Review – Scorched (Scorched, Book 1) by Mari Mancusi (3.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: 352 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: September 3, 2013
ISBN-13: 978-1402284588
Stand Alone or Series:  1st book in the Scorched series
Source: Gift
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Cover Rating: 5/5 stars (one of my favorite covers ever!)

I have had my book on this TBR pile forever. When I saw the second book in the series, Shattered, was due to release in September I thought I should hurry up and give this is a read. It was a good book, kind of a blend of Eragon and Terminator. There were things I really liked about it, but for some reason I never really got caught up in the story.

Trinity lives with her grandfather who collects old things, they are barely scraping by. That is until her grandfather finds what he is convinced is a dragon’s egg. Connor has been sent from the future to make sure Trinity does not bond with the dragon in the egg, if she does if could mean the end of the world. Caleb is Connor’s twin brother and he is sent from the future to save the egg and Trinity and make sure they bond; he is pro-dragon and works with the Draken organization in an effort to save the dragons.

Okay I am having a hard time reviewing this book. I thought the characters were okay, thought it was an easy read, and enjoyed the interesting plot (which was an odd mix of Eragon and Terminator). However, for some reason though I was just never excited to sit down and read this book. I had to force myself to sit down and read it, once I was reading it I was engaged and it was a fast read…but I am not sure why I just wasn’t excited to start reading it again once I stopped.

I think part of it was all the switching between Trinity, Connor, and Caleb. You switch viewpoint so often (the chapters are very short) that it is hard to get to know and engage with the characters. They just didn’t have much depth for me and were a bit stereotypical.

Trinity was kind of a blah heroine for me. Sometimes she shows some spirit and moxy, but for much of the story she lacked personality for me. I found her dragon to be much more interesting and amusing.

Connor is your typical follow the law to the letter type of character, but of course his love for Trinity changes him. Caleb is your typical be a complete rebel and ass, but again his love for Trinity changes him. As I have mentioned in other reviews, I am not a huge fan of love triangles.

The plot involves some time travel, some apocalyptic themes, some fantasy elements, and cult elements. It’s a unique blend of themes that I enjoyed. I thought it was an interesting plot and a well done world. I am curious to see how everything plays out. The major question is how can you change the past to change the future without messing up everything?

Overall this was a decent read. I liked the story and the world but wasn’t too keen on the characters. The short chapters combined with the multiple viewpoints broke up the story some and made it hard to engage with the characters. However, I am interested enough in this world that I will probably read the second book (I already have a copy for review). The book is a unique blend of genres that is intriguing. I would recommend if you like stories about dragons or time travel.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge