Title: Bloodlines
Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Bloodlines, #1
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: Razorbill (Imprint of Penguin)
Date Published: August 23rd, 2011
Edition: Hardcover
Rating:
When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.
Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive – this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood.
My Review:
Warning: If you haven’t read all of the Vampire Academy books, then this could contain spoilers for those. Otherwise, all spoilers are hidden behind tags and clearly defined.
I’m a huge Vampire Academy fan. I loved them. I would probably go as far as to say they’re my favorite Young Adult series. But, that’s difficult since there are a couple others that are right up there as well. But, that’s beside the point. My point is that I was absolutely thrilled to be able to jump back into the wonderful world Richelle Mead created in Vampire Academy.
I’ll admit that, at first, I wasn’t sure I would like being inside Sydney’s head. I didn’t really hold much of an opinion of her in Vampire Academy because she was mostly quiet and when she did talk, not much of her personal situation was revealed. Being that she’s so different from Rose, I wasn’t sure I would like it that much. But I quickly got used to her point of view and actually found myself really liking her by the end of the book. So that fear is officially gone. I still miss Rose/Dimitri’s story, but obviously their personal story has come to an end so there’s really nothing more to tell there. As far as comparing her to Rose. She may not be as strong physically as Rose and she may not be as outspoken. But she definitely has an inner strength that I was taken back by and totally didn’t expect.
I was, of course, thrilled to get back to Adrian’s story as well. The way it ended for him in Last Sacrifice was absolutely heartbreaking, so I was truly looking forward to something good happening for him. I’ve always loved his character and wanted him to have a happily ever after. Not with Rose, but still.
But I digress. Bloodlines is a solid and well-written start to a new series. Although I’m not a big Jill fan, I think that this will quickly become another favorite series for me. I didn’t love Bloodlines as much as I loved all the Vampire Academy books. But it’s just starting out, so I can’t really fairly compare it to a series I’ve already gotten to know so well. I did love it. Let’s be clear on that. It was hard to put down and I enjoyed every minute of it. Would someone who isn’t a huge VA fan enjoy it? That’s hard to say. If you’re thinking about reading this series though, I would strongly recommend reading Vampire Academy first.
As for the love stories. A lot of people have been saying that it’s still not really clear who’s going to be paired up with who by the end of this book. But, while there is definitely not really any smooching going on yet, I couldn’t disagree with that more. The relationships being setup were very clear to me:
Obviously Adrian and Sydney will end up together. I think we can all agree there. Adrian sees Jill as a sister, even though Jill might still harbor some very light feelings for Adrian. But the chemistry between Adrian and Sydney was surprising. I found their characters to compliment each other extremely well. I wasn’t sure how they would match up prior to reading this, but I can see that they will make a fantastic pair.
As for Trey. I could see him having a crush on Sydney and perhaps her even liking him back. But, I think he will be secondary (in order to create another lovely love triangle). I could even be wrong there. He could just end up a nice friend sidekick. But, I wasn’t feeling them going towards being a full-out couple.
Then of course, I’m 99% sure Eddie will end up with Jill somewhere down the line. It might be awhile, but I can see it happening. I’m not sure what’s going to happen with Micah. Being that he looks almost identical to Mason, I have a feeling that he’s going to end up being something more than human. Perhaps even some kind of villain who can look like whoever they want to look like in order to infiltrate their little gang. I could be wrong. But, I’m sure something will happen to drive him out of the picture, leaving room for Eddie to swoop in.
So as you can see, I’m pretty clear on where the love matches are going. The Adrian and Sydney match is pretty darn obvious to me. I can see it might take a little while given how torn up Adrian is over Rose, and of course the fact that Dimitri just had to show up to ruin any healing he’s already done. As much as I love Dimitri, I wish this didn’t happen for Adrian’s sake.
Overall, this was a great book. I enjoyed it very much and I’m so happy that Richelle Mead decided to go ahead with this spinoff series. I think it’s going to be really strong and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes!
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