Vanish by Sophie Jordan

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Description from the book:

“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 that she might never see Will again – and worse, 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 bot h 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?”

Wow!  I am seriously shaking my head because I cannot believe I’m already done reading Vanish (in one day) and have been left with a hell of a cliffhanger.

Vanish starts in the immediate frantic moments following Jacinda’s flight from Chapparal, after she has saved Will’s life and in the process revealed herself to be a Draki.  She, her sister Tamra and her mother are taken back to the pride by Cassian.  Life is no picnic for her and her mother once they’re back home but things have turned for Tamra who’s viewed differently now.

While reading, I was reminded why I really like Jacinda.  She has such a strong sense of self and she displays such impressive maturity.  As an example, with Tamra’s new found acceptance within the pride, Jacinda is genuinely happy for her.  She’s incredibly thoughtful about how her decisions are going to impact her family.  Their safety and happiness are of equal priority to her as her own happiness with Will and she strives for nothing less.

I had to resist the urge to skip paragraphs because I was so eager as the story was unfolding. In Vanish we also learn more about Will and Cassian – Cassian especially is a pleasant surprise as his true intentions surface.  A couple of scenes had me a bit giddy.  Boy does Jacinda does have a task on her hand to figure out whom she’s meant to be with!     

She’s not perfect though.  There's duty to the pride and then there's following her heart and she manages a few slip ups that result in some devastating consequences all around.  There are some very dramatic moments where the characters’ true natures come to life.  All of this culminates in an ending that implies the proverbial “calm before the storm”.

I absolutely enjoyed reading Vanish.  I'm just upset that it's over already and I have to wait for more.  Sophie Jordan, I am dying over here!

~ Bel