Bloodlines (Early Review)

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Bloodlines #1

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.

Sydney has been on thin ice ever since helping Rose with her problems. Working with a dhampire is tantamount to treason to the Alchemists so they don't trust her anymore. She can't afford to screw up her latest assignment for more reasons than she can count. She's to go into hiding with the Dragomir princess Jill, aka jailbait. Jill's life is at risk as she is the key to overthrowing her sister's throne. Eddie and Adrian accompany them, making for one heck of a rag tag team. Sydney will have to keep her wits about her as danger will not only come from assassins but from places they least expect. To make matters worse, her own career is in doubt due to her questionable interactions with them. However, staying detached from the rest of them please her supervisors, will prove to be the least of her worries in the end as much more is at stake then she ever realized.

I'll admit I was a little skeptical at how much I would really enjoy Bloodlines due to the perspective change. I love Rose, and just figured anyone else would pale in comparison. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Sydney's perspective. There is so much more to her than we saw on the surface in the Vampire Academy series. She is incredibly strong, yet unlike Rose she doesn't go charging into problems like a bull to hit them head on. Her methods are a little more underhanded and subtle, yet no less effective in the end. I find her aversion to Abe a little amusing as they are quite similar in the long run. The most intriguing thing about Sydney's character would have to be the constant war she is at with herself. She wants to stick to the strict rules and upbringing her Alchemy beliefs taught her, especially the unnaturalness of magic and that anything vampiric is evil. However, things keep coming along to challenge that perspective, and well, she isn't quite sure what to do about that. She has a very long way to go, but I think the more she throws off the Alchemist's single mindedness, the closer she will come to her true potential.

Ahh, Adrian. He was another character that caught me off guard. I'll be honest that I hadn't seem him as much more than a troubled man who served as a roadblock to Rose and Dmitri's relationship. I knew he cared for her and that she was his crutch, but I never really guessed at how deep his feelings truly went. In Bloodlines, we get a glimpse into just how much he was left reeling at the pain of losing her. He is an absolute train wreck, even more of a mess than he ever was, yet he is still trying to keep it together. It is that holding on that shows his potential, and I think now that his "crutch" has been removed, he may have a chance at healing for good. I do think Sydney will be playing a large role in that recovery, because unless I was imaging things, I have a feeling there was something really growing between the two of them. That will be one heck of a shake up as Moroi and Humans are forbidden from being together. Add in the fact that she is an Alchemist of all things, it takes the forbidden love idea to a whole new level. Only time will tell how all that plays out. It should definitely prove to be interesting.

Full of suspense, danger, drama, and even a little forbidden love thrown in, Bloodlines was everything I have come to expect from a Richelle Mead novel. This book will satisfy even the worst cravings that Vampire Academy fans have had since the final installment. Of course, that satisfaction is only for a short time, as it wouldn't be one of Richelle's books without an ending that leaves you reeling and desperate for more. While Bloodlines had one of the more mild cliffhanger endings compared to others, I still cannot wait until The Golden Lily is released to see what happens next. Several things were placed into play and I can only imagine where those twists will lead. A round of applause to Richelle Mead for pulling off yet another fantastic start to a great new series.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Bloodlines

Other Reviews:

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Challenge Categories:

• Outdo Yourself
• YA 
• Vampire