Book Review: Vanish

Title: Vanish by Sophie Jordan
Release Date: Sept. 6, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 304 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC from publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads Summary: 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?

I loved Firelight. It was original, exciting and hands down, one of my favorite books of 2010. Needless to say, Vanish was one of my most anticipated books for this year and it delivered.

Vanish picks up right where Firelight left off, with Jacinda, Tamra and their mom fleeing Chaparral and returning to the pride with Cassian. When they get home, Jacinda is heartbroken and misses Will terribly but to make matters worse, she is shunned and treated as outcast by the other Draki when they find out she had a relationship with a hunter.

There is so much tension and angst in Vanish. Jacinda has to choose between being with the boy she loves and the safety of the entire pride; between doing what everyone in the pride wants and expects her to do and doing what will truly make her happy. While I do not like the fact that Jacinda vacillates between two boys, it is understandable. Her choices are hard and there is so much at stake.

The characters, especially Cassian and Tamra, are more developed in Vanish which is great because neither were particularly likable in the first book. Because the book is set in the pride, we meet more Draki with cool paranormal abilities. The story is very exciting and fast paced with some unexpected twists thrown in.

I have to warn you that like Firelight, Vanish ends with a huge cliffhanger. I hate that I have to wait until next year to find out what happens but I bet it’s going to be fiery and explosive!

Content: Kissing and violence