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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to dive back into my favourite Richelle Mead world. ‘The Golden Lily’ takes us on another crazy ride discovering parts of the world we never got to see in the first series (Vampire Academy) and for me, that just makes the series more exciting – finding something new.
We learn a lot more about the Alchemists and not all of it is good. I always knew they had a strict and hard lifestyle, but we never really saw what it is that actually happens behind the scenes in the Alchemist life. We get a chance to see more in ‘The Golden Lily’ and I can safely say it’s not a lifestyle I’d pick for myself. I really liked this new glimpse of the Alchemists, they’re no longer just a random secret group.
It was bad enough that Sydney and the gang were looking out for rogue Moroi groups and random Strigoi attacked, but when they discover evidence of Vampire Hunters, everything jumps to a whole new level. I had a feeling the vampire hunters were going to make an appearance in the series. After so much talk about their secret existence it was only a matter of time before Sydney was faced with them and the trouble they’d bring. There’s also more to the hunters than meets the eye – but that’s all I can say without giving too much away.
I loved being around the characters I know so well again. There are some people you just can’t get out of your head and Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy characters do that for me, especially when it comes to her male characters. There is nothing better than seeing Dimitri Belikov on the page again and he brings out his super awesome Guardian skills just to prove he hasn’t lost his badass touch just yet. But he’s not the only guy to rock the page. Adrian grew so much in this book. I was so touched by his strength and loyalty and, as always, he never fails to make me smile. The Vampire Academy men stole the show.
And finally, Sydney. I love her awkwardness in the book. She’s faced with something completely new in her life, something more difficult than looking after moroi and dhampirs in the human world. Sydney gets asked on a date. Her social skills are still lacking a bit, so it’s fun to see her work through this new situation. She also explores her magic side a bit more – despite her aversion to magical performances. It’s here that I had my biggest issue with the book. Sydney seems to have a few problems with the subject of magic and vampires. She makes so much progress throughout the book to overcome the Alchemist prejudices against the unnatural vampires and shudder-worthy use of magic, but there are moments when she falls back into old ways of calling moroi and dhampirs “evil monsters” and freaks out when magic is being used – even though she using her new magical talents quite a bit. I kept hoping she’d move forward, take charge, and stand up for what was in front of her – that vampires aren’t all evil. It didn’t have to be giant leaps, it just had to happen. But she seemed to take more steps back than forward.
All-in-all, another interesting and smile-producing addition to the Bloodlines and Vampire Academy world. Looking forward to seeing what happens to Sydney, Adrian and the rest of the gang next.
4/5 stars
We learn a lot more about the Alchemists and not all of it is good. I always knew they had a strict and hard lifestyle, but we never really saw what it is that actually happens behind the scenes in the Alchemist life. We get a chance to see more in ‘The Golden Lily’ and I can safely say it’s not a lifestyle I’d pick for myself. I really liked this new glimpse of the Alchemists, they’re no longer just a random secret group.
It was bad enough that Sydney and the gang were looking out for rogue Moroi groups and random Strigoi attacked, but when they discover evidence of Vampire Hunters, everything jumps to a whole new level. I had a feeling the vampire hunters were going to make an appearance in the series. After so much talk about their secret existence it was only a matter of time before Sydney was faced with them and the trouble they’d bring. There’s also more to the hunters than meets the eye – but that’s all I can say without giving too much away.
I loved being around the characters I know so well again. There are some people you just can’t get out of your head and Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy characters do that for me, especially when it comes to her male characters. There is nothing better than seeing Dimitri Belikov on the page again and he brings out his super awesome Guardian skills just to prove he hasn’t lost his badass touch just yet. But he’s not the only guy to rock the page. Adrian grew so much in this book. I was so touched by his strength and loyalty and, as always, he never fails to make me smile. The Vampire Academy men stole the show.
And finally, Sydney. I love her awkwardness in the book. She’s faced with something completely new in her life, something more difficult than looking after moroi and dhampirs in the human world. Sydney gets asked on a date. Her social skills are still lacking a bit, so it’s fun to see her work through this new situation. She also explores her magic side a bit more – despite her aversion to magical performances. It’s here that I had my biggest issue with the book. Sydney seems to have a few problems with the subject of magic and vampires. She makes so much progress throughout the book to overcome the Alchemist prejudices against the unnatural vampires and shudder-worthy use of magic, but there are moments when she falls back into old ways of calling moroi and dhampirs “evil monsters” and freaks out when magic is being used – even though she using her new magical talents quite a bit. I kept hoping she’d move forward, take charge, and stand up for what was in front of her – that vampires aren’t all evil. It didn’t have to be giant leaps, it just had to happen. But she seemed to take more steps back than forward.
