Waiting on Wednesday (48): The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. Visit Breaking The Spine to see more entries!

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines #6) by Richelle Mead

 Release Date: February 10th 2015 Razorbill

 Format: Hardcover

 Goodreads Summary:

The epic conclusion to Richelle Mead's New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series is finally here...

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.

After their secret romance is exposed, Sydney and Adrian find themselves facing the wrath of both the Alchemists and the Moroi in this electrifying conclusion to Richelle Mead’s New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series. When the life of someone they both love is put on the line, Sydney risks everything to hunt down a deadly former nemesis. Meanwhile, Adrian becomes enmeshed in a puzzle that could hold the key to a shocking secret about spirit magic, a secret that could shake the entire Moroi world.

 Reasons I want to read & own this book: 

1. Richelle Mead. Since reading Vampire Academy, I have simply fallen in love with her writing style. She knows how to get in a characters head. She is amazing at world building and characterization. And she can write a romance that you agonize over like nobody's business

2. The protagonists. This story is told from Sydney Sage's point of view. She has such a unique voice as a heroine. Really different from most female leads. Methodical, logical, intelligent and loyal. In the bloodlines series we have seen how she breaks out of her shell and also how her qualities help her out as a person and make her special. Adrian Ivashkov, the male lead. Who is a pretty legendary character since Vampire Academy. Smooth, sarcastic, sophisticated and  tortured artist with a fun sense of humor. I can't get enough of Adrian.

3. The secondary characters. What I love about a Richelle Mead book is that her secondary characters are not just props in the background. They all have such unique stories and I am dying to see how things conclude for the secondary characters in this series, such as Eddie and Jill, to name a few.

 What do you guys think? :)

 

Review: The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) by Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date:  February 12th 2013

Genre: YA Paranormal/Romance

Source: Bought

Format: Hardcover

Goodreads Summary:

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.


Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive—this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood.

My Review: 

This series. This series. THIS SERIES. I am just so in love with the bloodlines books. The Indigo Spell would be the third installment in the bloodlines series. A spin-off series of the very popular Vampire Academy books -that, by the way- got a film deal, so if you haven't read the Vampire Academy books, know that a movie of book 1 is currently being made and you will soon be able to see it on screen. But enough of my Vampire Academy gushing. Lets focus on The Indigo Spell, shall we. This book was full of romance, action, humour, and most of all, excellent character development and world building.

What makes The Indigo Spell shine? I would say that the character development of the main characters: Adrian and Sydney. These are characters that we met originally in the Vampire Academy series. Adrian is a royal vampire, while Sydney is an Alchemist - a human in charge of hiding the existence of vampires to the world. Both groups are very different from each other, but despite differences, Adrian and Sydney have developed romantic feels for each other. Being that their races do not get a along AT ALL. We have a forbidden romance on our hands, y'all. And what does this equate to? Literary gold and lots of drama. Oh, and that's not the only thing, not only are Adrian and Sydney from different races but they couldn't be any more different - personality wise - even if they tried, which makes their relationship even MORE intricate than it already is. And I just love it all.

Often, people feel that the person they fall in love with needs to be very similar to them. Who wants drama in their life, right? It's totally understandable. It's not always easy to get along with people who are different to you. However, life is not as neat as that. What makes the world complex is that is filled with lots of different people. In relationships, I think that two different people can help balance each other out. They can show each other different ways of viewing or doing things that otherwise they may not have thought of on their own because their mode of thinking doesn't let them go there. This is what I think we have in Sydney and Adrian. They are two very different people who on paper do not seem to belong together, but who in fact, are perfect for each other because of their differences. They balance each other out. They help each other grow.

Sydney is a the type of character who is governed by reason. She doesn't stray from rules. She is responsible and very dedicated to her work and what she needs to do. Always trying to keep things in check. Her whole life you can say is about control, which I think has a lot do with strict Alchemist upbringing. Adrian on the other hand is a more loose character. He is fun, more artsy than logical, full of charisma, and very okay with straying from the ordinary. But as different as these characters are, they do have one thing in common. People always expect the same from them, they are judged on their personalities a bit too much. Sydney is the responsible one, while Adrian is looked at as the irresponsible one. Thing is, these characters are much more than they seem and in The Indigo Spell  we get to see more layers to them. Adrian can be very responsible and fierce, while Sydney is not a robot, she feels and can let loose more. 

These characters learn that about themselves through their relationship with each other. Well, their interactions, because in the book Sydney is struggling with admitting her feelings for Adrian, while Adrian is set on knowing that he loves Sydney, and on fighting for. It was a fun journey to read about because it was full of angst with Sydney questioning whether she can love Adrian. There is also a lot of humour in the unraveling of their relationship because of Adrian trying to teach Sydney to break out of her shell. And ultimately, there is a lot of adventure in this relationship because of both characters trying to fight off witches and hiding their relationship from their respective groups, the vamps and alchemists.

Besides this, I don't think I can go more in depth about what happened between both characters because that would reveal some major plot points and spoil the books for some who may read this review but haven't read the first two books yet. Know this though, besides a really intricate relationship, we also have the secondary characters battling their feelings and trying to love who they want and be who they want to be. There is also amazing world building in this book. Not only does Richelle Mead expand on the vampire world in the book, but she gets more into detail about the alchemist world and witches. Yes, there is magic in this book! And lots of it. Just when you think you know everything about the Vampire Academy world, Mead throws more info about how intricate both worlds are and it is astounding. I just always get lost in these books when I read them. They feel so real because of how detailed the author is about everything.

I would definitely say that this book has a lot of humour. Lots of it, thanks to the always amazing Adrian Ivashkov. Prince of everything, in my eyes. Not only did this character get romantic with his words, but his actions, but he always had something witty to say and it just makes his character shine. So much charisma with this character. Sydney also is very funny in the book because she doesn't always pick of up little social or romantic things/interactions because she is just so logical. So there is always a certain innocence to her even though she is so intelligent. It's quite an interesting mix and she is very sarcastic. She has seen and done it all so it's hard to one up her. I cannot wait for the fourth installment in this series in order to see see how Adrian and Sydney's relationship continues to grow.

My rating: 4/5

Waiting on Wednesday (44): The Fiery Heart

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. Visit Breaking The Spine to see more entries!

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4) by Richelle Mead
 Release Date:  November 19th 2013 by Razorbill

Format: Hardcover

 Goodreads Summary:

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .

But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure—and re-education—looms larger than ever.

Pulses will race throughout this thrilling fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.

Reasons I want to read & own this book: 

1. The main characters. What can I say about Sydney and Adrian that has not been said. They are just EPIC. My book babies since Vampire Academy (series where they originally were introduced). Between Adrian's humour and overall awesomeness, and Sydney's adorable cluelessness in social/romantic situations due to her high level of intelligence, you can't help but want to hug these characters. They just have a dynamic that is unique in Young Adult literature that I can't get enough of.

2. The world building. The Fiery Heart would be the 4th installment in the Bloodlines series that is a spin-off series of Vampire Academy which was amazing and had a very unique vampire lore and in the Bloodlines series we get to learn more about Alchemists, who are not vamps and make sure the existence of them is hidden to the world. I seriously cannot get enough of this world Richelle Mead has created for us, it is all extremely fascinating and fun to read about.

What do you guys think? :)

Quote of the Week #1 Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Quote of the week is a weekly bookish post hosted by Magen at Corrie the Book Crazed Girl. Each week, we will pick our favorite quotes from a book we read or are currently reading to share with you, our readers.

Quote of the week:

Add to Goodreads

 The quote that I chose for this week is from Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2) by Richelle Mead. The Vampire Academy series is AMAZING and the spin off series (Bloodlines) is one of my all time fave series as well. Richelle Mead is the queen of world building and romantic tension. Her writing is always so good.

The following quote really stuck out to me because it's about our mind and how we can sometimes make a hell or heaven out of a situation by the way we perceive and think about it. I hope you like it ;)

"There's nothing worse than waiting and not knowing what'll happen to you. Your imagination can be crueler than any captor" - Richelle Mead, Frostbite

 

Waiting on Wednesday (31): The Indigo Spell

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. Visit Breaking The Spine to see more entries!

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) by Richelle Mead

Release Date:  February 12th 2013 by Razorbill

Format: Hardcover

 Goodreads Summary:

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.


Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive—this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood.

Reasons I want to read & own this book: 

1. The main characters. What can I say about Sydney and Adrian that has not been said. They are just EPIC. My book babies since Vampire Academy (series where they originally were introduced). Between Adrian's humour and overall awesomeness, and Sydney's adorable cluelessness in social/romantic situations due to her high level of intelligence, you can't help but want to hug these characters. They just have a dynamic that is unique in Young Adult literature that I can't get enough of.

