Book Review: Silver Shadows (Richelle Mead)

Sydney Sage is kept captive by the people she’s devoted her life to – the Alchemists, an ancient society sworn to keep the Vampire population hidden from the human race. Sydney, who was raised an Alchemist by her strict and domineering father, did the one thing the Alchemists find truly unforgivable – she fell in love with Moroi Vampire Adrian Ivashkov. Her sister betrayed her and Sydney was taken to reeducation – a place where Alchemists are kept and “persuaded” to become “good” again.

As months pass, Sydney knows she needs to at least pretend to bend in her beliefs. She is introduced into the group life stage of reeducation, where she meets other Alchemists in the same position as her. At first they all treat her life a pariah, but slowly Sydney gets included and manages to make a few friends.

Adrian Ivashkov is meanwhile working hard to find Sydney. He is already unstable due to his Spirit abilities – a magical element that makes him see people’s auras and visit dreams, but Sydney’s disappearance has driven him even further into destructive behavior. He is aided by Marcus, a rouge Alchemist who has contacts all over the world and also wants to see Sydney safe. Even though Jill Dragomir, the only living relative to Queen Vasalisa Dragomir, is the one who needs to be kept under constant protection, she insists that two of her Guardians help save Lissa should they find a lead.

Sydney discovers the reason Adrian hasn’t been able to visit her in her dreams – she and her fellow inmates are being drugged with gas each night and Adrian can’t penetrate it. She employs the help of her newfound friends to stop the gas flow, enabling Adrian to visit her. It gives them both hope to see each other again, but it is still frustrating because Sydney has no idea where she is based.

Through meticulous work Marcus finally finds venues where Sydney could possibly be based, but Adrian has to resort to visiting other detainees in their dreams for information when Sydney gets caught using magic.

Can Adrian, Marcus and Eddie save Sydney? How will they possibly stay away from recapture? What psychological scars does Sydney carry from her incarceration time? Is Jill as safe as she believes she is? What will the Moroi royal court do when they finally learn Adrian is in love with a human?

Rating: 6.5/10

I’ve been following this series from the beginning rather religiously, and after each new release would mope when I the book was finished – the series always had a few books outstanding. I kept off reading Silver Shadows with the idea to leave it until closer to the time for the last book of the series, Ruby Circle. I think RC is being released early next month so I managed quite well!

I enjoyed Silver Shadows. It is written in first person with sections dedicated to Sydney and Adrian – essential, so you can have a look at Sydney’s captivity and the budding rescue mission. Sydney’s capture was beginning to feel long, as were her many setbacks and determination to not shut up – something I respect but there is a time and place for everything, you know?

The love story is completely ridiculous – the extremely sciency good girl falls for a borderline alcoholic with mental problems. Okay, maybe that has happened, but I think in the long run two such extremes won’t make the world’s most stable couple. I like both Adrian and Sydney – neither is overly whiney or childish and they don’t have the frustrating petulance often found in YA.

The book is decently written, especially compared to other YA books out there. It is miles better than Vampire Academy, the series on which Bloodlines stems from, and I think Mead has genuinely grown as a writer.

If you look beneath the frothy vampire story you might find what I did – these books are about social injustice and I even want to say racism – the class systems used in these books are unfair and based solely on race.

This is a fun series, but don’t expect the world’s tightest plot and superb writing though. (And I can’t wait for the next one!)

February 4, 2015February 1, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Books, ReviewsTags: Adrian Ivashkov, Books, Dhampirs, Moroi, Reviews, Richelle Mead, Silver Shadows, Sydney Sage, Vampire Academy, YA 1 Comment

Book Review: The Fiery Heart (Richelle Mead)

Book: 77/100

I’ve been so excited to read this book. I should really start sticking to my rule of only reading a series when all the books have been released, because this waiting for books is really not for me. I found this book as enjoyable as all the other books in the Bloodlines series.

Sydney has finally stopped feeling guilty for loving Moroi vampire Adrian – even if it is something the Alchemists, of which she is a part of, would never accept and that the consequences of them finding out would be dire. When her younger and very competitive sister, Zoe, arrives as a back-up Alchemist, she knows she needs to be very careful how she goes about things.  She constantly sneaks away to be with Adrian, finding ways to break the hold the Alchemist tattoo hold on its members and her witch/coven activities – another thing the Alchemists wouldn’t appreciate – by claiming she is doing extracurricular activities for her teacher Ms. Terwillinger, who started Sydney with the whole witching business. Zoe becomes increasingly irritated by her sister’s disappearance, but has no reason to suspect more than the dire need of good education Sydney claims to have.

Adrian is still struggling with his Spirit induced depression and madness, and eventually agrees to go on anti depressants after a drunken rampage. With the right medicine, Adrian becomes a stable person, although he is not able to access any of his powers. He secretly fears that he will not be able to heal someone he loves if they are ever fatally wounded, but keeps on taking the medicine so he can be the least of things Sydney worries about.

Jill Dragomir is still finding a way to deal with the fact that she is the illegitimate child of a royal Moroi bloodline. Sent away into hiding for her own safety by the Queen of their race, who is also her sister, Jill finally adjusts to a human schedule after months of drama. Her attraction to her bodyguard, Eddie Castile, still remains, but she tries to ignore it because he makes it clear he doesn’t deserve her.  Strangely enough, the girl who found out she is actually Royal is the most sane of everyone hidden away in Palm Springs.

As things heat up in Sydney’s world, will she be able to hide her relationship from her sister and the Alchemists? What will happen if they find out? And will Adrian be able to keep insanity at bay?

Rating: 7/10

The Fiery Heart was everything I hoped it would be. I knew that some things was certain to happen, so I wasn’t overly surprised, but I found the way it ended to be very sneaky – no one will be missing the next book.

I applauded that Sydney didn’t take another whole book to deny her feelings – that would have been exhausting. I‘ve found her enjoyable from the start – the passionate scholar who is able to do and be things no one will ever think of. Writing witchcraft into the books was risky, but it turned out to be a tool that leads Sydney towards her own empowerment, and isn’t overbearing to the original storyline.

Adrian is such a fascinating male lead. I find this series really cool because he is such a messed up guy. He isn’t this ridiculously brave and strong traditional lead – he is a guy who finds his power through so many other things, and is still learning a lot about himself. Richelle Mead really describes his crazy very well, and how he is in need of real help. His struggle with alcohol brings some real life issues into the mix too. His love for Sydney is so strong and tangible. She is the perfect girl for him – and that is so amazing because no one would ever be able to realistically expect the logical Sydney to fall for artistic, crazy Adrian.

Lastly, I think I need to mention that I thought switching the story between Adrian and Sydney’s POV worked out fine. It was obviously risky, and I’ve found it annoying in other books.

It is clearly recommended that you read the previous books in the series before this one, but the book is very much recommended if you are a YA reader.

January 23, 2014 by Natasha Categories: Books, ReviewsTags: 100 Books Challenge, Adrian Ivashkov, Alchemists, Dhampir, Moroi, Reviews, Richelle Mead, Strigoi, Sydney Sage, Vampire Academy Leave a comment

Book Review: The Last Sacrifice (Richelle Mead)

Book: 62/100

Rose Hathaway has been framed for the murder of the Moroi Queen, Tatiana Ivashkov. She has damning evidence against her – the Queen was murdered with Rose’s own stake after Rose threatened her before the entire Moroi Royal Court. Set for trial and a definite execution, she relies on her father, the shady Abe Mazur, to get her out. He manages to buy more time for his investigation by enabling her to escape from jail, with the help of her friends, and her current and former boyfriends, Adrian Ivashkov and Dimitri Belikov, the Dhampir who was forced to turn into a Strigoi and then returned to his Dhampir form by Lissa, a Spirit user and Rose’s best friend. Dimitri runs away with her, because he is the one already under suspicion, and clears her other friends. They meet up with Sydney Sage, a friend of Rose who is an Alchemist, people working to keep the supernatural world secret. They go to a remote location to hide while Abe clears Rose’s name, but she isn’t content to just sit and wait. She tells them the letter she received – a letter by Tatiana herself, telling Rose that Lissa has an illegitimate family member somewhere. This crucial information means that Lissa can run in the election for the next Queen, which wouldn’t have been possible without other family members.

When Adrian visits Rose during a Spirit dream, she tells him that they should nominate Lissa as a candidate, certain that the shock in their world will slow down the hunt for herself. She is right, the people are furious. They feel that she is only eighteen, linked to the previous’ Queen killer and her Spirit magic makes her unstable. Lissa starts doing the tests, and she does them remarkably well, gaining support as she goes further. For her, it is a promise to keep her family’s name high where it belongs, and a matter of pride, but to the Moroi she is a valid and loved candidate.

When Rose causes a scene at the motel she is hiding with Dimitri and Sydney, they are forced to leave their location. They head to a secret community, the Keepers that is composed of humans, Moroi and Dhampirs who are very primitive. There Rose gets another follower and has to make it clear she isn’t interested. While there, they realize that the only person who might know of Lissa’s illegitimate family member is Sonya Karp, Rose and Lissa’s old teacher who turned into a Strigoi to get away from her Spirit induced insanity. Dimitri uses his old connections to find out where she is living, and they go to find her. They are soon joined by Victor Dashkov and his half-brother Robert Doru, a crazy Spirit user. They turn Sonya back into a Moroi, and she is able to help them track down Lissa’s family.

Rose is shocked when it turns out that Jill Mastrano, a younger Moroi and one of her friends is Lissa’s half-sister. Jill agrees to head to court and openly admit it, but she is kidnapped by Victor and Robert, and the Guardians storm the Mastrano’s house after Victor tipped them off.

They hunt Victor, Robert and Jill down, and Rose kills Victor. She is terrified that she is going crazy from her bond with Lissa, and it takes a while to calm her down. She and Dimitri sleep together afterwards and head to court to take Jill in. Adrian realizes that Rose cheated on him and things are very awkward, but he is still kind towards Jill.

Rose, Dimitri and Lissa enters Court, where Lissa is one of two candidates left for the Monarchy. She declares Lissa has a sister, meaning she can be Queen if she gets voted in. Rose reveals herself, and tells the Court the evidence clearing her name – how Tasha Ozera framed her after killing the Queen, how Tasha hated the Queen and Rose as well, because Dimitri had only ever loved Rose and not her. Tasha is furious and denies it, but it is obvious that she is guilty. She tries to shoot Lissa, but Rose does one last heroic deed and just in front of her best friend, and getting critically injured.

Days later, Rose wakes up and discovers that 1) she’s alive 2) Lissa is Queen and 3) when she was shot and her body repaired itself, the bond she had with Lissa disappeared. She is reunited with the love of her life Dimitri, and her best friend is not only safe, but the ruler of their world.

Rating: 7/10

I enjoyed the last book in the series, even though it felt like I had to run a marathon to get through it. Last Sacrifice manages to tie up loose ends, finish off the appropriate people stories and leaves a few things untouched that gets picked up in the sister series, Bloodlines.

Once again, Rose is her single minded self. It is unfair to claim she is selfish, because she offers up so much of her time to protect her closest friend. She can rather be perceived as someone who only cares what happens to the people she loves the most – Lissa and Dimitri. I felt very sorry for Adrian at the end. He is already fragile of mind and then instead of dumping him when she knows it won’t work, she strings him along with false promises and then cheats of him. Not very nice.

Lissa was much more enjoyable in the last book. She finally found pride and a little backbone, which is a huge improvement from the fragile thing we met in Vampire Academy.

The series Vampire Academy is in my opinion something worth reading if you like YA fiction. It is better than most material out there, original and exciting.

Have you read the series? What did you think?

November 27, 2013November 26, 2013 by Natasha Categories: Books, ReviewsTags: 100 books, Adrian Ivashkov, Book, Books, Dimitri Belikov, entertainment, Lissa Dragomir, literature, Richelle Mead, Robert Doru, Rose Hathaway, Sonya Karp, vampires, Victor Dashkov Leave a comment

Book Review: Spirit Bound (Richelle Mead)

Book: 61/100

After learning that there might be a way to return Strigoi to their mortal state, Rose Hathaway realises that she needs to break her archenemy, Victor Dashkov, from prison. She enlists the help of her friends Lissa Dragomir and Eddie Castile, and they set of to break him out. They miraculously manage it, and end up in Las Vegas, where Victor wants to meet his half-brother, Robert Doru. Robert tells them that to save a Strigoi, a Spirit user needs to stake it with a silver stake that has been charmed with all the Moroi elements – earth, fire, water and spirit. Lissa wants to do this, but Rose knows allowing her might mean her friend’s death. Adrian Ivashkov arrives in Las Vegas, and he is understandably upset when he realizes Rose’s plan to bring her ex-boyfriend back from the dead. Dimitri attacks them while in Vegas, but once again Rose is unable to kill him, enraging Eddie, the other Guardian there. She confides in him that Dimitri was more than a teacher to her, and while he is sympathetic, he remains firm that she should have staked him. Robert and Victor escape, turning the trip into a complete disaster.

Back at the royal court Rose and Eddie gets into trouble for taking Lissa into dangerous surroundings. Rose gets stuck with paperwork, something she really hates. She meets Mikhael Tanner, another Guardian who lost someone he loved when she turned Strigoi. It turns out that his love was Sonya Karp, Rose and Lissa’s teacher who went crazy from being a spirit user.

Lissa and Christian Ozera is captured by Dimitri when they leave court for a college tour, and tells Rose through her and Lissa’s spirit bond he expects her to come and save her friend. She and other Guardians attack them, and Lissa manages to return Dimitri to his original Dhampir state. He is taken captive because no one knows what to believe, and Rose is stunned when he doesn’t want to see or speak to her.

The Queen of the Moroi, Tatiana Ivashkov, is known for despising Rose. When she asks Rose to tell her story of Strigoi hunting, Rose is stunned but complies. When she realizes Tatiana plans to use it to force Guardians to start working at sixteen, she openly threatens the Queen. When the Queen is found murdered with Rose’s stake, things doesn’t look good for her. She is taken into custody.

How will she possibly survive this? Who murdered the Queen? And will Dimitri ever be able to face her again?

Rating: 6/10

Once again, not a bad read. There is still some unnecessary things that happen, silly subplots that distract from the overall storyline. The series is very original, although the love triangle certainly isn’t. I think Rose was completely wrong looking at Adrian while she wasn’t over Dimitri, and even thinking that it could work. Tatiana’s murder was a surprise, and made the seventh book possible (once again supporting my theory that the series didn’t need seven books)

I would recommend this book to people who love YA fiction. It is a really good book, although if you want to read it it is advisable to read the series in correct order.

November 25, 2013 by Natasha Categories: Books, ReviewsTags: 100 books, Adrian Ivashkov, Book, Books, Dimitri Belikov, Eddie Castile, entertainment, Lissa Dragomir, Review, Reviews, Richelle Mead, Robert Doru, Rose Hathaway, vampires, Vasalissa Dragomir, Victor Dashkov, YA 1 Comment

Book Review: Shadow Kissed (Richelle Mead)

Book: 59/100

Book three of the Vampire Academy Series

What happened?

After an attack on St. Vladimir’s academy, the entire school headed to an exclusive resort for the holidays. While there, a bunch of Rose Hathaway’s friends sneaked out to go capture Strigoi in Spokane, and Rose went after them. She managed to save most of her friends, except Mason. Afterwards, her teacher Dimitri told her he had accepted that he would always love her.

Shadow Kissed

Rose is set to take trials at being a Guardian within St. Vladimir’s Academy. The trials consist of Dhampir novice Guardians shadowing selected Moroi, and “protecting” them if one of their teachers attacks them while faking as Strigoi. She fully expects to be assigned to Lissa because of their bond and also because everyone knows that is how things should be. Rose is outraged when she is assigned to look after Christian Ozera, Lissa’s boyfriend. Eddie gets to guard Lissa, and while she knows that he will do a very good job, she is peeved that they would actually separate her from her best friend. Dimitri chastises her and she finally acknowledges that it might be a good idea.

As an aftermath to the bloodshed she witness the past year, and a side effect of being shadow-kissed, Rose has developed the scary ability to see ghosts. Initially, she doesn’t know this, and thinks she is going crazy when she sees Mason’s ghost in the school. She learns that the magical wards that surround the school is supposed to block ghosts and Strigoi, but everyone tells her the wards are maintained and in perfect order.

Rose learns that Victor Dashkov, the man who had tortured Lissa, is set for trial. Dimitri tells her that she and Lissa aren’t allowed to attend, and she is furious with him. Adrian Ivashkov, a Moroi royal, manages to get them to attend to impress Rose, making Dimitri feel useless as he really tried his best.

At the Moroi Royal Court, the queen summons Rose and tells her to stay away from her great-nephew, Adrian. She makes it clear that she won’t allow the relationship, not listening when Rose says that she truly isn’t interested in Adrian. Rose receives a threatening message from Victor Dashkov, with some hints that he might out her and Dimitri’s forbidden love. She goes to Dimitri, and they visit him together. They discuss the matter, and even though Victor still taunts them, Dimitri says he is confident that their secret won’t come out. Victor is eventually sentenced to life imprisonment, and locked away.

Rose continues to have headaches whenever she is not in school or the Academy. Every time it seems like there are ghosts are around her, waiting for her attention.  Meanwhile, she is messing up her Guardian tests, because she sees Mason every time she is supposed to fight. It is only because of Dimitri’s vote of confidence that she is allowed to continue, and she is ordered to do only half day guarding after she tells her teachers about the ghosts and they think her stressful life is catching up to her.

Rose notices that there are many kids with bruises at the school who won’t confess who is hurting them. She investigates, and learns that it is a secret club started by elite Moroi who tries to force their friends into using compulsion – something that is forbidden in their world. The group tries to recruit Lissa and Christian too, but they laugh it off.

Rose finally gets to prove herself when Dimitiri attacks her and Lissa, faking as a Strigoi. It is a close fight, but she wins, impressing her teachers and friends alike. After that she realizes that Lissa is under attack from the compulsion group, and rushes to her aid. She helps her friend, but takes some of Lissa’s Spirit-induced darkness and starts attacking the group. She is restrained by Dimitri and taken to a cabin away from the guilty so that she can calm down. Finally, their resolve falters and after a year of restraint they make love. Upon returning to the school grounds, Rose sees Mason, and shortly afterwards she sees the Strigoi that Mason had pointed out.

With the evil vampires on school ground, Rose hurries back on Dimitri’s orders and alert the Guardians. They go into full scale attack, and when Rose finds Christian on the school ground, they combine their skills and kill many Strigoi together. The living Strigoi flees campus before sunrise, and Dimitri tells Rose that they took Dhampirs and Moroi captive.

After debating the pros and cons, the Guardians decide to stage a rescue mission. They head out to the caves where they know the Strigoi are hiding, and rescue the captives. Rose sees Dimitri get trapped, but is pulled to safety. At school, Rose hears something that makes her world crash – That Dimitri had been turned into a Strigoi. Her only choice now is to hunt him down and kill him, as they promised each other they would. But will she find him and come out alive?

Rating: 6.5/10

After Frostbite, this book seems so well done. Things relevant to the storyline actually happen here, and the events aren’t too stretched out. I applauded Rose and Dimitri for finally getting together and his decision to just accept his feelings and work with it instead of the denial that had tormented him. Turning him into a Strigoi was a great idea, and I was floored that Richelle Mead actually had the nerve to do it. Without knowing what happened in the rest of the series made me sad for their lost love so short after their acceptance of it, but reading onwards it became clear that a great plan was in the works for the series.

This is definitely one of the better books in the series, and quite enjoyable.

November 14, 2013November 14, 2013 by Natasha Categories: Books, ReviewsTags: 100 books, Adrian Ivashkov, Book, Christian Ozera, Dhampir, Dimitri Belikov, Moroi, Reading, Review, Richelle Mead, Rose Hathaway, Strigoi, Vampire Academy, vampires, Vasalissa Dragomir, YA Leave a comment

Book Review: Frostbite (Richelle Mead)

Book: 58/100

Part of the Vampire Academy series

Book two

What happened?

Rosemarie Hathaway seriously endangered her future job as a Guardian in the secret vampire world when she ran away with her best friend, Vasalisa Dragomir. Vasalissa, or Lissa, is the last in her royal Moroi line, making her extremely precious. Lissa has the rare magical ability to heal people and bring them back from the dead – like she did with Rose. Because she saved Rose’s life, Rose is linked to her – a link that is called “Shadow Kissed”. Rose is able to read Lissa’s mind, making her an excellent choice as Lissa’s Guardian.

The two were captured and returned to St. Vladimir’s Academy, where Rose was nearly expelled for her misdeeds. She was saved from expulsion by Dimitri Belikov, a young, handsome Guardian who had noticed Lissa and Rose’s bond, and had offered to take her under his wing to train. The two fell for each other and managed to control themselves. Things only got out of control when Victor Dashkov, an uncle of Lissa, put a lust spell on them, and they almost slept together. Dimitri managed to break the spell, and they were able to save Lissa from Victor who had kidnapped her. After Lissa was saved Dimitri told Rose that he had never loved her, but after she was attacked by Victor’s daughter who had turned into an evil vampire, Dimitri told her that he had and always would love her, though if they were still planning to become Guardians to Lissa when she graduated they could never be with each other – it would place Lissa in too much danger.

Frostbite

When a Moroi royal family is murdered by Strigoi, the Moroi/Dhampir world is on full alert. The Strigoi managed to kill an impressive number of Guardians by breaking a magical ward – something that humans had done because it is impossible for Strigoi to touch the wards. This in itself is strange – humans working with Strigoi would mean a much bigger problem to the Guardians. Rose witnesses the aftermath when she and Dimitri go to the house that was attacked – she was meant to take a test there with one of the Guardians that was killed.

She stays and watches the clean-up procedure with Dimitri, and afterwards returns to the school where everything is in chaos. She once again calms Lissa down, though technically she is the one that went through the ordeal, and starts to feel as though she is always the one who should be strong. This is the first of her many mood swings, which she later discovers is part of being shadow-kissed – because she has a Spirit-Bond with Lissa, she catches some of the insanity that comes with Lissa’s power.

Mason, a guy who has liked Rose for ages, makes no excuse that he would like to date her. She realizes that it would not be a bad idea to date someone her own age and not pine over someone she isn’t allowed to date.

The school decides to send its students to a private resort frequented by Moroi. As a result of the attack, the school and many other Moroi families decide to spend the holiday there. That is where Rose meets Adrian Ivashkov, a playboy Royal who is also a Spirit user like Lissa. Dimitri tells her to stay away from Adrian, and Rose basically spends time with Adrian to piss her instructor off. She found out that there may be something between Dimitri and Tasha Ozera – Christian’s aunt who is actually a nice lady and more suitable for him, even if she is a Moroi and he a Dhampir. Rose and Dimitri fights over this, and he tells her that she only proves her age with her childish habits.

Meanwhile, another Strigoi attack has taken place, and it resulted in the murder of Mia Renaldi’s mother. Rose and Lissa feel very sorry for Mia, even though they once hated her. They are unable to help her feel better, but she does start hanging out around them more.

Mason and Rose, now technically a couple, have a bad fight when Rose can’t seem to make up her mind on whether she wants to sleep with him. She realizes later that he went to Spokane with Eddie and Mia to hunt Strigoi, and she and Christian immediately follow without even considering telling any authority.

Christian and Lissa find their three friends safe, but soon afterwards all five are captured by Stigoi and bound up. After and immense struggle, Rose manages to kill the Strigoi and free her friends. All except Mason, who is killed by a Strigoi. The official school guardians arrive shortly afterwards, and it is only then that Rose leaves Mason’s body.

Dimitri tells Rose that he has realized that he could never love anyone else but her, and that they will somehow find a way to be together.

Rating: 5.5/10

Reading this book the first time caused me slight irritation, though I persisted. Second time around, after I’ve finished the series, I am irritated by it because I don’t find the book necessary to the series. I honestly feel that the tale could have been told in 3 – 4 books. The only justification for this book is the introduction of Adrian and Tasha. They are important characters later on, but they could probably have been introduced in the third book and it would have still worked out.

Rose starts to be a better person here, although she is still way too fond of herself to be overly endearing for me. Her best characteristics remains her brutal honesty and fearlessness, and her worst her vanity. She shouldn’t have dated Mason while still in love with Dimitri. She should have told her teachers when she realized her friends were missing. She should have taken them back on the safest route in Spokane. I could really go on forever because she is seriously flawed, and even though it adds character to the story it is still annoying.

The injustice of the Moroi society frustrates me to no end. There is no justice or equality, and the use of Dhampirs for Guardians is a form of slavery. I maintain that Rose is the one who deserves the spotlight, not the overly fragile Lissa.

To bring some balance I have to mention that Adrian is one of my favorite supernatural characters ever, and I am so glad he was written. He is absolutely essential to the Bloodlines series, which stems from Vampire Academy. He is charming and dangerous and a player, and yet he still manages to be a good man who has the capacity for great love. I enjoy his cheesy pick-up lines and his sarcasm, when he dances with insanity, his love for vices and his addiction to Rose – which is just another vice because she is just as destructive as his alcohol or cigarettes.

This book serves mainly as an introduction to people and events that are important later on, and illustrating the importance of Rose and Dimitri’s love. It starts to show how unfair Rose’s destiny is, and makes you wonder whether she will eventually become Lissa’s Guardian and if it really is the thing she wants the most.

Read my review on the first book, Vampire Academy, here.

PS: If you’ve read the books and blogged about it, please drop me a comment. I am desperate to find some other opinions on this series!

