CATCHALL
Vanish was much, much, so much better than its predecessor and had a exponentially better ending. I enjoyed it very much. The characters were better developed and we saw more of the drake lifestyle and culture, as well as getting to know other characters better.
THE HEROINE
JACINDA
Jacinda improves marginally in this book, but still, I'm grateful. She is still irritatingly indecisive about pretty much everything. I suppose I've probably gotten used to it, but it still irks me. Ah, well, moving on. I do like her better in this book, as she feels much more relatable. I connected with her and understood her better.
THE LOVE INTERESTS
CASSIAN
Where we only get teasing glimpses of Cassian in Firelight, in Vanish we get to know him much better. I fell absolutely in love with him. He intrigued me in the first book, and in this book my curiosity was almost satisfied. He is kind and, moreover, accepting. He doesn't push too much and seems to know where to draw certain lines. He seems like an extremely genuine character with feelings. He's sweet and sacrificing. I really enjoyed him in this book and he made it much more enjoyable for me, probably worth at least a few star points in himself. He was also an effective antidote for Will.
WILL
I have never liked Will. In Firelight he drove to Jacinda's house in the middle of the night because he wanted to see where she lived. Ladies, if you think this is hot, don't. Stalking is not hot, it's creepy. And in this book he only grows more irritating and immature. He's pushy, whiny, and annoying. He wants to do things without ever thinking about the consequences. He doesn't care about anyone or anything except, essentially, himself. He's also a jealous jerk. Again, jealousy? Not. Hot.
THE OTHER SECONDARY CHARACTERS
TAMRA
She was rather annoying as well. She wasn't terrible, but definitely not my favorite. She was overly infatuated, which I suppose she couldn't help, but she could've helped what she'd done about it. I was looking forward to getting to know her, but was disappointed. But, she did score a few points with me near the end of the book. And then promptly lost them.
ZARA
Jacinda's mother seems so…I don't know, absent. I get that she's depressed, but as a mother, she has a responsibility to her children. She didn't fulfill it, leaving them completely alone. As such, I don't really regret too much what happened to her.
MIRAM
I din't much like her, but I actually understand her quite well. She's upset and hurt, and so she lashes out at Jacinda. She actually has more depth than it originally seems like.
AZ
We don't see a whole lot of her, but what we see I like. She feels like a genuine, fun person to be around, the kind of girl you'd like to know. And she doesn't go all forgiving on Jacinda-like a normal person, she needs her time to be angry.
CORBIN
What a creep.
THE PLOT
This book actually mostly failed here. There wasn't a whole lot of plot. Mostly a bunch of what-do-we-do-with-Jacinda-the-traitor stuff. But I do love the view we get of draki life in this book, even if there's no real story to go with it. Still, there wasn't nothing. There was definitely both external and internal conflict, even if the internal was a bit on the melodramatic side. I didn't hate the plot, but I wasn't enthralled. Much of the story is the romance, which I will transition to right now.
THE ROMANCE
CASSIAN AND JACINDA
Cassian and Jacinda's romance is mostly light but gets a bit heavier once or twice. It seems genuine. Cassian is willing to make sacrifices to show that he really loves Jacinda, which is always beautiful in a romance as long as it isn't over-the-top, which this isn't. He also seems to accept her for who she is and not try and change her. It builds with a charming anticipation and does not disappoint.
WILL AND JACINDA
They were a bit too heavy with the PDA in Firelight, and it grows so much worse in Vanish. (Sophie, your romance-novel-writing-self is showing. Please remember you're not writing one now.) Frankly, it's DISGUSTING. There is no other way I can describe it. They are just…too gross together. I mean…ick. It's lusty, heavy, stereotypical teenage angst at its finest.
THE WRITING
The writing was still. A bit fragmented. But it was a major improvement on Firelight. Jacinda's voice is also more refined. She talks like a normal person would actually talk, but does feel a bit clichéd. Besides being a bit choppy, the writing also lacks a but of detail in some places and has too much in others. But there are also some absolutely beautiful lines I adore as well.
THE ENDING
I could predict it long before I got there, but this does not mean it was bad. Just a bit obvious. And it was much, MUCH better than the ending to Firelight. It makes much more sense. However, it does feel rather forced, as if it was simply done to be done, and not because it would have really happened. In fact, it was rather unrealistic. But still, quite nicely done.
WRAPUP
Yes, I will be reading Hidden. Which, by the way, is not the best title, and has no cover art yet. But that aside, Vanish ended on far too big of a cliffhanger for me not to continue on, and besides, I'm beginning to genuinely enjoy the story.
FINE.