2. The world building. The Indigo Spell would be the 3rd installment in the Bloodlines series that is a spin-off series of Vampire Academy which was amazing and had a very unique vampire lore and in the Bloodlines series we get to learn more about Alchemists, who are not vamps and make sure the existence of them is hidden to the world. I seriously cannot get enough of this world Richelle Mead has created for us, it is all extremely fascinating and fun to read about.

What do you guys think? :)

Dreamcasting (6): From books to film

I am a very visual person and when I read a book I like to envision in my head what each book character would look like in actuality and who could play their roles if they ever adapted that particular book into a film.

What is a dreamcast? Well, it's the cast of actors that you think would be perfect to interpret a character on screen. Today I will dreamcast a popular book character and explain why I think the actor I chose for this dreamcast would be perfect for the role of said character.

Dreamcast for Dimitri Belikov & Abe Mazur

Jon Kortajarena as Dimitri Belikov from Vampire Academy

So, I know, I do, I know that everybody and their pet hamster tends to dream cast Ben Barnes as Dimitri Belikov. But I decided to go rogue on the Vampire Academy fandom and switch things up a little bit because I haven't always been quite sold on Ben to be honest, Ben is lovely and an awesome actor (Prince Caspian, anyone?) but I feel that he lacks the edge for a character such as Dimitri. Speaking of --> Dimitri Belikov, is the male lead in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. He is in his mid twenties, he is Russian, longish brown hair, tall, handsome and a dhampir. A dhampir in the lore of Vampire Academy is like a mix of a vampire and a human. He is not technically a vampire (no fangs, no feeding on blood) BUT does have slightly enhanced abilities (agility, vision etc). And in the Vampire Academy series, dhampirs have the job of being guardians for the royal vamps, the moroi, so therefore they train in fighting and Dimitri is an instructor and top guardian.

Jon Kortajarena is a top male model in the fashion world from Spain. The first time I saw him, was in the Tom Ford film, A Single Man, an incredibly thought provoking and visually stunning film, in my opinion. Minimalism at its finest. And Jon had a small part opposite Colin Firth, and even though his appearance in the film was brief, he made quite the impression. Not only was he incredibly beautiful in that film (Bless your heart Tom, for casting him) - it has to be said, the man is super handsome, but he had quite an intense energy about him, almost predatorial in nature because of how aesthetically beautiful he is as a man, but at the same time, with, like, a certain wistful and good energy about him. And that is SO Dimitri Belikov to me. Dimitri is always described as being fierce in battle and as being focused and determined but at the same time, Dimitri is also described as having a certain 'zen master wisdom' vibe to him because he is always calm, collected, and thoughtful as a person. Jon not only has the fierceness to him because he has such a strong presence on film and on camera but he also has the zen master wisdom thing going on too. As research for this post (that is my story and I am sticking to it) - I decided to look up as many Jon Kortajarena interviews that I could find and you guys, he just seems to be so down to earth, thoughtful, light hearted, with an almost bohemian/ world peace vibe to him. It's almost hard to reconcile the Jon in A Single Man or on the runway, to Jon in real life. Again, that is so Dimitri to me. Fierce in his job, yet gentle as a person. And Jon actually had long dark hair at the beginning of his modeling career, he is super handsome, tall and he has the allure that I think Dimtri possesses as well. Jon Kortajarena = Dimitri Belikov!

Johnny Depp as Abe Mazur in Vampire Academy

Abe Mazur is the father of the female lead (Rose Hathaway) in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. He is the epitome of badassery and he is in his 40s and moroi vampire, who is often called a zmey by many other characters in the Vampire Academy books, which means snake in Russian, because of how slick he is as a man. Abe is the epitome of street smarts and even though he is a lawyer, he doesn't follow the rules of moroi court or rules. He has connections in all places and bends the rules like it's going out of style. Not a person to mess with and is characterized as being charming with the ladies, as being a very unique dresser (scarves, emerald green & purple suits), and as being very sarcastic but savvy when it comes to solving problems. Why do I think Johnny Depp would be the perfect Abe? Well, Johnny is kinda like Abe in real life, already. He doesn't follow trends, has a unique and fun bohemian/punk rock style in his dressing, and is beloved by a lot of women in the world. He also has that charisma as an actor (Captain Jack Sparrow, anyone?) that is needed for a character with such a presence and style like Abe Mazur (who might be the coolest dad in book history) and also has the physical look of Abe (Abe is described as having tanned skin, dark hair, being handsome).

