Review: The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead

* This review contains spoilers for the previous books in the Bloodlines series.

The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines #6)
By Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: Sydney and Adrian have been granted sanctuary at the Moroi Court, but while this means that Sydney is relatively safe from the wrath of the Alchemists, neither she nor Adrian can do much to assist in the search for a missing Jill. Sydney may be forced to venture outside of Court, however, when it appears that Jill’s abductor is a past enemy of Sydney’s and out for revenge. While Adrian worries about Sydney falling back into the Alchemists’ hands, she in turns fears the consequences of his continued use of spirit.

Review: It’s time to say goodbye to another favorite series of mine—Bloodlines. I feel especially sentimental about this one coming to an end because the first Bloodlines novel was the very first book that I reviewed on the blog almost three years ago. Ah, the memories.

When I began reading this series, I remember being a tad skeptical of Sydney’s ability to anchor the series as the protagonist. Following in the thunderous footsteps of Vampire Academy’s Rose Hathaway isn’t easy, but Sydney quickly grew on me. Of course I’d already fallen in love with Adrian back in VA, so seeing him with a prominent role in Bloodlines instantly won my heart over to this series. Watching both characters develop tremendously over six books, as well as watching the relationship between the two of them blossom, has been the highlight of the series for me.

I just had to gush about Sydrian for a minute, but now I’ll attempt to gather some focus and home in on the particulars of The Ruby Circle. Something I noticed when I plucked my copy from the shelf was that it seemed on the slim side for a series ender. It’s just under 350 pages, and although I try not to judge books by their page counts, I was still a little surprised. Were all of the plotlines going to be wrapped up by the end? In response to that question, I would say—mostly.

While I was very happy with the conclusion of The Ruby Circle and I think longtime fans will be, too, the book also drops a revelation that leads me to believe we haven’t seen the last of these characters. So I’d call this an ending that isn’t quite an ending because it leaves at least one door ajar for a spin-off of a spin-off. And obviously, I would totally read that.

This has turned out to be a bit of a tricky review to write, because despite enjoying reading this, it didn’t wow me as much as the previous novel, Silver Shadows, did. There was a definite comfort in being in the company of Sydney, Adrian, Eddie and their friends one last time, but the plot of this one, which centered around the search for Jill, wasn’t as compelling as the search for Sydney in Silver Shadows (no offense meant to Jill). Perhaps it was because in the latter, we knew exactly what was happening to Sydney firsthand in that horrible Alchemist re-education hellhole. This is my best effort at explaining my feelings toward The Ruby Circle: it hit some very sweet spots that reaffirmed my love for the series as a whole but wasn’t quite the page-turner that some of the other Bloodlines books have been.

All in All: Although I’d expected a little more from The Ruby Circle—more suspense, more tension, and maybe even a few more pages, the series wrapped up very nicely.

Review: Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

* This review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the Bloodlines series.

Silver Shadows (Bloodlines #5)
By Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: Sydney’s worst nightmare has come true: she’s been taken to an Alchemist re-education center, where the Alchemists’ methods for reinforcing loyalty to the organization are every bit as horrible as she feared. Sydney’s prison even prevents Adrian from contacting her through dreams. With no apparent way out of the Alchemists’ grasp, not even Sydney’s formidable logic and resourcefulness may be enough to help her escape.

Review: Although I enjoyed reading The Fiery Heart, I couldn’t help feeling that it just didn’t quite have the same spark as the other Bloodlines novels. Silver Shadows, on the other hand, was absolutely awesome. I devoured it in a little over a day, completely absorbed by poor Sydney’s imprisonment by the Alchemists and both her and Adrian’s attempts to break her out of there.

Sydney is incredible in this book. She’s always been skilled at using logic to escape tough situations, but Alchemist re-education is unlike anything she’s previously gone up against. It’s hell. Re-education has been alluded to in the previous books as something to be avoided at all costs, but it’s another thing entirely to watch Sydney endure physical and psychological torment at the Alchemists’ hands, all in the name of “cleansing” her sin. The Alchemists preach about the evils of vampires, but they’re perfectly fine with breaking their own people.

Even under these conditions, though, Sydney continues to fight. The other detainees in the re-education facility are wary of her because they don’t want association with someone so tainted to delay their own release. Still, Sydney manages to muster a few tenuous alliances in a place where anyone could betray her at any time.

Adrian, meanwhile, is totally falling apart in Sydney’s absence. His spiral into self-destruction is heartbreaking. He’s never felt like more of a failure because he’s unable to find a single clue to Sydney’s whereabouts, even through dreams. Adrian’s struggles may be of a different nature than Sydney’s, but his pain is very much as searing as hers is.

The tension build-up in Silver Shadows is superb. There’s barely a lull in the novel, especially in Sydney’s chapters. Her mind is always at work to undermine her captors, all while she tries to convince them that rehabilitation is working. It takes Adrian a while to find his way, but when he does . . . he’s simply amazing. I didn’t think it was possible to love him more than I already did, but by the end of this book, I’d found tons more love for him. I can’t forget to mention how much I loved Adrian and Sydney’s extended family, too: Jill, Eddie, Angeline, Trey, new-ish guy Neil, Ms. Terwilliger, and, of course, little Hopper. They’d do anything for each other, and that’s truly on display here. Heck, this book even gave me a newfound respect for rebel Alchemist Marcus Finch.

Richelle Mead is brilliant at dropping bombshell endings, and this one . . . . Let’s just say that I wish I could fast forward time to the release date for the next book.

All in All: Silver Shadows blew me away. The dual POVs suited it perfectly, and it just threw twist after twist at you.

Review: The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

* This review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the Bloodlines series.

The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4)
By Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: As Sydney strays further and further from her Alchemist beliefs, the danger that she’ll be found out becomes increasingly real. Sydney finds herself needing to keep more and more secrets, an especially challenging task now that her younger sister, Zoe, is shadowing her on her assignment in Palm Springs and is very eager to prove herself as an Alchemist. Sydney has always excelled at foreseeing potential problems and heading them off, but under this much pressure, including keeping a forbidden romance under wraps, not even Sydney may be immune to making an extremely costly mistake.

Review: The Fiery Heart brings a significant change to the Bloodlines series. For the first time, there are two POVs, and of course the big news is that one of them belongs to none other than Adrian Ivashkov. I remember when this was first announced and how I had a mini-freak-out because . . . Adrian. POV. Reading from Adrian’s POV! Yes!

Perhaps I went into reading The Fiery Heart with a tad too much anticipation because I needed a few chapters to really get into Adrian’s side of the story. I know, I know—what the hell is wrong with me? I’ll try to explain my thinking as best I can. The trademark Adrian Ivashkov snark is there, but maybe I just expected more of it since we had direct access to his thoughts. Instead, a lot of his pages were devoted to his feelings for Sydney, and while I’m 100% Team Sydrian, I also still wanted Adrian to just be Adrian, the guy who always has a smartass remark armed and ready.

As I read, though, I started gaining more of an investment in his chapters. Something that may not have been as apparent in the previous books is the extent to which spirit can torment him. It gives him dizzying highs and alarmingly despairing lows, and when he’s experiencing a low, he’s consumed by thoughts of worthlessness. This is the same Adrian whom everyone often perceives as arrogant and carefree. What’s really heartbreaking is that he’s reluctant to give up using spirit because he believes he won’t be able to help people anymore. His biggest fear is not being able to help Sydney if she needed him. Commence swooning now!

The other POV in The Fiery Heart belongs to Sydney, naturally, and she’s breaking just about every Alchemist rule now. She has evolved into quite the rebel; one of her story lines follows her research into developing an ink that resists the type the Alchemists use to enforce loyalty among their ranks. In addition to her super secret project, she also has to carry out her regular duties, namely keeping her other “family members” out of trouble. This job, which is already tough at the best of times, is made much more difficult by the presence of Sydney’s actual sister, Zoe, at Amberwood Prep. Do not get me started about Zoe; she’s every bit the heap of trouble I expected her to be. I suppose it could be argued that Zoe is the product of some terrible parenting/brainwashing by her and Sydney’s father, but I’m really not in the mood to scrape together some sympathy for Zoe.

Although I thought The Fiery Heart started a bit slow compared to the previous Bloodlines novels and once again went into a rather lengthy recap of the series thus far, it did find its groove eventually. The action toward the end was intense, and Eddie got to demonstrate some serious guardian badassery. Waiting so long to read this has actually worked out for me because I can proceed straight to Silver Shadows now and pick up where the head spinning ending of The Fiery Heart leaves off.

All in All: I liked The Fiery Heart a lot, but maybe not as much as the other books in the series, despite being able to read from Adrian’s perspective. The pacing felt a bit leisurely for a while, but I did think the novel finished strongly.

Review: The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3)
By Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill

To Sum It Up:

All her life, Sydney Sage has been taught to never question the Alchemists’ teachings, but recent events have her doing just that. She sets out in search of the mysterious Marcus Finch, a former Alchemist who’s gone rogue. In tracking him down, Sydney hopes to discover what the Alchemists are really up to because she strongly suspects that they’re withholding important information from her. Meanwhile, Sydney also finds herself involved in another search of a different kind. Someone is targeting young women who haven’t tapped into their magical abilities yet and draining both their youth and their powers. As much as Sydney wants to help find the culprit, it means using her own magic, yet another thing that goes against everything she believes in as an Alchemist. Sydney realizes that she has reached a crossroads in her life, and she must decide whether to continue on the Alchemists’ path or to part ways with them once and for all.

Review:

The previous Bloodlines novel, The Golden Lily, saw straitlaced, logical Alchemist Sydney Sage allowing her heart to have more say in her decisions. In The Indigo Spell, Sydney, fed up with the Alchemists’ subterfuge, ditches blind loyalty and is determined to uncover what secrets the organization she’s dedicated her life to is hiding. The new, rebellious Sydney even gets busted for breaking curfew!

I’ve liked Sydney as a protagonist since the first Bloodlines book, but rebel Sydney is definitely my favorite so far. Richelle Mead has done such a great job with Sydney’s character progression, having her grow into someone who now questions authority and puts those she cares about before duty, all while retaining the qualities that make Sydney, well . . . Sydney. She’s still very uncomfortable with using the magical powers she didn’t even know she possessed until recently. They stand in complete opposition to Alchemist beliefs. The thought of what would happen if the Alchemists found out about her magic use weighs heavily on Sydney’s mind, as does her muddle of feelings towards one Adrian Ivashkov. If dabbling in magic is a big Alchemist no-no, then a potential Alchemist/vampire romance is a super big no-no. But realizing that the Alchemists may not be the models of integrity they portray themselves as really pushes Sydney to a breaking point. Her choices, like helping her history teacher, Ms. Terwilliger, stop the witch who’s stealing others’ powers, may flout Alchemist rules, but they stem from good intentions. The Alchemists, on the other hand, claim to be acting in the name of good, but Sydney’s faith in them has been shaken, perhaps permanently.

A huge factor in Sydney’s changing perspective on life has, of course, been Adrian. His impulsiveness and carpe diem outlook have been good for her, and her determination and focus have been a good influence on him. These two truly complement each other, something that I didn’t predict happening when I began reading the series. Adrian himself has come a long way character-wise. Don’t worry—he’s still Adrian and still spouting clever Adrian-isms, but he’s also matured a lot. He tells Sydney that he’s learned from the mistakes he made trying to win Rose’s heart, and he’s not going to repeat them with Sydney. Knowing how conflicted her emotions are, he gives her space, but he’s ready to jump to her side at a moment’s notice to protect her. Just when I thought Adrian couldn’t possibly melt my heart any further . . . .

In the days leading up to the release of The Indigo Spell, the name Marcus Finch seemed to be everywhere. I expected this former Alchemist to play a major role in the book, but in the end, I found his importance overhyped. I also found him rather overconfident and of the mindset that he can smile his way through any situation. I didn’t fall for his charm, and fortunately, neither does Sydney. I doubt we’ve seen the last of Mr. Finch, so it’s likely he’ll have additional chances to impress me more than he did here.

Although I really enjoyed The Indigo Spell, I felt that it didn’t quite measure up to either Bloodlines or The Golden Lily. There was a rather detailed recap of how Sydney, Jill, and Eddie wound up in Palm Springs; three books into the series, I think I have a pretty good handle on that backstory. The resolution of Sydney’s two missions in this book, digging up dirt on the Alchemists and tracking down the power-robbing witch, seemed a little anticlimactic to me, too. Maybe that’s because I’ve grown accustomed to Richelle Mead’s bombshell endings. She still leaves you plenty to think about in the conclusion of The Indigo Spell, though, while you await the release of the fourth book, The Fiery Heart, later this year.

All in All:

I’ve become as invested in this series as I was in its parent, Vampire Academy. Though I loved the first two Bloodlines books a smidge more than this one, The Indigo Spell was still a very fun read. I would join Alpha Yam Ergo in a heartbeat!

Review: The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2)
By Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill

* I received a copy through Goodreads First Reads.

To Sum It Up: Alchemist Sydney Sage continues her mission to watch over Jill Mastrano Dragomir, half-sister to the Moroi queen. Although the Alchemists firmly believe that vampires are aberrations of nature, Sydney has grown comfortable being in the company of Jill, guardian Eddie Castile, and the inimitable Adrian Ivashkov. Sydney frequently wonders if she’s become too close to her little group and worries what would happen if her superiors thought so. When a new threat to all vampires, both Strigoi and Moroi, arises, Sydney must decide between adhering to the Alchemists’ procedures, like she always has, and following her feelings.

Review: The gang is finally back, and not a moment too soon. I only read Bloodlines a few months ago, but it seemed like I’d gone ages without a new Adrian quip. After finishing the Vampire Academy books, I couldn’t really picture the character combination of Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian working in Bloodlines, but I should know much better than to question Richelle Mead’s genius. Those four are brilliant together, and their relationship only strengthens in The Golden Lily. They may be posing as a family as part of their cover story, but they truly have become one.

What struck me the most upon finishing this book was how much the characters had grown, especially Sydney. I was pleasantly surprised by her engaging narrative voice in Bloodlines, and she really establishes herself as a heroine in The Golden Lily. We know that she’s super intelligent and fiercely dedicated to her Alchemist work, but we haven’t seen much of the person behind that stoic professional exterior until now. It was a lot of fun watching Sydney let her hair down a little at last and enjoy life outside of her job. Sometimes she feels guilty for doing so, just as she feels guilty over how much she’s come to care for her vampire companions. Sydney’s struggle to reconcile the Alchemists’ teachings with her loyalty to her friends increasingly makes her question the accuracy of the Alchemists’ view of vampires. I liked that Sydney challenged her beliefs and began to rely on her instincts as well as logic when making decisions. She’ll probably never be the warrior that VA’s Rose Hathaway is, but Sydney has her own way of putting up a fight that is equally powerful.

And now for the obligatory Adrian paragraph! Like Sydney, Adrian has matured as a character since Bloodlines. The trademark charm and wit are still there, but he has quite a few unguarded moments in which his sincere, caring, sensitive side shines through. He also goes through a rough patch that’s heartbreaking to watch because he’s been trying so hard to bring structure to his life and change how others perceive him. Adrian really wears his heart on his sleeve in this book, and as much as I love his arrogant, snarky self, I adore this Adrian, too.

As in Bloodlines, the baddies are pretty easy to spot. The action in The Golden Lily takes a little while to kick into high gear, too, but when it does, it’s like a volcanic eruption. It’s Sydney’s constant internal conflict between listening to her mind vs. listening to her heart that takes center stage here, and it’s just as intense and absorbing as a physical battle. Be prepared to retrieve your jaw from the floor when you reach the ending; I know I had to. Repeatedly. Um, how long until the next book comes out?

All in All: Bloodlines fans won’t be disappointed until they arrive at the last sentence and realize that they must begin the wait for a new installment all over again. Here’s hoping that we won’t have to go too long without our Adrian fix.

Random Rambles: Further Thoughts on Bloodlines

As its name implies, Random Rambles is the place for all of the stuff (book-related, of course!) that doesn't fit in anywhere else. Sometimes there isn't enough room in a review to express everything that's on our minds about a book.  Sometimes we need to vent about what a character has said or done. Sometimes we just want to babble about books in general.

This first installment of RR is about Richelle Mead's Bloodlines.  My original review (posted together with Lee's) ended up being quite long, so I decided to put the rest of my thoughts in a separate post. 

*Spoiler warning if you haven't read Bloodlines yet *



Okay, I’ll get all my comments about things which annoyed me out of the way first. Well, let’s start with some of the first people introduced into the novel: Sydney’s father, mother, and younger sister. The father annoyed the holy crap out of me. I’m sorry, but if I was Sydney, I would have run away years ago. Who does this guy think he is? He barges into Sydney’s room in the middle of the night and demands her to be presentable for a surprise meeting. What the jello?! Sydney is a legal adult, therefore he can no longer boss her around like that. I know there is a thing called tough love, but Sydney’s father was just a plain old gruff man who liked to boss people around. I liked the mother; she seemed pretty cool (even though we didn’t technically get to meet her because she was too busy sleeping while her daughter, Sydney, was getting tattooed and shipped off to God knows where). The younger sister was almost as bad as the father. The little brat is yelling at Sydney for making her “look bad” while the accused was really trying to save the accuser’s life! Talk about ungrateful.

Guess who’s next on my rage-filled ramble? Keith the freak! This creeper gets a whole ranting paragraph to himself. First off, he is a complete dweeb to Sydney. Even Sydney The Calm and Collected wanted to punch his remaining eyeball out. Haha, I laughed so hard when I pieced together the fact that Abe was behind Keith's "accident." It was even funnier that Keith thought he survived a Strigoi attack (I would be surprised if he survived a tricycle attack). It made me happy to see that he got what he deserved. He was such an arse; how can he justify in his head what he did to Sydney’s older sister? And it gets funnier folks! Even though Keith The Creep took advantage of Sydney’s older sister, Sydney’s bossy father loves Keith The Creep like the son he never had! This is where the phrase "bad parenting" comes into play. Arrgh!!  I hated how Keith kept trying to get Sydney in trouble for the littlest things. And then he would take credit for all the things Sydney was doing while he’s performing an illegal activity! You know what really got me mad? When he was all like, “Jill can stand a little sun.” Ummm, she’s a Moroi vampire, you spineless gelatin! And then he blamed Sydney for not getting Jill out of outside activities in physical education! I can go on for ages about Keith, but I would rather spend my time ranting about Adrian and other beloved characters. So let’s get to the good stuff!

WHO just walked in the door?!

I flipped out when Rose, Abe, and Adrian showed up in the beginning of the book! I was just so happy to see Rose again; she is one of the greatest heroines I have ever read about! Speaking of reappearing characters, how many of you guys flipped out when Dimka walked in at the ending of the book?!  I freaking flipped out!! I was reading it like at midnight, and I had to stuff my flipping fist in my mouth to stop me from screaming. I was so happy, and I had no one to tell!  It was killing me until I could finally talk to Lee about it.

So this last little paragraph on thoughts and theories is dedicated to our two favorite lovebirds, Sydney and Adrian. I luv, luv, luved their relationship. There was the perfect amount of drama, hate, embarrassment, tension, and . . . love! I really want those two to get together. But, I’m afraid that Dimitri (God bless his soul) is going to cause a lot of trouble.

So tell me what you think! Whether you agree or disagree, it doesn’t matter. Feel free to express your thoughts and theories!

Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1)
By Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: This spin-off of the Vampire Academy series picks up where the events of the final VA book, Last Sacrifice, left off. Alchemist Sydney Sage, who made her first appearance in VA’s Blood Promise, provides the narration for Bloodlines. Sydney and guardian Eddie Castile, another VA character, have been assigned to protect Jill Mastrano, half-sister of the recently elected Moroi queen Lissa Dragomir. Under current Moroi law, Lissa’s reign depends entirely on her having at least one other family member. Until this law is overturned, Jill is a target for Lissa’s enemies. Sydney and Eddie accompany Jill into hiding among humans at Amberwood Prep, a boarding school in Palm Springs, California. Once there, Sydney finds herself investigating some increasingly disturbing developments, all while trying to keep Jill safe and avoiding being sent to a dreaded Alchemist re-education center.

