Early Book Review: Vanish by Sophie Jordan

Vanish by Sophie Jordan is a young adult novel, the sequel to Firelight, set for release on September 6 2011. Vanish picks up right where Firelight left off, so if you have not read Firelight do not pass go. You need to read that first before even cracking the cover of Vanish. The story opens with Cassian driving; taking Jacinda, Tamra and their mother back to rejoin the pride after Jacinda reveals herself to the hunters in order to save Will's life. The pride is less than thrilled to see Jacinda, despite her value as the only living fire-breather, but is thrilled to have her sister Tamra back since in the journey back she has become inordinately valuable to the pride because of her previously hidden nature. Jacinda and her mother try to make the best of it, but both are thinking too much about what has been lost. Jacinda is missing Will, and doubting herself because of the feelings for Cassian that seem to rise up of their own accord. Tamra is thriving, and Jacinda is happy for her but still lost in her own troubles and missing Will. She knows that moving on would be the smart thing, but still hopes that they can be together again. When the opportunity to follow her heart appears, will she risk everything for love?

Vanish is worth reading for those that loved Firelight, it is a good young adult novel. In my opinion, it did not live up to the promise that I saw in Firelight. Jacinda is still a strong minded teen, but spends a good portion of Vanish stuck in her head debating whether holding out for Will or letting go and taking what Cassian has to offer is the choice for her. She does handle obstacles and creepy situations well, but the moments that had me chewing my fingernails were rare. Much more time was spent in contemplation than in the actual action of the story. However, when the action came it was great. Jacinda still considers the feelings of her sister and mother, but unlike in Firelight, she seems more focused on what is right for her rather than just what will make her family happy. In addition, the mystery about what happened with her long missing father is ramped up, and readers are left with many questions that will bring them to read book three, even if they were disappointed with Vanish. I think that Jordan could have done much more in plot movement, expanding on the action and less on the romantic angst. More could have been done with the fringe characters like Az, Corbin, Nidia and Severin and hope that we do see some more with them and the side characters that have been introduced from Will's family and contacts in the next installment. However, I did still like the book and plan on reading the next book in the series.

I recommend Vanish for Sophie Jordan's fans, and those that really enjoyed Firelight. I do not recommend reading Vanish without having already read Firelight; it is definitely a series that requires reading in order. Readers that avoid anything with love triangles, or parallelograms in this case, might want to skip the teen angst, as it will not be a fun read for them. However, if you can get past that and enjoyed Firelight then you can enjoy the struggles of Jacinda in Vanish. It is a paranormal romance, a coming of age story, a story about personal responsibility and being true to yourself regardless of whom or what you might be.