 Have you ever dreamcasted your favorite book characters? If you have, let me know about it. Also, if any of you have a different dreamcasting idea for the character I mentioned in this post, I would love to hear about it, as well. Thanks for reading :)

Cover Reveal Thursday

Hey guys.

So, lately there have been a lot of cover reveals for either new books, upcoming releases or re-releases and I wanted to share with you, my readers, my favorite two covers that I have seen over the last few weeks.

Cover #1

Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi

Release Date:  February 5th 2013 by HarperCollins

Format: Hardcover

 

 

Isn't this cover just stunning? Cover art at it's best, in my opinion. So Unravel Me is the second installment in the Shatter Me series. Shatter Me was an incredibly amazing and poetic dystopian novel and I can't wait to read book 2 in this series.

Cover #2

The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) by Richelle Mead

Release Date:  February 12th 2013 by Razorbill

Format: Hardcover

 

 

 

I cannot wait for this book. I am a huge fan of the Bloodlines series and I'm constantly amazed at how talented Richelle Mead is when it comes creating book series that are so unique even though they may take place in the same world as her previous books. I say this since the Bloodline series is a spin off series of Vampire Academy. I love the main characters in Bloodlines (Sydney and Adrian) and can't wait to see how they conquer more challenges in The Indigo Spell. Speaking of, I just love the cover for The Indigo Spell. The color, with the flowers around the title, everything looks great, though I am intrigued by the new guy on the cover (one on the left) since Adrian is on the right. I wonder who he may be? February can't come soon enough! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you guys think? Are there any book covers that you are gushing about? And if so, which ones are they? :)

Thanks for reading lovelies <3

 

Review: The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) by Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date:  June 12th 2012
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Source: Bought

Format: Hardcover

Goodreads Summary: 

The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spinoff series

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students--children of the wealthy and powerful--carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead's breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.

My Review:

In accordance to it's name The Golden Lily is young adult gold. Why do I say this? Well, because it is everything that a young adult novel should be. It has suspense, immense character growth, exploration of relationships of both the romantic and familial nature, and it also covers the intricacies involved in friendship. To say that The Golden Lily surpasses it's predecessor (Bloodlines #1) would be an understatement. The Golden Lily was just a breathtaking sequel and blew Bloodlines out of the water. It was just an amazing book. 

When it comes to characterization The Golden Lily shines. Not that it's a surprise. It's not everyday where you find an author who is so consistent in creating uniquely fabulous yet  inherently different heroines in every series they write and Richelle Mead has that gift. It often happens that when some authors write a series, their series kinda emulate each other and can be formulaic to the point where the reader can already guess how things might end or how the protagonists are gonna be like, personality wise. But that definitely does not happen here. Sydney Sage is quite the unique heroine not only when you compare her to other Richelle Mead books but when you compare her to the rest of heroines in young adult novels, today. 


Sydney Sage is a very analytical girl, who is very smart and who has a very perfectionist type of personality. She thrives on order and reason which obviously always leaves her struggling when it comes to social situations or romantic ones, because those situations are not always logical. Adrian Ivashkov, the male lead in The Golden Lily, has a more laid back personality than Sydney, he is extremely witty and sarcastic, and struggles a bit when it comes to people taking him seriously. So interestingly enough, while Adrian has to learn to be more responsible in this book, Sydney juggles with being more laid back and with putting reason on the back burner and learning how to deal with her emotions. And that journey that they have to go through in order to find balance in their lives was really interesting to read about.

Which leads me to the romance in this book. Richelle Mead is now officially, well, in my eyes, the queen of romantic tension. I just love how she never rushes anything, there is no insta-love in this book. Her romances are always so well-developed and well-paced and just heart wrenching yet lovely, all at the same time. And reading her books literally feel so real sometimes even though the settings are not always so, because they are like embarking on a journey with the main characters. You don't know what is gonna happen, but you know you have to get ready, because it's always quite the ride, a ride that will not take one but several books. And in this book we get to cover that universal business of love, the enigma that is love. That business of, "does she like me?" or "does he like me?" or "why would he or she like someone like me?" - that puzzle that is romance sometimes. And it was both fun and heartbreaking. Fun because most of the characters are just really confused about their feelings and so adorable in their fumblings when it comes to the object of their affections. And heartbreaking because it's really obvious to see who is perfect for each other but because they have to learn so much about themselves still, they can't necessarily be together when we the readers, want them to be.

