Book Review: Vanish by Sophie Jordan

Pages: 294

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pub. Date: September 6, 2011

Other Books in Series: Firelight (Book #1)

Source: Personal Copy

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "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."

If you've read Firelight, you know that Jacinda is a draki, which means she is a descendent of dragons.   Firelight left us with an epic cliffhanger and Vanish picks up there.  Jacinda returns to her pride which is much to her chagrin as she has to leave Will behind.  Before she heads back with her pride, a series of crazy events occurred and now Will has been shaded, which means he won't remember her.  Meanwhile, Jacinda doesn't have it easy back with her pride. Not only is she mourning the loss of Will, her old friends aren't really accepting of her and many give her a hard time for leaving in the first place.  Cassian still talks to her and she knows she should want to be with just him, but she can't get Will out of her mind.  Things get even more action packed for Jacinda as she tries to get used to life back with the pride, especially when there's an unexpected visitor and the fact that her sister's life has been forever altered.  Sophie Jordan's Vanish, the second book in the Firelight series, is an entertaining fantasy that fans of the series will appreciate.

As I said in my Firelight review, I never thought I would read a book about dragons (mostly because I thought they were super nerdy and Dungeons and Dragons comes to mind!), but I'm completely sold on Jordan's Firelight series.  I love the whole world that Jordan has created, the various types of dragons, the bonding, the hierarchy and even the hunters.  It's no doubt a world that fantasy lovers will relish in.

Jacinda is faced with some tough decisions and situations in Vanish.  She can't get over Will, but she knows she must as things aren't easy back with the pride.  The pride isn't accepting of her and she knows it will just take time and of course, she will have to prove her loyalty.  Cassian is looking out for her and part of me just wanted her to move on from Will.  Jacinda was kind of obsessing over Will and pulling a Bella Swan in Vanish.  She was pretty mopey as well, because she is no longer "top dragon" at the pride anymore and doesn't have many people that will talk to her (for reasons that I can't say because of spoilers), but it's definitely a new dynamic for Jacinda and one that takes a lot of getting used to.  So, needless to say, Jacinda does a lot of growing in Vanish.

By the middle of Vanish, I was on the edge of my seat. There's a lot of action and hold your breath type of moments.  All of these conflicts lead us to the third book in the series, Hidden. I can't wait for the next installment and thankfully I don't have it; it's out now!