Firelight by Sophie Jordan

I feel weird writing this for my occasional “oldie, but a goodie” section since it was just released in the fall of 2010. Why not? We’ll just call it “a (not so) oldie, but a (very) goodie”, okay? Before I get into my summary and then the review, let me warn you that it’s best to have a pretty clear calendar for the day when you sit down to read this book. It will suck you in and not let you go until it is done. :)

This is a tale of love, a love that is powerful and consuming. Will and Jacinda are a modern day Romeo & Juliet. Jacinda is a draki, a race descended from dragons and hunted for their skills and healing properties. She grew up in a sheltered society where she was treasured for her innate draki gift, she’s a fire breather and the first draki with this gift in a very long time. After being forced by her mother to leave the only home and society she’s ever known, she’s thrust into the human world and forced to try to be something she’s not, a normal human girl. This is where she runs into Will, though not their first meeting. Will is from a family of hunters, human beings that do what their name implies, hunt. They capture drakis and use them (or their body parts!) for their own personal gain. Will, though, isn’t like his family. He has a warm heart and he shares a deep connection with Jacinda. For Jacinda, he’s the only thing keeping her from losing who she really is. The question is … is love enough to break every rule, to go against everything they’ve ever known?

If you are a fan of young adult paranormal romance, then you should check this book out today. It’s not as action-heavy as some of the others out there, but there are still some intense sequences for my fellow action junkies out there. The romance though is beautiful and Jacinda’s journey of self-discovery is something every teen goes through, draki or mortal. We all have different sides to ourselves and are sometimes forced to choose between them. The draki lore is really interesting and obviously well thought out. I am really looking forward to learning more as soon as the other books in this series are released. If you’re looking for a romance that is full of fiery passion (wah wah wah), look no further. You’ll find it in “Firelight”.

Firelight is published by HarperCollins and is available now at a bookstore near you. The sequel, Vanish, will be released in September of this year. I’ll be reviewing it here, so stay tuned.

Oldie, but a goodie – The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Hey there folks! I thought it’d be fun to start an “oldies but goodies” segment to my blog. As much as I love reading and writing about upcoming young adult releases, I also like to read books that have already been published. I thought it might be fun to also post reviews for these books including some of my absolute favorite YA books of all time. I’ll probably do this once or twice a month. So keep an eye out for it!

Our first “oldie but goodie” book is a novel by one of my favorite YA authors, Shannon Hale. I do not re-read books often since I have so much on my “to read” list already, but “The Goose Girl” is something I pick up every once in a while to read again. This is the book that helped me endure a cross-country trip in a big junky U-Haul truck when I moved from Wisconsin to California. I get carsick pretty easily and I still devoured this book.

The story is a retelling of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale. It follows Ani or you could call her, Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree. When the king dies, Ani is supposed to step up and take the throne, but instead her mother decides to marry her off to a foreign prince. While en route to meet her husband-to-be, her jealous lady-in-waiting, Selia, uses her persuasive abilities to convince the guard to discard Ani and make Selia the new “princess”. Ani now has to figure out a way to survive on her own for the first time and convince the royalty of this foreign land of her true identity, all while trying to make sure she isn’t murdered by the impostor princess Selia. Action, romance, prince and princesses, magical powers, evil doers..."The Goose Girl” has it all!

Alright folks, let’s do this.

• What really attracts me to Shannon Hale’s books is her whimsical writing style. It embraces the world that she’s created which is full of princesses, strange magical powers and tons of incredible adventures. Ms. Hale does a wonderful job setting the tone and feel of the story from the very first page.

• It’s a fun twist on fantasy. It’s fantasy light. This isn’t an epic tale full of sorcerers and magical items. However, some really cool fantasy elements exist that I really enjoyed discovering along the way (new powers are discovered in the sequels).

• The Goose Girl, or Ani, is a wonderful strong female lead. She starts out this story as a pretty helpless princess, but not because she’s whiny or wimpy. She’s just sheltered and naïve. Ani grows throughout the story due to her circumstances and becomes an incredibly well rounded heroine. I love how real she is too. That’s not easy to do in YA fantasy.

• It’s a story about finding out who you are and not worrying so much about fitting in. As someone who had trouble “fitting in” during her high school years, I found I really connected to Ani and her struggles finding out who she really was.

• The love story is adorable. It’s a refreshing break from the angsty, sexual love triangles that are popular in YA fiction these days (though you know I love that too!). It makes you feel all warm and fuzzy.

Shannon Hale’s story is a wonderful fairy tale with beautiful writing that readers of all ages can enjoy. I have had to actually buy multiple copies of this book because I loan it to friends/family and it never makes it back to me! That’s just how awesome it is. If you’ve missed this one along the way, I highly recommend going and picking up a copy today. It is not to be missed!

"The Goose Girl" by Shannon Hale is published by Bloomsbury and is available everywhere you can find awesome books. It has a different cover now, but I like this old school cover better! Go and get yourself a copy today.