Release Date: June 12, 2012Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 418
Series: Bloodlines #2
Review Source: ARC from Penguin Canada
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spinoff series
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.
Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead's breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.
My Thoughts:
I was so excited to read an early copy of ‘The Golden Lily’, because I absolutely love Richelle Mead’s writing and the characters in this series. I loved seeing Sydney’s character growth in this volume, and especially seeing her interaction with the vampires. It was interesting how Sydney wrestled with all her previous notions about vampires and what she had grown up believing versus what she was experiencing for herself.
While I loved the reading experience, and I love the series and the world Richelle Mead has built, I also found myself a bit frustrated by how obvious some things were. Sydney is supposed to be incredibly intelligent, yet she couldn’t figure out who the “bad guy” was, despite how evident it was to me as a reader. I also thought Sydney’s blindness to Adrian’s feelings for her (and her feelings toward him) was a bit forced at times. I know she’s supposed to be book smart and emotionally awkward, but it seemed a bit too much. Despite that, I still found Sydney and Adrian’s interactions to be all kinds of adorable. I won’t even go into how much I love Adrian’s character, because we would be here all day. Love him, and love those two together.
Despite having a few reservations about this volume I still really liked it for the most part, and I feel like the action and the relationships are going to be even more amped up in the next book, which really excites me. If you liked 'Bloodlines' then you’ll definitely enjoy 'The Golden Lily'.
The Cover:
Love the title font/design and the colour.
Rating:
[4/5]Find The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.
I'm a big Richelle Mead fan--her adult stuff, anyway. I haven't read her YA stories. *ducks head in shame* I think I'll have to remedy this, starting with this series. Thanks for a great review!
ReplyDeleteSo excited to read this one. Yay for more Adrian. Glad to hear there's more character growth, even though you had some reservations.
ReplyDeleteAwesome review, Ashley!
I just finished reading this one today and loved it! I agree, Sydney should have figured out who the bad guys were sooner, but I think her cluelessness about Adrian stemmed more from the fact that a human/Moroi relationship isn't something would ever occur to her as a possibility. It felt to me like it fit her character.
ReplyDeleteAhh, I'm jealous you had an early copy of The Golden Lily. I love Richelle Mead's writing. =D I really need to read some of her adult series. My copy is coming on Monday, so excited. I can't wait for it!
ReplyDeleteGreat review. =D You've been reading some great books!
Do you think this series should only be read after completing the Vampire Academy series? Or can a fresh reader start this new series with no problem?
ReplyDelete