Review: Hidden by Sophie Jordan

HIDDEN
By: Sophie Jordan
Published By: Harper Teen
Release Date: Sept. 11, 2012
Series: Firelight (#3)
Pages: 272
Genre: Paranormal
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: ALA
Buy the Book: Amazon

Disclaimer: Hidden is the third book in the Firelight trilogy, and the summary below may contain spoilers for the previous books. If you are new to the books, be sure to look at my reviews of Firelight and Vanish.

Goodreads Summary: Jacinda was supposed to bond with Cassian, the "prince" of their pride. But she resisted long before she fell in love with Will—a human and, worse, a hunter. When she ran away with Will, it ended in disaster, with Cassian's sister, Miram, captured. Weighed down by guilt, Jacinda knows she must rescue her to set things right. Yet to do so she will have to venture deep into the heart of enemy territory.

The only way Jacinda can reach Miram is by posing as a prisoner herself, though once she assumes that disguise, things quickly spiral out of her control. As she learns more about her captors, she realizes that even if Will and Cassian can carry out their part of the plan, there's no guarantee they'll all make it out alive. But what Jacinda never could have foreseen is that escaping would be only the beginning....

Loyalties are tested and sacrifices made in the explosive conclusion to Sophie Jordan's Firelight trilogy.



It's no secret that I love the Firelight trilogy. These books are unique in a market flooded with so many paranormal creatures, and Sophie's writing is fantastic. I was extremely excited to get a copy of this at ALA because I was dying to know how the series ended.

If you have read Vanish, you know just how action-packed the ending was and why the year-long wait for Hidden was way, way too long. Hidden begins just after the the events of Vanish, with Jacinda determined to make everything right once and for all. Her plan - infiltrate the enkros stronghold and make it out alive - is dangerous, but she knows it must be done. Only nothing could have prepared Jacinda for what she finds within... And even if all goes according to plan, there is still one minor detail Jacinda will have to work out: Does she belong with the pride and with Cassian, or can she ever be free to be with Will?

From the beginning, Hidden had a different tone from Vanish. The setting is darker, the stakes are higher than they have ever been, and it seems as though the weight of the world is on Jacinda's shoulders. For so much of the book she is at war with herself, trying to decide between what she feels is right and what she wants, wondering if there is a way for both to coexist. Eventually she has to face the hard truth that she cannot please everyone, but by accepting that, she grows into a stronger individual. Although there are things I wish she had done differently, I could sympathize with her dilemma and liked the person that she became. With that, I was thrilled to see what happened for Tamra in this book and how she became her own person as well. There are also new draki to meet, and I appreciated what they brought to the story.

As much as I enjoyed Hidden, I also had one issue with it - there were times that seemed stagnant, when I longed for the excitement that was so pervasive in Vanish. However, the ending of the book made up for that. There were twists that I didn't see coming and, my own personal opinions and wishfully constructed endings aside, Hidden provides good closure to the trilogy.

I have loved spending time in the world of the draki, and I will be sorry to see these characters go. I'm secretly holding out hope that Sophie isn't done with this world and we will see dragon books from her again...but whatever books we see from her, I know I will be reading them!