Book Review: The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines, #2) by Richelle Mead

Hardcover, 418 pages

Expected publication: June 12th 2012 by Razorbill

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. (Goodreads summary.)

Bear with me as I sort out my multitude of thoughts on this book. Okay, they are sorted. EEEEK. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. 

This book starts where we left off, with Sydney Sage and her mishmash of boxcar vampires. It is such a fantastic cast of characters led by my new favorite leading lady. Sydney, although an Alchemist (a secret sect of humans who deal in keeping the identity of vampires hidden), is essentially just your off-beat yet normal girl. She is quirky, socially awkward, and insanely smart. Despite the fact her job is to look after vampires, she worries about her weight, is oblivious to men’s affection, and is completely unsure of the proper way to hold a boy’s hand. She is impossibly normal. And, I love her. She was a fine character in Bloodlines (#1), but fresh off the kick-ass heroine that is Rose Hathaway, Sydney was a bit bland. In this book, she shows us that even the normal girl can kick some hard-core ass. She is loyal, devoted and intelligent. And, even in the midst of paranormal, she is extremely relatable.

Then we have Adrian Ivashkov. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, this time in all caps -- HE IS FANTASTIC! I was drawn to his character in The Vampire Academy series and am even more in love with him in this companion series. I am so proud of him. When Rose first meets Adrian, he is a chain-smoking, alcoholic, dead-beat with no real goal but to court as many women as he can. Now in this series, we get to watch Adrian grow up. We get to see him learn about responsibility and discover himself, all the while maintaining that fantastic wit and snarky demeanor. Thank you Richelle Mead for the beauty that is Adrian Ivashkov. 

The strong characters are supported by a strong story arc and excellent writing. This book demonstrates that not every page needs to be chock full of action for it to be both entertaining and meaningful. In fact, the action in this book is fairly minimal. It isn’t about the killer fight scenes. We will leave that to Rose and Dimitri. For Sydney, it is about the logical and analytical look, plus the building of the most unlikely friendships. It is done so in a way that kept me hooked from beginning to the inevitable end. 

In the end, the question this book faces is that of good verse evil. Sure many books face this same question, but this one pulls out a key factor that is sometimes overlooked. Is it the person or the group? Sydney wars throughout this book with her issues against vampires, witnessing the goodness in them and the evil in human beings. She fights against the lessons that have been ingrained in her head. Trying hard to decipher what she has been told from what she sees. 

I could go on and on about my love for this book. But that would result in me giving too much away. I think all I need to say is, READ THIS BOOK! Well, read The Vampire Academy, Bloodlines and then The Golden Lily. Trust me, it will all be worth it. 

Recommended for fans of: Hush Hush Saga by Becca Fitzpatrick, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, Half-Blood by Jennifer Armentrout, and Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins.

Book Review - Half-Blood

Half-Blood (Covenant #1)

By Jennifer L. Armentrout

Paperback, 281 pages

Published October 18th 2011 by Spencer Hill Press

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck. (Goodreads summary)

I had heard this book was similar to The Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. And well, yeah, they are practically twins. It is like taking The Vampire Academy and instead of using the word vampire replacing it with gods. 

That being said -- if something isn't broken, don't fix it! 

I absolutely adore The Vampire Academy, which led to me absolutely adoring Half-Blood. It is quick paced, entertaining, and exciting. The characters are fun and likable. Alex is spunky, sassy and endearing. Aiden is adorably swoon-worthy. The strong, silent type that I am totally in love with these days. Seth is absolutely god-like. And there are a few twists. Somewhat predictable, but not every book needs to be a labyrinth of hidden secrets. But Arementrout managed to get my blood pumping and my heart racing. 

Overall, though this book is like my favorite vampire series or rather since it is, I loved it. I throughly enjoyed every minute I spent reading it instead of being productive. For fans of Rose and Dimitry's story in The Vampire Academy, this is the book for you. Don't be deterred by the similarities; they are there, but they are worth loving again. And in the end, Half-blood is its own story. A story worth the incredibly addicting adventure. 

(Rating: 3.8/5)

True Confessions

Alright. I have a mega confession.

It is incredibly and utterly embarrassing.

Are you ready? Do you think you can handle it?

So, for the past two weeks I haven't written a word in my epic tale The Memory Rune. Not one word. And no, I haven't given up writing in exchange for a hobby of underwater basket weaving. Not that. I have simply been working on something else. Another book. Perhaps more embarrassing than underwater basket weaving.

Are you ready? This is the big confession part....

It is a story about . . . vampires. 

I know. Ick. Gross.
                         

Yet unbelievably addicting. 

I started this project two weeks ago and today I reached the 50,000 word mark. That's fourteen days of writing and 50,000 words.

I am somewhat embarrassed. Well, a lot embarrassed. Mainly because vampires are so cliche and excessively overdone. Yet, I can't stop writing it. Ergo, despite the topic, I love it. And I'm kind of proud of it. Yeah, that's right. Proud.

Not to toot my own horn or pretend like a book about vampire hunters can be all that incredible. But I love it. I find it fantastically entertaining. My characters are catchy. They are easy. And they are completely writing their own story. Sometimes I am writing a scene that I plan to take one way until a character blindsides everyone. They are raw and real. And I am really attached.          

You should know that all of the main characters are human . . . at least for now.

Are you mocking yet? Because you should. Really. You should.

When I set out to write a book two years ago, I made a promise that I would not write a book about vampires. I thought this was a promise I intended to keep, but one day I opened a new word document and the words started spilling on the page. And they have continued to spill.

This is a temporary hiatus from my main novel. In two weeks time, when I have finished this vampire novel, I will return to my real project. Don't worry. I will never make you read this. Though you can. And you might be surprised that you actually like it.

PLOT:

Molly Brown is your typical teenage girl. She never does homework, watches way too much television, and always breaks curfew. Except Molly's life is far from ordinary. While most kids are on the cheerleading squad and applying to colleges, Molly is a vampire hunter. She spends her nights killing the undead. For Molly, it is all in a night's work. Not until her best friend asks her on a date does her life get complicated. As she begins to fall for sweet and predictable Josh, part of her heart that is tied to the world of the undead can't let go of the troubles that haunt her past, including her ex-boyfriend, Badger Moore. It is a story of love, loss and revenge. And vampires. 

Sound familiar? Probably. Next bestseller? Probably not. The first book I will ever finish? 

Yes.