Monday, August 22, 2011

Review: Vanish

VANISH (Firelight #2)
Sophie Jordan
Paranormal Young Adult
304 pages
HarperTeen
Available September 6th
Received for review through Teen Book Scene

Warning: Synopsis contains spoilers from FIRELIGHT, but review is spoiler free.

THE STORY
Jacinda risked the safety of all her draki brethren when she revealed her true form to Will and his Hunter family. Now they know one of the draki's most fiercely guarded secrets: draki can shift into human form. Luckily for Jacinda, another draki is able to use her abilities to wipe all the Hunter minds clean of what they saw, including Will's. With his mind shaded, he'll think she's just vanished without a trace since Cassian is dragging her back to the pride.

Once home again, Jacinda finds herself an outcast. News of her reveal to the Hunters and her love for Will earns her hateful glances and whispered insults from those she used to count as friends. One of the few willing to speak to her is Cassian, proving himself to be understanding of her situation while making it known that his feelings for her haven't changed.

Though Jacinda tries to put Will behind her and focus on her future in the pride, thoughts of him refuse to stay buried, and when he shows up looking for her she knows with absolutely certainty that her place is with him. Will's family draws ever closer to the pride however, and when things go wrong for her yet again, she vows to set it right no matter the cost.

MY THOUGHTS
While Firelight detailed Jacinda being snatched from her home and forced into the sweltering isolation of the desert only to find a true sense of belonging and love, Vanish sees her returned home again more alone than she was being the single draki in a vast barren landscape. Only by experiencing the freedom Jacinda found in Firelight despite having to keep so much of her true self hidden are we able to truly understand the stifling effect her return to the pride has on her. What once was a sanctuary is now a prison, her role as a female draki and a fire-breather permanently etched in stone with little hope that her wants for her life will be taken into account. This startling contrast helps our bond to Jacinda strengthen, her restlessness and heartache echoed in the erratic nature of our breathing as her future presses its weight down on us all until we're as ready as she is to escape the claustrophobia of what her pride deems inevitable.

Jacinda, full of fire and fight in the first book, has that passion for life all but extinguished in the opening chapters, stuck in the purgatory of ignorance as to how profoundly Will is affected by the memory wipe, half-heartedly trying to move on but ultimately unable to do so while certainty and closure continue to elude her. However, the more Severin and the other draki push her to conform to what she's never wanted to be, the more air they breathe on the spark buried underneath her guilt, anger, and pain until she comes roaring back and begins to take responsibility for her thoughts and actions as well as the needs of her heart. By the end, the girl who had been existing in pieces separated by conflicting desires begins to knit herself back together and rebel against those, both Hunter and draki, who would hurt her or those she cares about.

Though Will earned our affection and loyalty in book one, he is relegated to the magnificent shadow cast by Cassian in this tale, and only our lingering memories of his moments with Jacinda in Firelight keep us from throwing our full support behind the sleek black onyx draki making a play for Jacinda's heart. Cassian's deliciously diabolical attack on our emotional attachment to Will is all the more dangerous and effective for its subtlety, his staunch support of her upon her return when she faces nothing but mockery and contempt coupled with his willingness to let her create distance between them as she deems necessary is a powerful weapon. Under the quiet onslaught we quickly find ourselves wondering if it would really be so bad for Jacinda to find a new home with him, one half of a power couple leading the pride together. The new dynamic between the three of them is intensely fascinating, and the few brief moments in which she succumbs to Cassian's strength and genuineness are much more believable and forgivable as she battles with individual want versus societal and species responsibility.

Those who get frustrated with cliffhanger endings will most likely shake their heads in dismay at the conclusion of this story though, the final page ending just as momentous events are about to occur. That being said however, Ms. Jordan not only ratchets up the romantic conflict in a way that emotionally splits us down the middle without once frustrating us at the development of a love triangle, but she also reveals some interesting tidbits with regard to Tamra and Will, making us wish for more page time as we attempt to make peace with the wait for book three. Overall, Vanish is a thoroughly enjoyable sequel despite its whopper of an ending, and things are certainly shaping up to only get darker and more dangerous as Jacinda and company attempt a role reversal with the family of Hunters who have been killing them off slowly.

Rating: 4/5

38 comments:

  1. There's no conflict for me, I'm totally Team Cassian :) Gimme that sleek onyx goodness any day!I'm going to wait for the third book to come out, and if she ends up with Cassian then I'll go back and finish Vanish (I DNF-ed it).

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  2. I've heard mixed things about this series but I have read enough positive reviews now that I feel I definitely want to check it out sometime for myself. Plus I love the concept of the draki! But not loving the cliffhanger (and from what I remember hearing, Firelight also had a cliffhanger)!