November 12, 2013 by Natasha Categories: Books, ReviewsTags: 100 books, Adrian Ivashkov, Books, Christian Ozera, Dhampir, Dimitri Belikov, entertainment, literature, Moroi, Reading, Review, Richelle Mead, Rose Hathaway, Strigoi, vampires, Vasalissa Dragomir, Victor Dashkov, YA 1 Comment

Book Review: The Indigo Spell (Richelle Mead)

Book: 13/100

When I finished the second book in the Bloodlines series, The Golden Lily, I was super excited to get to the next novel. Imagine my shock and dismay when I discovered I had to WAIT for Indigo Spell to be released! It was horrific. There is a specific reason I make sure the entire series has been published before I start reading – when I am into books, I cannot put them down.

So when it was finally released (In February) I eagerly got a copy and started reading. I wasn’t disappointed. I enjoyed it as much, or probably more than the first two books.

What happened:

There was no huge time jump between the books, and we meet Sydney again were the Golden Lily left off. She is still at Amberwood prep, in charge of keeping Jill, Adrian and Eddie in check. Another dhampir has since joined their group, Angeline, who gives Sydney more headaches than the other three combined. Raised in a primitive community, she is wild, and thinks violence solves problems. She is routinely in trouble, but shows some development when she starts acting as a true protector towards Jill, leading Eddie to see that she wasn’t as terrible as he initially thought. They start dating, and this starles Jill into realising she cares for Eddie.

Ms. Terwillinger wakes Sydney up at night to have her perform a location spell. Sydney is still training her magical abilities, but she manages to get a view the city where her enemy lie. Ms Terwillinger confides in Sydney that her sister Veronica is an evil witch who steals powers and youth from young, unsuspecting witches. Her concern is for Sydney, who is in danger if Veronica finds out about her.

Sydney still has problems of her own as well. After her kiss with Adrian, and her subsequent denial of feelings, he is now angry with her. She needs to face Jill as well, since Jill witnessed everything because she is spirit linked to Adrian.

Sydney leaves Amberwood for a short while to attend Sonya Karp and Mikael Tanner’s wedding – possible because Sonya had been returned from a Strigoi to Moroi. She is joined at the wedding by Stanton, her boss at the alchemist, and an alchemist Sydney’s age, who has a crush on her.

At the wedding, Adrian causes a stir (as usual) by asking Sydney to dance with him in front of everyone. Refusing would cause further strain on the Alchemist-Moroi relationship, and she agrees, although reluctantly, since being in Adrian’s arms are the most confusing place in the world for her.

Afterwards, Sydney and Adrian set out together to warn other young witches against Veronica, but most often they are either too late or the young witches ignore her warnings. Adrian and Sydney barely control their feelings towards each other, and Sydney constantly fights against it.

When Sydney finally finds Marcus Finch, an alchemist who managed to break the compulsion spell Alchemist are placed under, she is irritated by him already. He is a cocky rebel who loves to break rules and has ton of girls fawning over him. He in turn is fascinated by her, because she doesn’t fall for him or gush when he is around. He tells her how to break the spell, by injecting a liquid into her tattoo that dissolves it. In able for him to help her with that, she needs to do something the Alchemists would never do, to prove that she is really willing to be free from their compulsion.

Sydney manages to get the information Marcus wants relatively easy, and he helps her break the compulsion. She doesn’t feel a startling change in her, but immediately phones Stanton to ask why things are happening behind her back. When Stanton gets angry with her, she immediately realise that she is pushing things to far, and narrowly escapes trouble claiming that she is only worried about Jill’s safety.

On the magical front, Sydney and Adrian eventually track down the witch who is stealing all the younger witches’ powers. It isn’t Veronica, but another witch completely, who attacks Ms. Terwillinger to gain her powers. They manage to save Ms. Terwillinger, but the witch escapes, and now Sydney has other problems, since she managed to anger the witch by hurting her.

Sydney and Adrian agree to start a secret relationship, but when she arrives back at school, Sydney gets a big shock: that the alchemists sent her little sister Zoe to be part of their team. Now the question is: Can Adrian and Sydney keep their love hidden from Zoe, who is desperately seeking acceptance in the strict Alchemist world?

Rating: 7/10

I really enjoyed this book when I finally got my hands on it. Richelle Mead managed to make good books by taking characters from another series (her own Vampire Academy), which I didn’t believe entirely possible. Sydney and Adrian become heroes on their own, and their relationship is so fascinating because they are so different from Rose and Dimitri.

I have to admit I was hoping Marcus Finch to be more like Finnick Odair in the Hunger Games trilogy, but he was somewhat disappointing. He seemed to revel in being the rebel, instead of doing what he did because he truly believed it.

