When alchemist Sydney
is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill
Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private
school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama
is only just beginning.
Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines
explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made
the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive -
this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are
even higher and everyone's out for blood.
My Thoughts:
Sydney Sage is a smart, sensible, if slightly self-deprecating protagonist that fit perfectly in this book. She is a young but brilliant mind and an Alchemist with a history of getting into trouble due to association with vampires, which is heavily frowned upon in Alchemist circles. And Adrian.The great Adrian Ivashkov. Sadly, I can't say he's his same ole self with uttering a huge lie.You don't even want me to get started on that guy at the moment. I'll save the rant for later.
Jill, the newly discovered Moroi princess is one of the important characters in this book, along with Eddie Castille, her dhampir guardian. I just wish that we saw a little more of Jill outside of her being slightly shy and aloof and Eddie in the "high paranoia" mode all the while, though it
was rather funny.
I loved the pacing of the book. It started off pretty quickly, then got slower, and then quicker again and just as you think things have started calming, there's this huge plot bomb falling right out of nowhere at you. The number of fighting scenes in the book were less than in the VA series as Bloodlines emphasizes the doings of Alchemists and isn't focused on the dhampirs, but its paced fast enough that you don't notice the lack of action as opposed to her other books, which have a good number of them.
I have to admit Sydney's her sometimes utterly brilliant, sometimes utterly naive and oblivious persona was off-putting at times. And what is it with Adrian?? Yes, he's a hot, witty and charming character. Yes, he's also sarcastic, snarky, a smoker and an alcoholic. Oh,
and he's suffering a heartbreak; but can we please keep the formerly mentioned characteristics at a higher level than the latter unfavorable characteristics? I was ecstatic to know Adrian would be one of the more important characters in this book, but the Adrian of Bloodlines seemed like an entirely different character from Adrian of VA, apart from the occasional witty quip.
One of my biggest disappointments with the book was that about
three-fourths throughout the book I could guess who was so obviously
behind all of it. Once I had that idea in my head, all the supposedly
cryptic clues that hinted toward the instigator's identity turned out to be blatantly obvious. Seriously, it's just staring you in the face by the latter half of the book.
This was generally a good read. Nope, it wasn't flawless and I did have a good number of 'duh' moments. Despite all this, I liked the book. It kept me on the edge of the seat for a good part of the book (until I figured out the point of it all) and I had no problem connecting with the characters. And the last line! Phew. What a cliffhanger! As usual, Richelle Mead leaves little to be desired.
The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) by Richelle Mead
The sequel, The Golden Lily is set to be published in June the following year.I positively adore the cover to the sequel. It's so pretty! Love the golden tones!
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 and 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 ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone
thought.