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  3. Uh oh don't like cliffhangers at all. I still need to read the first one though.

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  4. I am not a fan of cliffhangers either. I am thinking I might just wait until the next book even though I would like some Cassian. Great review Jenny :)

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  5. I really loved Firelight and am so glad that Vanish is a good addition to this story. While I do not like cliffhangers either, I also understand that they set the stage for another book and it sounds as if I will be waiting impatiently for book three after reading this one. Great review!

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  6. I just skimmed your review, Jenny(since I'm reading this very book at the moment). I hope I'll like it as much as you did, I've seen some readers that thought this was lacking compared to Firelight.

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  7. Oh, this looks so good. You've got me intrigued by Cassian, despite my dislike of love triangles. I like that events affect Jacinda, it helps the character grow and also makes her more likable - who would like someone who goes blithely on their merry way despite the effects of their actions? I thought she was kind of a snot at first, but I grew to like her, I think VANISH will make me like her even more.

    Great review!

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  8. Sounds interesting. As much as I think authors rely too much on cliffhangers, they suck me in each time. It does annoy me that the main love interest from book 1 disappears in this book. Too stereotypical "second book" for my taste.

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  9. I'm Team Cassian! Even in Firelight when he wasn't around much, he appealed to me. Poor Will didn't stand a chance.

    I have to say that I enjoyed Firelight quite a bit more than this one, but I'm really looking forward to the series conclusion! :)

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  10. Small - I adore Cassian, I'm sure it will still be Will, but I loved Cassian in this one:)

    Aylee - Yes, both books have huge cliffhangers, but I've just kind of accepted it:) I really enjoy this series, it's fun.

    Alexis - It's not as bad as Firelight's cliffhanger, but still definitely leaves you in the middle of the action:)

    Nic - You will love you some Cassian in this one:)

    Jan - I know a lot of people didn't like this one as much as Firelight, but I liked it just as much. Could be because I'm such a fan of Cassian:)

    Mari - I've been seeing that a lot, but I loved the story in this one and seeing more of life in the pride.

    Jennifer - I really like Jacinda as a whole, she's got some sass in her which always appeals to me:)

    Alison - Yes, Will is absent for a good portion of this one, but it makes sense in the context of the story so it worked for me. And Cassian doesn't just come up out of nowhere to make a triangle, he's been there in the wings the whole time and makes a solid case for himself in this book:)

    Leanna - I think I am too after this book. I think I'll be disappointed in the end, but I just loved him!

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  11. Fabulous review Jenny. I haven't read this series yet but look forward to it. The cliffhangers though *sigh* they are wearing me down in YA.

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  12. I had no interest in reading this series because of the whole were-snake thing...ewww I freaking hate snakes!!!!

    But your review makes it sound soooo good and I want to meet this Cassian....

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  13. What. No. I've heard book one ends with a cliffy too. Yikes.

    Between yours and Smalls reviews of this series, I'm so undecided on it. Maybe waiting until book 3 would be the best for me.

    Thanks for your thoughts on this book, Jenny. I'm now curious if I'd view the love-triangle the same as you.

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  14. Skimmed a bit since I have not read book 1 but I saw that you liked this one and that is good enough for me :)

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  15. I still have to read the first one, but seriously this cover is amazing! So Pretty.

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  16. I wasn't a fan of Cassian in Firelight, so I'm interested to see if he can capture my heart in Vanish. :) It seems he gives Will a run for his money! Thanks for the review, Jenny! :)

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  17. Tori - Thanks! Cliffhangers wear me down a bit too, but I've come to expect them so much that they're almost not bothering me anymore:)

    Tina - I hate snakes too, but these guys are dragons:) Still reptilian I guess, but not as creepy as snakes I think!

    Missie - It's not a series for everyone, but it's highly entertaining for me:)

    Blodeuedd - Hope you give them a try, they're fun books!

    Katie - I LOVE these covers, both this one and Firelight are gorgeous:)

    Lauren - I really wasn't either, I was all for Will, but in this one he kind of made me love him:)

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  18. Jenny, you just summed up this book in one amazing review! I felt the same way. The ending, ugh! Headache, but a good one! I really like the growth of the characters.

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  19. I really enjoyed Vanish, though I felt Jordan's writing style faltered a bit when compared to Firelight. I agree with the cliff-hanger - sometimes I think she wrote one huge book and divided into three! Great review, Jenny!

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  20. I have a love hate relationship with cliffhanger endings so I'll probably end up loving the excitement and hating the wait for the next book.

