Series: Bloodlines #3
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: February 12th 2013
My Rating: 4.5 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):
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 organisation denies exists, and who lives in shadows, on the run. With Marcus's help, Sydney realises 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 realises 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.
The hotly anticipated third installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series.
When The Indigo Spell was published, I decided I was going to be brave and patient and not read it right away. After all, I would've had to wait 9 months and 7 days (yes, I actually took the time to calculate that. You can call me a geek, I won't mind!) for the next book and I was pretty sure I was going to spend all that time mentally kicking myself for being a fast, impatient reader.
I told myself that if I waited, I'd get to read two new installments back-to-back in the same year, instead of just one and be miserable waiting. I think the last time I ever had that magnificent experience of two books of the same series out in the same year was around...2010? So I was excited about waiting that long for the books and I thought I could do it. I waited. But then I saw the book trailer for The Fiery Heart and my curiosity won. So I grabbed the book yesterday and finished it last night. Of course, now I'm mentally kicking myself for being a fast, impatient reader.
I really, really loved this book. The pace was great, I got to see some old characters that I love and adore, some butterfly-inducing moments, funny moments, some drama. You know, it was COOL!
Sydney is turning into such a strong woman. She's starting to question a lot of things about herself and about the cause she was born into and I really believe this is a good thing for her. I can finally understand why she's the lead heroine of the Bloodlines series. While Rose was a strong character from the very beginning of the Vampire Academy series, or at least that's how I saw her, that hasn't been the case for Sydney. Now, however, I can see she has the potential of becoming as strong as Rose, not necessarily physically strong, but mentally. I have a feeling she's going to be phenomenal in the next three books.
Adrian is.... well, he's the Adrian we all know and love. He's even sexier than before, if that's even possible. What is so amazing about him is that, out of all the characters in this series, he's the one that makes the most sense at times and he's the most level-headed one. Which is kind of a big deal, to be honest, considering his particular problems with his magical qualities. Not only that, but looking back at the Adrian he was at the beginning of VA, I can easily see he's come a long way and he's so much more mature than when he first showed up in the books. And did I mention hotter? He is hotter.
As for the other character, they're an interesting bunch. Eddie is a puzzle to me. I can't really understand him at times. I feel like he needs something to happen (or maybe someone) to make him the strong character I think he can be. Then there's Jill, who is very insightful for someone so young. And she's a good kid. I like her. I hope she and her Big Sis will sort things out and have a real relationship. Angelina is... I have to be honest and say she's a little annoying. I can somewhat understand it, because she is still adjusting to a new world and a new set of rules about a society she knows absolutely nothing about. So maybe I am being a little too hard on her.
There were only two things that I didn't particularly like in this book. One was Marcus and the other one was this book's villain. For the latter, I was hoping something more... maybe more dangerous, more cunning, more evil, something else. It was surprising, meaning I was expecting something else entirely, but I was waiting for something a little bigger than what it turned out to be. As for Marcus, I was waiting for him to be different. Stronger, maybe. He just wasn't the guy I thought he was.
Thankfully, I don't have to wait too long for the next book, only one month and 9 days. What I love about this two books in particular is that if you read The Indigo Spell you will understand the title of the next book. I love when that happens. The sad part about getting two books in one year is that the series ends sooner *pout* I'm not happy about that at all, but I can only hope that Richelle Mead will continue writing in this world after Bloodlines ends *fingers crossed*
