Book Review: Richelle Mead's The Golden Lilly

Book 2 in Richelle Mead’s best-selling Bloodlines series is The Golden Lily. If you haven’t read Book 1, Bloodlines, check out my review here. Bloodlines is the spin off of Mead's international best-selling Vampire Academy series, featuring Sydney the Alchemist— a young member of a secret group of humans sworn to protect humans from the unearthly creatures like Moroi, Strigoi or anything mystically unnatural.

The Golden Lily starts off revealing part of the mystery behind the alchemist world. It gave me the creeps—which I loved!   Mead's a master at world-building in the urban fantasy genre. Her take alone on the Strigoi vampires is chilling indeed. Sydney is a brilliant young alchemist who has spent her whole-life learning that unnatural beings are mostly evil. Getting too close can reap heinous consequences. Now that she's deep in the Moroi, Dhampir and Strigoi world, is she strong enough to fight the allure of what the Alchemist's deem the dark side?

The Golden Lily was a wicked read.  Sydney was pushed to uncomfortable limits, including dating and her first kiss.  I loved that her potential romance was equally intelligent as her—which led to some hilarious situations and dialogue.  In the beginning, Sydney is reminded what it means to be an Alchemist and the horrific consequences that are at stake if she screws up.  Since being on assignment as a political ally to the Royal Moroi and Dhampirs, she’s tested all sorts of boundaries, including magic, friendship and love.  I remember in the Vampire Academy series thinking Sydney was such a nerd. And as I’m reading on in the spin-off Bloodlines series, I realize she’s still a nerd, and extremely cautious, but also incredibly loyal.  Ironically, that loyalty extends not to just her Alchemy roots, but to her new friends—the ones she’s been taught her whole life to fear.

This book was an excellent addition to the series and a 4.5.  And the way it ended with Adrian (swoon) all I can say is I can’t wait to read Book 3, The Indigo Spell.   For those interested, Mead recently posted Chapter 1.  Check it out below.
THE INDIGO SPELL by Richelle Mead (Bloodlines 3) - First Chapter

Have you read the Vampire Academy?  What about Bloodlines or The Golden Lily?  What are your favorites?

Mina B.

Book Review: Richelle Mead's Bloodlines

Bloodlines, Book 1 in Richelle Mead’s spinoff series, is a spectacular addition to the bewitching YA Vampire Academy series . From the beginning, I was drawn to the VA series and for me, Bloodlines, was like a continuation of a gripping story in an unforgettable fantasy world.

Early on, I read a bunch of reviews, and many readers tried to compare Vampire Academy to Bloodlines. Even more so, they attempted to compare the two main characters – which, in my opinion, can’t be done. If you haven’t read the Vampire Academy series, I implore you to do so. I can’t fathom how anyone would attempt to read Bloodlines without reading its predecessors. I think it’s safe to say that this is not a standalone novel. In order to appreciate the series, you must read them all! 

 

Bloodlines is its own unique tale, written from the perspective of an Alchemist or better yet, a human. Sydney Sage is a hard-nosed, street-wise young woman, maneuvering her way through a seemly dark world. Alchemists are a league of humans whose sole purpose is to protect humankind from the underminings and danger associated with the supernatural, i.e. Moroi, Dhampirs and of course, the Strigoi. These beings are unholy at best according to Alchemist teachings.

Being a staunch Alchemist, we first meet Sydney in Blood Promise; the pinnacle of emotional YA rollercoaster tales, I assure you (my review.) In Blood Promise, Sydney came across as stiff and reserved, but even back then, you knew there was more beneath the surface. That same attitude, plus much more was the foundation of Bloodlines. I was utterly captivated with Sydney’s determined spirit, despite all odds stacked against her. 

 

After Last Sacrifice, Sydney’s loyalty is called into question because she helped Rose Hathaway. She was barely forgiven and then quickly reassigned to assist another Moroi or vampire, Jill, the illegitimate daughter of Eric Dragomir and also the half-sister of Queen Vasilisa. Based on Moroi law, in order for Queen Lissa to retain her crown, there must be two living members of the Dragomir family. With many rumblings and threats at court, Jill’s safety is threatened and the decision is made to hide her. Because of the lives and repercussions at stake, the Alchemists agree to assist with hiding and intergrating Jill into a normal human life and ultimately assign Sydney to the task.  

Going undercover as Jill’s sister, Sydney and Jill end up being roommates, attending a boarding school in Palm Springs. There's an assortment of colorful characters along with for the ride too which made the book that much more delicious. Personally, I couldn’t get enough of Adrian. Thank God he’s in this series. As Sydney and Jill muddle their way through high school, Sydney begins investigating magic tattoos and a string of murder victims, including human, moroi and dhamphir.

For me, I loved delving into the perspective of an Alchemist and discovering however black or white their rules are towards the supernatural, Sydney lives in a perpetual state of gray. The fear Sydney had of the unnatural albeit magic, vampires, damphires and all the above -  felt real to me.   Her fear permeated so richly in this tale, I couldn’t get enough of it.  Bloodlines was so well done, it was an easy 4.5 for me.

Mina B.

Back to the Books Giveaway Hop

Hey, minions! Cue in holiday music..."It’s the most wonderful time of the year" blog hop, better known as the Back to the Books Giveaway Hop” (Pause for happy dance!) 