I would have to say that what I loved the most about this book, is that at it's core, it is about recognizing the truth in other people. In The Golden Lily we get to see how closer the group of Sydney, Eddie, Jill, Adrian and Angeline have become and how some other new characters might not be who they portray themselves to be. Adrian and Sydney especially go through the most growth not only individually, but together. In this book, we get to see a bit more to them, what is going on when it comes to their feelings and let me just say, that they are so lovely that it should be illegal. I knew Sydney and Adrian were good people at their core, but they are so much more than you would think, that they just owned my heart. And it doesn't hurt that they share some of the funniest scenes and dramatic ones. Oh, yes, because this book, has it's fair share of danger. There are some crazy things brewing behind the scenes that are quite surprising when they are finally revealed. And I just loved everything. This book was so flawless in it's execution that I am just dying to read the 3rd installment in this series.

My Rating: 5/5

Dreamcasting (5): From books to film

I am a very visual person and when I read a book I like to envision in my head what each book character would look like in actuality and who could play their roles if they ever adapted that particular book into a film.

What is a dreamcast? Well, it's the cast of actors that you think would be perfect to interpret a character on screen. Today I will dreamcast a popular book character and explain why I think the actor I chose for this dreamcast would be perfect for the role of said character.

Dreamcast for Adrian Ivashkov & Will Herondale

 Mathias Lauridsen as Adrian Ivashkov from The Golden Lily

 

So, I actually have dreamcasted Adrian before but reading The Golden Lily (book #2 in the Bloodlines series) really changed my whole view of him. And this time, with the help of a friend, ladies and gents, I have found my new Adrian. Adrian Ivashkov is a character who originally appeared in The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. In Bloodlines (the spin off series to Vampire Academy) Adrian becomes the male lead. Adrian is a stylish and witty vampire royal, a moroi, and in his twenties. The Moroi have distinct features amongst the different types of vampires in the Vampire Academy world. They usually are very tall and lean and often described as resembling human models. Hence, why Mathias Lauridsen, a Danish male model, would make an amazing Adrian Ivashkov. 

 

There is even a quote in the Golden Lily that describes Adrian as looking like a "pensive European model" at some point and Mathias is European and a top male model in the fashion world. Adrian also has always been described as being quite handsome and in my head, I've always felt like Adrian probably had a certain mystique to him, in his look. And Mathias is, like, the epitome of that. This man could be wearing pastels and still look intriguing and pensive. There is just something about the structure of his face and his look, that screams that. And Mathias has that height and lean structure. The precise height and lean look that characterizes moroi, especially Adrian. Also, Mathias on camera, has this natural charisma to him. So, yes, Mathias Lauridsen = Adrian Ivashkov for me!

Nicholas Hoult as Will Herondale from Clocwork Angel & Clockwork Prince

Nicholas Hoult made quite the impression on me in the films A Single Man and Xmen: First Class. I thought he was highly compelling with a very powerful glance. In Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, Will Herondale, is an English young man that lives in Victorian England as a shadowhunter (a warrior of angel blood who fights demons). He is described as being tall, handsome, with extremely striking blue eyes and black hair. Nicholas is tall, handsome, with very beautiful blue eyes, black hair and he has an English accent. I don't know about you guys, but I think he would be a perfect Will Herondale. Will in Clockwork Angel comes off as sarcastic, determined, and a fighter and in Clockwork Prince we get to know the softer side of him and get to uncover some of the layers to his character. I think Nicholas could portray those array of emotions perfectly and he just looks like Will. He really does match the Will I pictured in my head.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Have you ever dreamcasted your favorite book characters? If you have, let me know about it. Also, if any of you have a different dreamcasting idea for the character I mentioned in this post, I would love to hear about it, as well. Thanks for reading :)

 

In Her Shoes (12): Sydney from The Golden Lily

In Her Shoes is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Vanya at YA Story Teller. To participate, simply put yourself in the shoes of a heroine you've recently read about, and then talk about what you would do in her place, or what you've learned from her.

