Scorched (Scorched, #1)

by Mari Mancusi

Save the Dragon. Destroy the World.

Trinity Foxx is used to her grandfather's crazy stories, so she doesn't believe the latest treasure he brought home to their failing West Texas museum is a real dragon's egg. Not until Connor Jacks, a dragon hunter from the future, tells Trinity that the world is about to be wiped out by a fiery dragon war—unless they find a way to stop it.

Save the Dragon. Save the World

But Connor's not the only one after the egg. His twin brother Caleb believes dragons have the power to save mankind and must be protected. Caleb has seen too many dragons destroyed in the war-scorched future—he'll do whatever it takes to save this one.

With a host of enemies hot on her heels, Trinity must decide who to believe. Connor the brave solider? Caleb the cocky rebel? Or the baby dragon that's starting to whisper to her... saying they are destined? The fate of the world may depend on her choice.

• ISBN10: 130696301X
• ISBN13: 9781306963015
• Publish Date: 1 January 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 4 March 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Sourcebooks Fire
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 367
• Language: English

Reviews

[ladygrey]

ETA REREAD: Super fast read. I didn’t realize how much of the story I’d forgotten. Remembered the bit about her mother fairly clearly—forgot about her grandfather entirely. The twin brothers came back to me fairly quickly. Still a unique idea with a few cliche plot points but interesting enough characters who all evolve quite nicely to make it easy to look forward to the second book.

************

Definitely 3.5 stars. This was a fast paced story full of action but it didn't sacrifice any of the characters in the midst of it. It's a small cast so it's easy to get to know them and like them all. I'm excited for the second book where they all get to work together.

And even though it was fast, the writing wasn't blunt or rudimentary so it was actually fun to read. I liked the way information was revealed as the story unfolded. In some ways it reminded me a lot of Anne McCaffrey because there were dragons that bonded with humans and time travel but this was simpler and lighter in a way though it had its own darkness and more fun.

I really liked how it's not contrived. Trinity was able to look at a lot of situations and see how she made what she thought was the best choice possible but how it actually created a lot of trouble. That was so refreshing for a YA heroine because they're always doing dumb things that make trouble but they usually get petulant instead of recognizing it and taking responsibility for their choices. And just when I was getting bored of the pseudo-boarding school bit Connor showed up and turned the story on a dime, though she was on the verge of changing it herself. I liked the spark and the powers a lot but also liked the price for them. Caleb and Connor were each really great in their own way and her grandfather was kind of fantastic. And I really liked Emmy too. It's so nice to have a story of likable though flawed characters.

Oh, but just for the record, also totally a Terminator plot line with her father. I didn't expect her mother to be alive but I totally saw that coming the first time he's mentioned like a third of the way through. Still looking forward to the second one though.

[Ashley]

Nose Graze — Young Adult book reviews

4.5 Stars

I LOVED Scorched! Most of all, I adored the story. That's what rocked this book. I mean, dragons? DRAGONS!! YES! DRAGONS! There were just so many elements that appealed to me. The dragons (duh), the idea of a "chosen one", the time travel, the apocalypse, the goal to save the world.. all of it! It's the recipe for an awesome fantasy book.

Another thing I adored about Scorched was how the author wove fantasy and science fiction together. On the one hand, we have dragons and "The Nether" (a place where dead and unborn dragons live.. almost like a virtual reality world). That's fantasy. But we also have time travel and cool gadgets from the future. I thought the combination was really unique, and I loved reading a dragon book that actually takes place in present day (rather than in a pure medieval-ish fantasy world).

There were only two things I didn't like about Scorched. First, I didn't like the "almost-romance". Trinity has "moments" with both Connor and Caleb. She never starts dating either of them, but she randomly kisses both of them (sometimes on more than one occasion). So they weren't dating, it wasn't truly a romance, but she had intense "moments" with both of them... and I didn't like it. I think because it just felt so out of sync with the story and completely unnecessary. Also, she kissed them both like hours after meeting them. At first I thought it was an annoying insta-love-y triangle, but neither relationship ever developed, so it turned out okay, but it still felt unnecessary and awkward.

And on a similar note, I kept getting Connor and Caleb mixed up. I was okay with them at the beginning, but as the story went on their roles and behaviours blurred, and I forgot which one was which lol. I blame the fact that their personalities were so similar, they're twins, and they both have names that start with "C".

Secondly, I wish there were more dragons! The first half of the book was before the egg even hatched, and then in the second half we only got bits and pieces of actual dragons. I absolutely LOVED the scenes with dragons, but that's why I wish there were more of them! I kind of wanted actual dragon riding, dragon wars, and things like that. But since the dragon only just hatches in Scorched, we don't really get any of that (we get stories about that, but it doesn't actually happen).

But, I'm pretty sure that Scorched is a series (at least I hope so, based on that ending), and I'm really looking forward to reading the next book! I foresee epic dragon training sessions, dragon flying, dragon wars, and ALL THINGS DRAGONS! Bring it on, Mari, I'm so ready!

The Verdict: