Review – Bloodlines (Bloodlines, Book 1) by Richelle Mead (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 432 pages
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: August 23, 2011
ISBN: 978-1595143174
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Bloodlines series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

I’ve had this book for a while and just finally got around to reading it. It is a well done story but the characters didn’t capture my heart like the ones in Vampire Academy did. Still the main character, Sydney, grew on me by the end of the book and I am eager to see where the next book in the series, The Golden Lily, takes the story. It looks like there are six books planned for this series (two books a year through 2014).

After helping out Rose in the last Vampire Academy book, Sydney is in trouble with the Alchemists. Still they need her to do a job that will have her in close contact with the Moroi. With Lissa on the throne, her only living family is Jill; if Jill dies Lissa looses the throne. Lissa is working on changing the law that links family to throne, but until then Jill must be protected at all costs. So Sydney is sent to be Jill’s roommate at a boarding school in Palm Springs of all places. Sydney’s job is to protect Jill until the law is changed. Along with Jill Sydney finds some of our favorite characters from Vampire academy (Adrian and Eddie). While there Sydney uncovers a rash of murders that may closely involve the Alchemists.

The story was very well done and very interesting. We get to learn a ton more about the Alchemists and it was great to learn. It was also fun to see Rose, Dimitri, and Adrian from Sydney’s perspective.

Sydney isn’t my favorite lead; she comes off as too stiff and too proper to be all that likable. As the book goes on though she grows and changes and by the end of the book I liked her a lot better. Jill also wasn’t my favorite either; she comes off as weak and easy to manipulate for most of the story and I wish she had shown more backbone.

Adrian though is one of my favorite characters and he was pretty darn awesome in this story. I can’t wait to see where the next story takes him. Eddie was also very well done and it was great to read more about him as well.

The plot is very intricate, there are a lot of politics, and a lot of twists and turns, as well as a little romance here and there. This story definitely isn’t as romance focused as Vampire Academy was and none of the characters have the sizzle that Rose and Dimitri had. Still it was a very well done story and I enjoyed reading it.

Overall while this wasn’t the absolutely awesome reading that the first Vampire Academy book was it was a solid book that fans of the series should enjoy. Sydney wasn’t my favorite heroine but by the end of the book she started to grow on me. I do love that Adrian is in here and can’t wait to read/learn more about him. Fans of paranormal YA and of the Vampire Academy series should find a lot here to love; although I will warn that Sydney is a much tamer heroine than Rose and there isn’t as much sizzle to this book as there was to the first VA book.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
– 150+ Books Reading Challenge
– TBR Pile Reading Challenge