Review: The Lady of Terras by J.M. Dain

Book: The Lady of Terras by J.M. Dain
Series: The Vayde Chronicles #1
Pages: 306
Genre: Fantasy / Young Adult
Buy A Copy: Amazon / Barnes & Noble
Available Formats: Paperback / Ebook
Publication Date: May 2nd, 2011
How Did I Get This Book:  From Author, For Review
Description: It is Massachusetts, 1692. The New World is plagued with Indian wars and witch hunts. But, something more treacherous is lurking in the woods of Terras. And seventeen year old Diana Vayde is at the center of it all.

Since she was six years old, Diana's uncle has governed the small village of Terras with an iron fist. His most recent decree is that all young women must marry before they turn eighteen, or he will choose a husband for them. With her eighteenth birthday drawing near, Diana must decide whether to marry her childhood friend or leave Terras. When she discovers information about her family heritage, Diana embarks on a journey that threatens everything her uncle has tried to accomplish.

With The Lady of Terras, J.M. Dain offers up a incredibly unique storyline with an intriguing setting and a gaggle of memorable characters. It takes a little while to get into the main storyline, which causes a bit of a focus problem.  I wasn’t exactly sure where the story was going, whether or not there was really magic at play or not. Then, when we do get some information on the fantastic elements, the descriptions/explanations are sometimes too lengthy and it is difficult to remain focused. I understand why they are necessary, but I still found that my mind had a tendency to wander. 

That being said, I still enjoyed it in its entirety. Although the overall focus was not always clear and descriptions could be too long, I still enjoyed the story. When things would get rolling, the plot was incredibly exciting. I was also constantly captivated by the characters and their interactions amongst one another.

The characters are all charming and likable in their own way. I was particularly fond of the heroine, Diana. She was incredibly headstrong and fiercely independent – an absolute pistol (most of the time). Once she fell in love, her personality shifted a bit, but in the long run, she remains true to herself.  I will be honest; because of the personality change in the middle of the book, at times I found it difficult to stomach her. Thankfully, Dain returns Diana to her full glory by the last fourth of the book. she once again finds her backbone and once again begins to stand up for herself.

I have to say, Dain did a marvelous job crafting the so called “bad guys”. I cannot remember when I had stronger feelings about the villains than I did with The Lady of Terras. I do not want to give too much of the storyline away, because the identity of the villains are revealed throughout the entire story, but just let me say this – I hated one them from the word go. The particular person rubbed me wrong from the beginning and just made my inner feminist want to claw their eyes out. So, kudos to Dain for stirring up such a reaction in me. 

Speaking of reactions, I also had an incredibly strong one about the ending. I was enjoying myself beautifully, right up until the point when the author thought it would be prudent to kill off my favorite character. Now, I am sure that this particular plot twist will impact the story in some profound way, but I still had to console myself. I honestly did not see this coming and it forced me to leave the story with a rather grave feeling. After finishing the book, I really had to sit and contemplate how I felt about the story as a whole. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Did it have a interesting plot? Yes. Did I like the characters? Yes, again. It’s just that the ending left me with such heartbreak that I had a hard time getting past it. I spent so much time investing in that particular character, that their death came as an incredible shock. But, once I forced myself to calm down and take everything into account, The Lady of Terras was a great book. I will be reading the sequel and secretly praying for the return of my favorite character. I know it is rather doubtful, but hey, a girl can hope.   

Favorite Quotes 

"The footsteps stopped and a man yelled back, "Who goes there?" "I goes there." Diana shouted back."

"When Mr. Onder was done rambling, they left the building quickly and darted across town to participate in their own drunken "heretical" reveling." 

"Yahmka was eighteen, a few months older than Diana, and like Diana had no interest in being a prissy husband-seeker."

"She decided that if she was going to give Toby a chance, the first thing she should do was give his rolls a chance."

