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mariahread's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.75
nicolemhewitt's review
5.0
4.5/5 Stars
This review and many others can be found on my blog - Feed Your Fiction Addiction
The book is told from three perspectives – Trinity, who is Fire Kissed and destined to unleash dragons on the world; and twin brothers Connor and Caleb, who have traveled back in time to change the past. Connor wants to stop dragons from ever being born and Caleb is helping a group that wants to use dragons to save the world. Trinity doesn’t know what to believe!
What I loved:
Who are the bad guys?
This was one of those books where there was no clear right and wrong and it was really hard to tell who the bad guys were (at least all of them – I had a good idea about at least one of them that turned out to be correct). There were so many factors at play here – after all, dragons DID destroy the world, so we should be on Connor’s side, right? But what would he need to sacrifice in order to rid the world of dragons and is it worth the cost? Trinity is torn because of her connection to her dragon – and Caleb insists that the healing properties of dragons could actually save the world if dragons are brought into the world properly. So, what’s the right answer? The characters all struggle with this throughout the book – even Caleb and Connor, who each believe they know what’s best, falter occasionally. I love this type of story because it keeps you guessing and makes you think about what you might do in the characters’ place.
The characters.
These were great YA characters. I instantly felt sympathy and connection with Trinity because of her circumstances – she is living with her eccentric grandfather, trying to keep them financially afloat, after both of her parents died (I won’t spoil the circumstances of that, but I will say that it definitely gained my sympathy). Trinity is a very practical girl, so the idea of dragons is completely unbelievable to her – not to mention visitors from the future. She takes a bit of convincing. Then there are the brothers – both believe strongly in their cause (even though they are on opposing sides of the fight!). They each have deeply personal reasons for their beliefs – and they both have a connection with Trinity because of who she is in their history.
Dragons!
I love dragons and this book did not disappoint! This book melded fantasy with reality in a really unique way. I loved how Mancusi blended the current, real world with the Nether (a sort of dream world where dragon souls live) and with the futuristic world where dragons have destroyed everything. The end result is something new and unique and lots of fun!
The negatives:
Aspects of the romance.
The romance aspect of the book was actually relatively minor, which was just fine with me. There was a little bit of a love triangle between Trinity and the brothers, but not much of one. One of the brothers, she didn’t really have enough time to build much of a connection with – I’m interested to see where Mancusi goes with things in the next book, though. Right now, I’m definitely rooting for the one of the brothers, but we’ll see. I wasn’t totally invested in Trinity with either of them yet.
I think that this book would work really well for the younger YA set (could even work as Middle Grade, assuming the future books in the series stay equally tame in the romance department). Scorched was an exciting mix of time travel, fantasy and YA romance! I loved that book #1 felt like a complete book, but set us up well for another book in the series. I’m eager to see what happens next! (The next book comes out on Sept 2nd, so I guess I don’t have to wait for long!) 4.5/5 stars.
This review and many others can be found on my blog - Feed Your Fiction Addiction
The book is told from three perspectives – Trinity, who is Fire Kissed and destined to unleash dragons on the world; and twin brothers Connor and Caleb, who have traveled back in time to change the past. Connor wants to stop dragons from ever being born and Caleb is helping a group that wants to use dragons to save the world. Trinity doesn’t know what to believe!
What I loved:
Who are the bad guys?
This was one of those books where there was no clear right and wrong and it was really hard to tell who the bad guys were (at least all of them – I had a good idea about at least one of them that turned out to be correct). There were so many factors at play here – after all, dragons DID destroy the world, so we should be on Connor’s side, right? But what would he need to sacrifice in order to rid the world of dragons and is it worth the cost? Trinity is torn because of her connection to her dragon – and Caleb insists that the healing properties of dragons could actually save the world if dragons are brought into the world properly. So, what’s the right answer? The characters all struggle with this throughout the book – even Caleb and Connor, who each believe they know what’s best, falter occasionally. I love this type of story because it keeps you guessing and makes you think about what you might do in the characters’ place.
The characters.
These were great YA characters. I instantly felt sympathy and connection with Trinity because of her circumstances – she is living with her eccentric grandfather, trying to keep them financially afloat, after both of her parents died (I won’t spoil the circumstances of that, but I will say that it definitely gained my sympathy). Trinity is a very practical girl, so the idea of dragons is completely unbelievable to her – not to mention visitors from the future. She takes a bit of convincing. Then there are the brothers – both believe strongly in their cause (even though they are on opposing sides of the fight!). They each have deeply personal reasons for their beliefs – and they both have a connection with Trinity because of who she is in their history.
Dragons!
I love dragons and this book did not disappoint! This book melded fantasy with reality in a really unique way. I loved how Mancusi blended the current, real world with the Nether (a sort of dream world where dragon souls live) and with the futuristic world where dragons have destroyed everything. The end result is something new and unique and lots of fun!
The negatives:
Aspects of the romance.
