Nite Lite Book Reviews: bloodlines

Showing posts with label bloodlines. Show all posts

01 June 2013

The Indigo Spell - Review

The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3)
by Richelle Mead

Publication date: 26 Feb 2013 by Razorbill

Category: Young Adult Paranormal Fiction
Keywords: Young adult, paranormal, vampires
Format: Hardcover, paperback, eBook, audiobook
Source: Bought

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series 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.

Review:

YES. More Adrian and Sydney! The Bloodlines saga continues in The Indigo Spell, the third book in Richelle Mead's bloodlines series. The Indigo Spell picks up right after The Golden Lily's ending (thank goodness, too, since it was a bit of a cliffhanger). Sydney, in all her stubborn ways, is as determined as ever to avoid any romantic entanglements with Adrian and her innate magical abilities. Unfortunately, ignoring magic becomes impossible once she finds out that a powerful witch is in the area - one who sucks the youth and power from those with magical abilities - and must learn to use magic to protect herself.

It's no big secret that I am a huge fan of this series and The Indigo Spell does not disappoint. There's more intrigue and Sydney starts to find out more about the possible connection between the fanatical Warriors of Light and the Alchemists. This is very much Sydney's book. In the last two books she was still trying to figure out who she is and what she believes in. In The Indigo Spell, her beliefs are put to the test and she makes choices that have real consequences. She shows a lot of guts in this book and takes some big risks. There is also plenty of making out in this book (awesome) and Sydney finally acknowledges her feelings for Adrian (as if she could resist).

Adrian is as charming as ever. He's also especially sweet in this book and I love his method of "loving from afar." Adrian and Sydney are such a great team and complement each other so well. I think Sydney said it best when she said that Adrian was "perfectly imperfect." I think both of them are perfectly imperfect - for each other.

We also finally find out who Marcus Finch is and delve deeper into secrets of the Alchemists and Mead is the master of leaving you wanting more. It's good to see the rest of the gang again, too, though they take a backseat in this story. The only character I still don't understand is Angeline. Seriously - what is the point of her? All she does is cause trouble and is belligerent while doing it. I trust that Mead has a greater plan for her but, right now, I can't figure out what it could possibly be.

If you're a fan of the Bloodlines series then you'll definitely enjoy The Indigo Spell. More mystery, more action, higher stakes and a great romance. I hope I don't go into Adrian withdrawal while I wait for The Fiery Heart to be released.

Visit the author online at www.richellemead.com and follow her on Twitter @RichelleMead

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14 May 2013

The Golden Lily - Review

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2)
by Richelle Mead

Publication date: 12 June 2012 by Razorbill

Category: Young Adult Paranormal Fiction
Keywords: Young adult, paranormal, vampires
Format: Hardcover, paperback, eBook, audiobook
Source: Purchased

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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?

Review:

Sydney and the gang are back in The Golden Lily, the second installment in Richelle Mead's Bloodlines series. Adrian, Jill and Eddie - return with a few friends. Dmitri Belikov (yes, that Dmitri) and Sonya Karp (another former Strigoi) join the "family" in Palm Springs to do research on the possible effects of spirit and how it might be used to eradicate the threat of the Strigoi. There's also a new girl in the mix - Angeline, a dhampir with few social graces.

I am a such a huge fan of Richelle Mead. Her characters feel so real and genuine. They're usually far from perfect but they're likable you really want to root for them.

In The Golden Lily, Mead continues to peel back the layers of both Adrian and Sydney. She shows us where they come from and some of the forces that shaped each of them. I know a lot of people don't like Sydney very much but I can actually relate to her. Her position in the group isn't easy and the Alchemist attitude of fear and prejudice of magic is a hard one to break. But it's clear that she cares about her ragtag family and she takes a lot of risks to protect them. She's also pretty funny when she relaxes a little and is an extremely loyal friend.

Of course we can't forget Adrian. I think I fall for him a little more with each book. In The Golden Lily we get to see a much more vulnerable side to Adrian. He lets Sydney see parts of him that no one else sees. And while he still has self-destructive tendencies at times, he's really coming into his own. He is slowly evolving into the man I think we and Sydney believe he is. And that's someone who is smart, loyal, dependable and who loves to get under Sydney's skin.

I think Adrian and Sydney have great chemistry together, even if Sydney is a bit clueless most of the time. And yes, there is KISSING in this book. Finally! Of course it comes with a killer cliffhanger ending, but I'll take what I can get.

Though Sydney and Adrian were my favorite part of the book, it was also nice to see everyone again, especially Dmitri. Jill, who had tendency to be sort of whiny, wasn't so bad in this one. Of course there's a mystery to solve, one that leaves more questions than answers. Answers which I am hoping that Mead answers in the next two books.

Definitely loved this one. Things are really heating up and I cannot wait to read The Indigo Spell! Speaking of which, I think I shall go read it right now...

06 May 2013

Manicure Monday (15): The Golden Lily

It's Monday which mean it's time to show you what I've been reading and a manicure to go along with it. This week, as you may have guessed, I have The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead. Yes, I started reading the right book and let me say, it's pretty fun. Loving Adrian and Sydney and I think I am a little over halfway through right now. For my Golden Lily manicure, I decided to do a sponged gradient, which I have never done before. Basically I used an eye shadow sponge applicator and lightly dabbled gold onto the tips of a black base. For the base, I used Wet N Wild Black, which is a really great, opaque black. I actually need to buy a new one. And the gold is OPI's Dazzled by Gold.