"She wrapped her blanket tightly around her body and quietly left her room. She tip-toed across the hall to Finn's room and crept inside, closing the door silently behind her. When she reached the sdie of his bed, he held up his blanket for her without opening his eyes as if he was expecting her. Diana snuggled in next to him."

"Toby rolled his eyes. "You will one day. You will fall madly in love and get incredibly silly about it and you will get married."

"Oh yes. Aside from the crazy man running the village over yonder and killer bat-wolves invading the area, I find it rather like Eden."

Review: Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Book: Firelight (Sophie Jordan)
Stand-Alone or Series: Series - Firelight #1

Pages: 326
Genre: Young Adult
Description (From Goodreads):

With her rare ability to breathe fire, Jacinda is special even among the draki—the descendants of dragons who can shift between human and dragon forms. But when Jacinda’s rebelliousness leads her family to flee into the human world, she struggles to adapt, even as her draki spirit fades. The one thing that revives it is Will, whose family hunts her kind. Jacinda can’t resist getting closer to him, even though she knows she’s risking not only her life but the draki’s most closely guarded secret.

Firelight by Sophie Jordan is an intense, intriguing and well-crafted start to what is surely to be a great series. The characters are all incredibly unique and well-rounded and the world in which it takes place is fasinating.

Jacinda, the heroine, is a draki - a decedent from a dragon. She can shift between human and dragon form and she lives for the thrill of flight. Not only is she a draki, but she is a rarity among her people; she is a fire-breather. Each of the draki possess a certain trait, some are water draki, some are gifted with herbs, but she is the only fire-breather to manifest in a long, long, time. Everyone had thought her particular species had died out long ago, but when she manifested she became a coveted prize. 

Her dragon Pride would like nothing more than to breed more little fire breathers so an arranged marriage of sorts, is setup. Jacinda is destined to mate with the Pride's prince, Cassian. She does not appreciate having her life planned out for her and so Jacinda rebels and breaks the Pride's number one rule - she flies during the daytime. 

While she is out she is spotted by a group of dragon hunters and injured during the pursuit. She is forced to take refuge in a cave, where one of the young hunters finds her. Surprisingly he spares her - why is does in unclear to Jacinda, who is still in her dragon form. 

Long story short, the Pride is furious with her and decides she must be punished. Her mother, who fears for her daughters safety forces Jacinda and her twin sister, Tamera to flee in the middle of the night. Jacinda does not want to leave the pack and is furious when her mother relocates them in the middle of the southwest desert. Jacinda is forced to try and fit in with humans and expected to let the dragon inside her die.

I cannot express to you how much I enjoyed this book. I love Jacinda - she is such a strong willed and determined character. Her relationship with Will, the young hunter, is so beautifully written. I love the fact that they have the whole star-crossed lovers thing going on - she is a draki; the species in which he and his family hunt. You spend a lot of time wondering whether or not she will own up to her heritage and tell Will what she truly is. It provides a great dynamic to their story, because although she is drawn to him, she still isn't sure if she can trust him. 

I think that Jordan did an exceptional job writing Will's character as well. He isn't just your typical heartthrob, he seems to truly care for Jacinda. He also protects her on numerous occasions and tries to protect her by staying away from her. He, like Jacinda has to stay guarded, because he is afraid of letting the world see him as a part of his monstrous family. 

The only thing that somewhat irritated me about this book was Jacinda's mother. I understand that she felt Jacinda was no longer safe with the Pride, but I thought it was completely unfair for her to try and force Jacinda to let her inner draki die. I just feel like a mother, at least a good one, wouldn't ask her daughter to give up a part of her that she so obviously loved. Jacinda states countless times throughout the book that her draki is an overwhelming part of her and that she cherishes it. I just don't believe her mother would force her to give that up completely. 

All in all though, Firelight was outstanding. If you haven't had a chance to read it yet, I highly suggest you do. I cannot wait for the next book, Vanish to come out next year!