The Golden Lily, by Richelle Mead

Series: Bloodlines, #2
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: June 12, 2012
Genre: Young Adult - Urban Fantasy
Read it in: 5 days
Source: Own
Challenge: TBR Pile, ABC Reading 
Rating: ★★★★★

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.

So here I am once again left staring at the screen wondering what the hell I'm going to say about a Richelle Mead book. I've only read her Vampire Academy series, plus the two Bloodlines books, but I have to say that Richelle is an amazing writer. AMAZING!

She always has me dying to read the next book in a series, and then when I finally get a copy of it, I don't want to read it. I want to save it. And then when I finally do start it, I get sucked in. So completely sucked in.  I love when a book grabs you and takes you to another world. Another world where you feel all these amazing feelings that the characters feel. They feel the same feelings we do, but for some reason ALL of their feelings are amazing. Whether they are truly happy, or completely and utterly heartbroken.

The Vampire Academy series, and it's spin-off Bloodlines series does that to me. The Golden Lily did that to me.

I've heard a lot of people say it was kind of slow, and it kind of was, I'll admit that. But I was so sucked in with the plot and characters, that I didn't mind. It could be a story of their every day life, from brushing their teeth, to getting ready in the morning, to going to sleep at night and I wouldn't care! Because not only does the plot make up the story, but the amazing, REAL characters.

I'll admit, too, that I sat there, reading, and waiting for something to happen with Adrian and Sydney. I want something to happen between them SO bad. I want--no, need--them to be together. NEED. I love Adrian and he deserves to be with someone like Sydney. They have amazing chemistry, even if they don't see it. They are so different, but they help each other perfectly.

Also, there are new things brought into this story. You hear about them in the first book, but you think its just a myth. But you're introduced to them in this one. The vampire hunters. Even though I knew that they would probably pop up with all the talk about them in the first Bloodlines book, my mind was completely blown when they did pop up. I literally had to stop and whoop before continuing reading because I was excited. I mean, yeah, they aren't exactly "exciting", they are scary and they pissed me off. But that's also what makes them exciting, if that even makes sense. Even though I hold my breath at the action parts, hoping my favorite characters will be fine, I still love them. Doesn't everyone?

Overall, I could go on and on and on with this book and it's series. But I need to draw a limit at times. I have no real problems with this book except for the fact that I always dive into a reading rut when I finish it's series books. Always. It never fails. it takes me a while to get my head out of the VA world. I'm writing this a full six days after I finished it and I've probably started and put down at least that many books in those last six days.

By the way, if you haven't read the Vampire Academy series, please go do that right now. Please. Do the world a favor. And me. Also, if you've read the Vampire Academy series, but haven't stared the Bloodlines series, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! Go. Now. I'm not kidding. DO IT.
                                                                                                                                           

Author Info: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Buy: Amazon | The Book Depository

The third book, The Indigo Spell, will be released on February 12, 2013. 

Waiting on Wednesday, #40

Waiting on Wednsday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. WOW spotlights upcoming releases that you are dying to read and can't wait to get your hands on!

The Golden Lily, by Richelle Mead
(Bloodlines, #2)
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: June 12, 2012
Pre-Order: Amazon

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.

Why do I want it? Richelle Mead. Vampire Academy spin-off. Adrian!! I loved the first book in this spin-off series, as I did the whole VA series, so of course I'd have this book on my wish list! =D 

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
(Bloodlines, #1)
*Note: Spin-off series of Vampire Academy
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: August 23, 2011
ARC: 432 pages
Age Group: Young Adult
Buy: Amazon
Source: BookDivas
Challenge: 350 page
Rating: 5/5

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.

First of all, I am a HUGE Vampire Academy fan. Richelle Mead is a fantastic writer. You know how a lot of series start out AMAZING, but then each book keeps getting worse and worse until finally they are too horrendous to even think about? Yeah, well that is DEFINITELY NOT Vampire Academy. Each book got better and better and I was very sad to see it end. 


But, you know, the world didn't end. Richelle created another fabulous series. A spin-off series of Vampire Academy. When I first heard about Bloodlines, I was super ecstatic. But a little sad because I knew Rose wouldn't be the main character. 


When I got this in the mail from BookDivas, I freaked out and did my happy dance. Seriously. Outside my apartment with my neighbor to see. And then ran into the apartment screaming for my husband to see because he knew I was DYING for Bloodlines. 


Bloodlines didn't disappoint me. It took me  a little bit to read it because I didn't have much time and I just really didn't want to finish it, ha! Bloodlines is a bit different than Vampire Academy. You get to see through the eyes of Sydney, an alchemist, who grew up being brainwashed that all vampires were an abomination. (Say whaat?!)


So throughout her whole life, up until she met Rose, she completely despised vampires. You still see a lot of that with how she acts around them, but you can tell she is starting to have her own opinion about certain ones. 


Richelle didn't disappoint me with Bloodlines, ever since Vampire Academy I have had VERY high expectations for Richelle's writing. In Bloodlines, just like all her other books I've read, she grabs a hold of you and doesn't let go until the very last word in the book, and then leaves you thirsting for more. 


I can't wait to dive into the next book and see what will happen next in the alchemists world. And ooh la la, with Adrien. Hopefully there will be some love in the next one. I'm actually rooting for a certain sexy spirit user (You know who I'm talking about.) and a young, alchemist. =D


Overall, I really loved this book and can't think of anything that really bothered me about it, except the fact that two people that I wanted to get together didn't in this book. Boo!


I really like the cover. I think they found a dead on image for Sydney. =) 

The second book in this series is The Golden Lily. It will be released on June 19, 2012. (My b-day! Exciting!)