BloodlinesBloodlines #1
Richelle Mead
August 23rd, 2011
Razorbill
421 pages
Amazon/Book Depository/B&N
Blood doesn't lie...
Sydney is an alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of human and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. 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 last place anyone would think to look for vampire royalty - a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. But instead of finding safety at Amberwood Prep, Sydney discovers the drama is only just beginning...
Emily Shaffer did an excellent job narrating this book. The voices were distinctly different without being over the top. The characters shine through her acting skills. I'm very glad that she narrates the entire series. She has just enough snark in her voice and sounds like she enjoys reading it as much as I enjoy listening to her.
That being said, I really don't like Sydney. She wasn't my favorite character from Vampire Academy. She redeemed herself a little bit, but she was still prim and proper and overly analytical. There is still a lot of development for her if she is going to reach a character level I deem as alright.
Adrian is fresh off the Rose and Dimitri train. While he wasn't the most commendable of characters to begin with, he is pretty much back to being consistently deplorable. He seemed to have gotten his act together by the end of the story, partially. An artistic outlet and a bit of danger temporarily slapped him out of his overeager indulging ways.
Jill was still adorable, despite the emotional backlash from Adrian and the consequences of her unfortunate romance. I always enjoyed her as a character and she seems to be fully coming into her own despite the pressure put on her by society.
The story itself, while a little 21 Jump Street, presented some interesting mysteries to solve. There are mysteriously dead girls as well as magically drugged tattoos to deal with. This leaves the book with very little downtime once the initial setup has been established.
The cliffhanger really didn't leave me yearning for more. Though, I hear that they progressively get better. As much as I enjoyed Vampire Academy, I was sorely disappointed with this installment in the universe.
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