I found out the genre these books fall under, which is apparently YA (Young-Adult). well, you learn something new every day!

Now I just have to wait for the next book…

Read about the two previous Bloodlines novels here:

Bloodlines

The Golden Lily

April 4, 2013 by Natasha Categories: Books, ReviewsTags: 100 books, Adrian Ivashkov, Bloodlines, Books, Golden Lily, literature, Reading, Review, Richelle Mead, Sydney Sage, the golden lily, The Indigo Spell, vampires, writing 5 Comments

Book Review: The Golden Lily (Richelle Mead)

Book: 11/100

I have been meaning to blog about this book for ages, but I am always daunted by the task as soon as I start typing. I loved this book, but there are so many things that happen in it that my post would become either very long or boring. Also, I don’t want to say too many things, because I think it would be awesome if some of you gave this series a try. So here is it, without any spoilers J

The Golden Lily starts almost immediately where Bloodlines ended. Sydney is instructed to go to a underground bunker during the night. She arrives, and sees what has happened to Keith Darnell in the past few months that he has been detained in the re-education camps by the Alchemists. Keith seems crazy and even Sydney, who hates him, feels sympathy towards him. She testifies that she knows he hates vampires, but he is still rotten as a person. It amazes her that Keith’s father couldn’t care less about his son’s terrible personality, as long as he remembers to never accept vampires. This makes Sydney realise once again how serious it would be to allow her to become more attached to her vampire friends.

Back at Amberwood Prep, she deals with Jill’s heartache over her dead (and crazy) boyfriend Lee Donahue. When Jill starts dating a human, Micah, Sydney decides not to interfere, seeing it as a teenage romance and knowing that Jill is a very responsible Jill. It is obvious to Sydney that the dhampir with them, Eddie, is still in love with Jill, even though he chooses to protect her instead of acknowledging his feelings.

While they have time off, Sydney helps the team, led by Sonya Karp and Dimitri Belikov, a dhampir and Moroi who were once Strigoi, to search for the explanation to why a being returned from Strigoi state to their natural forms can’t be turned into Strigoi again. As they remember the Strigoi not able to drink blood from Sydney, they want to take some of her blood to test. This freaks her out, and when they try to pressure her into it, Adrian explodes in her defence. This startles Sydney, and starts to awaken the girl in her, and amazes her that he could feel that protective towards her.

Sydney is incredible naïve towards men. When her friend Trey introduces her to a work colleague, Brayden, she is stunned that he likes her enough to want to date her. Brayden is like Sydney in male form – controlled, highly intelligent, serious. They start to date, and when he finally kisses her, she is let down by how she is unmoved by him. On a trip with Adrian to see his father, it turns out disastrously. Adrian and Sydney briefly touch, and she feels everything she is supposed to feel with Brayden.

When Sonya is attacked and taken captive by a break away sect of the Alchemists, the Warriors of Light, Sydney realises she needs to save her friend. When she finds out that Trey is part of the group, she organises to go speak to his leaders to save Sonya. She arrives at the building, and even with her master negotiating skills she is unable to convince them to let Sonya go. Just when she thinks it is too late, a bunch of Dhampir guardians storm the building to save them both. Sydney nearly doesn’t escape, but once outside, she is found by Adrian who helps her get out. When she learns that they had planned the rescue all along, she is angry with them all, especially Adrian, for having no faith in her skills.

Sydney and Brayden eventually break up, and instead of being sad she is delighted when he calls her irresponsible. She goes to tell Adrian what happened, and they finally kiss. The book ends where she tells him no matter what happens, she will never be able to be with him.

Rating: 7/10

I couldn’t stop reading this book! I finished it in two days, then repeatedly went back to rehash it all. It was really mesmerising and well written. The character development is done so well. Adrian becomes the hero, and his courage is just so hot (haha). Richelle Mead really did a great job with him and Sydney. Everything for impossible romance is there: two totally different people, opposing beliefs and impossible circumstances. I really think many people would like these books, because it really isn’t just another romance vampire book. Ultimately, it is about a girl who realises that even that she was taught something her entire life, she doesn’t need to ultimately stick to it.

Read about book one: Bloodlines, here

March 27, 2013 by Natasha Categories: Books, ReviewsTags: 100 books, Adrian Ivashkov, Bloodlines, Books, Golden Lily, Reading, Reviews, Richelle Mead, Sydney Sage, vampires 3 Comments