Mini Review: Bloodlines

The first book in Richelle Mead's New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series

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.

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.

Like the majority of the people who read it, I enjoyed the Vampire Academy Series. I bought the first book, then promptly borrowed the rest of them from my best friend. They were fun and addicting. But I wasn't as passionate about them as the rest of the fanbase. I liked the characters, but they weren't a cast whom I was overly attached to so I put off reading the Bloodlines series. FOOLISH ON MY PART. I really enjoyed Sydney and Adrian from the original series, and for those of you who are right there with me, stop reading this review now and go out and buy all the books that are currently out in the series because YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.

Those previous issues with not being able to get attached? No such thing. I was hooked from the beginning. I got exactly what I wanted more of from the original series. The Alchemists and all of my favorites from the original cast. Could a girl honestly ask for more? Well, she needn't anyway because this series delivers way beyond that. [I say series, but mind you I've only read the first one as of yet so I can't really speak for all of them...but I did immediately put the rest of the series on hold at my local library.]

There is just something about Richelle Mead's novels, the way that she writes and her characterizations, that make her novels all but impossible to put down. Bloodlines was no exception. I was immediately sucked back into the world, despite the fact that it had been a number of months since I had read the last novel in the Vampire Academy series. [So yes, you don't have to do an entire series reread in order to be up to date in this companion series. Lucky you!] The plot was engaging and kept me on my toes; I had a few suspicions, but nothing that I was willing to put money on until the last few chapters when things started to wrap up...which I loved.

I just don't think I can recommend this spin-off series enough.

4.5/5