Reread Book Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Bloodlines #1
Audience: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date:  August 23rd 2011
My Rating: 4 Cups
Source: My copy
Blurb (from Goodreads):

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.

My buddy read with Jamsu @ Jamsudreams continues with Bloodlines by Richelle Mead. I've been dying to get to this series ever since Sydney was introduced in Blood Promise. As fun as it was revisiting Rose and Dimitri, Sydney and Adrian's story is the one I've been meaning to read for the past few years. I've always been afraid of reading the last 2 books in this series, but having Jamsu as a reading partner helps me get over my "reading the last book in a series" fear.

This is also my 3rd time rereading Bloodlines. Let me tell you what I saw differently this time.

Bookshelf Symphony Orchestra

I've never made it a secret that my love of books is only matched by my love of music. So today I am very happy to bring you the best of both things. Welcome, to the Bookshelf Symphony Orchestra!

Reread Book Review: Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Vampire Academy #6
Audience: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date:  December 7th 2010
My Rating: 3 Cups
Source: My copy
Blurb (from Goodreads):

They come first.

My vision was growing dimmer, the blackness and ghosts closing in. I swore it was like I could hear Robert whispering in my ear: The world of the dead won't give you up a second time. Just before the light completely vanished, I saw Dimitri's face join Lissa's. I wanted to smile. I decided then that if the two people I loved most were safe, I could leave this world.

The dead could finally have me.

Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules. She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir's Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardians to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose - for a crime she didn't even commit. She's in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She'll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.

But the clock on Rose's life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back...and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your whole life is about saving others, who will save you?

Join Rose, Dimitri, Adrian, and Lissa in Last Sacrifice, the epic, unforgettable finale to Richelle Mead's international #1 bestselling Vampire Academy series.

The day has come, my dear fellow book lovers. Jamsu and I are finally at the end of our Vampire Academy buddy reread. I didn't imagine I'd be this happy to read the final book in a series that I love so much, but here we are. Here's the thing. This reread has made me realize once again that the way one feels about the book they're reading is influenced by a lot of things that are not related to the book itself. Let me tell you all about it.

Bookending Spring 2020: Who Am I?

Bookending Spring is an event hosted by Clo @ Cuppa Clo and Sam @ Fictionally Sam

Welcome to the third prompt of Bookending Spring my fellow book lovers! Sammy Sam's choice for this prompt fits me like a glove. I am a cover hoe lover and I will take any and all opportunities to stare at pretty covers. I have chosen my books in the past just because of the cover, as I've previously stated. Here's the prompt info:

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover the remix edition! Let’s see if you can accurately guess a book’s synopsis–solely on the cover alone.

Sounds awesome, right? Let's get started!

Bookending Spring 2020: The Wedding Tag

Bookending Spring is an event hosted by Clo @ Cuppa Clo and Sam @ Fictionally Sam

The second prompt of Bookending Spring is hosted yet again by out wonderful Sammy Sam, and this time she's come up with an original tag. Here's more about this prompt:

An Original tag that plays off the wedding phrase: “Something Old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.”

Are you excited? Because I am. Let's get started!

Bookending Spring 2020: Knock Offs

Bookending Spring is an event hosted by Clo @ Cuppa Clo and Sam @ Fictionally Sam

It's April 1st people, which means the awesomeness called Bookending Spring has just started. The timing of this couldn't be better, since we need a distraction from the quarantine. If you need more information about this event go to Sam's blog, check out the rules, the prompt hosts, and sign up! Let's start!

Book Review: This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada

Author: Emily Suvada

Series: This Mortal Coil #1
Audience: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dystopia
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date:  November 7th 2017
My Rating: 4.5 Cups
Source: RivetedLit
Blurb (from Goodreads):

In this gripping debut novel, seventeen-year-old Cat must use her gene-hacking skills to decode her late father’s message concealing a vaccine to a horrifying plague.

Catarina Agatta is a hacker. She can cripple mainframes and crash through firewalls, but that’s not what makes her special. In Cat’s world, people are implanted with technology to recode their DNA, allowing them to change their bodies in any way they want. And Cat happens to be a gene-hacking genius.

That’s no surprise, since Cat’s father is Dr. Lachlan Agatta, a legendary geneticist who may be the last hope for defeating a plague that has brought humanity to the brink of extinction. But during the outbreak, Lachlan was kidnapped by a shadowy organization called Cartaxus, leaving Cat to survive the last two years on her own.

When a Cartaxus soldier, Cole, arrives with news that her father has been killed, Cat’s instincts tell her it’s just another Cartaxus lie. But Cole also brings a message: before Lachlan died, he managed to create a vaccine, and Cole needs Cat’s help to release it and save the human race.

Now Cat must decide who she can trust: The soldier with secrets of his own? The father who made her promise to hide from Cartaxus at all costs? In a world where nature itself can be rewritten, how much can she even trust herself?

I was kindly encouraged to read this book by not one, not two, but FOUR different friends. Clo, Haley, Kal, and Soph have all instructed me to read this book, and when four bloggers tell you to read a book, you don't resist it, you don't put up a fight, you just read it. I am very glad that I listened to these awesome people.

Blog Tour Book Review: Reborn Yesterday by Tessa Bailey

Author: Tessa Bailey
Series: Phenomenal Fate #1
Audience:  +18
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 17th 2020
My Rating: 4.5 Cups
Source: Social Butterfly PR

Blurb (from Goodreads):

A timeless love story with bite.

It was a night like any other for funeral home director Ginny Lynn, until the exceptionally handsome—and unfortunately deceased—young man on her embalming table sat up, opened his emerald eyes and changed the course of her life forever, making her feel quite fluttery while he was at it.

Humans aren't supposed to know Jonas Cantrell, or any vampire, exists. It's kind of a major rule. Despite his instantaneous bond with perfectly peculiar Ginny, he has no choice but to erase her memories of their one and only meeting.

That was the plan. Before a reluctant Jonas can wipe Ginny's mind clean, she reveals a secret that brings their worlds crashing together. Human and vampire. Past and present. Darkness and light. And while their love is strictly forbidden, it might be the only thing that can save them…

Reborn Yesterday is a standalone paranormal romantic comedy with a happily ever after.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of his book from Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.

I've been dying to read this book ever since I first heard that Tessa was writing it. I remember her mentioning it on the Read Me Romance podcast and I was super excited about it, so I had a ton of high expectations. I am very happy that not only did it meet every single one of them, but it also exceeded them.

Reread Book Review: Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Vampire Academy #5
Audience: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date:  May 1st 2010
My Rating: 3 Cups
Source: My copy
Blurb (from Goodreads):

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri's birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir's and to her best friend, Lissa. It is at long last graduation, and the girls can't wait for their real lives beyond the Academy's iron gates to begin. But Rose's heart still aches for Dimitri, and she knows he's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and now he is hunting her. And this time he won't rest until Rose joins him . . . forever.

My buddy read with Jamsu @ Jamsudreams of the Vampire Academy series continues. I have to say that so far, this has been the most disappointing reread out of the entire series. Let me tell you all about it!

My Life With Thor: 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Getting A Dog

I am fully aware that I have become one of those people, the ones who speak too much to anyone who will listen, and some inanimate objects too, about their pets. Did I ever think I'd be here? No. Am I ashamed of it? Hard no. Since Thor came into our lives I've acquired a lot of stories to share. I also believe we need more positivity in our lives, so I decided to make a new feature here on my blog This is My Life With Thor.