All-in-all, another interesting and smile-producing addition to the Bloodlines and Vampire Academy world. Looking forward to seeing what happens to Sydney, Adrian and the rest of the gang next.
4/5 stars
I'm torn between 3 and 4 stars so I'm gonna go with 3 1/2 stars.
Although I love & adore Adrian & quite like Sydney I felt this book was boring in parts. I skimmed a good bit & I hate that, especially when there are characters I like and could be keeping my interest better than some random totally dull & boring guy that was totally unnecessary IMO. You could argue that Sydney needed him to show her the difference between passion and the lack thereof but it was incredibly dull & boring.
And there were other parts as well that were overly descriptive etc. I only really perked & paid attention whenever Adrian came back on the page or there was a bit of action.
But the parts that had Adrian or had action were great (even though for a big part of the book I couldn't see where it was going or who the big bad was gonna be).
Will I continue on this series? - Of course, did you not see what I wrote about Adrian LOL
But I think I might wait until all the books in the series are out, especially after what happened at the end, my heart can't take much more of that.
Although I love & adore Adrian & quite like Sydney I felt this book was boring in parts. I skimmed a good bit & I hate that, especially when there are characters I like and could be keeping my interest better than some random totally dull & boring guy that was totally unnecessary IMO. You could argue that Sydney needed him to show her the difference between passion and the lack thereof but it was incredibly dull & boring.
And there were other parts as well that were overly descriptive etc. I only really perked & paid attention whenever Adrian came back on the page or there was a bit of action.
But the parts that had Adrian or had action were great (even though for a big part of the book I couldn't see where it was going or who the big bad was gonna be).
Will I continue on this series? - Of course, did you not see what I wrote about Adrian LOL
But I think I might wait until all the books in the series are out, especially after what happened at the end, my heart can't take much more of that.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book. I was a bit confused at the start of the story when I didn't know what was going on. I figured it out but was a bit confused.
In this book, Trey sets up Sydeny with a guy named Brayden, who she goes on several dates with. At the same time is her relationship with Adrian is evolving, and she goes with him to meet his father.
Sonya and Dimitri are in Palm Springs to help do research on people who have been stragoi and then saved.
Time goes, and they go through their everyday life at Amberwood with even more twists and turns because of who they are. Such as Sydney involuntarily learning human magic.
We also get to know about a guy named Macus Finch who used to be an Alchemist.
This book was quite good. I liked the twists in the book and how new things are introduced into the story and how the reveals are made. I enjoyed seeing how Adrian and Sydney get more and more comfortable around each other.
In this book, Trey sets up Sydeny with a guy named Brayden, who she goes on several dates with. At the same time is her relationship with Adrian is evolving, and she goes with him to meet his father.
Sonya and Dimitri are in Palm Springs to help do research on people who have been stragoi and then saved.
Time goes, and they go through their everyday life at Amberwood with even more twists and turns because of who they are. Such as Sydney involuntarily learning human magic.
We also get to know about a guy named Macus Finch who used to be an Alchemist.
This book was quite good. I liked the twists in the book and how new things are introduced into the story and how the reveals are made. I enjoyed seeing how Adrian and Sydney get more and more comfortable around each other.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
When I recieved this book on my Nook, I couldn't put it down!! I had to know what would happen next, and I read it in about three days. I stayed up until 2 a.m. two nights in a row to read it. The whole book kept you guessing. Sydney had to continue her duty for protecting Jill and the rest of the clan was with her. Her and Adrian got closer, and she seemed to have gotten over her fear of vampires being evil more. I'm not going to give away any spoilers, but this book was aaaaamaaaaaaaaaaazing! I'm currently rereading the Vampire Academy books through Bloodlines so I can catch every detail again. <3 I recommended all of these books to everybody I know! My trainer at work is on the second book of Vampire Academy, and she loves them as well! Give the books a try! If you don't like Twilight, you will love this, and if you do like Twilight, you will love this! This is way better! It has a Buffy The Vampire Slayer sense to it. Rose and Sydney are kinda like her, though Sydney is also like Willow with her knowledge. READ THESE BOOKS! :)
Update: My thoughts are still the same with this book. LOVE Sydrian still.
Update: My thoughts are still the same with this book. LOVE Sydrian still.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
