Review: The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead

Title: The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines #6)
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Release date: February 10th 2015

Rating: 4.5/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

You can read my review of The Golden Lily - here, The Indigo Spell - here, The Fiery Heart - here & Silver Shadows - here

THEY WILL BE TESTED

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives.

Their forbidden romance exposed, Sydney and Adrian find themselves facing the wrath of both the Alchemists and the Moroi in this electrifying conclusion to Richelle Mead’s bestselling Bloodlines series.

When the life of someone they both love is put on the line, Sydney risks everything to hunt down a deadly former nemesis. Meanwhile, she and Adrian becomes enmeshed in a puzzle that could hold the key to a shocking secret about spirit magic, a secret that could shake the entire Moroi world and alter their lives forever.

Don't miss their unforgettable final chapter...

LOVE WILL CONQUER ALL

This more than a review of The Ruby Circle, is me rambling about it.

Okay, and just to clarify Bloodlines is the spin-off of the Vampire Academy series, so after reading 12 books of Moroi, Damphirs and 8 books (of those 12) on the alchemists, the story comes to an end (hopefully not), no more books about Adrian Ivashkov, Sydney Sage, Rose Hathaway and/or Dimitri Belikov (unless I reread them). I will miss them....

There were many times throughout the series that I said that one of my favorite characters and my fictional boyfriend is Adrian Ivashkov (I love him since Frostbite), so I'm not very partial or impartial in regard to him, to all the other characters I can find fault on them but I just can´t any on him, and it was difficult for me to read this book, I did not want it to end, I was divided between read it slowly and enjoy it or hurry up and you just know how it ends.

I loved this book!!, I liked the action scenes because Sydney and Adrian fight with their powers such as human magic and spirit magic respectively, I also loved that Adrian does many things with spirit that I didn´t know he could do; also it has a good dose of romance, it has a good ending, but it didn´t felt so extraordinary, it was a little bit anticlimactic. But it's a good ending.

SPOILER - DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN´T READ THE RUBY CIRCLE - SPOILER

During this series the idea of ​​making some kind of vaccine? or potion? using spirit to help somehow the damphis and Morois with their battle against the Strigoi, made some progressing the previous book, but in The Ruby Circle I felt that there wasn´t a follow up.

I liked the fact that Dimitri is a relative of certain Moroi I adore and love, I found it very funny, but in my opinion it lacks a little of follow up.

Declan is character that´s introduced in this book and he becomes a very important little person in the life of Adrian and Sydney.

I liked the epilogue because it takes place a year and a half after Jill´s rescue and we can see most of the couples of the series having a Christmas dinner, catching up on their lives. But I felt that something was missing in the ending (IMHO)

Some of the details that I found in this book that also needed some kind of follow up were subplots that were left unfinished (or at least I did not read when they were resolved), such as the vaccine or potion of protection that Sonya Karp was working on, the new laws that  Queen  Lissa was promoting, I never knew whether or not they passed. And the army of Morois that are presented in this book, whom are preparing for combat damphir-style, but also including their powers, in order to promote another law, that the Moroi need to be taught to fight in their school years.

But overall, I really loved The Ruby Circle, is captivating is action-pack with, romance and we get to see a lot of cameos such as Rose, Dimitri, Lissa and Christian. I LOVED this series.

Review: Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

Title: Silver Shadows (Bloodlines #5)
Author: Richelle Mead 
Publisher: Razorbill
Release date: July 29th 2014

Rating: 4.5/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

You can read my review of The Golden Lily - here, The Indigo Spell - here, The Fiery Heart - here

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.
Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive.

For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .

Their worst fears now a chilling reality, Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour in this heart-pounding fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where all bets are off.

I really really loved Silver Shadows! It was everything I expected, but the first part of the book was painful to read Adrian´s POV.

Silver Shadows begins a few months after the ending of the previous book, which was left with a mega cliffhanger, Adrian still don´t know where is Sydney and he´s using a lot of spirit on his attempts to find her through dreams, consequently for this he´s having side effects on his mental health as darkness begins to take his thoughts and he returns to his old habits, hoping to combat some of the side effects.

