Review: The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines #6) by Richelle Mead

Their forbidden romance exposed, Sydney and Adrian find themselves facing the wrath of both the Alchemists and the Moroi in this electrifying conclusion to Richelle Mead’s bestselling Bloodlines series.

When the life of someone they both love is put on the line, Sydney risks everything to hunt down a deadly former nemesis. Meanwhile, she and Adrian becomes enmeshed in a puzzle that could hold the key to a shocking secret about spirit magic, a secret that could shake the entire Moroi world and alter their lives forever.

Don't miss their unforgettable final chapter...

LOVE WILL CONQUER ALL

Review:  5 of 5 stars

The Ruby Circle is the final installment of the Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead. This series has basically consumed my life for the last ten or so days.  I loved Vampire Academy and all the fun, exciting things that happened in it with Rose and Dimitri.  I was really unsure about how this series would compare, especially since Sydney seemed so boring and uptight in VA.  I am so glad that I didn't let my preconceived notions get in the way of loving this series.  I dare say that I loved it more than Vampire Academy!

TRC begins with a frantic search for Princess Jill Dragomir.  Since Adrian and Sydney are basically trapped at Court they are going stir crazy and a little insane trying to figure out who has Jill and why.  A surprise visit from Ms. Terwilliger brings some human magic to Court.  Once it is clear that whoever is holding Jill captive has a grudge against Sydney a plan begins to form.  Can Sydney protect herself the the Alchemists waiting for her on the outside?

After Sydney's escape from Court, Adrian is left with his own demons to face, in the form of spirit and his dead Aunt Tatiana.  Olive, the Strigoi that was restored to a Dhapmir has run away from her sister Nina and anyone else that is searching for her.  Nina begs Adrian for help to find her in a spirit dream the truth is revealed, but at what cost?  Is the use of spirit magic worth the cost?

Prepare yourself for a roller coaster of emotions and twists and turns that you did not see coming you way.  I thoroughly enjoyed every book in this series.  I felt like each book was a little better than the last.  That being said, I think that Richelle Mead has left the reader with some unanswered questions and many possible storylines for future spin offs into another series.  I hope that one day she decides to create another series to answer them.  

Review: The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) by Richelle Mead

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. Alchemists protect vampire secrets - and human lives.

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she struggles to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do.

Then she finally tracks down the elusive, enigmatic Marcus Finch - a former Alchemist who the organization denies exists, and who lives in shadows, on the run. With Marcus's help, Sydney realizes that the group she's been loyal to her whole life has been hiding the truth from her. Is it possible that her golden lily tattoo might have more power over her than she thinks?

As she struggles to come to terms with what that might mean, Sydney is compelled to use her magical powers to track down an evil magic user who is targeting powerful young witches. Using magic goes against everything she always thought she believed, but she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her special blood - or else she might be next.

Forging her own way is harder than Sydney ever dreamed. Maybe by turning off her brain - and following her heart - she'll be able to finally figure out where she belongs.

Review

5 of 5 stars

To say I am obsessed with this series is a bit of an understatement.  I feel like it is consuming my brain.  I can't get it out of my head!  And, well, I love it.  The end of The Golden Lily left me so upset with Sydney that she would treat Adrian like she didn't care about him after THAT kiss.  However, I still love her and sympathize with her plight since she has basically been brainwashed from birth.

The Indigo Spell picks up right where we left off in The Golden Lily.  Sydney has trust issues with the Alchemists since she thinks they are keeping things from her.  She also has decided to look for Marcus Finch and see what he can tell her.  To top it all off, she is going against everything she believes in and begins to practice magic.  Even she can admit it came in handy battling the Warriors of Light.

Adrian is still a huge character in TIS, and despite his feelings and disappointment in the way she treated him at the end of book 2, he still loves Sydney.  He is really the only person that knows Sydney and accepts her for who she is without pretense.  He forces her to deal with things and doesn't try to control her.  I have to say, I love Adrian.  I liked him in VA, but I adore him in this series.  

There is also a new threat to Sydney in the form of a crazy witch named Veronica that just so happens to be her teachers sister.  Despite her issues with magic, even Sydney can see that using it to save others is noble.  This story has lots of twists and turns, and lots of scenes that play out with Adrian and Sydney that make it fantastic.  Don't miss out on this series, I dare say I am loving it even more than Vampire Academy.  I can't wait to dig into The Fiery Heart!

Review: The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) by Richelle Mead

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. Alchemists 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. Formorly 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 her 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 Braydon, 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:  

5 of 5 stars

The fact that I am writing this review right now is a miracle.  Why you ask? Simple, I would rather be reading the next book in the series, The Indigo Spell!  However, I have forced myself to review this one before I read the next one or it just won't happen.  

We return to Palm Springs and Amberwood in the second installment of Bloodlines.  And the more I read in the series, the more I love it.  I was so convinced that I would never enjoy Bloodlines like I enjoyed Vampire Academy, but I was so wrong!  

Sydney Sage is again the main character and POV we read in TGL.  I really love Sydney and enjoy her comments and thoughts.  However, to be so clever and smart, she can really be dumb too.  She has all the book knowledge in the world but the simplest things can throw her for a loop.  I suppose that is why she is so endearing.  It is obvious that Sydney is struggling with morals in this book.  As an alchemist she is supposed to despise Dhapmirs and Moroi, however, at times she notices they are more ethical and moral than some humans.  The dilemma only becomes worse the more time she spends with Eddie, Jill, Dimitri, Sonya, Angeline and Adrian.  

