Mini Review: Ruby Circle

 

* Book 6 in the Bloodlines series *

Sydney and Adrian fight for their future together while fighting for ones they love. Jill's been kidnapped and they will do anything to get her back. Unfortunately, they're stuck behind the walls at Court for their own safety. That won't stop them for long...

The Good: 
Seeing Sydney kick butt on more time.
Leverage
That ending made me sigh with happiness.

The Bad:

It's over and I don't think more spin-off series are coming.

Final Thoughts: Great end to the series, I'll miss these characters, but I'm glad to see where they ended up. 

Review: Indigo Spell

 *Third book in the Bloodlines series*

Sydney's attending a wedding, to show that relations between the Moroi and the Alchemists are improving. At the wedding, she takes great lengths to hide her feelings and her true relationship with Adrian. Among her peers, Sydney tries to blend into the background.

Already, her questions have raised some eyebrows. When Sydney realizes that  she's been lied to, she takes matters into her own hands. She tracks down the elusive Marcus Finch.

 She learns what he knows -and isn't happy. Will his information change her path? Between uncovering the truth and tracking down a magical killer, Sydney doesn't have a lot of free time to decide her fate.

 
My Thoughts: I'm SUCH a fan of this series. I'm even starting...to like Adrian. I didn't like him from the previous books, but now...he's captured my interest. I really enjoy this group of characters and their chemistry together. I love their loyalty to each other and how they've grown as friends - despite their pasts. 

I loved watching Sydney uncover more information about the Alchemists and their history. She's a very strong character - fiercely determined, loyal, and brilliant. However, I admit waiting for the chinks in her armor to appear.  I liked watching her struggle with her feelings and with her sense of duty.  I adored Jill for stepping in when she did. I felt horrible for Eddie - I hope to see more of him in the next book.

I found the magical subplot intriguing. Mrs Terwilliger is smart, crafty, and powerful. I like her interactions with Sydney. She's good at poking holes in Sydney's preconceived thoughts. 

Clearly, I love watching Sydney grow as a character with the help of the secondary characters. All in all, a fabulous read filled with action, danger, and romance!

Cover Thoughts: Still not a fan.
Source: My Library.

Review: Golden Lily

* Bloodlines book 2*

Since Sydney handled the situation so well, her stock has gone up among the Alchemists. She's praised and her actions have been held up for approval. While Sydney realizes she did well in that one instance, she knows that she doesn't always have the Alchemist's best interests in mind.

She's hanging out with her charges - for fun and not just for the sake of protection. She's dating a boy. She's learning, against her will, about magic.  In short, she's starting to care.

Can she achieve the fine balance between her job and her personal life?

My Thoughts: I really like this series, although my heart still belongs to the Vampire Academy series. The characters are growing on me and showing character development. The action, danger, and the mystery surrounding Jill and Adrian keep the pages turning fast. 

I like Sydney's brains. She's super smart and not afraid to show it. I admire that. She loosens up a little in this book, which is fun to watch. I like getting to know Adrian better -I'm starting to warm up to him a little after watching him deal with his father. My heart went out to him. I also found Angeline more mature and interesting. She provides a bit of humor too! 

I'm curious about Jill's future and the vampire hunters. I think they're going to make the next book very interesting! 

Cover Thoughts: Meh - never been a huge fan of these covers
Source: my Library
Fun Fact: Richelle Mead's books are often my go-to book for adults who read Twilight and come back looking for more vampire books. As a result, they're very popular with the adults at the library.

Teen Character Book Outfit: Sydney Sage

I adore Richelle Mead and her Vampire Academy series. I just finished The Golden Lily, part of the spin off series Bloodlines. Sydney is pretty conservative - here's something I picture her wearing. 

The pin will also go up on my Library Pinterest Board

Contest and Review: Bloodlines

*occurs After the Vampire Academy series*

Sydney's given an important assignment - even though she's in the doghouse with the other alchemists after helping Rose. She volunteers to go to save her sister from being inducted into the alchemists. Instead of being grateful, her sister takes her interference the wrong way.

Sick at heart, Sydney leaves for a mission with her worse enemy. She's to assumer a new identity in order to protect Jill, the newly found Moroi princess. Sydney and Jill are to become roommates at a boarding school. Eddie lives at the school as their brother. Adrian lives nearby - still nursing his broken heart.

Jill just wants to be normal, but as Sydney digs deeper, she learns the real reason for her protection. Her instincts tell her that something isn't right. There's a rogue alchemist on the loose...

Can Sydney keep Jill safe?

My Thoughts: It took me a few chapters to get into the story - but then I was hooked. While I'm not a huge Adrian fan (and prefer Dimitri), he still interests me. When I first heard about the spin-off series, I really thought Jill was going to be the main character. Instead, the books center around Sydney protecting her, similar to Rose protecting Lissa. There were a few parts of the book that didn't fit in for me - mainly the scenes where Sydney throws a fit about her weight/clothing size change. I liked her relationship with Jill and Adrian. I loved her sleuthing skills. I feel that she's different - yet similar to Rose, which is great. She's really strong, determined, protective, and sweet. So looking forward to Golden Lily out next June.

Cover Thoughts: Like many, I'm not a fan of the covers -but I do like seeing the tattoo

Source: Signed by the author at BEA

*********CONTEST***********

A BEA, I snagged a signed copy of Bloodlines and a Bloodlines bag.





Rules:
1. Be a blog follower
2. Leave a comment about this book or the Vampire Academy series
3. with your EMAIL
4. The contest deadline expires September 28th at Noon EST
5. Sorry, shipping is only available in the US.
6. Winner will be selected with Random.org