REVIEW: The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

Pub. Date: February 12th 2013
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 401
Readership: Young adult
Genres: vampires, magic, fantasy

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.  

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series 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.

I don't even know where to begin! I'm still reeling from the events in The Golden Lily and then The Indigo Spell went and got released. Sheesh!

All the buildup - like Richelle's and Penguin's tweets - had me very excited but it also had my expectations very high. Sydney and Adrian are one of my favorite YA couples, characters and dynamics after all. I'm happy to say that the book blew away whatever high expectations that I had.

There was no slowing down with The Indigo Spell, no lulls where not much was happening. There was always something that was important to the plot going on and that was great. It made me keep turning the pages and accidentally staying up until 630 in the morning to keep reading. Which is a habit I need to break, because I need to sleep! But anyway, The Indigo Spell is more page turning than the first two. I could not stop.

Adrian was as amazing as ever which was no surprise to me. There's none of the melancholy, mopey, down in the dumps Adrian we saw a bit of in the last book. He's now resolved and determined when it comes to Sydney and his feelings so he's back to being the Adrian we all love: clever, sarcastic, witty, charming and of course completely heart and pants melting. There are of course a few worrisome moments when it comes to spirit and the moments of insanity that comes with the magic but he takes them in stride. He knows the repercussions of using so much of his magic but he doesn't care because it helps people he loves. Someone he loves. I think I want my own Adrian, to be honest.

I can't believe how much Sydney has grown from when we first me her back in the VA series. She's still the same super intelligent, driven person we met in Blood Promise but now she's questioning the Alchemists. She doesn't just blindly take orders anymore. She wants to know why, she wants to know more. She's doing things that she might not have been comfortable with before and that would get her in deep trouble her people but doing them anyway because it's what she wants. Things that are for the best and would protect people and herself from danger. She does them now when the girl we first met would run away screaming. She's growing into a really badass heroine without losing who she is at heart.

I won't even get started on the romance between Syd and Adrian because that would spoil but W-O-W. I didn't expect to get half as much as we did. I still can't believe we got so much.

The Indigo Spell wasn't just about Sydney and Adrian. We saw more of Eddie, Jill, Angeline, Trey and their lives and problems and we met a few new characters. Specifically Marcus, a rogue Alchemist who left the organization because he too began to question things.

There was no shortage of amazingness in The Indigo Spell. And in true Richelle fashion, the end left off with a zinger that makes me wish I had a time machine so I could go forward to November for the next book.

★★★★★ 

I LOVED IT

PURCHASE

(amazon hardcover) (amazon kindle) (the book depository)

REVIEW: The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

Pub. Date: June 12th 2012
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 418
Readership: Young adult
Genres: vampires
Rating: ★★★★★ 

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.

I always say that it's nearly impossible to write a review for a new book in a series without spoiling. It is. I will do my best to be vague but to the point about things. This review may be short but it will be without spoilers.

Did the wait for Book 2 in the Bloodlines series kill anyone else? I know it killed me! Richelle does not disappoint in the second. If anything, Richelle exceeded any expectations I had for The Golden Lily. I knew I would enjoy it. Obviously, I would enjoy it, but to me a good book doesn't just make you feel good; it makes you want to hurl it at a wall sometimes because you're just too overwhelmed and invested in the characters, whether they make good or bad decisions. This is what The Golden Lily did to me.

Sydney was as amazing as ever. She's still a great alchemist but she's growing and changing. She's straying slightly from the cut and dry alchemist mindset. She's becoming friends with the moroi and dhampirs she has to protect because of her job. She's beginning to care about them. She's beginning to see that everything is not as black and white as she was raised to believe. She's still slightly uptight and stubborn at times but it's wonderful to see how far she has come. I can't wait to see how much more she'll grow and change as the series progresses.

Then there's Adrian. He is by far one of my favorite fictional characters ever. He's not perfect but that's probably why I adore him so much. He has flaws. Quite a few of them, actually. But somehow that makes him all the more endearing and amazing. He's also grown so much from when we first met him in Frostbite. Adrian is someone you root for; in The Golden Lily especially.

The dynamic that Syd and Adrian have is fantastic. They are so genuine when they're around each other. Adrian let's his walls down around Sydney and allows him to see the real him. Sydney is funny and light around him when she's usually in serious alchemist mode. You really root for the two of them. (and for Sydney to realize that Adrian is so obviously in love with her but that's another issue entirely!)

I thoroughly enjoyed The Golden Lily. I read it slowly because I didn't want it to end. I am not prepared to wait 7 more months for the next book in the series. The Golden Lily is action packed, emotional and just down right awesome. Fans of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, the first in the series, will be pleased with this book.

purchase / purchase