The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

Title: The Golden Lily
Author: Richelle Mead
Pages: 418
Rating: 5/5
Synopsis: 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.


Review: This book was so good! I feel like this book was better than Bloodlines even though I really enjoyed that one too! Richelle Mead just keeps bringing new things into the world when you thought there wasn't much more to learn of it. 


Sydney is now a bit more accepting of those around her and starting become more comfortable with them. She is still looking out for all of them and trying to do the best she can. She also starts to see that not everything that she was taught is exactly as they say.  Little by little she sees things a bit different. I loved reading of all the different things that she knows which just makes you realize how smart and intelligent she is. One thing I really enjoyed was how she knows she can't fight like Rose but still wants to be able to put up a fight. She might not fight like Rose but she knows how to in a different way.

In Vampire Academy I didn't really like Adrian as much as others but this book let's you see deeper into his character and I have to say that now I love him! He's still that bad boy we all know and love but we get to see different sides to him. He's starting to take control of his life and now does something that he loves. I loved how he's trying to help in his own way. And that ending killed me because of how Adrian must have felt.

Another character that we can't forget is Eddie. In Vampire Academy we didn't get to see a lot of him but I love how here we see him more. Just like a lot of character he has gone through bad times that are now affecting the decisions that he makes. Angeline was awesome to read about. She had never experienced life like this so seeing her adventures and the things she does was awesome. And Jill. I feel kind bad for what she is going through and having to give up things. And again towards the end it was kind of sad for her too.

I feel like things have just started to get better and there is still much to see so I can't wait to read the next book, The Indigo Spell, which I'm sure will be amazing. I want to see Sydney embrace that part of her that she doesn't want to but that has helped her. I can't wait to see what happens next with all the things that were revealed in this book!

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Title: Bloodlines
Author: Richelle Mead
Pages: 421
Released: August 2011
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.

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.

Review: I had been sad to see the Vampire Academy series end so when I found out there would be a spin-off series I couldn't wait to read it. Which is why I don't see how I could have lasted almost a year without reading it. Bloodlines follows Sydney who is the Alchemist that we learn about in Blood Promise. Sydney now has to work with Moroi and dhampirs to keep Jill safe from those who want to harm her.


It wasn't as easy to love Sydney like I loved Rose but as I read more I started to warm up to her. Her fear for vampires and their world was annoying but I can see how she has so much trouble being near them when all her life she has been taught that they're bad. Throughout the book, though, she starts to get more friendly with them and started seeing them as normal people which is something I enjoyed reading about. 

One thing I hated in Last Sacrifice was how things ended with Adrian. I loved seeing him in this book more often than we did in the others. I have to admit I wasn't a huge fan of Adrian Ivashkov before but now that we're seeing new sides to him I'm starting to really like him. And Eddie! I loved Eddie in Vampire Academy and even more now that we see more of him. I love how he just wants to be able to protect everyone.

I was a bit hesitant to read Bloodlines since I wanted to love it but Richelle Mead didn't let me down. I absolutely loved jumping back into the world that Richelle has created and learning more about things that we knew and some that we didn't. I'm sure as the story progresses things will just get better!

Book Haul (54)

So these are the books that I have gotten recently!

Books: 

Native Son by Richard Wright

Legend by Marie Lu

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead 

Happy Reading! =)

Top Ten Books On My Spring TBR List!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Since this week it was about the books that I plan to read this spring here they are! Not sure I'll actually be reading these but I hope to.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
I know. There is probably something wrong with me for not having read this book before.

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
I honestly have no idea why I haven't read it yet if I loved Vampire Academy.

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain
This is one of those that I also really liked the first one and since the third one came out I think it's time that I read it.

Die For Me by Amy Plum
I was really excited for it but for some reason I haven't read it yet so I think now is the perfect time to read it.

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Again, loved the first one but haven't been able to read it yet.

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
I haven't read The Iron Knight yet but I really want to see how Julie writes about vampires!

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
I really, really loved the first 2 books and I can't wait to see more of the amazing world that I read about in Gtaceling!

In Honor by Jessi Kirby
I still haven't read her first book but I'm really interested in the road trip aspect of this book.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
I just read Divergent and I couldn't stop reading! I can't wait to see what happens next!!

Grave Mercy by R.L. LaFevers
It sounds awesome and from the reviews that I've seen of it I know I will enjoy reading it!

What books do you plan to read? =)

In My Mailbox (51)

In My Mailbox is hosted by the awesome Kristi at The Story Siren!!

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Happy Reading! =)

Top 10 of 2010

Here are my top 10 books of 2010!! Some books were released this year, others were released last year and some of the books were released many years ago! The last one was my favorite! All links go to Goodread.

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

This was a book that I really enjoyed. There were some things that happened that made me think of similar things that had happened in my life a few years ago. I loved Anne's character, especially since she was just acting the way she was! It's was a really good book that I recomend to others.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This was one of those books that made me think of the world that we live in. It talks about some things that are still happening even though this book was published a long time ago. Everyone should definitively read it!

