Review: Scorched by Mari Mancusi

Published: September 3, 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Source: Won ARC in giveaway from author
Pages 340
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi
Rating: 3.5 out of 5





Trinity
Don’t leave me here... It starts with a whisper. At first Trinity thinks she’s going crazy. It wouldn’t be a big surprise—her grandpa firmly believes there’s a genuine dragon egg in their dusty little West Texas town. But this voice is real, and it’s begging for her protection. Even if no one else can hear it...
Connor
He’s come from a future scorched by dragonfire. His mission: Find the girl. Destroy the egg. Save the world.
Caleb
He’s everything his twin brother Connor hates: cocky, undisciplined, and obsessed with saving dragons.
Trinity has no idea which brother to believe. All she has to go by is the voice in her head—a dragon that won’t be tamed

     Well what can I say? I really really wanted to love this book. I won it from the author herself (she even signed it!), and seeing as this was my first dragon book, I was really excited to read it! Don't get me wrong, it was a good story plot. It just lacked some character depth.
     The story starts off well, with Trinity on the run with Conner, a boy from the future, and a dragon egg because the government thinks she's in terrorist activity. Plus another evil group called the Dracken are after her too. While on the run, Conner's "evil" twin, Caleb kidnaps Trinity taking her to the Dracken Headquarters because they are in fact the "good guys". The Dracken people claim they do not want to harm the world. They simply want to make the world better for both people and the dragons. The middle of the book tends to slow down a bit with Trinity still as confused as the beginning not knowing who to trust. Towards the last quarter of the story is when it gets interesting, quickening the pace with many twists and turns, and finding some important answers to the story.
     The concept of the story was captivating. I liked the fact that you couldn't tell who was good and who was evil. They both had their pros and cons, which ended up coming to the realization that they have to meet in the middle. It also added to the plot who really was the enemy of the story. There was also Trinity's decision whether she should trust the dragon that communicates with her. The bonding between she and Emmy the dragon grew, forming a bond like a mother/daughter relationship. I enjoyed that part of the story mainly because I am a mother myself. With the friendship Trinity formed, it helped her become more confident, coming to her own decisions, and fighting for her freedom. The twists and turns kept coming at me, and some of the things that happen blew me away!
   What made the story seem mediocre were the characters. I don't know if it was me, but I felt they lacked personality or depth. Out of the characters, Trinity would be my favorite. Although I had my gripes with her too lol. She was sarcastic, witty, kind, and she knew how to hold her own in the end. She was also stubborn as hell. What got to me was her naivety. She only knew the twins for about a day, and already she was falling for both of them! (Get to know a person better before you think you're in love with them!) I despise love triangles, especially this one. It doesn't seem right with twins, just my opinion. Then comes the twins. Connor and Caleb were okay. I couldn't connect with them well I'm not sure why. I did like their back stories on why each was fighting to have the dragons extinct or not. I will give them that credit. As for the romance, I wasn't feeling it for both of them. They seemed to idolize Trinity because she's the creator of dragons, therefore creating the insta-love with her. There needs to be more depth in their personalities because with out it, they seem almost alike.
     In the end, would I recommend this book? Sure. It's not the worst book and it is entertaining for those that enjoy dragon stories. Will I continue with the series? Of course! There are many unanswered questions still. I want to know many things, which I will not divulge because it will give away spoilers. I also want to know how Trinity is going to hide her dragon as she becomes massive. There's not much you can do to hide a dragon lol.     
Favorite Quote:
"You flew me through the skies. You took away my fears. You told me you'd never let me fall. She drew in a breath. Well, Emmy, I'll never let you fall either. You can trust in that. You can trust in me. As you told me, we are destined..."
Page 217, Trinity is consoling Emmy as she is hatching.