The Fiery Heart - Richelle Mead

The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4) - Richelle Mead
Grade: YA
Rating: 3/5 stars

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .

But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure—and re-education—looms larger than ever.

Pulses will race throughout this thrilling fourth instalment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe. (Description from Goodreads)

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It took me a while to write this review, or to even get the motivation to start, mostly because I didn’t know how to put into words what I felt about this book. I love the Vampire Academy world, I really do. Vampire Academy is one of my favourite YA series’ and I just adore it. Unfortunately, that hasn’t really stretched over to the Bloodlines series. It’s a bit of a hit and miss track with me, and The Fiery Heart landed in the miss column. I’ve come to expect so much from this series. I may be a little swayed by Rose’s action pack adventures in the Vampire Academy series, but Sydney just doesn’t inspire the same spark within me. I love that she’s stepping out and leaving behind her Alchemist ways – becoming more familiar with the vampire world (in more ways than just accepting them *wink**wink*) But there’s just something missing from Bloodlines that makes me not as excited for Sydney’s adventures. I feel like we’re taking one step forward and twelve steps back.

There were some big changes in The Fiery Heart - not just in the storyline, but in the way the novel was told. Sydney is no longer our sole narrator, with Adrian stepping up to take over half the narration. I’ll admit this was part of the reason it took me so long to read the latest Bloodlines book. It wasn’t so much that I disliked Adrian’s potential voice – and was only partly because I felt a little shocked that the POV was suddenly changing – it was mostly because split POV screams of danger; that something so terrible is going to happen, you need a back-up narrator to keep you in the loop for what’s been left behind. And it’s true, there’s some major stuff happening at the end, but I feel like we had so much prior warning leading up to it, that it didn’t hit me as hard as I expected.

I was disappointed with this book. It seemed like the major plot-lines – Sydney’s growth with magic, Jill’s potential danger, the search for a Spirit-Cure – all took a step backwards to Adrian and Sydney’s romance. If they weren’t blowing off the rest of their responsibilities to make-out, they were sending endless “I love you” text messages that were just waiting to be discovered by the growing group of dhampirs, moroi and alchemists hanging out in Palm Springs. I’m a person who likes romance in stories, but I feel like this time, it was a little over the top. I’m happy to see Sydney grow, I’m REALLY happy to see Adrian find someone who wants to support him and love him; but what I really wanted was the intense, action and mystery story I’ve come to love from Richelle Mead. There was so much that could have been explored, but we seemed to only get a few surface glimpses at progress to Strigoi-remedies and I think only one mention of Jill’s actual danger issues. It wasn’t what I was expecting.

I found myself grabbing onto little things and probably blowing them up into bigger issues. But one of my main issues was the rapid increase of people in Palm Springs. What started off as a secret mission to keep Jill away from her own kind and protect her from any strange and unknown people who might give her away, has turned into a massive group that now needs a minivan to take them places - and to top it off, they're all mostly inexperienced teens. There are no adults at all looking out for the group. This doesn’t scream hidden and secretive to me. I feel like Jill’s apparent danger has been all but forgotten, and in its place, romance, magic and an endless supply of new tattoos have taken centre stage.

Strangely, for myself, my favourite part of this book was the small bits to do with Spirit. I’ve actually never been much of a fan of Spirit. It seems to pop up as the saviour of all things at just the right moment, and so I resent it a bit. But I really enjoyed being in Adrian’s head and seeing Spirit from his POV. I loved seeing him step up and try helping with the Strigoi-Spirit cure and I really wanted to see more of that. I think that’s what was missing most for me – some driving plot, other than the endless scenes of Sydney and Adrian’s relationship, to really kick-start the blood pumping excitement. I feel like the Bloodlines hasn’t really found its feet. Maybe it’s a magic and witchcraft series, maybe the alchemists are the main focus, maybe Spirit is making a come-back, or maybe it was always a romance series and the rest are subplots...I just can’t work it out.