Meanwhile Sydney is lock away and attempting to stay strong and cooperate so that they set her free although sometimes she has setbacks, but the thought of Adrian and her friends comfort her and she has one goal in mind, escape and she´ll do everything she can to see Adrian again.

Silver Shadows is told from the point of view of Adrian and Syndey, alternating from one to the other and although the first chapters from Adrian´s were painful to read, but once he overcome some obstacles, the Adrian we have known in the previous books returns.

I should also mention that I was surprised because some of the things that Adrian can do with spirit in this book, which I don´t remember that the other spirit users characters could do, it was a very good spin on his powers.

Something good for fans of the Vampire Academy series is that we get to see Rose, Dimitri, Lissa and Christian, so we can see more of them.

Silver Shadows is the fifth book in the Bloodlines series, it has more action than previous books, is a quick read, as the story flows nicely, the romance was cute, plus it has a very good ending. It hooked me to read the sixth and final book in the series. I love this series so it will be sad to say goodbye to it.

Review: The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

Title: The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4)
Author: Richelle Mead 
Publisher: Razorbill
Release date: November 19th 2013

Rating: 5/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

You can read my review of The Golden Lily - here & The Indigo Spell - here

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the wolds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives.

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her...

But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure — and re-education — looms larger than ever.

Pulses will race throughout this smoldering fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe. 

Warning:  I ramble a lot

Since I "met" Adrian Ivashkov in Frosbite second book from the Vampire Academy series, I've had a great inclination towards his character, I'm impartial when it comes to him and this series, he´s my bias ... Yes, I  know that the female lead is Sydney, but it was not until the end of the previous book and that she finally came to her senses and accept her feelings for Adrian.

And you might wonder... if I say that I'm super fan of this series, why I haven´t read The Fiery Heart sooner? .... well, when I pre-ordered this book from Book Depository, it didn´t arrived immediately (as you know for those who had order books there) and when I finally got it, there were several reviews published and some were commenting that this book ended in a super-mega cliffhanger, so I decided to wait until Silver Shadows come out and one thing led to another and The Ruby Circle I already was published, so now I'll read them almost back to back.

The Fiery Heart, takes place nearly a month after the events in the previous book and Sydney and Adrian are finally are a couple, which would be wonderful, if it were not for the very limited time they have to see each other and due that she's an alchemist and he´s a Moroi, their relationship is taboo, so they must keep it a secret from everyone and pretend when they are with others that everything is normal, the only one that knows about their relationship is Jill, because of the connection to Adrian (she´s shadow kiss). They also need to be more discreet and watch their backs because Sydney´s younger sister and alchemist fellow comes to live with her so she must share her room with her, which makes everything more difficult. Zoe comes with all the normal fears and prejudices of the alchemists, which prompts her to be extra careful and not appear very friendly with Adrian, Jill, Eddie, Angeline and Neil, because the alchemists could punished her if they discovered that she´s being friendly with the Moroi or dhampirs.

The story is told from alternating points of view of Adrian and Sydney, which I loved! because I could finally see how the use of spirit affects Adrian and which is the backwash for when he overuse spirit, how slowly is deteriorating his mental health.

There are several very interesting plots that thanks to the we get to see Rose, Dimitri, Lisa and Christian, and we can take a peek to their lives.

I loved The Fiery Heart!! so far it´s my favorite of the series, the romance was cute, I can see how Sydney is a very good influence on Adrian. Also it has some action scenes (not as many as in Vampire Academy, but  I can't complain). And that ENDING!! ..... it´s super-mega cliffhanger (no!!, why?!), and now that I have Silver Shadows in my hands I don´t have to wait long to read it. This is a book highly satisfactory for fans of the Bloodlines series (but that ending! ...).

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

Title: The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3)
Author:Richelle Mead 
Publisher: Razorbill
Release date: February 12th 2013

Rating: 5/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

You can read my review of  The Golden Lily - here

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series 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.

I LOVED The Indigo Spell, is a wonderful book and a must-read book that all the fans of the Bloodlines series and Adrian Ivashkov. Why? the reason is because Adrian is back!! the same as we saw him in the Vampire Academy series, he´s self-secured, disn´t brooding any more and returns his old self...the sarcastic, funny and witty, I LOVE him!!!(sorry - I ´m going to fangirl a bit).

