Book Review: Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  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.

My Thoughts:  This story starts out with Jacinda and her friend Az sneaking out during the day to fly.  Yes, I said fly.  They are draki which are descendants of dragons.  Jacinda, is in fact, a very rare, firebreathing dragon.  They are forbidden to fly during the day for fear of getting caught by hunters but Jacinda and Az have no fear.  Until things go wrong and they are found by hunters.  Trapped in a cave behind a waterfall, Jacinda is sure she is going to die.  However, when Will, the hunter seeking her, finds her, he lets her go.

After this escapade and getting in big time trouble with their pride, Jacinda's mom packs up her and her twin sister, Tamra, and sneaks away in the middle of the night.  Jacinda is confused as her mother won't explain the reason why they are escaping from their pride and thinks it is only because the pride wants to keep her for themselves as the only firebreathing draki.  The head to Nevada, the desert, so that Jacinda can lose her draki traits.  Needless to say, Jacinda is not happy with this plan.  That is, until she finds out that Will, the hunter that let her go, is also a student at her high school.  Now can she keep the secret of what she is from him and his hunter cousins?

This book was so good!  Right from the beginning it catches your interest and refuses to let it go.  I really like Jacinda with the exception of how she really doesn't stand up to her mom or her sister and thinks that she is always making things worse.  I did not like her mom or sister at all!  Tamra was a whiny, spoiled little brat.  When something happens to Jacinda at school one day, resulting in her getting suspended and other bad things I won't mention here, all Tamra is upset about is that she didn't make cheerleading and she blames it all on Jacinda.  As if Jacinda could really help what happened. 

I loved Will!  Mysterious, romantic, sweet, protective....yeah, he had it all!  He reminded me a little of Edward in Twilight (in fact, there were quite a few things that were similar but not enough to ruin the book).  His cousins were jerks though and were perfect villains!

I loved that this book was about draki/dragons!  It was such an interesting twist to the usual vampire/werewolf paranormal books I read.

The ending of this book was so intense!  I am now desperately waiting for the second book to find out what the heck happens!