Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Release Date –  August 21, 2011
Publisher Website –  Penguin
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages -  421 pages
My Rating- 7.5/10
**Obtained from the library**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

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

I read all the Vampire Academy novels and followed Rose’s journey to the satisfying end. I was eager to pick up Bloodlines and see where this journey would take me.

The writing in this novel was on par with what you expect from Richelle. Her novels are engrossing and she makes you care about the characters. I this novel felt a little different than the Vampire Academy novels though. The plot twists were all pretty easy to figure out, especially because we know so much Sydney doesn’t.

Sydney is likeable enough most of the time, I just found it harder to connect with her than Rose. Her demeanour is suppose to keep people at arms length however, so that may have come from her character. I found her pretty judgemental at times, and I couldn’t relate to that. I mostly just missed Rose’s voice.

Adrian broke my heart in this novel. He’s still hurting after Rose. He is really sort of lost, and pretty much a mess. I enjoyed his friendship with Jill in this novel too. He is really sweet with her, and it brings out a side of Adrian that I really like.

I do love Adrian and Sydney’s chemistry though. She does something that nobody else has done before - she showed that she has faith in him. She expects more from him when others expect nothing. They use the whole “he’s Adrian” excuse for not expecting him to live up to his potential. Sydney pushes him to live up to it, and not for her, but for himself.

I am excited to learn about Eddie, and hope he is a large part of the next books. He was a character I really liked when we met him in Rose’s story, but he was always kept on the sidelines.

Getting to know more about Sydney’s “job” and how the alchemist stuff works was the high point of the novel. They group mentality that is pretty much programmed into them from a young age is a little scary though.

The ending of this totally makes me excited for the rest of the books . A certain someone shows up in the last few pages and that really got me wanting to read the next book.

While it was fascinating to find out more about the alchemists and Adrian, it has a different feel than the Vampire Academy series, and it may take some getting used to.