This turned out a lot better than I thought it was going to. Having never tried using a sponge for nail polish, I thought I might muck it up but I liked this and it was pretty easy. If you have ever thought about trying something like this, I say go for it.

Hope you all liked today's manicure. If you decide to participate in Manicure Monday, let me know in the comments or linky below and I will definitely stop by. Thanks and have a great week!

29 April 2013

Manicure Monday (14): The Indigo Spell

There's kind of a funny story about this week's Manicure Monday. If you follow my on Twitter or FB at all you might know a bit about it already. Last weekend when I went home to see my parents, I figured it would be a great chance to finally read the next book in Richelle Mead's Bloodlines series. So I am at the hospital waiting room, waiting for me dad to get out of surgery, and I am reading and it's great. Love Adrian and Sydney and the whole VA world. There are a few things nagging me - characters I don't remember, a few references that don't make sense. About 60 pages in, it dawns on me that I should just double check to see if the book I was reading was indeed book 2 in the series. And guess what - it wasn't. Yes, I was reading The Indigo Spell when I should have been reading The Golden Lily. But I had brought supplies home to do a manicure to match The Indigo Spell and I figured I go through with it anyway.

The Indigo Spell is shown with a funky French manicure. I used American Apparel's Mount Royal as the base with Wet N Wild Black for the black tips. I freehand drew the tips. I normally would have used those French tip stickers but I was too lazy to wait for the base to be really dry in order to use the stickers. I think I did an OK job though it was a little uneven in person. This was a fun look to do and I think the colors matched pretty well. I also liked the idea of having a French manicure since it seems like the type of style that Sydney would wear if she wore polish. It's traditional but also a little unexpected - like Sydney.

Hope you liked this week's Manicure Monday. Have you ever had a reading brain fart like me? Thank goodness I am back home now and can start The Golden Lily. Have a good week!

14 February 2013

Bloodlines - Review

Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1) by Richelle Mead

Publication date: 23 Aug 2011 by Razorbill

Category: Young Adult Paranormal/Mystery
Keywords: Paranormal, romance, Vampire Academy, vampires, alchemy
Format: Hardcover, paperback, eBook
Source: Purchased

Synopsis:

Blood doesn't lie...

Sydney is an alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of human and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the last place anyone would think to look for vampire royalty - a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. But instead of finding safety at Amberwood Prep, Sydney discovers the drama is only just beginning.

Review:

Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy was one of the first series that I really got into when I started to read YA books. I loved the world of the Moroi and Strigoi and the fact that Mead's characters weren't perfect and were fallible. Since then, Mead has become one of my favorite writers. From YA to urban fantasy to romance - if Richelle Mead writes it, I'll read it. However, I was hesitant to read Bloodlines because I was afraid that it would not be as good as VA. Sydney also wasn't my favorite character, which also added to my reluctance to start this series. But I finally decided to take the plunge and I am so glad I did because Bloodlines is so fun and absolutely addicting.

Bloodlines is told from the point of view of Syndney, the alchemist who aided Rose in Vampire Academy. Her actions have put her in hot water with the alchemists, who believe that she may be getting too friendly with the vampires. Sydney must prove her competence and loyalty on her new mission posing as the sister of Jill Mastrano, sister to Moroi queen Lissa Dragomir. Sydney moves to Palm Springs with Jill along with her guardian Eddie, and VA favorite Adrian Ivashkov.

I was never a huge fan of Sydney. While helpful in Vampire Academy, she always came off as sort of snobby and judgmental. In Bloodlines, we get to understand Sydney a little more and what originally came off as snobbishness is more likely attributed to social awkwardness. Living with the alchemists her entire life, she hasn't had much practice interacting with people her own age. She is also very uncomfortable around the vampires, having been told that they are evil and unnatural her whole life. But she isn't narrow minded and must reconcile what's she has been told with her own experiences with them. In many ways, she is the opposite from Rose. In other ways, she is very similar. She is smart, determined, protective, and every bit as fierce as Rose when it really counts. And I love that she doesn't let Adrian get away with things and calls him on his bullshit.

Now we get to Adrian, the partying playboy. While I felt bad for what happened with him in Vampire Academy, I have to admit that I have always been annoyed by his spoiled and self-indulgent attitude. While he hasn't changed in Bloodlines, there's a definite shift in him. I think we're finally starting to see some of Adrian's true potential come through. He and Sydney also have some great chemistry together. Unfortunately there wasn't a ton of romance in this one, just a lot of banter. And you know what that leads to. :) Mead is a master of drawing out the tension though and I am excited to see where their relationship goes.

The plot moved quickly with plenty of action and intrigue to keep things interesting. Even though I figured out the bad guy pretty early on, I still had fun watching it unfold.

I am so glad that I finally decided to read Bloodlines. I loved jumping back into the VA world and learning more about the alchemists and vampires. Richelle Mead has done it again. I am totally hooked on this series and can't wait to read the next installment. Bring on The Golden Lily!

Visit the author online at www.richellemead.com and follow her on Twitter @RichelleMead

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