Review: Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill
Page Count:  416 pages, Hardcover
Date Published: July 29th 2014
Find it on Goodreads: Silver Shadows
Source: Purchased

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. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.
In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.
Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive.
For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .
Their worst fears now a chilling reality, Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour in this heart-pounding fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where all bets are off.

I am a complete sucker (excuse the pun) for the Vampire Academy/Bloodlines world. They're fun, intense, romantic, and just plain a good read that will keep you up late into the night. As this is the fifth novel in the Bloodlines series, I will warn anyone who hasn't read the previous books that there will probably be a few spoilers for those books but I'll refrain from talking about the BIG CRAZY THING that happened in this one other than just my reaction! For anyone who is going to stop reading here because spoilers, I'll just say this: I think that this was by far the best instalment in this series so far. It was fast-paced, swoony-romantic, and had me reading way past my non-existent bedtime.

I was both impressed and horrified by Mead's no-holding-back on the Alchemist's 'techniques' in their re-education centre. It was definitely reminiscent of devices used in the past on people who are gay to try and 'flush it out of their system' per say. I wanted to throw my arms around Sydney and tear her away from this terrible place. Adrian of course was interesting in this book as he spiralled a bit, leaving me shaking my head but still loving him nonetheless. But then.. then there was the BIG THING that happened somewhat at the end which I've seen done in one or two other YA's recently that just made my eyes go like this: 

While a bit surprising, it also made a lot of sense and I didn't mind it all too much, though some of the extravagance seemed a bit out of character to me. ANYWAY, if you haven't read this one, GO DO IT NOW! If you're like me, you won't regret diving back into the world of the Dhampir and Moroi and Alchemists one bit! It's fun, somewhat of an escape, and perfect for one of those bad days where only well-loved characters can cheer you up. 

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Review: The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Page Count: 438 Pages, Hardcover

Date Published: November 19th, 2013

Find it on Goodreads: The Fiery Heart

Source: Purchased

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. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives.
In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .
But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure — and re-education — looms larger than ever.
Pulses will race throughout this smoldering fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.

It is no secret that I am a huge Vampire Academy and Bloodlines fan. I absolutely adore these novels and Richelle Mead’s fantastical world of vampires and alchemists. Each time another installment is released, I get so excited because I know it’s going to be great.  (I probably just jinxed it…)

The Fiery Heart is the fourth book in Mead's spin-off series Bloodlines and is the first book in the series that is told in dual perspective.... WE GET TO BE INSIDE ADRIAN'S HEAD! 

First of all, let me talk about Sydney. I absolutely adore her. She's strong, but still gets scared, she's smart and sharp-minded and is actually the main character instead of just the geeky side-kick. She has her flaws, her insecurities and she has her beliefs. Sydney has changed so much throughout the Bloodlines series, especially since the first time we meet her in VA. She's totally kick-ass with her magic, too, which I think is so awesome. 

THEN, we also get Adrian's perspective. 

Adrian is such an incredibly complex and interesting character, being inside his mind is an experience like no other. The way spirit affects him  and how he feels about himself makes me so sad yet there are so many things about him that make me smile as well. The way he sees Sydney in a light so different from anyone else is beautiful... Mead's creation of a character so in love is gorgeous and I loved reading about their relationship from both sides. Speaking of, this. book. was..... HOT.

wow. 

yeah...

OKAY. Anyways....

Mead has once again pulled off a book filled with action, romance, fantasy and overall awesomeness. It was fast-paced, filled with characters that I loved, characters that I hated, characters that I got annoyed with... Mead is a talented author who creates books that are well-rounded and fantastic. The ending was.. a bit predictable, but at the same time I loved it. It had to happen at some point or another, so I suppose why not now? I cannot wait for the next book to see more of Adrian and Sydney and hopefully a bit more of Rose, Dimitri, Lissa and Christian! I definitely miss those four, but they do make appearances here and there which is nice. If you have yet to read Mead's epic Vampire Academy series, GO DO IT NOW!!!!

Happy reading!

~Kristy

Cover Reveal: THE FIERY HEART by Richelle Mead!!!

Guys... GUESSWHATGUESSWHATGUESSWHAT!?!?!? The Fiery Heart's (Bloodlines #4) cover was revealed today!!!!!!!!!

So if any of you VA and Bloodlines fans haven't seen it yet, here it is!!!