Featuring this week:

Sydney Sage from The Golden Lily

Sydney Sage is a main character in The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead which is the sequel to Bloodlines (a spin-off series of the amazing Vampire Academy). And if you haven't read Vampire Academy or Bloodlines yet, you need to. They are fabulous books that are so well-written that I can't even start to express the level and magnitudes of awesomeness that these books contain in their pages. The talent that Richelle Mead has when it comes to world-building and characterization is breathtaking. So good. But back to the Sydney Sage from The Golden Lily.

What I love about Sydney is that she is one of the most unique female characters I have encountered in Young Adult literature. Her personality traits are so rare in fact that many people like to cast her off as an 'unrealistic' character. Which, in all honesty, I can't say I'm surprised at since Sydney's personality is not the most common in literature and in real life for that matter. But girls like Sydney do exist. 

Sydney is an alchemist who is trained to hide the existence of the vampire world from humans. If I was to describe Sydney, I would say that she is an incredibly logical person, dedicated, responsible, selfless. Sydney is so logical, that she totally misses out on details like social cues/romantic cues because of how analytical her mind is. And what is fun about Sydney is that her blend of incredible smarts/logic and obliviousness to social interactions and situations make her trés adorable. I mean, you can't help but feel for her because of how she sees regular things and the fact that OH MY WORD this girl is so intelligent with everything she does, but put her on a date and it's like you just sent this girl to Mars on a date with a little green Martian :D

Would I change something about Sydney? The answer is: NO. I love Sydney. She is such a breath of fresh air amongst so many heroines that all seem to kinda resemble each other. Sydney's biggest asset is her mind and what I love about her in The Golden Lily is that she is starting to learn more about having friends, dating, questioning the strong beliefs that she has been raised with, accepting and learning to take more care of herself. Because thing is, Sydney is so responsible that she totally forgets about herself while helping everybody out and that can burn out a person. I can see her starting to notice that and her growing and developing. Also, I love that she is so sharp and that is she doesn't know something, she goes out to learn it. Sydney is no damsel in distress, that's for sure. No drama. She gets thing done. And I know she is fictional, but I'm jealous of her because she gets to hang around Adrian Ivashkov - so if I was in her shoes, id be happy. Adrian is hands down one of the funnest and best male characters out there right now in YA fiction.

Showcase Sunday #7

Showcase Sunday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Vicky at the Books, Biscuits and Tea blog. It is a meme inspired by Pop Culture Junkie and The Story Siren. The goal of this meme is for us bookish peeps to showcase & highlight the books that we have either bought, borrowed, won, downloaded, or received for review the past week :)

BOUGHT

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) by Richelle Mead

 

 

 

 

What book loveliness did you receive this week? :)

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

 Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Book 1 in Bloodlines Series  (Spin off series of Vampire Academy)

Publisher: Razorbill

Release: August 23rd 2011

Genre: YA Paranormal & Urban Fantasy

Source: Bought

Goodreads Summary: 
The first book in Richelle Mead's brand-new teen fiction series - set in the same world as Vampire Academy.

When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive - this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.


My Review: 


I adore the Vampire Academy series and I have to say that this book did not disappoint. I loved it so much. It was really, really good. Bloodlines is told from the point of view of Sydney Sage, who was an alchemist first introduced in the Vampire Academy series. And if you are not familiar  with the Vampire Academy world, an alchemist is a human who's sole task is to protect the human world from knowing about the existence of a secret vampiric world conformed of (moroi, dhampir and strigoi). 


Things I loved about this book:
1. Sydney Sage. She is a very strong female lead and she is different. Vastly different from a lot of the female lead MC (main characters) i've read about in the YA genre. She feels real. Sydney's strength lies in her intelligence, in her ability as a strategist. She is highly intelligent. Sydney is not the type of person to throw punches and ask questions later á la Rose Hathaway in Vampire Academy. No. She is very methodical and analytical in her moves. Stoic even. In the face of adversity, she remains calm but behind that cool and collected facade, is a rather determined young woman who is dedicated to doing the right thing and finding out the truth, always. And as anybody who's faced a difficult situation can attest to, it is not easy to keep a poker-face when you are confronted with harshness/difficulty.

