from him. Yet, I really am intrigued about where all his draki connection would lead him to.

I love that Vanish was more quick and adventurous than Firelight. It’s nice to see a lot more of the draki world and know more of what the hunters do to the draki they capture.

As much as I enjoyed Firelight, I enjoyed Vanish even more. It’s amazing how Sophie Jordan was able to create a story that has so many possibilities. I’m really excited to read the next installment because I know there’s so much more to see.

In My Mailbox [6]

In My Mailbox [6]

hosted by The Story Siren

I visited the Bibliarch bookstore at Glorietta, Makati City this week and I found a lot of books I love to purchase. Unfortunately, I couldn't buy them all. *sigh*

So here's what I hauled over:  

Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Vanish by Sophie Jordan
Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey

I also got the following ebooks (epub format):

 

Wildcat Fireflies by Amber Kizer

Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

First Frost by Jennifer Estep

Daimon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Forgotten by Cat Patrick

So what did you guys get?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Books That Are On The Top Of My TBR List For Fall

Top Ten Tuesday

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten Books That Are On The Top Of My TBR List For Fall

        

        

1. The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

          - Who doesn't want to read this? I know the ARC's available online but I'd rather wait for the real thing. I'm not much of an e-reader.

2. Vanish by Sophie Jordan

         - I'm curious about who the cover is and what's in store for Jacinda and Will's relationship.

3. Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stolh

         - I loved the first 2 books so I'm excited about this one too.

4. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

         - It's kind of like a girly version of "Lord of the Flies", I want to see what it's all about.

5. Forgotten by Cat Patrick

        - It has a very interesting synopsis.

6. Devoted by Hilary Duff

         - I've read the first book out of curiousity now I want to see how Hilary develops as a writer/author.

7. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

         - Beautiful cover, intriguing summary, 'nuff said.

8. Enclave by Ann Aguirre

         - I've seen this many times on the shelf of a bookstore I constantly go to, I think it's about time I pick it up.

9. Meridian by Amber Kizer

         - It sounds dark and mysterious, I want to know if this has something new to offers to the whole raving angel-themed books.

10. The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

         - This has been in my TBR list for a while and now that it's coming out I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Hopefully those that are just about to come out this fall would be available here in the Philippines as per their expected release dates. I'm really excited to get my hands on them.

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

        

Firelight
(Firelight #1)
by Sophie Jordan

Summary from Goodreads:

"A hidden truth. 

Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide."

Rating:

I’m having a hard time summing up how I feel about this book. 

Basically, it’s a mythological Romeo and Juliet kind of tale. The premise was good enough to draw me towards this book and the cover was amazing, those are my weaknesses. The whole draki race and history was very interesting. The love connection between Jacinda and Will, Prey and Hunter, is also interesting; nothing like a bittersweet tale of forbidden love to spark anyone’s interest. 

With all that in mind, I expected to enjoy this book. I did. But I didn’t devour it as I anticipated myself to. 

Reading the book was quite fun, but there were times I felt that the characters, namely Jacinda and her twin Tamra, were irrefutably whiny. Both wanting something of the opposite, making things difficult even though it could’ve been solved easily. Will’s personality was a bit vague, as well as Xander, Cassian and Angus. I guess I wanted to know more about them. 

From the whole fantasy tale of creatures that descended from dragons, I expected more than just a love story, even though I’ve read the synopsis of the book, which eventually held true to its content. It IS a story of romance and Jacinda’s struggle with her draki.