I was prepared to hate Marcus Finch, because I dread the love triangle but I´m happy to inform you that there is NO love triangle!

The book is told from Sydney´s POV but first I´m going to praise Adrian Ivashkov, he´s is back to his old self more or less to the Adrian from VA, he´s sarcastic, funny (there are many funny moments involving him), charming, smart, sure of himself, sweet and loyal. I couldn´t stop laughing at times, he´s just hilarious! I loved Adrian before I read this book, now I LOVE him even more if that´s even possible.... he is beautiful!

Sydney ... mmm ... she is the heroine of the series and in the first book - Bloodlines, I didn´t like her much mainly for her insecurities (she had some), her almost cult-like following and beliefs of the alchemist ways but in the previous book and she began to doubt and wonder if it was correct all her beliefs. And is in this book that she openly questions her organization and she´s no longer sure that all that she was taught since childhood to be true, good for her.

My favorite secondary characters is Eddie, I like him a lot and I wish he had more scenes in the story and that he finally found the right girl. And I liked Rose and certain Russian damphir, Lisa and Christian cameos, it was good to see them again.

The Indigo Spell is the best book in the series Bloodlines, so far and although it is in the same world as Vampire Academy and there are many of the "old" characters in this series, Bloodlines is starting to take another route and although there is less fighting melee as in VA, there are other kind fights since Sydney and Adrian are not fighters, but they defend themselves with magic and some other defense movements. I'm dying to read the next book in the series - The Fiery Heart, because it will have Sydney and Adrian´s POVs!  Ohh ... and I loved the end of this book, I read it and reread it and reread it ..

The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

Title: The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2)
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Release date: June 12th 2012

Rating: 4/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she’s been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California–tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.

But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age–old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi—the fiercest vampires, the ones who don’t die. But it’s her fear of being just that—special, magical, powerful—that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else—someone forbidden to her.

When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney’s loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.

Should she trust the Alchemists—or her heart?

The Golden Lily is the second book in the series Bloodlines, the spin-off of the Vampire Academy series, a series that I LOVE! and is among my favorites. And also the main male character in this series is Adrian Ivashkov! so be prepared because I can fangirl a bit.

Adrian is part of Moroi royalty and he is part of the group that traveled to Palm Springs to keep "hidden"Jill. The best thing about this book is definitely Adrian Ivashkov!, he´s the best part of the book, I laughed with him and I cried for him. Adrian definitely is changing and is more mature, all thanks to the good influence of Sydney and but also because he wants to change, be better (insert sigh). Now about Sydney, she is an alchemist and she almost always follows the rules and has beliefs about Morois, damphirs and magic that are deeply rooted and because of this I sort of understand her to some extent her behavior towards these races and to my Adrian. She is academically smart, but she is too oblivious to everything else and because of the last chapter of this book, she is not my favorite person right now. Without a doubt:  The best part of the book was Adrian Ivashkov!

The Golden Lily is a book for fans (like me) of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, it has some action, the wonderful sarcasm Adrian, suspense and a little bit of mystery, although it was too obvious who w were the "bad guys" in this book. In this second book we see a little more about the alchemist´s world and how are they "corrected" when they became too friendly with the Moroi and damphirs. And now I have to wait until February to read the next book in the series - The Indigo Spell.

Favorites Quotes

Day 24. Situation is growing worse. My captors continue to find new and horrific ways to torture me. When not working, Agent Scarlet spends her days examining fabric swatches for bridesmaid dresses and going on about how in love she is. This usually causes Agent Boring Borscht to regale us with stories of Russian weddings that are even more boring than his usual ones. My attempts at escape have been thwarted thus far. Also, I am out of cigarettes. Any assistance or tobacco products you can send will be greatly appreciated.
-Prisoner 24601

“He wasn't like anyone I knew. In fact I was fairly certain there was no one in the entire world quite like Adrian Ivashkov.”

Book teaser trailer

My fave scene of this book!

**Spoilers** don´t watch if you haven´t read The Golden Lily