What do you think? It's similar to what I had in mind, but not exactly! The colour scheme is different and I'm obviously happy Adrian is on the cover, but what's with Sydney's face? ALTHOUGH I LOVE THAT SYDNEY'S CHEEK IS HIDDEN!!! :D :D :D

I'll be updating the blog on basically as much The Fiery Heart news as I can, as well as anything I find about the VA movie! Don't forget, The Fiery Heart will be released November 19th 2013! It's far away, but at least it's not a full year!

Let me know what you think of the cover below! I'd love to know!

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Review: The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Page Count: 432 pages, Hardcover

Date Published: February 12th 2013

Find it on Goodreads: The Indigo Spell

Source: Purchased 

 In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.

Richelle Mead never fails to amuse and amaze me with her VA/Bloodlines books. I am always so impressed on how hooked I get to her stories and how much I love the characters in the books. I adored VA. I  loved Rose and Dimitri so much, but with Bloodlines, with Sydney and Adrian, it's different. I really relate a lot to Sydney, much more than I did with Rose, and so I can empathize with her decisions and some of her thoughts along the way, but well, not all of them..... AND THEN THERE'S ADRIAN

I really loved Adrian in the VA series, but not for Rose. I am a dedicated Dimitri fan when it comes to who Rose ends up with, but I LOVEEEEE Sydrian! I just....

Sydney and Adrian's relationship goes through a lot in The Indigo Spell and it had me hooked. There was a lot of cute and adorable moments and even some steamier ones... (I know, I was shocked too... Ok, not really.) Adrian is starting to get back to being the funny and amusing Adrian who has been kind of missing since The Last Sacrifice. I'm totally loving his and Sydney's relationship and it's growth and all of the conflicts! Whoooo!

The Indigo Spell also touches a lot on the witchcraft part of Sydney's life. We learn a LOT more about witches and magic and it's really interesting to see where Richelle Mead is taking this aspect of the story. These aren't just vampire books, people. THERE'S A LOT MORE TO IT! There's a lot of growth in Sydney's witchcraft and it was really interesting to read about her conflicts with it, because it's against all that she's ever known, and yet she seems to be meant  for it.

THEN there was a lot we learned about the Alchemists, the lily tattoo anddddd Marcus Finch! Marcus was such a huge mystery in The Golden Lily and we get to finally learn about who he is, what he does, and why he's important. Well, obviously there's still some questions about him and his plans, but what we do learn is very interesting. I liked how Sydney reacted to him and how much she learned about her 'people'. It was very interesting to see her actions when she learned something new. I find Sydney a little bit fascinating, if you can't tell.  I know a lot of people probably think she's really dull, but I differ. It's not anything specific, I don't think. I just think she's a good MC.

As for the technical parts of The Indigo Spell, it's Richelle Mead. She's a talented writer who knows how to captivate her audience and keep them entranced. She has a vast imagination and I can tell Sydney and Adrian's story is only just beginning. There is so much more to come, I'm sure. SPEAKING OF, this is from Richelle's facebook:

Awesome news! The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4) will be out on November 19, 2013, and the cover will be revealed next Wednesday, February 27! The book is hot! Remember when I said that about Indigo Spell? Now get ready to turn up the temperature a few degrees more...

That makes me SO excited! I wonder what colour it's going to be!!!!!! And the cover.... I wonder if it'll have Adrian on it again.. I hope so. Actually, I have kind of an idea of how I think it might look, but I could  be totally off. But I won't say, because well....

So once again, another Richelle Mead book that I loved. No surprise there! I can't wait for The Fiery Heart and be sure to look out for a crazy fan-girling post on Wednesday when the cover is revealed! ;)

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Review: The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

Author: Richelle Mead
 Published: Razorbill

Page Count: 418 pages, Hardcover

Date Published: June 12th 2012 

Find it on Goodreads: The Golden Lily

The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spinoff series

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students--children of the wealthy and powerful--carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.
Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead's breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.

My Thoughts: ASIJBADLKGNOISBJOFNOG!!!! Words cannot even describe my feelings for Richelle Mead's books about the Moroi and Strigoi.

You may or may not know that I originally had a page on this blog dedicated to a countdown to this book. To say I was excited for this book is an understatement. Richelle Mead's writing has a way of drawing you in and keeping you immersed in her world. It's extremely hard to resurface from the story until you're done.

First of all, I'll start with the characters. I know the big question with the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines books is Team Dimitri or Team Adrian. Well, in my opinion, Dimitri will always be for Rose and Adrian has to be with Sydney. I love Adrian a a character. He's funny and charming and an all around likeable guy. Then there's Sydney, whom I adore. I relate with her so much more than I did Rose, so reading these books are extremely enjoyable. The rest of the characters are all amazing as well. I adore Eddie. He is a character filled with emotion and he's extremely complex. Then there's Jill who is very loveable. That's really the only word you can use to describe her. And then DIMITRI! We actually don't see a lot of him in this book, but boy, what we do see of him had me longing for more. He's still that protective western-loving Dimitri that we fans of VA know and love.

The story in this book was, of course, really well done. Richelle Mead has such a great imagination. There's a huge new twist that will definitely change a lot in the upcoming books. I've always loved books set in boarding schools, so I'm so glad that Richelle has continued that aspect in this series. TGL is no different. It is also really nice that Sydney is able to drive around town so that we are not stuck on campus the whole story. One of the reasons that I love Richelle Mead's stories is that she always plans everything out so well and everything fits. There's never loose ends hanging that you know won't be resolved in later books, unless they absolutely need to be left unsolved. I'm excited to see more of what Sydney can do with the magic her teacher is forcing her to learn, as well as what will happen between Eddie, Angeline and Jill. Plus, of course I'm so anxious to see if Sydney and Adrian will end up together or not! PLEASE RICHELLE MEAD!

If you have not yet read the Vampire Academy books, go do that now. They are incredible and now this follow up series is just as amazing. I know some people may be reluctant to read them because of the vampire aspect, but it's so much more than that. VA is one of my top ten series I've ever read. So then if you read VA, you can read Bloodlines!!! I'm so so so excited to read The Indigo Spell now! I, once again, threw the book on the ground when I finished it because I really don't want to wait another year... But I know it will be worth the wait!

Happy reading everyone!
-Kristy

TGIF: Foretold release date!

Hello everyone!

 How's your day going so far? I hope it's going great because....

Isn't it a great thing, Friday? My day is going really great so far. It's my little brother's birthday today and so my mom is making ice cream cake, yummy! I have now passed the 50 follower mark and I'm on my way to meeting my goal of 75 by April 29th (my birthday), so thank you! AND, Richelle Mead just announced that the anthology Foretold, in which she has a short story about Rose and Dimitri visiting his family in Russia has been moved up to be released on August 28th! YAY!!!! Considering it was originally coming out in November, that's big news! The cover was released earlier this week so I thought I'd share that with you as well. I normally don't buy anthologies, but this one looks so great that I HAVE to get it!

 Goodreads Description:


Have you ever been tempted to look into the future? To challenge predictions? To question fate?

It's human nature to wonder about life's twists and turns. But is the future already written—or do you have the power to alter it?

From fantastical prophecies to predictions of how the future will transpire, Foretold is a collection of stories about our universal fascination with life's unknowns and of what is yet to come as interpreted by 14 of young adult fiction's brightest stars.











So, yeah! It has stories by authors like Richelle Mead, Lisa McMann, Laini Taylor and Meg Cabot. That's super exciting, and I'm really thrilled to find out what the contributed to this book! Okay, so the cover.... GORGEOUS. A little bit depressing, but it's still amazing looking. I actually really like the girl's dress.I know there's been some people saying they think it's ugly but I personally feel that it's perfect for this cover. Going back to the cover in general I think it has such a haunted feel to it, like she just woke up from a really bad nightmare or something. I mean, haunted is probably the look they were going for, so good job on that guys! Plus it's edited by Carrie Ryan which is pretty cool as well.

How excited are you for this anthology! I was jumping up and down when I saw Richelle's post about it, because if you've read the entire Vampire Academy series, you'll know how dramatic a trip to Russia would be for Rose and Dimitri! August 28th... CAN YOU COME SOON PLEASE!?

Have an excellent Friday everyone!
~Kristy

TGL: BIG NEWS!!!!!!!

Calling all Vampire Academy/Bloodlines fans!!! BIG.... HUGE... ENORMOUS NEWS!

Richelle Mead had her Twitter chat today and I was reading the transcription..... 

BLOODLINES IS COMING OUT JUNE 12th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Instead of coming out June 19th)

^My face, if I was a monkey...

Don't believe me? (About the news... I can't really prove to you how shocked I was...) http://penguinbtl.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/richelle-mead-twitter-chat-transcript.html 

A.K.A. News that just made my day!!!

Anyways... I just thought I'd let you know that amazing news, had you not already seen it! I'm just going to go mark my calendar... and change the countdown widget... and tell all my VA friends!!!!! 

Bye! 

~Kristy

The Golden Lily Description!

Hello everyone! I had the nice surprise after school today while checking out Richelle Mead's blog... The Golden Lily description is out! Let`s celebrate!