Sydney is what you can call a highly introspective person. She is very contemplative and since the story is told from her point of view, you get to see that she analyzes everything going on within herself and around her. But part of this is due to her strict upbringing as an alchemist by her father who taught her to never get too emotional and to always handle any situation swiftly and effectively. And when you are raised like that, you have no choice but to become introspective. Sydney has a hard time with social/romantic cues and because of her upbringing holds a lot of bad views, especially towards vampires. But as the story develops, we begin to see that Sydney is slowly learning that what she thought was wrong, might not be. She starts to have friends and Sydney is a very caring person, so even though she seems stoic we get to see how she feels about her family and how she forms friendships with some of the vamps she is forced to care of and others she encounters along the way. 


2. Adrian Ivashkov. Oh how I love thee, Adrian. Adrian is what you might call a bad boy at first glance but with him it truly is a facade to not let his vulnerability show. In Vampire Academy we left him a broken man after Rose chose Dimitri over him. In Bloodlines, we get to see how Adrian is coping with his broken heart and how slowly but surely with help along the way - he starts to become the great man who he truly is. Also, we get a lot of insight into how caring and sweet Adrian is. Another thing that we get to read about is Adrian's wit and charm. He is really funny and it was great to read about his character again.


3. Supporting cast. For Vampire Academy fans, in addition to having Sydney and Adrian, right front and center. You also get some insight into Jill and Eddie who are also Vampire Academy veterans, who become full out characters in Bloodlines. There is also a lot of new human and vamp characters that you get to read about that are very interesting and lovable characters.


4.The writing. Richelle is just such an amazing writer. What I love about her characters is that they are so distinct and where it can be easy to expect another Rose Hathway-ish character for Bloodlines, she decides to write from Sydney's perspective and throw a curve ball at you with a totally different heroine. And boy is Sydney sooo vastly different from Rose. Richelle really captured what a highly intelligent and introspective young woman would think like. And how misinterpreted their actions can be by other people. With Sydney's personality traits, Richelle made me think about the MBTI (Myers Briggs type indicator) personality types. I think that if Sydney was to get tested for her personality type she would be an INTJ or INFJ and anyone who knows about Myer Briggs can attest to,  INTJ and INFJ women are rare personality types in the general population.


5.Villains. What I love about Richelle Mead's villains is that there is always several of them. You never just get that one Lord Voldermort-ish character that is just completely evil and sinister that you feel that there is no space for any other villains in the story. And a lot of books tend to do that: you get the hero and the antagonist and all you really do is kinda wait until that one big show down happens between them. Not with Richelle books! Given, you might get that one Lord Voldermort in the story, that yes, you identify as the main villain immediately, but with Richelle there is always several villains in there. The people you less suspect to be completely evil and maniacal tend to be the biggest psychos of all. They are just not really obvious at the beginning. But what I love about her villains is that they creep up on you. Always are more that one. Just like they creep up on the characters, they surprise you too.  


6. The story in itself was just really interesting and had a lot of fun moments and interesting plot-lines. There was a lot of real issues covered in this book, especially concerning Sydney and her family. I also liked that you get to understand more of how the Alchemist's organization works. And it was really cool to see Sydney go undercover to a regular human high school to protect Jill who is a Moroi princess in a lot of danger.  There's a little bit of everything in this book. You have broken hearted characters, the ones who love in silence, the ones who are socially awkward, sneaky characters, flat out evil characters. A little bit of everything in there, really.


7. Romance. Okay. If you are expecting a full blown out romance, this book does not contain it. What it really has is the sparks of what could really be a great romance, which I loved. A lot of stories nowadays have that immediate connection type of love stories, where the character is inexplicably drawn to another character and immediately loves them till the end of time, for no apparent reason. Not here. Bloodlines is all about character growth and everything is developing slowly and it was refreshing to read because love is not always immediate. People do not always fall in love right away. Sometimes it takes quite a while for two people to realize they love each other. This book has that and I can't wait to see what happens is book 2 The Golden Lily because I can see that there are a couple of romances brewing amongst the mix that probably end up as really great love stories.


8. Vampire Academy cameos. Rose, Dimitri and Abe and some other characters of Vampire Academy fame, make mini appearances in here and they were great to read. So if your a Vampire Academy fan, that would be fun for you.

9. That Cliffhanger. Why Richelle, how will I cope? Ahhh the wait will feel endless. Well played Richelle, well played. That was quite the curve ball you threw at us. I cannot wait to read book 2 in this series.

I loved this book. It was a breath of fresh air when it comes to YA PNR and Urban Fantasy novels. It just has it's own character and uniqueness. I highly recommend it and consider it a favorite read of mine for 2011.


Rating: 5/5