Hidden by Sophie Jordan

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 260pgs

The Story

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.

The Review

Sophie Jordan's Firelight series may not be one of the most epic stories I have ever read, but it's one of the sweetest and most easy-following reads that drew me in to begin with, and it's one of those rare qualities that I love most about it. So after I FINALLY got a chance to read this book (been meaning to read this book for what seems like forever), I have to say while it's settles on a nice conclusion to the series for most of the characters involved, but I found it was still a very disappointing book out of all three books in the series.

In saying that, I thought HIDDEN was a fairly well-plotted book and added a lot of surprising twists in the mist of it all. It was good that respect. But after everything that the characters have been through - from the dangers of hunters and the possible capturing of the Draki to the dangers of forbidden and complicated romances - it just wasn't what I expected for a final conclusion. Not even the romance between Will and Jacinda could save me now (which mind you was very mushy for my taste). I don't know what it was exactly that put me off with this book except that it seemed as if it was 'missing' something important to make me take notice, you know? And as for the ending, while it does get a satisfying nod from me because for one character in particular, a character that has always been a favourite of mine, that being Cassian, I felt as if his story was not justified well. So whether Sophie Jordan is planning a spin-off series for him or not, I just didn't like the ending for Cassian. It seems too unfinished for me.

Overall, HIDDEN was fairly good but mostly just-an-okay kind of book for me and that I guess is what was most disappointing of all considering it's the final book. Final books are meant to blow your minds . . . which this book did not do for me . . . sadly.

The Rating

2/5 stars

Vanish by Sophie Jordan

Release Date: 6th September, 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 294pgs

The Story

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 the bestselling author Sophie Jordan's dramatic follow-up to Firelight, forbidden love burns brighter than ever.

The Review

I was one of those readers who fell in love with Sophie Jordan's YA novel, Firelight, and after the surprising and somewhat cruel cliffhanger that we were left with, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of the sequel. Now even before the book was released, I came across a lot of mixed reviews for VANISH on Goodreads and a lot of people said it wasn't as great compared to the first book. But being a dedicated fan to this series and have much love for dragons - no matter how cliche it was with the forbidden love story and people trying to tear two lovers apart - it came with no surprise that I too fell in love with its sequel. And honestly . . . I don't understand why readers gave this book under three stars, because the author delivers a great action-packed adventure and yet again, she delivers another cruel cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more!

VANISH starts off where Firelight had ended, where our heroine Jacinda and her family - her mother and her sister - are back under the protection and under the prying eyes of the Pride, which is the setting for the majority of the book. To me, it was a good change from the first book's setting and it was rather interesting as we didn't get to meet the Pride too much in the first book. While that was a great aspect to read about, but the main reason why I'm giving this book only four stars is because of Jacinda's twin sister, Tamra, whom had gotten on my nerves so much and it was a pity since I really liked her character in Firelight. However this time round, I found her too selfish for her own good and she has so little respect for her sister - which really irritated me throughout the book. Other than that, I loved the rest of the characters - the good and the bad. More so Jacinda, Cassian, and Will.

Jacinda had grown up a lot in this sequel, but she did go back and forth sometimes when it came to making hard decisions that concerned her love for Will and her sudden feelings for Cassian. I was totally Team Will in the first book, but clearly Cassian's character was 'shaded' from me. In Fireflight, readers probably thought Cassian was a total douche (yes, he was) who is too protective over Jacinda and you just wanted to slap him - to make him understand that she won't return his feelings. But in VANISH I saw him in a completely different light and he was just . . . a very intense character. A sexy one at that.

The thing is . . . now I've fallen for Cassian majorly! And because of this new love for him I was super mad over how Jacinda treated him and played with his emotions. First she does this and then she does that. So my sympathy is with you Cassian because in this new light of his, I got to see that he completely and utterly adores Jacinda, and while being aware of this, Jacinda still continues pushing him away. *waves finger at Jacinda* I hope we get to see more of Cassian in the next book because he's awesome. Truly awesome. And as for Will, like so many other readers, there's still plenty of him in the book but he just takes his time to get onto the damn page. But you still get him which is good.

But there's no young adult book without a major cliffhanger. Trust me here you guys there is one waiting around the corner. It was worse than the first book's cliffhanger. All I have to say is, "Well, damn". I seriously need book three now and I need it now - like right NOW! Pronto. For those fans of Firelight, everyone needs to get ahold of VANISH as quickly as possible because it's full of heart-stopping action, lot's of sexy times, two hot boys, beautiful dragons flying about, and of course, a love story that will captivate all.

The Rating

4/5 stars