Speaking of Adrian, I am so proud of the strides he is making in this series.  Despite the fact that he has a history of being rebellious and insensitive, he wants to grow and become a better person.  We saw him "attempt" this in VA to try and win Rose, but Rose was always meant to be with Dimitri.  This time is different as he has a hard time even explaining it to himself.  

The other issues in the book surround Sydney and her issues with magic.  If you recall, her teacher is a witch and believes that Sydney could become a powerful one as well, if she would only embrace it.  After Sonya and Sydney are attacked the struggle to resist magic and claim it is evil is much more difficult.  Events in this book also lead Sydney to think about the ethics of an offshoot of the Alchemists and if they are hiding things from her as well.  Clearly, her struggle with right and wrong will continue in book 3.  

In conclusion, be prepared for a heck of an ending that we have all been waiting for a long time.  It was totally worth the wait!  And since the remainder of the series is already released, I don't have to wait any longer to dig into The Indigo Spell!

Review: Bloodlines, by Richelle Mead

Goodreads

Synopsis

I wasn't free of my past, not yet.

Sydney's blood is special. That's because she's 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. But the last encounter Sydney had with vampires got her in deep trouble with the other alchemists. And now with her allegiences in question, her future is on the line.

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 unlikeliest of places: a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one.

The Moroi court believe Jill and Sydney will be safe at Amberwood Prep, but threats, distractions, and forbidden romance lurk both outside - and within - the school grounds. Now that they're in hiding, the drama is only just beginning.

Review
4.75 of 5 Stars

It is no secret that we love paranormal books around the blog.  A couple of years ago we read Vampire Academy and fell in love with the series.  I was so upset when they ended, but my husband was probably happy.  I literally had done nothing but read for a week straight.  I was ridiculous and didn’t cook, clean or do anything.  I was obsessed with those books!  I knew that Bloodlines was a spin off series but I have been so busy with life and other book commitments that I could not take the time to read them.  Until now! 

This year, we have decided to be very selective about the books we read and review.  We wish that we could read all the time, but the fact of the matter is that we both work 40+ hours a week and have kids.  We have worked so hard on our blog and want to keep doing it, but we don’t want the deadlines that come with so many blog tours.  So, this has opened the time for me to be able to read the Bloodlines series-FINALLY!

You will remember many characters in Bloodlines from VA; Sydney Sage the Alchemist, Adrian Ishkavov and Jill the Moroi, and Eddie Castille the Dhampir.  Of course we see glimpses of Rose, Dimitri and others as well, which is nice.

Bloodlines begins with Sydney going on assignment in Palm Springs to help protect Jill from a group of people trying to kill her to keep Lissa from the throne.  Eddie, Jill and Sydney are going undercover as siblings and students at a boarding school.  Adrian is staying nearby with another Moroi, Clarence and his son Lee is back and forth to LA for classes.  This is also where Jill has her feedings. 

The other Alchemist, Keith Darnell, is posted in Palm Springs.  To say he and Sydney don’t like each other is an understatement.  He does not want Syd around and will do whatever it takes to keep reminding superiors of her actions in VA when she helped Rose. 

I love the way Richelle Mead can weave a complex storyline.  Things start happening at school and around Palm Springs that cause Sydney to become suspicious.  Will she risk being sent for re-training by the Alchemists by working with vampires and dhampirs again?  Be sure and one click Bloodlines today and fall in love with the paranormal world she creates all over again!

Review: The Dark Ones by Rachel Van Dyken

Synopsis:

To touch a Dark One is death. 

To talk to an immortal is suicide. 

Yet, I've been marked by both. 

A Vampire. 

And the King of the immortals. 

My life is no longer my own. 

And now I know the truth, my life was never mine to begin with. 

It was theirs. 

It's always been theirs.

Review:  4.75 of 5 stars

Words can't express how much we love a good paranormal book!  We love most of the typical vampire, werewolf books, but they are not easy to write.  A lot of authors tend to use a lot of the same elements and not do original things.  Rachel Van Dyken is not a typical author and she does't do anything generic!

The Dark Ones is the story of Genesis.  She is a human that has trained her entire life to serve immortals.  When she is summoned by The Dark One, Cassius, her world is about to change!  I really love Genesis, even though she is the human surrounded by an entire cast of immortals, she is perhaps the strongest of them all.  I love her character and can't wait to see her more in the other books in the series.

Ethan is the vampire in the cast of immortals.  He is an elder and reminds me a lot of Ian Somerholder's character, Damon Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries.  He tends to run his mouth, piss a lot of people off and act without thinking at times.  But he does all these things as a defense mechanism because of his past, and he is scared.  He is one of my all-time fave vampire characters.

The remaining characters are a mix of immortal characters.  Mason is a vegetarian werewolf and I am hoping the next book focuses on him.  I foresee his story is one that will be heartbreaking but full of redemption.  Alex is a siren that seems to be after one thing-sex.  I suspect there is a big heart hiding beneath his beautiful exterior.  His sister, Stephanie also will have quite an amazing story with her issues. I love that Rachel can take serious issues but always provide some great comic relief with her characters!  They are so much fun and I did not want the story to end.

This book kept my attention from the first page.  I could not put it down!  Rachel expertly weaves a paranormal story and doesn't make it feel cheesy at all!  And did I mention, she can write the best twists to story lines around?!

Rachel is a rare author.  She can take a historical book and transform it into something I love.  She can turn a fairy tale into something I can't put down.  Comtemporary Romance?  She can always rock it!  And don't get me started on her Mafia series-perfection.  Everytime I think to myself, "Can she pull that off?", Rachel always does it flawless!