I want to love this series, so I’m going to keep trying with it – and not just because I refuse to give up on it because it’s Richelle Mead – but because I think there’s something hiding beneath the surface, ready to WOW me. I really hope there’s more action in the next book. I feel like it has potential. We’re given a pretty harsh and crazy ending in The Fiery Heart so I’m definitely getting my hopes up. I don’t need or want Sydney to be another Rose, because there’ll only be one Rose in the VA world; but I do want her to be a fighter and I think she can get there. I just don’t think we’ve seen it yet, and I need to see it. We’ve seen cool, calculating Sydney; we’ve seen intelligent Sydney; we’ve seen romantic/lusty Sydney. Let’s bring on badass Sydney, please.

3/5 stars


Kim
(Also posted on Goodreads)

The Indigo Spell - Richelle Mead

This year, we decided it was time to embrace our Two Girls and a Novel name and host a monthly joint review. As best friends, we tend to read the same books anyway. We usually avoid double reviewing, but now we have a way to both discuss out reviews and what better way to start than with the author and world that brought us together 3 years ago  (is it only 3 years? - feels longer) That author was Richelle Mead and her fabulous Vampire Academy world – only this time we're coming together to discuss Bloodlines and The Indigo Spell!

So, without further ado: the first Two Girls and a Novel review :)
(to make it easier to follow, Kerrie's thoughts are in RED, and Kim's are in BLUE)

The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) - Richelle Mead
Grade: YA
Rating: 5/5 stars

I don’t know about Kerrie, but I was nervous, but excited, about going into The Indigo Spell. I love Richelle Mead, but the previous book (The Golden Lily) didn’t quite live up to expectations for me. I was worried about what to expect. I’m so happy to say TIS was more than I was hoping for. 
Overall I loved this instalment. I adored all the romance, and the plot was always interesting- never a dull moment in Sydney's world.

The magic – we all knew it was coming, and this book was definitely all about the magic. I loved that Sydney isn’t avoiding it this time around. I was done with watching her freak out after every little spell and claiming everything was evil. I loved that there was a specific magic plot to the story. It made it more real, not just something Sydney might have a hand in exploring. The “vampire” side of things was of downplayed though. There was only one mention of blood potentially being consumed in the novel, and it wasn’t from anyone in the main Bloodlines group, it was sort of strange – it’s like the vampires were forgotten. 
Yes, I was thinking the same thing! It feels like this novel has moved on from the Vampires and now focuses on the 'human' side of things. I must say I miss the Strigoi. I loved how they made the novels darker. You can be afraid of the Strigoi-they kill with no hesitation (poor Mason). When they're around you worry because things become life or death. I'm not afraid of the humans. The witches could technically kill you but they look unthreatening so your not afraid, and the Alchemist just send people to rehabilitation. After Rose and Victor proved that you can escape maximum security prison, being locked away by the alchemist doesn't worry me at all.

Got to say the romance was one of the highlights for the book, wouldn’t you agree? I think we were all holding out for Sydney and Adrian to finally get together. Adrian said some of the sweetest (and craziest) things when it came to wooing Sydney. I love that guy. 
Yes, I agree. I felt like this was more a romance novel compared to VA (and I know I really shouldn't compare the two- but its hard to do since its the same world). I loved that Sydney and Adrian spend practically all their time together, and when Adrian's not around, Sydney's still thinking about him. It was extremely cute. And I can't believe I'm saying this but.... Adrian made me swoon.

I was surprised at how little Alchemist involvement there was. I know they’re still a big part of the story, but after the Warriors of the Light encounter in the last book, and what with Sydney being on an Alchemist assignment; but they weren’t in it as much as I thought they were going to be. 
I agree. They were still there but not as much as what I was expecting. Perhaps we'll see more of them in the next book.

Can’t go past mentioning Rose and Dimitri – on the same page, at the same time! *insert happy screaming* 
I had the BIGGEST GOOFYEST smile on my face reading about them. We need another short story. Can't get enough of seeing Rose and Dimitri finally together out in public!

Disappointments? A little concerned a few things were forgotten in this one – like Strigoi/Spirit exploration. There was no mention of it this time around and I was hoping we might see a bit more about the potential cure. And the backlash from Jill getting her face in the modelling book – I know there was mention of how she’s still in danger, but not nearly as much focus as in the first two books. 
I do have one little complaint. I was slightly disappointed with the ending. I mean, its the 3rd book in a Richelle Mead series. That usually automatically means one of two things- either my jaw is going to hit the floor or I'm going to need tissues.
Eg: Succubus = cried and wanted to commit murder
Dark Swan = mouth dropped open. Hatred for Kiyo, heart broken for Dorian
VA = cried like a freaking baby!
But in The Indigo Spell neither happened. Yes I was slightly peed off but that was it. Of course after I finished this I got told that its actually the next book that has the dramatic ending, so now I need to prepare myself for that one.



Now onto the favourites!

Favourite Line? 

“I’ve said over and over, I’d do anything for you. I just keep hoping it’ll be something like, ‘Adrian, let’s go hot tubbing’ or ‘Adrian, take me out for fondue.’”“Well, sometimes we have to – did you say fondue,” Sometimes it was impossible to follow Adrian’s train of thought. “Why in the world would I ever say that?”
He shrugged. “I like fondue.”

Do I go for most swoon-worthy:
"I'm going to just go on loving you, even if its hopeless."

"I'm not a warrior or a goddess."
"As far as I'm concerned, you're both".

Or ones that made me smile and laugh:
"Abe used colour to offend the sensibilities."

"You're not as much of a lost cause as she was. I mean, with her, I had to overcome a deep, epic love with a Russian warlord."

'AYE'
"Isn't that what pirates say?"

Favourite Character with most growth?

Ok. Everyone who knows me knows I was never an Adrian fan. From the moment he stepped into the scene in Frostbite I took an immediate dislike to him. It wasn't until recently that I took a step back and asked myself why that was. (And no it wasn't because he was hitting on Rose all the time, when she clearly belonged with Dimitri.) I realised that when I was reading Frostbite, it was the time in my life where I was surrounded by "Adrian" types. The ones who would go out all the time, drinking, smoking, picking up girls, and have no real direction in their lives other than to "have fun". I had enough of those types of guys in real life, I was ready for the strong, dependable man. So I took offense to Adrian. He followed me into my escapism. But here's the thing. These boys eventually change. They grow up, and just like in real life, Adrian grew up too. I noticed it in Bloodlines but it wasn't until now, in The Indigo Spell, where he became this amazing, strong, dependable, romantic man "whatever you need to do, I'll support you." I can officially say after reading The Indigo Spell that I love Adrian! (*whispers* Dimitri's still my main man though).

Sydney...totally Sydney. It’s sad to admit, but I wasn’t a Sydney fan in The Golden Lily. I thought she was way too against everything. I was so happy to see her embrace the magic side of things, to distance herself from Alchemist thoughts, and to finally start acting for herself. She was so fierce in this book. I loved her!


Favourite New Character?

I don’t really know who was my favourite new character. There weren't that many new characters introduced in The Indigo Spell. The obvious one would be the mysterious Marcus Finch, but he didn’t really do it for me. I’m too caught up in all the old characters.

Hopper. I want a Hopper. He was so freaking CUTE!


Favourite existing Character?

I can't decide who my favourite existing character was. I honestly loved them all in this novel, but for the sake of answering this question, I'm going to say Eddie. He's always so strong and dependable. He's just the sweetest guy - the type you only want happiness for.

Without a doubt Adrian stole the show. His crazy lines, dedication to Sydney – his ability to make you swoon like mad – even for non-Adrian Fans from the VA side of things (I’m looking at you Kerrie). He’s got crazy awesome skills. I’ll admit I was a little sad he was on the pages so much – and I know that sounds crazy, but I wanted the chance to miss him so much that when he popped back into the action we’d scream from excitement. But at the same time, I’m so glad he was caught up in all the aspects of the plot; joining Sydney on her dangerous magic tasks, and supporting her through all her decision and making much needed hilarious comments. (I do have to give an honourable mention here to Wolfe for his role in the end of the novel – excellent words of wisdom.)