Isn't that exciting!? For any Vampire Academy fans this is BIG. There's just over four months until it's release on June 19th. I'm already trying to plan out if it would be better to go to the bookstore the day it is released or the day after! I`d love to pre-order it but there are too many risks that I am not willing to take... So here's the link to Richelle's blog. If you know the VA series and Bloodlines then hopefully this is something exciting to make you smile if you haven't already seen it.

The Golden Lily Description

 

Sounds exciting doesn't it? I saw somewhere that this book will be a little bit more exciting than the previous, much like how the VA books got more and more suspenseful and exciting as the time went on. If you haven't already read Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, they are the number one book series I would recommend. Give them a try if you'd like! 

Have a good night (or day, if that's what it is for you!)

-- Kristy

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

I know I didn't do individual reviews for each of the Vampire Academy books, (let me know if you want them though!) but I thought that considering the fact that this IS a new series it would make sense for me to have it's own review. WARNING: This WILL have spoilers for anyone who hasn't read the VA books after Shadow Kiss.
Bloodlines is still set in the Moroi/Strigoi/Dhampir world of Richelle Mead, but instead of following the Dhampir Rose Hathaway, it follows the Alchemist Sydney Sage.
Alchemists are humans that make it their mission in life to keep the secret of vampires from regular humans. They each have a tattoo of a golden lily that is infused with both magic and Moroi blood. These keep the alchemists from revealing anything about the vampires to the human world.

After Sydney  has dealt with the repercussions of helping Rose escape from court, she thinks she is done with dealing with those vampires. But when Jill Dragomir is attacked at Court, they whisk her, Sydney, Eddie and Adrian to Palm Springs so that the princess, Eddie and Sydney can attend boarding school while in hiding. This book follows smaller characters from the books, which is nice, seeing what happens to them.  As you can only imagine, there is a ton of drama that unfolds to make this book just as great as the VA books.

As much as I loved Sydney in this book, I did miss Rose a bit. We get to see her a little, but not much. I will say that if you are on more of the shyer, gaurded side like me, you'll probably be able to relate to Sydney a lot. I loved the little things in this book that were so small but so significant in the long run. It was definetely a book to read if you've read the Vampire Academy series, but I wouldn't suggest reading it if you have not read them. I can't wait for June 19th! The Golden Lily is sure to be AMAZING, as those of you who have read this book will know, considering the ending!

Let me know about the individual reviews on the VA books!
~Kristy

Order it Online: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

The Vampire Academy series has 6 books plus a new spin-off series called Bloodlines. I'll totally review Bloodlines soon, but I just wanted to know if anyone wanted individual reviews for each of Richelle Mead's VA books? I was thinking in this I'd just tell you guys about my love for this series in general and in the comments let me know if you want one for every book. :)

• I could tell you everything that goes on in the series but that would take all day. I'll just tell you what you need to know. There are three types of vampires:
• Moroi- Living vampires, does not kill for blood, uses magic representing one of the five elements (Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Spirit- the latter is very rare)
• Strigoi- Undead vampires that are made, not born. They kill for blood and are vicious, soulless creatures of the night.
• Dhampir- Half Moroi-Half human, most grow up to become Moroi guardians, protecting them from the wrath of Strigoi.

Rose is a dhampir sworn to protect moroi princess Lissa Dragomir. They are best friends who escaped their boarding school St. Vladimirs Academy after the death of Lissa's family. When they are dragged back, Rose has to overcome miraculous obstacles to keep Lissa alive while trying to fight her attraction to Dimitri, her insanely good looking instructor. 

These books were one of the most impossible series to put down. I loved them the minute I started reading the first one and afterwards, it took me all of 10 days to read all 6. They are most definitely romantic and extremely suspenseful. Honestly I think that if the right guy wanted to read them, he'd be sure to like them as well. There's a lot of action and adventure and Rose is not the type of character you get bored of very easily. She's determined and strong and not some needy whimpering girl. Honestly I'd suggest these books to anyone who likes fantasy books. Trust me, I was so tired of the vampire fanatics but these are so not sparkly, cold vampires. (I love Twilight, I'm just stating how different they are).

Out of any books I'll review, these are ones that I recommend with all my heart! I hope you enjoy them as much as I did if you do decide to go pick one up!

~Kristy

Order them online:
Vampire Academy (book 1)
Frostbite (book 2)
Shadow Kiss (book 3)
Blood Promise (book 4)
Spirit Bound (book 5)
Last Sacrifice (book 6)