Lee's Review: I loved the Vampire Academy series, so it was a no-brainer that I was going to read Bloodlines. I wasn’t sure how I would like Sydney as a narrator because I didn’t find her character especially compelling in VA. Plus, assuming narrating duties from VA’s indomitable and ever witty Rose Hathaway is no easy task. Although there’s no substitute for Rose’s copious quips, Sydney manages to hold her own in terms of keeping the story interesting. I think that her best scenes are with another familiar, and very welcome, VA face, Adrian Ivashkov, who turns up here in all his charming, arrogant, snarky glory. Yes, Adrian’s back! He provides the perfect foil for Sydney, and the interaction between these two pretty much forms the basis of my five star rating. Before reading this, I couldn’t have pictured them finding common ground with each other, but there’s DEFINITELY chemistry there. I can’t wait to see how that develops.

For anyone who’s read the Vampire Academy novels, the plot of Bloodlines is pretty straightforward. The puzzle pieces join together rather quickly, but I enjoyed the process all the same. The novel ends with one of those moments that makes you want to run out immediately and get the next book in the series. Tragically, that isn’t possible at the moment. The Golden Lily will be released on June 12, 2012. I’m sure I’m not the only one for whom the wait seems unbearably long!

All in All: This one’s definitely a keeper for my shelf. I’ll probably pick it up frequently just to brush up on some Adrian quotes.

Ally's Review: Bloodlines is the ever-amazing continuation of the beloved Vampire Academy series. And obviously, if you have read VA, you know that Richelle Mead has done, yet again, another fantastic job of pulling readers into a world filled with fantasy, blood, and yes, Adrian! Bloodlines centers around the minor characters of the original series. Alchemist Sydney Sage is charged with the task of helping and watching Jill Mastrano, also known as Jill Dragomir. Jill’s half-sister, Lissa Dragomir, is now queen of the Moroi. To keep her title, Lissa needs one living relative. After an attempt on Jill’s life, Jill is sent to Palm Springs, California to attend a boarding school. The ever loyal Eddie Castile accompanies Jill as her dhampir bodyguard. The witty Adrian Ivashkov also accompanies Jill and Eddie in their “exile” for reasons unknown. In Palm Springs, the new group faces the regular doses of danger, drama, and . . . love triangles.

In an unbiased (not!) opinion, Bloodlines was a great read. It was intriguing from the start and kept readers going. The lovable characters were very dynamic. Their small story lines from Vampire Academy really developed in Bloodlines. At first, I wasn’t as thrilled as I could have been with Sydney having the point of view. I mean, who could live up to Rose Hathaway?! Surprisingly, Sydney provided a fresh, intelligent look on people and ideas which had already been introduced. I felt myself feeling sorry for Sydney. She had such a deep, internal struggle with believing in what she knew was right and what she was raised to believe. Although sometimes whiny, Jill was a very interesting character. I loved the fact that she wanted to learn how to defend herself; that earned her a bunch of bonus points in my book. Eddie was all right. I found myself caring for him more in the other series than in this one. I guess he was too adult-like and worrisome. I know that guardians are supposed to be mature and focused, but I couldn’t help comparing him to how he used to be.

And then we have Adrian. Adrian, Adrian, Adrian. I luv Adrian! Ever since we first met him in Frostbite, I have been in love. He is like the most perfect and not so perfect character you could ever find in a book. He is artistic, sarcastic, witty, wealthy, handsome, powerful, caring . . . shall I go on? On the other hand, Adrian is also plagued with personal demons which he has to overcome. Things like smoking, drinking, partying, and insanity really hold him back. What can we do, though? Adrian comes as he is, and I would rather live with him than without him! I really, really loved Adrian’s relationship and dialogue with the other characters in the novel. Let’s be honest, Adrian played a large part in the five star rating. He really brought Sydney out of her “professional” bubble and played the loving big brother role to Jill.

In the end, Bloodlines was a really great read. The book had an interesting plot and amazing characters. The only downside, if that’s what you can call it, was that I found myself figuring out secrets and plots too easily. I did not know if those secrets and plots were supposed to be that evident or were just poorly hidden. Besides my minor issue, I wholly and completely recommend this book to anyone who has read the Vampire Academy series. I am not confident that someone who has not read the VA series could comfortably read Bloodlines.

All in All: A definite Get! I feel ashamed that I don’t already have my own copy. Lee kindly lent me hers and as soon as I come into some money I will go straight to the store and get my own copy of Bloodlines!