{Review} Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Bloodlines
by Richelle Mead
Series: Bloodlines #1
Pages: 421
Release Date: August 23, 2011
by Penguin

Goodreads / Purchase

I wasn't free of my past, not yet.

Sydney's blood is special. That's because she's 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. But the last encounter Sydney had with vampires got her in deep trouble with the other alchemists. And now with her allegiences in question, her future is on the line.

When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the unlikeliest of places: a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one.

The Moroi court believe Jill and Sydney will be safe at Amberwood Prep, but threats, distractions, and forbidden romance lurk both outside - and within - the school grounds. Now that they're in hiding, the drama is only just beginning.

*REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS*

They are whited out so you can only read them if you highlight the text

This book and my opinion of it went on a rollercoaster and, unlike an actual rollercoaster, ended on a high.

At first I was having trouble accepting the whole premise. So, if I understand correctly, Alchemists are humans that are trained to cover up and hide the existence of vampires. [But the thing is, they just seem like normal humans who happen to really fucking hate vampires. It sounded like Sydney trained a lot, but she didn’t do much I, as a normal human, can’t. She wasn’t trained in fighting and can’t defend herself or others, which seems weird given how dangerous her job supposedly is. She just knows a lot about chemistry, that seems to be the only exceptional thing about her. She didn’t even convince anyone that vampires aren’t real, which is supposedly what she’s trained to do (sounds like a super hard job).] So the groundwork setting this book, and the ensuing series, is formed on, is incredibly shaky. [Furthermore, I don’t understand why she needed to be the one to room with Jill, especially since she can’t protect her.] I was also kind of annoyed because I couldn’t help it, I was comparing this book to what little I could remember of the Vampire Academy series, and this one just doesn’t even compare. [That series was full of badass fighting and complex plots and a sexy-ass love story, this one had to do with teenage angst and setting up underaged girls with older men. I wanted that badass paranormal bullshit, not some childish love triangle. That being said, I understand why Lee and Jill had to get together, because in the end all the plot points connected really perfectly and left a satisfying ending, but the staging for that ending could have been done so much better.


Here were my theories: I thought the tattoo guys at Nevermore were the ones killing moroi and taking their blood for their tattoos and the unidentifiable liquid Sydney stole from the shop was vampire venom (or whatever gives humans the high when vampires bite them). I also wrote that Lee was a snake, but I didn’t know why.] In the end, I oversimplified the story, and Mead made me pay for it. I was so disappointed by the basic high school storyline in the middle of a paranormal book that I didn’t think she could craft a story complicated enough to shock me. Well, I was wrong.[I loved how she put in the ravings of Clarence to throw me off, and how she made a seemingly straightforward storyline branch out and link with other twists that I never in a million years saw coming.] The staging wasn’t very smooth, but the end result was very impressive. There seemed to be quiet a lot of filler, like the book was half contemporary teenage drama and half paranormal thriller. The former sections were significantly less enjoyable than the latter and the two just didn't mesh well for me. Furthermore, something that really bugged me was the ongoing dialogue about Sydney's weight compared to Jill's, and how she got so worked up when she went from a size 2 to size 4 and that made her feel terrible. I didn't understand why that was necessary, but alas. I did guess the unidentifiable liquid though, so go me.



I enjoyed seeing Sydney develop over the course of the book. She was always strong, because it takes a certain kind of self control to keep composure when people are testing her, but I liked when she stood up for herself. Despite the fact that she spent her entire life training and has no useful skills as a result, I thought she was a decent character. I was a teensy bit annoyed with the attempt at relatability by making her "socially awkward because she was homeschooled". But man, love Adrien. Oh my god, that man is hilarious. I liked how Mead gave him more depth, we got to see that even though outwardly he seemed perfect, inside he was far from it, and that is a very important message to send. I also really enjoyed his personality and wit. I appreciated that Mead didn't shove Adrien and Sydney together in this book, even though she definitely set the groundwork. Since this is the first book in a long series, she can develop the relationship, which is better than insta-love.

I wasn’t as crazy about this book as I was about Vampire Academy and don’t think I’ll continue the series since I just can’t get behind this weak premise, but I was very impressed by Mead’s ability to craft a surprising and complex story, even with the bullshit matchmaking mixed in.

3 stars

Other Books by Richelle Mead



Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1) - Goodreads / Purchase / Review
Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2) - Goodreads / Purchase / Review
Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy #3) - Goodreads / Purchase / Review
Blood Promise (Vamire Academy #4) - Goodreads / Purchase / Review
Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5) - Goodreads / Purchase / Review
Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy #6) - Goodreads / Purchase / Review
The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) - Goodreads / Purchase
The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) - Goodreads / Purchase
The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4) - Goodreads / Purchase
Silver Shadows (Bloodlines #5) - Goodreads / Purchase
The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines #6) - Goodreads / Purchase
The Glittering Court (Glittering Court #1) - Goodreads / Purchase
Midnight Jewel (Glittering Court #2) - Goodreads / Purchase
The Emerald Sea (Glittering Court #3) - Goodreads / Purchase

Q. What did you think of the book? Have you read her other books?