Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
Purchased from: Amazon (Kindle Edition)  

Amazon Synopsis: 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.

Review: I am a huge fan of Richelle Mead. I discovered her books probably about three years ago. I picked up Vampire Academy on a whim. I had just finished reading Twilight, and enjoyed the different take on vampires. After seeing The Vampire Academy book on Amazon I thought... Well why not lets see what this one is like. I fell in love by the 1st chapter. I was sure this book was going to do the same, and to an extent I was right. I was a huge fan of Sydney during the Vampire Academy series, and by the end of the series really worried about what would happen to her after helping Rose. I waited anxiously for this book to finally be released. I love when authors go back and write the stories of supporting characters. I would have loved to follow Rose and Dimitri for however many more books she decided to write. I was sad at the ending of the series. So knowing that I'd not only get to be brought into that world again, but see my favorite characters again, I was ecstatic. 



The story starts out right away with a bang. Sydney is enlisted, against others opinions, to help out the long lost sister to the Moroi Queen, Jill. After moving away to the private school in California, Sydney is joined by some familiar faces to the Vampire Academy world: Adrian, Eddie, Jill, and Rose (Only for a moment, much to some readers dismay). After enrolling in school and starting classes, Sydney learns that Moroi are being killed in LA, and a local tattoo shop is selling very expensive and unique tattoos to the private school. Sydney takes it upon her self to find out what is going on to redeem herself in the eyes of her Alchemists superiors. While under taking this the reader also watches Sydney grow from a young girl that followed the rules to a T, into someone that is pushed beyond her comfort zone and has to start looking out for herself.

The story itself is a lot slower in pace than one might expect based off experience of reading the other series, but it never dragged. Even in the slower parts it was still compelling and interesting. Adrian's character, although still obsessed over Rose, starts to grow and come into his own once away from the Moroi Court. His quick wit and obvious enjoyment of tormenting Sydney kept me chuckling in bed.  Since the time of  Last Sacrifice, Jill has had to live a life she is unaccustomed to, and because of that fights to keep some control over her own life. In some ways she acts like any other 15 year old girl, in others it amazes me the amount she has grown up between the previous series to this one.


Overall I really enjoyed Bloodlines. I thought it was a great book to kick off the new series. I can't wait until the next book The Golden Lily.

I'd have to give this one Five Stars.

Ever Growing To Be Read Pile

In middle school and high school I read a good bit but nothing compared to what I read now. I reread a lot of the same books over and over back then. Now I barely have time to reread some of my favorites once a year. I've discovered so many new authors and series since graduating college that my to be read pile has grown past where I can see the end of it.

I used to laugh when people would say they had a pile of books waiting to be read. "You can't have that many." I'd tell them. I can honestly say now I know exactly how they feel. I don't actually have a list, but I know the next few I plan on reading once I'm done with my current. Randomly something will come out or I'll discover something new that takes the place of one of the top 5.

So far I am in the middle of The Dark Series by Christine Feehan. I'm rather new to her. A friend recommended the Drake Sisters Series and I fell in love. I'm now determined to read everything by her before Christmas. So after the Dark series, its on to the Leopard Series, followed by the Ghost Walkers.
From there I promised my sister I'd read the Hunger Games series. I've been told great things about that series. After that I've been told numerous times I need to read the Dresden Files. Every time I ask a certain friend which book should I read next, she ALWAYS says "Dresden!"

Had to take a small break from the Dark series today because one of my favorite authors had a new book come out today. Talking about Bloodlines by Richelle Mead. I've read just about everything she has released and I haven't been disappointed yet.

Drake Sisters Series by Christine Feehan

I've recently finished reading the Drake Sisters by Christine Feehan. It is a total of seven books. With the exception of the first book all of them are about the standard length for a paranormal fiction book. The first book "Magic in the Wind" is a bit bigger than a short story.

The overall story for the series revolves around seven sisters. The sisters come from a long line of witches. The seventh sister is destined to have seven daughters of her own to continue the Drake line. Normally, when reading a series such as this I run into all the main characters having similar personalities and by the third or fourth book I can't tell you which stories I've already read. They all tend to blend together, and I start getting the characters confused. This series, however, I can see distinct differences between the sisters and since they each come into play during just about every book, you learn to enjoy and appreciate each sister for who she is.

The basic rundown for each book is pretty typical: Meet your heroine, meet your hero. May not be "love at first sight" but definitely "Lust as first sight". Some action packed scenario happens that drives the heroine and hero together. Add in a few sex scenes, and by the end of the book the scenario is resolved and the heroine and hero live happily ever after.

That being said, calling these books typical is the furthest thing from my mind. Each book in itself made me laugh, tear up, sympathize, severely dislike the "bad guy", and wish for my own happily ever after. Ms. Feehan keeps the reader so engrossed in the story, I kept having moments where I would get distracted and have to stop read and it would take me a few minutes to remember that I'm reading a book and not living it. That saying "Couldn't put it down" came into play with each of the seven books. I walked around with my Kindle in my hand everywhere I went. By the time the end of the seventh book came I actually felt sad for having to leave that "world" behind, and made me want to load up book one and start all over again.
The sisters themselves are funny, loving, kind, mischievous, placing others before themselves, willing to risk their own lives, frustrating, hardheaded, and real.

The use of magic is so interwoven in the story that I never had that moment of disbelief. It seemed natural. Too many times in stories about witches/wizards, they start with spell casting and it pops me right out of the story. Never happened here.


I would recommend this series to anyone that enjoys a great paranormal romance story.

Writing

I've been giving a lot of thought over the last few years to start writing.

Most people will probably think this is a sign on insanity but if it is then so be it lol. Since I was probably 8 or 9 I've always played out situations in my head. Whether it be how a certain conversation may go, how I would react to the death or injury of a loved one, how a date may go, etc... As I've gotten older I find I do it more and more often. To the point where everything I want to talk about with someone I find I play out the conversation in my head first. Especially if it's something important.

For a little while while I was in high school I got really big into Musicals. Loved Phantom of the Opera and Wicked. Since I was home by myself for 3-4 hours after school a day I'd play the music as loud as I possibly could and start acting along with the sound tracks. I had a blast with it. Whether I'm Christine being dragged through the underground tunnels with the Phantom after she unmasks him (usually done by walking from the living room to my bed room through the kitchen) or Defying Gravity with Elphaba (usually with a broom in hand standing on my parents chest at the foot of their bed).

That was around the time things really started happening "in my head". Later on I'd find I would start becoming characters from the books I was reading. Happened with almost every series I was reading... (Strangely enough never with Harry Potter.) From there I would start to develop the stories beyond the book. Taking the characters and putting them into different situations. For a long time that was the only way I could get to sleep, or get through a long car ride. I'd keep myself entertained that way or start going through the story to wind down enough to fall asleep.

Eventually I'd find myself created new characters. Entire life stories that would play out in my head over a few months then disappear.

Now for a long time I just thought I was going nuts. Figured if people knew that about me they would think so also, but as I'm reading a new series of books, The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series, I just got to the Insider's Guide. The author is describing her writing process and the way her stories just come to her sounds a lot like mine. The big difference is that she writes them as they play out. I allow mine to play out in my head as a entertainment or relaxing technique and never think of them again.