Bloodlines

4 1/2 stars - Bloodlines is a companion book to Mead's Vampire Academy series in which Alchemist Sydney is the main character. Sydney, who is not in very good standing with the Alchemists after helping Rose and Dmitiri in the Last Sacrifice. Because of that, her father wants to send her younger sister, Zoe, on the next mission, which is to keep Lissa's half-sister, Jill, safe as she hides out (undercover), at a boarding school in Palm Springs, CA following an attack on her life. Because no one is to know she's there, she travels with only her guardian and Vampire Academy partier Adrian Ivashkov, who is as mopey and drunk as ever since Rose broke his heart. He's also less than happy that Abe Mazur is having him stay with an old vampire who has distanced himself from vampire society in general following the death of his niece.Despite being in hiding, there are plenty of things to make Sydney's job harder, from keeping who and what they are hidden from the humans in Palm Springs, an Alchemist partner who she doesn't get along with and trying to keep Adrian in line to something Sydney's never had to deal with...high school and making friends. I liked Sydney right from the get go, so I was happy to hear that Bloodlines was going to be told from her point of view. I also thought it'd be interesting since she's a human who thinks the Moroi and dhampirs are unnatural and only a few steps down from Strigoi on the monster scale.There was a lot going on in this book, but it didn't have the, I guess urgency or angst might fit, that the Vampire Academy books, especially the later ones, had; not that this was a fluffy or funny book. I'm not really sure if that makes sense, but there was just something that I thought was subtly different, which was a really good thing. It may be that it didn't revolve around the St. Vladimir's Academy and all of the training and fighting as well as that it was set in the human world; whatever it was, I liked it. I also liked that Mead didn't suddenly make Sydney totally warm up to the vampires and dhampirs, that, while you could see a change in attitude, some things still totally freaked her out, like vampire magic. Sydney is a really likeable character who's down to earth, snarky and smart (except for worrying about wearing a size 4 instead of a size 2, ugh.). She definitely grows in this book and we find out more about her past, as well. Adrian, who I liked, but also annoyed me with his lazy, partying attitude and lifestyle that only got worse after Rose dumped him, is also a central character and, though I can't say that he totally grows up, there's some definite differences in certain aspects of his character as the book progresses. As with Sydney, though, I guess it would be unrealistic for him to suddenly do an about face. Having said that, I do hope he continues to mature. At first I was kind of like, blech, boring, knowing that Jill was also going to be a main character and, while she didn't wow me, I ended up liking her. Jill's guardian is Eddie, also from the VA series, which was kind of cool. He's obviously been through a lot and I look forward to seeing more of both him and Jill in future books.Romance-wise ***skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to know anything***, while I was kind of hoping one of a couple guys would noticeably be a possible romantic interest for Sydney (and yeah, I think someone was, though things might change in book two), I liked that there wasn't much going on. Again, it would've seemed rushed and forced given Sydney's nature and beliefs.I really enjoyed Bloodlines and would recommend it to anyone, though I think fans of the VA series will especially enjoy it. There was no cliffhanger at the end of the book, but there are a few things that will definitely have to be addressed at some point in the series. While what happens to help set up The Golden Lily (literally in the last sentence) isn't a shocker, it totally helps whet your appetite for it.

I was a little late jumping on the VA train, I only finished the series last month and it is one of my favorite YA series! So, getting more of this world is so much fun since I am already so invested. I would definitely recommend reading the VA series before Bloodlines. I don’t think you’ll be able to fully understand/appreciate the characters and what is going on without reading it beforehand. Beware! There are massive spoilers if you haven’t read Vampire Academy…Bloodlines is told in Sydney Sage’s POV. She is an Alchemist, which is someone who pretty much cleans up and tries to prevent vampire-related incidents in the human world. It is a job passed down throughout her family and one they take very seriously. Her whole life she has been taught that vampires are evil creatures. Because of the actions Sydney took during VA to help Rose, she is on thin ice with her father and the Alchemists. Even to the extent that she has been called a “vamp lover” which is a very derogatory term in their eyes.This book picks up shortly after where the final VA left off, with Lissa beginning her reign as Queen. Due to the crazy vampire laws, this has put Lissa and her half-sister, Jill in great danger. To eliminate possible threats against Jill, it is decided that it would be best for her to be moved and hide out in Palm Springs for a while. This is what brings Sydney, Adrian, Eddie, and Jill all together (they have to pretend to be siblings. LOL!)The relationships between all the characters were so drastically different. There is history between some and not much between others, but lots of FEELINGS, whether good or bad. It was really interesting trying to guess how all the characters feel about one another and who may develop deeper connections throughout the series.Sydney and Adrian’s umm… friendship? was one of my favorite parts of the whole book. They don’t quite know what to make of each other, but there is curiosity there and I loved the banter! And Adrian calls Sydney “Sage” swoooon! <3 He is just so much freaking awesome! He is such a brat, but in a completely charming way and his humor is perfection! I want more of them. I really, really, really hope their developing friendship turns into much more as the series progresses!“Sage, aren’t you guys supposed to have uniforms? This looks like what you usually wear.” “Cute.” I said, suppressing an eye roll. Adrian gave me a mock bow. “Careful. You almost smiled.”Sydney is a great heroine for this series. She is such a drastic change from Rose’s badass self in VA. Sydney is so smart and she has such a passion for learning and excelling. She is a complex character, although she is much stricter in her beliefs about rules, she still has a compassionate side that takes over when someone needs her help. She is oddly charming and her slight awkwardness is completely endearing. I love how she thinks, she is so in her head all the time, analyzing things rather than just feeling.“I’d never been in love and had no point of reference to really judge. Base on what I’d observed in others, I assumed it was an amazing thing… but for now, I was too busy with my job to notice its absence. I wondered if I should be disappointed by that.”Throughout the book we meet quite a few new characters as well. I was constantly trying to determine who was going to be important to the story, who may not be what they seem, who was lying, who was be honest. I was always questioning EVERYTHING in this book. I was a suspicious, conspiracy theorist the whole time! There are a few pretty big twists and possibly shockers throughout that definitely kept things interesting.I felt like this book was a good introduction to this spin-off series. There were parts where it dragged a bit, but I was still interested the whole time. The last 20 pages or so really start to set up the second book and I am really excited to see what is going to come! And the last line! OMG, so excited and nervous!A solid 4 stars for a promising start to the Bloodlines series!For more reviews go to [...]

amazing characters, amazing story, worth every penny

Can't wait to read them

El libro llegó con roces y páginas dobladas.

Llego en perfectas condiciones, mucho más rápido de lo que esperaba y lo ame.

It was good n the book but was in a poor condition with stained pages and a little bit worn out