The romance aspect of the book was actually relatively minor, which was just fine with me. There was a little bit of a love triangle between Trinity and the brothers, but not much of one. One of the brothers, she didn’t really have enough time to build much of a connection with – I’m interested to see where Mancusi goes with things in the next book, though. Right now, I’m definitely rooting for the one of the brothers, but we’ll see. I wasn’t totally invested in Trinity with either of them yet.
I think that this book would work really well for the younger YA set (could even work as Middle Grade, assuming the future books in the series stay equally tame in the romance department). Scorched was an exciting mix of time travel, fantasy and YA romance! I loved that book #1 felt like a complete book, but set us up well for another book in the series. I’m eager to see what happens next! (The next book comes out on Sept 2nd, so I guess I don’t have to wait for long!) 4.5/5 stars.
christinaerickson33's review
4.0
This is a new spin on the whole dystopian teen writing. People don't destroy the world but dragons do. Only a boy from the future can help save the future.
amethystbookwyrm's review
4.0
This and my other reviews can be found at http://amethystbookwyrm.blogspot.co.uk/
Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for giving me this book to review.
Trinity Foxx’s main worry is paying the bills and be able to stay with her grandfather, but then her grandfather uses money they desperately need, to buy what he believes is a dragon egg. She does not believe him until she keeps hearing a voice in her head, but she is not sure if it is coming from the egg or if she is going mad like her mother. However, people are after the egg including two twin brothers from the future that has been almost destroyed by dragon fire. Connor is on a mission to do anything to destroy the egg before it hatches and make sure that the world is not destroyed. Caleb wants the opposite of his twin and wants Emmy, the unborn dragon, to be born in order to save the world. Trinity is scared, and does not know which brother to trust, and with Emmy talking to her, she doesn’t know whether to believe that this seemingly innocent creature is able to destroy the world.
Scorched is an unusual book as I felt like I should not have like it as much as I did, as it takes recognisable elements from books, TV programmes and films. It is also rather predictable, but that being said, I really enjoyed this book. This book has an interesting story and is different as it has elements from lots of different genres.
Trinity is an okay character and I can understand her confusion over who to trust and her determination to find a place she can call home because of her past. Even though Connor and Caleb are described as being opposite but I found them very similar apart from their beliefs about dragons and it took me a while to tell which brother was narrating a chapter. I also liked Emmy as she is sweet yet also fierce and tough and I liked the added depth of her fear of rejection.
I would recommend Scorched to fans of Firelight by Sophie Jordan or people who enjoy paranormal books with hints of sci-fi or dragons.
Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for giving me this book to review.
Trinity Foxx’s main worry is paying the bills and be able to stay with her grandfather, but then her grandfather uses money they desperately need, to buy what he believes is a dragon egg. She does not believe him until she keeps hearing a voice in her head, but she is not sure if it is coming from the egg or if she is going mad like her mother. However, people are after the egg including two twin brothers from the future that has been almost destroyed by dragon fire. Connor is on a mission to do anything to destroy the egg before it hatches and make sure that the world is not destroyed. Caleb wants the opposite of his twin and wants Emmy, the unborn dragon, to be born in order to save the world. Trinity is scared, and does not know which brother to trust, and with Emmy talking to her, she doesn’t know whether to believe that this seemingly innocent creature is able to destroy the world.
Scorched is an unusual book as I felt like I should not have like it as much as I did, as it takes recognisable elements from books, TV programmes and films. It is also rather predictable, but that being said, I really enjoyed this book. This book has an interesting story and is different as it has elements from lots of different genres.
Trinity is an okay character and I can understand her confusion over who to trust and her determination to find a place she can call home because of her past. Even though Connor and Caleb are described as being opposite but I found them very similar apart from their beliefs about dragons and it took me a while to tell which brother was narrating a chapter. I also liked Emmy as she is sweet yet also fierce and tough and I liked the added depth of her fear of rejection.
I would recommend Scorched to fans of Firelight by Sophie Jordan or people who enjoy paranormal books with hints of sci-fi or dragons.
casg_3's review
4.0
it was really good.it makes you unable to put it down for even a second. if you love fantasy or adventure books then this is THE book you have to read! NOW!!
amber1989's review
4.0
I was pleasantly surprised by that. It could have been a bit longer I suppose and I kinda wish Caleb and Connor weren't twins especially as Trinity obviously likes them both but apart from that I really liked it
letyroxtar's review
4.0
Read my review here--> http://gonewiththewords.com/2013/10/review-scorched-by-mari-mancusi.html
Can we all just take a minute to take in that cover art? I mean… wow. I have a bit of an obsession with dragons. With their gorgeous scales, majestic size and wingspan and not to mention they can breathe fire … what’s not to love?! What Mari Mancusi has given us with Scorched is a story set in a world where the possibility of dragons exists. Not only that, but also special “fire kissed” humans that bond with these magnificent creatures. Oh and did I mention time travel? Yes, there is some of that as well. But we are talking about dragons that are seemingly dangerous creatures and could easily overpower humans and have the potential to destroy the world.