Favourite Romantic Moment?

For me it has to be the Dream Walking. It’s not always about the kisses, but about what the guy will do to keep the girl safe. And boy did Adrian do a lot to help Sydney in these dreams.

When we first thought up these questions I had no idea just how much romance would be in this novel. I liked it all. Sydney and Adrian spend a lot of time ALONE together and majority of the time it was pretty smoking hot- and that is all I will say on this matter.


Favourite Action Scene?

A certain dream sequence... oh wait- That was meant to be a question about a different kind of "action". My mistake.

Seriously though, The Indigo Spell did have a different style of action. It focussed largely on Sydney's magic abilities and so there were plenty of scenes where she practised defensive and offensive spells. I quite enjoyed reading those scenes, especially the one that produced a little friend. But, I also liked the more dangerous breaking and entering scenes. It was good to see Sydney taking risks. 

Like Kerrie, my favourite action moments were the magic lessons. It’s more of a pre-action scene but I loved them! Sydney throwing around fireballs made me think of Christian and his magic lessons, but Ms Terwilliger does do a really good job of pushing Sydney into Action-Mode.


Most Frustrating Character?

I want to say Ian, because they way he spent most of his scenes falling over himself to please Sydney was just pathetic, but the character that annoyed me the most was Marcus. I really didn’t like him. He bursts onto the scene and instantly signs Sydney up for dangerous tasks and a drastic life change. And then he seems upset when she doesn’t melt at his smile and charm. It just put me off that he was so sure that she’d follow him and his cause without question.

Sydney's youngest sister. She frustrates me. And you just know she's going to be trouble.


Overall rating:
I’d definitely give this one a 5/5 – fantastic book. 
5/5 for me too- loved it!

Kim and Kerrie

The Golden Lily - Richelle Mead

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) - Richelle Mead
Grade: YA
Rating: 4/5 stars

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she's been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California–tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.

But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age–old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi—the fiercest vampires, the ones who don't die. But it's her fear of being just that—special, magical, powerful—that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else—someone forbidden to her.

When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney's loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.

Should she trust the Alchemists—or her heart?(Description from Goodreads)
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I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to dive back into my favourite Richelle Mead world. ‘The Golden Lily’ takes us on another crazy ride discovering parts of the world we never got to see in the first series (Vampire Academy) and for me, that just makes the series more exciting – finding something new.

We learn a lot more about the Alchemists and not all of it is good. I always knew they had a strict and hard lifestyle, but we never really saw what it is that actually happens behind the scenes in the Alchemist life. We get a chance to see more in ‘The Golden Lily’ and I can safely say it’s not a lifestyle I’d pick for myself. I really liked this new glimpse of the Alchemists, they’re no longer just a random secret group.

It was bad enough that Sydney and the gang were looking out for rogue Moroi groups and random Strigoi attacked, but when they discover evidence of Vampire Hunters, everything jumps to a whole new level. I had a feeling the vampire hunters were going to make an appearance in the series. After so much talk about their secret existence it was only a matter of time before Sydney was faced with them and the trouble they’d bring. There’s also more to the hunters than meets the eye – but that’s all I can say without giving too much away.

I loved being around the characters I know so well again. There are some people you just can’t get out of your head and Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy characters do that for me, especially when it comes to her male characters. There is nothing better than seeing Dimitri Belikov on the page again and he brings out his super awesome Guardian skills just to prove he hasn’t lost his badass touch just yet. But he’s not the only guy to rock the page. Adrian grew so much in this book. I was so touched by his strength and loyalty and, as always, he never fails to make me smile. The Vampire Academy men stole the show.

