Summary:
"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 aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she struggles to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do.
Then she finally tracks down the elusive, enigmatic Marcus Finch-a former Alchemist who the organization denies exists, and who lives in shadows, on the run. With Marcus's help, Sydney realizes that the group she's been loyal to her whole life has been hiding the truth from her. Is it possible that her golden lily tattoo might have more power over her than she thinks?
As she struggles to come to terms with what that might mean, Sydney is compelled to use her growing magical powers to track down an evil magic user who is targeting powerful young witches. Using magic goes against everything she always thought she believed, but she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her special blood-or else she might be next.
Forging her own way is harder than Sydney ever dreamed. Maybe by turning off her brain-and following her heart-she'll be able to finally figure out where she belongs."
My Thoughts:
This was yet another amazing book by Richelle Mead. I enjoyed the Vampire Academy series with protagonist Rose, but the Bloodlines series has Sydney, and I feel that I can relate to her so much more. Yes, from time to time I may dream of being a hands-on kick-ass heroine like Rose, but in reality I am more of a scholar, trying to use my brain to solve a problem before resorting to violence.
So Sydney is a big reason to love this series, and I love seeing this world through her eyes, and seeing what happens as she learns more about things the Alchemists have kept secret and as she begins to accept the vampire and dhampir friends and trust them more and more, even though it goes against how she was raised. Of course, then you have to add in the use of magic, and it is a lot for Sydney to deal with, but you know, she handles it all fairly well.
Probably the biggest issue (though I don't like thinking of it as an issue) for Sydney to comprehend and accept is Adrian's feelings for her and her feelings for him. They make such a dynamic pair, and in a much different way than Rose and Dimitri did in the Vampire Academy series. Rose and Dimitri were huge physical threats, warriors, and Sydney and Adrian are not. I mean, they can fight and have had lessons on how to do so, but Sydney has magic and Adrian is a spirit user, so their skills lie in other areas. The true strength they have when battling off those against them is their ability to work together and to strengthen the other when they feel weak. Sydney and Adrian are there for each other, and I love watching them grow closer and closer through this series.
Richelle Mead said that The Indigo Spell would have the romance amped up more than the previous Bloodlines books, and she wasn't lying. I was getting Sydrian overload...if such a thing is possible. These two are so obviously meant to be together that the short-lived Rose/Adrian relationship is nothing but a shadow of a memory for me. Seriously, after reading all of this, how could anyone think otherwise. Adrian is becoming a better person in many ways, because of Sydney's influence and also because of his bond with Jill. But Adrian is making Sydney into a better person too. He calls her out when she's being silly, like with her borderline eating disorder, and you know what, I saw improvement on that minor plot in this book. Sydney even said that she isn't counting calories anymore, so hey, good job, Adrian.
Getting to meet Marcus and discover some of his secrets and such was certainly interesting, but I honestly felt it only served as a way to show Sydney some of the downfalls of the Alchemists. They are not what they seem and we are learning more and more about them as the series goes on. It will be very interesting to see exactly what happens when Sydney gets away from the Alchemists, which I think will honestly lead to some sort of battle (whether a physical one or one of wits, I don't know, but major conflict is coming).
I also feel that the person who moved in at the end of The Indigo Spell will only complicate matters for Sydney even more, but I'm not going to spoil that ending for those of you who have not yet read this book. It shouldn't need to be said, but I'll say it anyway: this book is a definite 5/5 from me!
Oh, and one more thing to say about how I excited I am for the next book, The Fiery Heart...it is going to switch perspective and have the POVs of both Sydney and Adrian, so this is going to be quite interesting. I can't wait to delve into Adrian's thought processes. The Fiery Heart will be out November 19, 2013.
So Sydney is a big reason to love this series, and I love seeing this world through her eyes, and seeing what happens as she learns more about things the Alchemists have kept secret and as she begins to accept the vampire and dhampir friends and trust them more and more, even though it goes against how she was raised. Of course, then you have to add in the use of magic, and it is a lot for Sydney to deal with, but you know, she handles it all fairly well.
Probably the biggest issue (though I don't like thinking of it as an issue) for Sydney to comprehend and accept is Adrian's feelings for her and her feelings for him. They make such a dynamic pair, and in a much different way than Rose and Dimitri did in the Vampire Academy series. Rose and Dimitri were huge physical threats, warriors, and Sydney and Adrian are not. I mean, they can fight and have had lessons on how to do so, but Sydney has magic and Adrian is a spirit user, so their skills lie in other areas. The true strength they have when battling off those against them is their ability to work together and to strengthen the other when they feel weak. Sydney and Adrian are there for each other, and I love watching them grow closer and closer through this series.
Richelle Mead said that The Indigo Spell would have the romance amped up more than the previous Bloodlines books, and she wasn't lying. I was getting Sydrian overload...if such a thing is possible. These two are so obviously meant to be together that the short-lived Rose/Adrian relationship is nothing but a shadow of a memory for me. Seriously, after reading all of this, how could anyone think otherwise. Adrian is becoming a better person in many ways, because of Sydney's influence and also because of his bond with Jill. But Adrian is making Sydney into a better person too. He calls her out when she's being silly, like with her borderline eating disorder, and you know what, I saw improvement on that minor plot in this book. Sydney even said that she isn't counting calories anymore, so hey, good job, Adrian.
Getting to meet Marcus and discover some of his secrets and such was certainly interesting, but I honestly felt it only served as a way to show Sydney some of the downfalls of the Alchemists. They are not what they seem and we are learning more and more about them as the series goes on. It will be very interesting to see exactly what happens when Sydney gets away from the Alchemists, which I think will honestly lead to some sort of battle (whether a physical one or one of wits, I don't know, but major conflict is coming).
I also feel that the person who moved in at the end of The Indigo Spell will only complicate matters for Sydney even more, but I'm not going to spoil that ending for those of you who have not yet read this book. It shouldn't need to be said, but I'll say it anyway: this book is a definite 5/5 from me!
Oh, and one more thing to say about how I excited I am for the next book, The Fiery Heart...it is going to switch perspective and have the POVs of both Sydney and Adrian, so this is going to be quite interesting. I can't wait to delve into Adrian's thought processes. The Fiery Heart will be out November 19, 2013.
The Indigo Spell at Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-indigo-spell-richelle-mead/1112117226?ean=9781595143198
The Indigo Spell at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Indigo-Spell-Bloodlines-Novel/dp/159514319X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360774168&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Indigo+Spell
Other Readings:
Currently I am reading Broken Illusions by Ellie James, Riddle in Stone by Robert Evert, and Empire State by Adam Christopher. I have three more regularly scheduled From the Stacks posts for this month (Mondays and Fridays) and then there are two bonus posts at the end of the month as well. Having these NetGalley books is definitely making my reading and reviewing schedule interesting.
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