Vanishby Sophie Jordan
Hardcover, 294 pages
Published September 6th, 2011 by HarperTeen
Premise: Ganked from Amazon:
An impossible romance.
Bitter rivalries.
Deadly choices.
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:
This book is very hard for me to rate. It’s not a whole
book. It’s the front half of the ending of this story… yes, I mean
“cliffhanger” and I mean a great, big, huge “WHAT?!?!”
Here’s the thing… I
entered Vanish with specific questions leftover from Firelight. I was hoping
the romantic attraction would find more depth than Draki-hormones (my term, not Sophie's.) This was a
huge question for me, and Vanish did not answer my question. If anything, it
added to it.
Because Will became demanding. He froze in his awesome state
last seen in Firelight and his non-progress basically left him behind, as far
as I was concerned. Choosing Will over the Colony for Jacinda transformed from
a question of True Love to a question of True Rebellion. Basically, would she able to stick to her choices and ditch her natural habitat for
someone she doesn’t know but has gushing feelings for when she’s in the
presence of him… or what?!
And then Cassian becomes this huge, respectful, patient,
gorgeous Mr. Right waiting for Jacinda to get over her dumb rebellion. He’s in a position of
up-n-coming power, too, so he can arrange her future however she’d like it to be. The
only thing holding her back from Cassian is this tremendous unexplained
physical draw to Will. Until… she is
physically drawn to Cassian, too!!
WHAT?!
WHAT?!
So, by ¾ way through Vanish, I was irritated with Jacinda.
She is torturing herself over this guy she really doesn’t know (yet). She hasn’t
had the opportunity to create lasting connections with him, and I haven’t been
convinced that this Draki-hormone thing isn’t flip-a-switch changeable. So… why
the self-torture?! I mean, she’s just turning Cassian into some martyr, you
know? If he’s really a jerk, I’m going to be furious. If Will turns out to be a
jerk, I’ll really be furious!!! I
suppose that’s a strong love triangle, right? Who knows which way to turn?! Huh.
But Sophie Jordan takes “love triangle” to another level by
opening up Jacinda’s sister’s character - Tamra. All of a sudden, she’s vulnerable and
loveable. I love the sisters’ relationship and their lasting bond of trust and
commitment. And she loves Cassian forever.
Uh-huh. So, now it’s clear why
Jacinda should just choose Cassian, but she never can… and Cassian ought to
just choose Tamra, but apparently he can’t.
Now throw Draki-bonding into the mix. Yea… no joking. Hormones weren’t enough, now we have bonding.
(This is Sophie's term.) This bonding is cool, too… and the
tension increases like 100 times. Then…
then, the story begins to build towards a climax that is just got to straighten
out the futures and loves of everyone… and the book is OVER! Like, lopped off at the head!
I could have thrown the book, I was so mad. I could feel the
pages dwindling down as the climax built and I just humphed and shook the pages
and groaned and writhed around… which is really dramatic for a book I don’t
want to rate very highly. It’s just… it’s not a book!!!! This is the first half of the
ending!!!!! And I don’t have less
questions, I have MORE. And that’s just unfair!!!! I don’t recommend anyone read this book until
the final one comes out in the fall. SO THERE!!
Only if you want some amazing kissing scenes with well described hand
placement and breathing with lip biting and… uncontrollable
hormones that draw out the inner dragon... Well, this book does have that.
This book bugged me too much. My Rating: 3 - but not "cute", more like "maddening". It's well written, but... I can't really rate it higher without reading the next book, since this is only a piece.
About the Author:
Sophie Jordan grew up in the Texas hill country where she wove fantasies of dragons, warriors, and princesses. A former high school English teacher, she's also the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Avon historical romances. She now lives in Houston with her family. When she's not writing, she spends her time overloading on caffeine (lattes and Diet cherry Coke preferred), talking plotlines with anyone who will listen (including her kids), and cramming her DVR with true-crime and reality-TV shows. Sophie also writes paranormal romances under the name Sharie Kohler.
Find & Follow:
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This book brought up this HUGE QUESTION for me. I want to know what you think - answers will be used in the Giveaway post on Friday.What is your favorite part about YA Love?!
Think carefully to a passage you reread over and over, that moment that tugs at your heart and says "this book is totally awesome!!" or something that turns you into a fan-for-life over a guy in a book. You can give me a quote or example or opinion.