And finally, Sydney. I love her awkwardness in the book. She’s faced with something completely new in her life, something more difficult than looking after moroi and dhampirs in the human world. Sydney gets asked on a date. Her social skills are still lacking a bit, so it’s fun to see her work through this new situation. She also explores her magic side a bit more – despite her aversion to magical performances. It’s here that I had my biggest issue with the book. Sydney seems to have a few problems with the subject of magic and vampires. She makes so much progress throughout the book to overcome the Alchemist prejudices against the unnatural vampires and shudder-worthy use of magic, but there are moments when she falls back into old ways of calling moroi and dhampirs “evil monsters” and freaks out when magic is being used – even though she using her new magical talents quite a bit. I kept hoping she’d move forward, take charge, and stand up for what was in front of her – that vampires aren’t all evil. It didn’t have to be giant leaps, it just had to happen. But she seemed to take more steps back than forward.

All-in-all, another interesting and smile-producing addition to the Bloodlines and Vampire Academy world. Looking forward to seeing what happens to Sydney, Adrian and the rest of the gang next.

4/5 stars


Kim
(Originally posted on Goodreads)

Bloodlines - Richelle Mead (review) + Bloodlines Book Club

I'm a big fan of Richelle Mead; have been for a few years now and I reckon I'll pick up anything she writes. If it has her name on it, I'm buying it. So I was thrilled knowing her super awesome Vampire Academy series (VA) was being continued through a spin-off series: Bloodlines.

Yesterday started the "official" Bloodlines-Discussion-Day, as voted on by fans and Penguin Australia. It marked the one month release of Bloodlines and the beginning of Bloodlines Book Club (BBC). I've participated in Penguin Australia's previous VA book clubs and they're a heap of fun, so join in if you've read Bloodlines and if you're new to Richelle Mead pick up Vampire Academy; it's an excellent series.

Blog discussion: Penguin Between the Lines – BBC

Facebook Discussion: Bloodlines – Official Facebook Page

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Bloodlines - Richelle Mead
Grade: YA
Rating: 5/5 Stars

The first book in Richelle Mead's brand-new teen fiction series - set in the same world as Vampire Academy.

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. (Description from Goodreads)

I’m speechless. Richelle Mead has done it again. A fantastic new series, filled with action and excitement; as well as a cast of characters that we all know and love. It felt like I was greeting an old friend.

I’m so happy to be drawn back into the Vampire Academy world. While it was strange at first to be seeing all these familiar faces without being in Rose’s mind, it didn’t take long to love Sydney’s views just as much. Her organised and controlled way of thinking is so different from Rose’s act-before-thinking approach to life, but you can’t help but love her for it.

I love that ‘Bloodlines’ starts to wrap up the loose ends from the Vampire Academy series. While often leaving us with more questions than answers, we’re on our way to understanding where everyone fits in the vampire world and finding out what happened to so many of our favourite characters (especially Adrian, who was left hanging for a while). My personal opinion to those just started out with Richelle Mead books would be to read Vampire Academy before ‘Bloodlines’. While there is enough information given the ease into the series, the familiarity between characters and the history that has occurred between them would be better understood after reading ‘Vampire Academy’.

Sydney and the Alchemists are in interesting bunch of people. Working to protect the human population from vampires, it’s interesting to see how they reacted around the “evil creatures” that they try to hide. While we were given a glimpse of the Alchemists in Richelle’s first YA series, Vampire Academy, you never realise how strong their convictions are until you’re inside Sydney’s head. I always knew she was against the idea of vampires wielding magic and drinking blood (the actions that make them evil), but I never realised how terrified she was of it all. Sydney shows so much strength in ‘Bloodlines’, pushing through her fears in order to complete the role she’s be trained to do: help protect humans from any contact with vampires.

So much happens in ‘Bloodlines’, Richelle certainly throws us into an action packed book, with multiple plots weaving their way through every moment of the story. I'm still trying to process how I feel about them all, shocked and breathless are my initial reactions; and insanely desperate to see what happens next. And in a typical Richelle style, she leaves us with super extreme cliff-hanger to agonise over in the coming months while waiting for ‘The Golden Lily’ to be released.

An amazing read.
5/5 stars.

Kim. 

Originally posted on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/157593507