Book Review: Scorched by Mari Mancusi

The closest thing to a dragon Trinity Foxx has ever seen is in her favorite online video game Fields of Fantasy. But that all changes when her grandfather, her legal guardian and somewhat unorthodox museum owner, brings a new piece that he says will save the museum from being forced to close its doors.
 
A real dragon egg.
 
Of course, that’s crazy, right? Dragons don’t exist, and if they did, they only did in fairytales and video games. But when the egg starts to talk to Trinity, things may be more real than legend than she had first thought.
 
Suddenly men are after her and after the egg, including Connor, a handsome time traveler from the future brought back to destroy the egg and save the world from the dragon apocalypse. Because dragons are very real, and Trinity holds the last dragon egg in existence. She is the Fire-Kissed, someone with intertwined destinies with the dragon inside the egg, a green dragon named Emmy. Because not only does Trinity bond with the last dragon on Earth, she’s the one who inevitably caused the Scorch, a future global dragon apocalypse from Connor’s time. Connor’s job was to be sent back in time to keep this day of reckoning from happening.

 Even if it means killing Trinity himself.
But not everyone thinks dragons need to be destroyed. The Dracken, a mysterious group from the future come back in time as well to find the last dragon and its Fire-Kissed and keep them safe, whatever the costs. They have sent Caleb, Connor’s twin brother, to find Trinity and Emmy before the dragon can be annihilated and bring them into the arms of the Dracken.
 
Who will Trinity believe? Two brothers from the same world, yet torn apart by what they believe in. Trinity faces a choice. A choice that may very well cause the earth to be engulfed in flames.
　
MY OPINION:
 
This book has been described to me to be like Terminator with dragons. And they’re dead on. This is unlike any book I’ve ever read featuring dragons. I’m not a huge fantasy fan myself, so I found this sci-fi, futuristic approach refreshing, and one heck of a thrill ride. It’s tense, it’s twisty, it’s extremely fun. Mari Mancusi crafts a tough, yet damaged, protagonist, Trinity Foxx who’s thrown in an all out race for the earth’s salvation through either the death or deliverance, and each side is shrouded in lies and confusion and two twin brothers who steal her heart in different ways. It’s one tough decision for a teenage girl to make.
 
One thing I appreciated was Mancusi’s art of description. She paints a very detailed picture with her words, and I had absolutely zero problem visualizing where Trinity was and what she was doing. The storyline was paced well, but only made you wonder about some things and how they worked, leaving Connor and Caleb‘s lives in the Scorch somewhat unexplained. This was definitely Trinity‘s story, and it made me want to know more about the twins their lives in the future. Which, of course, can be redeemed by a sequel. Which Mancusi must write, or I will throw a dragon-sized hissy. 
 
The one thing I did find not as appealing as the rest of the story was the romance aspect of it. I am a stickler when it comes to a girl falling for a guy immediately and vice versa. It seemed to me like that went a little fast on Trinity’s part, but there were only a few minor instances. And I’m a guy, so my point may be invalid anyway. But all in all, I enjoyed Trinity, Connor, Caleb, and Emmy’s story, and I look forward to anything else Mancusi throws our way.
 
This brand new sci-fi dragon tale comes out in October, and is worth a good look at. Mari Mancusi is a Texas author (fist bump), and holds her own giving us a book hotter than a dragon’s breath. I give it 3 out of 5 stars and deem it worth being in your Fall TBR pile. Thanks for a great read, Mari, and keep it up!

Filed under: Book Reviews, Mari Mancusi, Scorched