Published Date: September 6th, 2011
Finished Date: September 18th, 2011
Publishers: HarperTEEN
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 294
Series: Firelight Book Two
Blurb 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?
My Review
Look at that cover.. Such beautiful things are just not possible, y'know what I mean? It is absolutely gorgeous. A little kink tho - why is her eyebrow not silver?>:/
Comparatively, I had set mighty high expectations for this book after FIRELIGHT, and I must say that I am a little disappointed with VANISH (but it is still a crazy awesome book AND series!).
VANISH picks up right where FIRELIGHT left off, where Jacinda, her mother and sister, Tamra, were being escorted back to the pride by Cassian, prince of said pride. But during their tense drive back, they met with Will's hunter family. Dun dun dunnn!
Anyway, in that very bleak face-off, something happened to Tamra and she manifested. (Oooh, big spoiler.XP) So, because of Tamra's newfound abilities, she managed to salvage the situation. But also because of Tamra's heroic feat, Will's memory of Jacinda and the promise he made to her to find her no matter where she went, may very well have wiped out clean from his mind. Vanished from his memories.
The trio returns to the pride, amongst suspiscious glares and unfriendly neighbors. Tamra is now lodging with another draki; their mom was given multiple shifts that pushes her to work till ungodly hours; Jacinda, instead of having one of the top jobs (working at the library, which is what she did prior to their escape), was allocated a place with the gutting crew. In short, life was bleak and bad.
Will Will (not a typo) remember Jacinda? Will he find her? But what will happen if he actually found her? Can she run away from her mom and sister when they're all each other have? And what about Cassian? He really loves Jacinda, doesn't he?
All this are answered within the pages behind this very beautiful and silvery book jacket. I STILL CAN'T GET OVER THE COVER. IT IS JUST TOO BEAUTIFULLLLLLLLL!
So. I still loved Jordan's writing here as I did in FIRELIGHT. Her scenic descriptions and the characters' emotional development were done perfectly. You can feel Jacinda's torn emotions and dilemma, and when it comes to Cassian, wow. Just, wow. When she says "his intense gaze", you can feel some hot male attention searing thru your skin. Lol.
However, what I was disappointed in, and what ultimately made me give it a 4 and not a resounding 5, is because of Will's change in behavior. And it isn't a good transformation, I can assure you. He became too assertive, and his sweet, romantic demeanor towards Jacinda was almost non-existent in here. My heart totally broke (*piang*) when Will came back into the spotlight. I was expecting a quietly fierce, but still caring and loving Will to fight his way back into Jacinda's life. Now? He's not actively fighting for her and just... Well, too assertive and aggressive. And he actually said something to hurt Jacinda so that she would agree to run away with him. Which is total jerk attitude.
I don't know if it is to sway us towards Team Cassian or what, but Jordan portrayed Cassian as such a... Self-sacrificing and protective and sweet and romantic and alpha and possessive male. I love him. I am totally Team Cassian now. I actually was wary when I read all those reviews saying how they have been swayed over to Team Cassian, thinking I would never cross the enemy line over from Team Will, but Will crossed the line for me. He was a total jerk here, and Jacinda had to fight for their relationship.
Sometimes, I enjoy the love triangles and the fight for who loves who in the end, but over here the focus and harping about it was bordering on excessive. And annoying. Jacinda CANNOT make up her mind. And whenever she's with Will or Cassian, she would feel like she's betraying the other. Which she is. But she desnt't have to think about it the WHOLE time, EVERY time she's with one of them.
When she's with Cassian, "no, I shouldn't betray Will. Cause he's the one for me. I know it all the way down to my bone marrows. Even after all that he has sacrificed and fought for, even tho he protected me and pushed away my sister and everyone, and even tho I reciprocate some of the love you've showered upon the undeserving me, Will is the one for me".
When she's with Will, "I kissed Cassian. I am a sinner. You're too good for me, even tho you're acting like a jerk, and you want me to choose you over my family who desperately needs me. But I can't push you away, cause it feels so goddamn comfortable in your arms". It's annoying.
And she wallows a lot in her misery.
Buuuut, I liked the plot and the suspense. I loved the pride. I loved the mystery and the magical feel everytime Jacinda steps out into the forests. I loved the drakis, I loved their forms and colors and when they fly, you soar with them. The way Jordan describes it, you can almost feel the wind on your face and your hair whipping about behind you. Enchanting and captivating.
The stakes are much higher here. More to lose, more to consider, more dilemmas, more conflicted emotions. Jordan came back with ten-folds more drama and epic-ness. It was an amazing ride thru the world of the draki.
I'm giving this a 4.5 rating. Because it mighty well deserves it.
My Rating
VANISH picks up right where FIRELIGHT left off, where Jacinda, her mother and sister, Tamra, were being escorted back to the pride by Cassian, prince of said pride. But during their tense drive back, they met with Will's hunter family. Dun dun dunnn!
Anyway, in that very bleak face-off, something happened to Tamra and she manifested. (Oooh, big spoiler.XP) So, because of Tamra's newfound abilities, she managed to salvage the situation. But also because of Tamra's heroic feat, Will's memory of Jacinda and the promise he made to her to find her no matter where she went, may very well have wiped out clean from his mind. Vanished from his memories.
The trio returns to the pride, amongst suspiscious glares and unfriendly neighbors. Tamra is now lodging with another draki; their mom was given multiple shifts that pushes her to work till ungodly hours; Jacinda, instead of having one of the top jobs (working at the library, which is what she did prior to their escape), was allocated a place with the gutting crew. In short, life was bleak and bad.
Will Will (not a typo) remember Jacinda? Will he find her? But what will happen if he actually found her? Can she run away from her mom and sister when they're all each other have? And what about Cassian? He really loves Jacinda, doesn't he?
All this are answered within the pages behind this very beautiful and silvery book jacket. I STILL CAN'T GET OVER THE COVER. IT IS JUST TOO BEAUTIFULLLLLLLLL!
So. I still loved Jordan's writing here as I did in FIRELIGHT. Her scenic descriptions and the characters' emotional development were done perfectly. You can feel Jacinda's torn emotions and dilemma, and when it comes to Cassian, wow. Just, wow. When she says "his intense gaze", you can feel some hot male attention searing thru your skin. Lol.
However, what I was disappointed in, and what ultimately made me give it a 4 and not a resounding 5, is because of Will's change in behavior. And it isn't a good transformation, I can assure you. He became too assertive, and his sweet, romantic demeanor towards Jacinda was almost non-existent in here. My heart totally broke (*piang*) when Will came back into the spotlight. I was expecting a quietly fierce, but still caring and loving Will to fight his way back into Jacinda's life. Now? He's not actively fighting for her and just... Well, too assertive and aggressive. And he actually said something to hurt Jacinda so that she would agree to run away with him. Which is total jerk attitude.
I don't know if it is to sway us towards Team Cassian or what, but Jordan portrayed Cassian as such a... Self-sacrificing and protective and sweet and romantic and alpha and possessive male. I love him. I am totally Team Cassian now. I actually was wary when I read all those reviews saying how they have been swayed over to Team Cassian, thinking I would never cross the enemy line over from Team Will, but Will crossed the line for me. He was a total jerk here, and Jacinda had to fight for their relationship.
Sometimes, I enjoy the love triangles and the fight for who loves who in the end, but over here the focus and harping about it was bordering on excessive. And annoying. Jacinda CANNOT make up her mind. And whenever she's with Will or Cassian, she would feel like she's betraying the other. Which she is. But she desnt't have to think about it the WHOLE time, EVERY time she's with one of them.
When she's with Cassian, "no, I shouldn't betray Will. Cause he's the one for me. I know it all the way down to my bone marrows. Even after all that he has sacrificed and fought for, even tho he protected me and pushed away my sister and everyone, and even tho I reciprocate some of the love you've showered upon the undeserving me, Will is the one for me".
When she's with Will, "I kissed Cassian. I am a sinner. You're too good for me, even tho you're acting like a jerk, and you want me to choose you over my family who desperately needs me. But I can't push you away, cause it feels so goddamn comfortable in your arms". It's annoying.
And she wallows a lot in her misery.
Buuuut, I liked the plot and the suspense. I loved the pride. I loved the mystery and the magical feel everytime Jacinda steps out into the forests. I loved the drakis, I loved their forms and colors and when they fly, you soar with them. The way Jordan describes it, you can almost feel the wind on your face and your hair whipping about behind you. Enchanting and captivating.
The stakes are much higher here. More to lose, more to consider, more dilemmas, more conflicted emotions. Jordan came back with ten-folds more drama and epic-ness. It was an amazing ride thru the world of the draki.
I'm giving this a 4.5 rating. Because it mighty well deserves it.
My Rating
(Because I don't have a 4.5 pictureXP)
There's a sneak preview of VANISH provided by Harpercollins. CLICK HERE!
I'm not usually won for love triangles. But, I find this one interesting. Why? Because, I honestly don't know who to choose. I love Will because he is willing to turn his back on his family and who he was raised to be. I find that Cassian draws me a little more, but only because I can't quite figure him out. He think he will go to great lengths for Jacinda, but I often question his motives.
ReplyDeleteQuestion his motives? Why?? He seems to genuinely like her.. He does so much for her after all that she's done, and even when the whole pride seems to hate her. But yeah, I like Will too. Haha. He's the hunter, so I naturally like him already. :D
ReplyDeleteI was actually very pro-Will, but now I'm feeling so conflicted as to support Team Will or Team Cassian!! Hehe.