In this story we have a young girl named Trinity that has a special gift… she can talk to eggs. Well, dragon eggs… okay, the only living baby dragon inside a baby egg. Cool right? Enter cute twin guys, who happen to be from the future and are drop dead gorgeous. One wants to stop the impending fiery doom-hell that we are headed for, if dragons are allowed to exist, by destroying the egg. The other twin as it turns out, is working with PETA for dragons (except with a cooler name). It sounds like a simple good sibling vs. evil sibling but what this author is able to do is take your very distinct good/evil chalk lines you drew firmly next to each character and throw a pail of water on them. I found myself questioning whether my choice for the guy on the good side really was on the good side and vice versa. So of course Trinity starts to feel this way too and she doesn’t know which twin to trust. She also has no idea what to do with the weird voices she keeps hearing in her head. But a dragon-apocalypse is coming and it may very well be all her fault… if she could only ignore the gravitational pull she feels from the egg…
After I picked up this book and got about 10 chapters in, I was praying for it to be a series and didn’t realize until I finished it that it is! I am seriously excited to read the next one. After the first couple chapters, the momentum really picked up and the story took flight! (Pun intended.)
The dragons in this first book are more or less in the background, since well there aren’t very many… yet. But I can’t wait to find out if the author is going to introduce us to more. The relationship that develops between the “fire kissed” and their dragons is fascinating and I hope to see more of that. I thought the world that Mari Mancusi introduced in this series was exciting and terrifying all at the same time. I have read a lot of science fiction books in where dragons exist but not very many where dragons are at the forefront of the story, and not very many in the YA genre. I enjoyed reading Scorched and can’t wait to see what else Mari Mancusi has in store for us with this new series!
Can we all just take a minute to take in that cover art? I mean… wow. I have a bit of an obsession with dragons. With their gorgeous scales, majestic size and wingspan and not to mention they can breathe fire … what’s not to love?! What Mari Mancusi has given us with Scorched is a story set in a world where the possibility of dragons exists. Not only that, but also special “fire kissed” humans that bond with these magnificent creatures. Oh and did I mention time travel? Yes, there is some of that as well. But we are talking about dragons that are seemingly dangerous creatures and could easily overpower humans and have the potential to destroy the world.
In this story we have a young girl named Trinity that has a special gift… she can talk to eggs. Well, dragon eggs… okay, the only living baby dragon inside a baby egg. Cool right? Enter cute twin guys, who happen to be from the future and are drop dead gorgeous. One wants to stop the impending fiery doom-hell that we are headed for, if dragons are allowed to exist, by destroying the egg. The other twin as it turns out, is working with PETA for dragons (except with a cooler name). It sounds like a simple good sibling vs. evil sibling but what this author is able to do is take your very distinct good/evil chalk lines you drew firmly next to each character and throw a pail of water on them. I found myself questioning whether my choice for the guy on the good side really was on the good side and vice versa. So of course Trinity starts to feel this way too and she doesn’t know which twin to trust. She also has no idea what to do with the weird voices she keeps hearing in her head. But a dragon-apocalypse is coming and it may very well be all her fault… if she could only ignore the gravitational pull she feels from the egg…
After I picked up this book and got about 10 chapters in, I was praying for it to be a series and didn’t realize until I finished it that it is! I am seriously excited to read the next one. After the first couple chapters, the momentum really picked up and the story took flight! (Pun intended.)
The dragons in this first book are more or less in the background, since well there aren’t very many… yet. But I can’t wait to find out if the author is going to introduce us to more. The relationship that develops between the “fire kissed” and their dragons is fascinating and I hope to see more of that. I thought the world that Mari Mancusi introduced in this series was exciting and terrifying all at the same time. I have read a lot of science fiction books in where dragons exist but not very many where dragons are at the forefront of the story, and not very many in the YA genre. I enjoyed reading Scorched and can’t wait to see what else Mari Mancusi has in store for us with this new series!
atinydisaster's review
3.0
I saw the cover for Scorched by Mari Mancusi and knew I had to read it. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve read a book about dragons. Unfortunately, there wasn’t quite as much dragon action as I was hoping for, but it was still a really fun read. The first half of the book was action packed, engaging and wonderful, after that things got a little confused, but I’m eager to see where this series goes next.
I enjoyed the main trio of characters–who can say no to twin brothers? Not me! There’s a love triangle here, but the celebrity love that the guys have for Trinity is a new take and pretty compelling. The dragon was a more hit and miss character for me. She spends most of the book inside an egg, and the book’s dragon action mainly takes place in a dreamscape.
If you’re looking for a female twist on Eragon, this isn’t it. The book takes place in modern times (and sort of, the future), and there isn’t a lot of action. Still a recommended read though, especially if you’re looking for a cool infusion of fantasy into our world.
I enjoyed the main trio of characters–who can say no to twin brothers? Not me! There’s a love triangle here, but the celebrity love that the guys have for Trinity is a new take and pretty compelling. The dragon was a more hit and miss character for me. She spends most of the book inside an egg, and the book’s dragon action mainly takes place in a dreamscape.
If you’re looking for a female twist on Eragon, this isn’t it. The book takes place in modern times (and sort of, the future), and there isn’t a lot of action. Still a recommended read though, especially if you’re looking for a cool infusion of fantasy into our world.