MY RATING: 4/5
SERIES: Bloodlines Book 2
BLURB:
The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spin-off series.
Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students - children of the wealthy powerful - carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.
Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead's breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is horror, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.
MY REVIEW:
The thing that I have really enjoyed most this series so far is getting to see the vampires and their ways from a human perspective. When you are reading a book such as Vampire Academy, you don't really question anything about them because Rose doesn't, it's normal to her. But in the Bloodlines series we get to see how Sydney, with her strong Alchemist beliefs, feels about their magic and the vampires in general. It is really interesting to me to get to experience this world I love so much in a completely different way.
I would probably recommend not reading this review if you have not read the Vampire Academy series, if you haven't then I would highly recommend you give them a go :) Great series, Richelle Mead is a fantastic author. And if you have, and haven't read Bloodlines then I would recommend you do :D Because it is just as awesome as Vampire Academy.
This book revolved a lot more around the development of the relationships between the characters and getting to know Sydney more. Sydney is beginning to come to the realisation that the vampires are not as bad as she has always been lead to believe. In The Golden Lily, she is developing a strong friendship with Jill and Eddie and everyone else, but at the same time is scared of being accused of getting too close with them by the Alchemists and then being sent to a re-education center; so Sydney is dealing with her internal struggle to help her friends and stay loyal to the Alchemists.
Jill annoys me a little bit, but I felt like she was getting a little more mature in this book, beginning to understand and deal with the situation she is in. I love Eddie, I felt so bad for him this whole book (and Bloodlines), and now I feel bad for Jill! :( Brayden really annoyed me; well not so much him as his relationship with Sydney. I don't really want to say too much because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, those of you that have read the book will know what I am talking about.
And as always I absolutely LOVE Adrian. Again, I don't want to ruin anything. But he's just so adorable, I love him so much <3 When I first read the Vampire Academy series I was totally all for Adrian and Rose being together, but now I am super happy that Sydney and Adrian can be together (I always knew Rose and Dimitri belonged together anyway, I just loved Adrian more). I just think they are so perfect for each other.
I heard/read a lot of things about what happened at the end of this book. I was really worried and scared about it, but I wasn't at all surprised, it was inevitable, I knew that it was going to happen. On that note, some of the things that happened I found to be a little predictable, but not in a bad way at all I assure you, I just saw them coming. Anyway, I should probably wrap it up. I loved this book just as much as I loved Bloodlines, and I cannot wait for the third book in the series The Indigo Spell. What do you think the title means? I have some ideas about what it might relate to.
Jammie the Book Nerd
<3
P.s. I know a lot of parts of this review are horribly vague, but if you come back after you have read the book, you will totally understand what I am talking about :) And I am really sorry about how long it is :/