Book Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead.

Product details:
Publisher: Puffin/Razorbill
Paperback, 432 pages.
Release date: August 25th 2011
Rating: 3½ out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Source: Received from Publisher for review.

 Sydney protects vampire secrets - and human lives. Sydney belongs to a secret group who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the world of humans and vampires. But when Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, she fears she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. What unfolds is far worse. The sister of Moroi queen Lissa Dragomir is in mortal danger, and goes into hiding. Now Sydney must act as her protector. The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one..

Bloodlines, Richelle Mead’s hotly anticipated Vampire Academy spin-off and one of my most anticipated reads of the year is finally here. While it lacks the sizzling romance and page turning plot twists of the Vampire Academy books, Bloodlines is nonetheless a solid start to what will hopefully become an unmissable series. Opening in the aftermath of events in Last Sacrifice when rules were broken, hearts were shattered and the Moroi world welcomed a new leader in the form of Queen Vasilisa Dragomir, Bloodlines sees the action move from St. Vladimir’s Academy to Palm Springs where things are not always as sunny as they seem.

The action here centers around Jill Mastrano, who finds that being the only living relative of the new Moroi Queen is not all it’s cracked up to be when an attempt is made on her life.   With Jill’s survival essential to Lissa’s continued reign as Queen, the alchemists and the Moroi must do everything in their power to protect her from further attacks. A plan is put in place which sees Jill go into hiding at Amberwood Prep, an exclusive private school in Palm Springs, with Sydney acting as her sister and roommate.  Also along for the ride are Jill’s Dhampir guardian Eddie Castile, another alchemist called Keith, and Adrian Ivashkov, that hotter than hot Moroi party boy who surely doesn’t need any further introduction! Figuring that Palm Springs with its sunny climate will be a relatively safe haven from Strigoi attacks, Sydney anticipates an uneventful couple months in the company of Jill. However she soon discovers some strange goings on in Palm Springs with students sporting alchemist tattoos at every turn and a spate of Moroi murders which put her on high alert.  Danger is near and Jill might be next.

When I first heard that Richelle Mead was planning a Vampire Academy spin-off I was totally excited but also concerned when I heard of the choice of alchemist Sydney Sage as narrator.  While Sydney played an important role in later Vampire Academy books as our introduction to the world of the alchemists and as an ally to Rose, for me she was always a very forgettable character, and even dull at times.  That’s the problem with creating a heroine as kick-ass awesome as Rose - she’s a hard act to follow.  As an alchemist, Sydney has been raised to see vampires and their like as unnatural beings, but even though she is uncomfortable in their presence, she does her alchemist duty, protecting the human world from unsavoury vampire goings on. Sydney respects authority, she follows rules, she does what’s expected of her by her alchemist elders, and it’s safe to say that her life is not a whole lot of fun.  Also, while Rose Hathaway was lusted after for her sultry looks, Sydney is insecure and in need of constant reassurance as far as her looks and weight are concerned.  These character traits grated on me after a while and did little to endear me to Sydney, as she moaned about her dress size, complained about her looks and barely ate a complete meal throughout the book.

As with any first book in a series, there is a certain amount of world and character building in Bloodlines.  However, if you are contemplating picking up this book without having first read the Vampire Academy novels, I would strongly advise against it. Strigoi, Moroi and Dhampir politics and mythology are complicated at the best of times, and while you may enjoy Bloodlines on a superficial level without first having read the original series, you won’t fully grasp the intricacies of certain relationships or interactions without having the required background knowledge information those books will provide you with.

 Despite the fact that I haven’t yet fully warmed to the character of Sydney or her turn as narrator I can’t deny that I loved being back in the Vampire Academy world, particularly since Adrian is back too. I was saddened for Adrian as Last Sacrifice drew to a close, and I loved catching up with him here in the aftermath of  his heartbreak at the hands of one ‘little dhampir’. All I can say is that I’m really looking forward to what comes next for Adrian, because with one signature twist, Mead hooked me once again, and left me counting down the days to The Golden Lily, the next installment in the series, which releases in June 2012. Now I can’t wait to see how that particular twist plays out!