Now that we have that out of our system...once again, over 300 blogs are participating for a full week of BTS book giveaways. Wow! That’s huge, huh? Thank the gods too, cuz my Free Sh** Fairy had to work HARD to get this latest giveaway.

Since last year, fans of the beloved Vampire Academy series drank their last fill of the delicious YA vampire series and were sadly wandering aimlessly, searching for other YA tales that would measure up.  Let’s not kid ourselves, there's a ton of great YA books out there – but this series is on its own planet. Yes, it’s clearly that good because it's out of this world.  

Best selling author, Richelle Mead, as you know, recently launched her Vampire Academy spin-off series called, Bloodlines. Trust me, its sooooo goooooood! But if you need more convincing, see this EW post where it exclusively features the first four chapters.
 
And since my Free Sh** fairy has some serious connections, we now have a copy to give away to one lucky winner (pause for shrieks of joy.)
 
I know. I know. It’s hard to stay calm with news like that. Breathe. Again. Once more. Good. Now...want to know you can win?  Stupid question.

#123

Okay. Let me clarify again: One (1) lucky winner will win one (1) copy of Richelle Mead’s Bloodlines, Book 1 in the Vampire Academy spin-off series. 

The Back to the Books Giveaway Hop runs from 12:01 AM on Sept. 1st on through Sept. 7th, midnight – so you’ll have plenty of time to enter! Yahoo!
 
To enter…
You MUST be a follower of my blog and MUST fill out this entry form. (And yes, I do check GCF)

Extra entries…
+2 For Becoming my Fan/Like on Facebook/MinaBurrows
+2 Subscribing via email to my blog
+1 if you Retweet this on Twitter (limit 1 retweet)
 
Again, the giveaway runs from 12:01 AM on Sept. 1st on thru Sept. 7th, midnight. Contest is for US residents only. Want to see who else is participating? Visit I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and check out all the links and hop on by.

Mina B.


(Note: The Winner will be notified by email and will have no more than 72 hours to respond before another winner is drawn. Winners are selected by the reputable Random.org.)

Fun Stuff

Hey, minions.  I wanted to do this quick post.  As you can see, I changed a few things.  Why?  It’s a long story and the short of it is, it had to be done.  So, what do you think?  I hope you like.  I’ll be making a few code changes here and there but first, I want to share my new button.  As I go through the cumbersome process of changing my profile image – which is just about everywhere - I’m posting my button here with the code.  I’ve had issues with this button working in the past so this is sort of test post, if you will.  I know what you’re thinking…it’s over there so it should theoretically work, right?  Not so much.  Anyway, how does it look?

On another note, you can find me on Google Plus now! Wahoo!  I was excited to sign up but didn’t get a chance until recently.  Google is running a field trial right now so....are you a member of Google Plus?  Want to be?  Click here to sign up.  Also, if you want to join my circle, shoot me an email and I'll send you an invite.  

Lots of excited things going on in September.  First, I’m participating in a Back to School hop, starting September 1^st – and guess what the winning prize is….you guessed it Vampire Academy fans, Bloodlines by Richelle Mead.  Are you pumped yet?  You should be.  Stay tuned as I not only review this book in the next few days, but I’ll also have the giveaway post where you can enter to win. *squeak*

If you’re concerned about missing anything and you want the most up-to-date information when it’s posted, sign up asap for an email subscription and get instant access to my blog.

Until next time….

Mina B.

Hot News: Richelle Mead's Bloodlines Chapter 1

Ooooooh, I’ve been waiting for this for some time now!  There has been so much buzz about this that I had to do a special post.  As you know, Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy spin-off series, Bloodlines is set to release on August 23rd.  And thanks to a post I saw from MTV.com …they’ve finally released Chapter 1.  No, I haven’t read it yet.  And yes…I can’t wait! *squeals* Yipee!!!!

This series is one of my fav YA series.  If you haven't read the original Vampire Academy series yet, you're completely clueless.  But there's still hope for you.  How?  Check out some of my old reviews and get with the program.  I'd start with Book 1, Vampire Academy, of course, and then my favorite of the series, Book 2, Frostbite.

Happy Reading!  I'm so psyched for this book!

Mina B. 

Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy Movie Update

So I was super excited when I saw this MTV interview with Richelle Mead.  Since Last Sacrifice came out two days ago, the series has been on my brain.  Book bloggers are going insane, spreading the Last Sacrifice reviews like a bloody virus on the internet.  I’ve barely surfed, blogged, read email or tweeted for fear I’ll run across a Last Sacrifice spoiler, thus ruining it for me.  Normally, I could care less about spoilers but oh no…not with this book. And so…while I wait for my LS fix, I shall discuss the next best thing…the Vampire Academy film production.

If you get a chance, read this article, where Mead discusses about the process of bringing her bestselling Vampire Academy series to the big screen.  Authors like J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyers have substantial creative input in the film production of their bestsellers but what about Richelle Mead?  From the article, it doesn’t look like much is going on pre-production wise, but you never know with Hollywood.  Could production start as early as 2011?  Ooooh, wouldn’t that be divine?

Until next time…Last Sacrifice is here and the Vampire Academy movie could be right around the corner.

Mina B.