Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1) by Richelle Mead
August 25th, 2012 · Penguin
Source: Won
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 421

Sydney protects vampire secrets - and human lives.

Sydney belongs to a secret group who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the world of humans and vampires.

But when Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, she fears she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. What unfolds is far worse. The sister of Moroi queen Lissa Dragomir is in mortal danger, and goes into hiding. Now Sydney must act as her protector.

The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one...

I haven’t been as eager to read for a while now but then things got worse and I eventually hit rock bottom reading wise, with no motivation to pick up a book - at all. Desperately wanting to regain my love for reading, I decided to enlist Richelle Mead for help, knowing that if any author was going to be able to pull me out of this funk, it would be her. And just like I had hoped, she delivered.

After devouring the Vampire Academy series earlier in the year, I had been looking forward to starting Bloodlines and seeing the world through an Alchemists eyes – enter Sydney Sage. I first met Sydney in Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, #4), but it wasn’t until Bloodlines that I really came to care for her as a character. It took me a while to warm up to Sydney as I didn’t make that same connection with her that I did with Rose where it was love at first sight sentence however I did gradually warm up to her as time passed.

You see Sydney back down a lot and keep quiet, even when she has something to say. She has her reasons for doing so which I very much understand but I was just waiting for that moment when she was going to take action and stand up for herself. I was wishing and waiting and hoping that it was going to happen and when it eventually did, even though I had been expecting it, I was surprised but in a completely good way.

It took me about half way in until I really got into Bloodlines but that has nothing to do with the book but rather with me and the terrible reading slump I was in. But the main thing is, in the end it did the job and very well I might add.

Don’t go into Bloodlines expecting Vampire Academy because you won’t get it. It’s not as badass and action-packed as VA but it has other great qualities and what it lacks, it makes up for in other areas (such as: super swoony Adrian who is sure to make you swoon your pants off!).

I’ve still got a while to go before my mojo returns completely but in the meantime I’m off to read The Golden Lily!

4/5