 

  

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

I know this book was published last year but I read it this year. It's no wonder that I loved this book since I love fantasy! I loved the world that Cinda Williams Chima created and can't wait to read The Exiled Queen.

Fire by Kristin Cashore 

I loved this book! I loved how Fire was a character who fought for what she believed in. She had to deal with what others thought of but she didn't give up. Who doesn't like it when the heroine doesn't depend on others?

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

I loved how this book was different than most. It's told from the perspective of a boy and that alone could make me love it. It's not the only thing though, I loved the characters and the writing doesn't show that two are writing the book! It really was a good book!

The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins

I can't believe that it took me such a long time to read this amazing book! Maybe it was because I had been hearing so many good things about it that I didn't want to be disappointed. It didn't matter because this book was simply great!

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

This book was one that I was most looking forward to this year. Let me say that I loved it! Simone Elkeles is simply an amazing writer. Plus we get to read about hot boys who speak Spanish! An added bonus is that I can understand perfectly what they're saying without having to look it up!

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

All my life I've heard of Edgar Allen Poe but I had never read a book that used him. This was a unique book that made me want to know more about him and read more of his poems. And Varen! I loved that he wasn't the typical boy that are in most books! I can't wait to find out what happens next!

Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

I love when authors write books with magic in them. So this was one book that I couldn't wait to read. It had everything that I like: magic and a handsome wizard! I loved how the relationship between Sydelle and North changes from hate to love!

Last Sacrifice Richelle Mead

The whole series really but I thought I should just put the last book. Since I first read Vampire Academy I knew I would love the rest of the books and I'm happy to say that I did. Everything about the books is great! The characters, the plot and everything else it has! I can officially say that it's my second favorite series, after Harry Potter of course!

So what do you guys think? =)

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Title: Last Sacrifice
Author: Richelle Mead
Published: December 2010
Pages: 597
Rating: 5/5
Summary: Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules.

She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir’s Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir Princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardian to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose- for a crime she didn’t even commit. She’s in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She’ll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.

But the clock on Rose’s life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back… and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your life is about saving others, who will save you?

It may contain spoilers from previous books!!

 
Review: I've read all the books on the series before this one so was really excited when I finally got my copy and started reading!

The book starts off just days after where Spirit Bound ended. Rose has had to be in a cell where she is waiting for her trial to take place. Soon she escapes with the help from others and goes on a journey to do something that is very important. During this journey many things happen that change the way things are.

As always Rose is someone who doesn't let anyone take control of her. She hates not doing anything and decides that she must help Lissa get her vote at Court. I loved her throughout the whole book! Some of the things she did may not have been the best things but that's just the way Rose is.

Lissa has to stay at Court and deal with the things that are going on there. She's also trying to find out who killed the Queen to clear Rose's name so she can return. While she's at Court things happen that may actually benefit others.

Dimitri. What can I say about him? I loved that he was so much more in this book than in the last one. He has to go through many stages to get to the point where he forgives himself for the things that he did in the past.

I've never been a big fan of Adrian, though I have to say that he was becoming a better person. He was there when Rose needed him and helped her through many things. The conversation he had with Rose at the end was kind of sad, especially the way he left.

I loved the ending, especially since it had its happy side as well as a part that wasn't so happy. Richelle left a few question that I hope will be answered in the spin-off series. Overall, the book (and the other books in the series) was amazing and definitely one that everyone should read!

In My Mailbox (32)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. I'm so happy that I got one of the books I was most waiting for!

Bought:
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

For Review:
The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Title: Spirit Bound
Author: Richelle Mead
Published: May 2010
Pages: 489
Rating: 5/5
Summary: Dimitri gave Rose the ultimate choice. But she chose wrong…

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s—and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives beyond the Academy’s iron gates to begin. But Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri, and he's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he's silenced her...forever.
 
 Review: WOW!! How can I even begin to say how amazing this book was?

This book continues the story of Rose and of all her friends and those that aren't really her friends. It starts off just as Rose is about to take her trials to finally become a Guardian. She still doesn't give up hope that Dimitri can be saved and that to me was a great thing. Throughout the story she tries to do many things to help but at the end she must make a choice.

I still keep thinking that Rose is a great main character. She does so many crazy things because that's who she is but you can also see how she has matured and learned to control her feeling a bit more. I was glad to see that she would've done what she had to even if it hurt her. I'm glad that Lissa helped her in many ways and did things even though Rose didn't approve of them.

Adrian started to become a great person. He wasn't drinking or smoking and for me that made a big difference on him. Even though I think this I will always like Dimitri more. Dimitri. What can I say about him? He was still that bad Strigoi for which I was sorry. And at the end, will I won't say anything about it.

I seriously can't wait until the next book comes out and see what happens next. I hope Richelle Mead keeps up this great work and gives us readers another great book to read!