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  21. I'm really hoping to get to this during the Read-a-Thon!!! (still need to read Firelight too!) wish me luck!! :)

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  22. I HATE CLIFFIES! HATE! Oh, did I say that I just dislike them? Because I don't, I hate them! ;)

    So will I read this one? Of course! I have to know what is going on and I have it on my review pile. At least the love triangle sounds believable on Jacinda's part.

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  23. I wasn't a huge fan of Firelight just because I felt it was mostly a romance with very little plot but I'll read Vanish in the hopes that there's going to be more of a plot this time around. I'm excited about seeing more of Cassian though despite the cliffhanger ending.

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  24. Yay! I loved Firelight, so I've been so excited for Vanish. I had heard some not good things about it, but it didn't put me off. I have heard that Cassian is actually the favorite with this one, too. I'm really excited to get my hands on it. :D

    Jen
    In the Closet With a Bibliophile

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  25. Savy - Thank you! I knew a cliffhanger was coming based on book one, so when I got there I wasn't quite as frustrated as I would have been otherwise:) So good!

    Hafsah - I enjoyed them both equally, but Cassian had a lot to do with my love of this one:)

    Jenny - That's exactly how I feel! I'm not a patient person when it comes to books, so cliffhangers always kill me.

    Ashley - GET TO IT!

    Melissa - Hahaha I usually do too, but I knew this one was coming so I was ready:) This triangle worked for me because the boys both represented something so different to Jacinda, they weren't just two random guys who are suddenly fawning all over her for no apparent reason.

    Zahida - I think the plot picked up in this one, there are a lot of new developments, but I would say its still mostly romance based.

    Jen - I did too, can't wait for your thoughts on Vanish!

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  26. I have to say I love the covers for this whole series! I think this is on my someday to try series list but I am not a fan of cliffys so I will have to wait until they are all out first LOL

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  27. I really need to read Firelight this series sounds so good. I will let you know what I think of the Hunger Games once I get to it. I have so many books i feel overwhelmed. I plan to get to it before the movie comes out though. :) Great review.

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  28. AWESOME review Jenny! I felt the same things you felt and was dismayed at the ending. I need more now!! Also, totally agree that if Will hadn't been in the first book, Cassian would have way overshadowed him in Vanish. I am definitely Team Cassian now! =D

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  29. I liked Will in Firelight but thought Cass was a bully! Can't wait to check out Vanish and see Cass's turnaround! Great review. :)
    Mary @ BookSwarm

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  30. I'm on edge about this series. I've read mixed reviews. Though the sequel does make it promising, I really don't have the patience for several cliffhangers. LOL, I think I'll wait until all 3 are out before I start them. Cassian does sound like an interesting character that's for sure. Thanks for a great review, Jenny!

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  31. I'm about halfway through this now - I'm leaning towards Team Cassian :) I don't want another cliffhanger ending - wahhhh!

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  32. Ohhhhhhh cliffhangers...how I loathe them haha I love Firelight though, so I'm pretty much sold on this one. Great review, Jenny! :)

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  33. I'm Team Will, but you have me thinking in this review I may start to lean the other way! Great review Jenny! Oh, and sometimes I like cliffies and sometimes I don't...it depends on the story and probably my mood while reading!

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  34. I see a team Will team Cassian thing coming on! I didn't read Firelight, but I read the first chapter on line and got hooked, so here it sits and despite reading your review, I don't feel enlightened as to what happens in Firelight so I'm okay if anything got spoiled. I can't wait to get into the series though I know that cliffhanger is going to kill me! But looks like I won't be alone! Oh, if you can't tell, awesome review! Rockin'!

    Heather

    Heather

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  35. Like Melissa, I HATE CLIFF HANGERS and unlike her, I won't read a book that has a great big huge one. It stops me from throwing books across the room in frustration. I might buy it if the next book was out too and if it didn't have a cliffhanger ending. Anyway, thanks for letting us know about.

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  36. I just finished Firelight and was pleasantly surprised. For some reason (Small Review, I'm looking at you) I didn't think I would like this one. So I think I will definitely make a point to read Vanish as well. I like it when authors convince us to switch boy loyalties!

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  37. Those who get frustrated with cliffhanger endings will most likely shake their heads in dismay at the conclusion of this story though, the final page ending just as momentous events are about to occur

    OMG! Again? That is specifically why the first didn't do it for me. Maybe I should just stop reading this series (and save not only the hair on my head, but my Kindle that I am sure to throw across the room in frustration).

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  38. I got the netgalley, but I can't read it. I won't endure the long wait for book three with such a huge cliffhanger you're talking about:D

    Great review, thank you!

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