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A review by klarial
Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead
3.0
The Vampire Academy/Bloodlines series are perfect if you’re looking for a little, plot driven, action and romance filled read. Will they blow your mind? Probably not. Are they fun? Yes. They are also quick reads, so if you need a little fun I would say try them out. Now on to Silver Shadows specifically. This installment has all of the elements I described above that are typical of the series. Sydney and Adrian’s romance was discovered by the Alchemists in the previous book, The Fiery Heart. This leaves Sydney imprisoned in a re-education center, while Adrian tries to find a way to save her. The majority of this novel deals with each of their struggles independently.
The good: the plot with Sydney and the re-education center was very interesting. Parallels to “real life versions” of re-education were apparent and pretty compelling. I also looked forward to her chapters simply to see how she was going to make it through and eventually escape (because c’mon she is GOING to escape). Plus, it added to the ever growing list of why Sydney is kind of a badass. The plot also moves at a good pace, it is a pretty quick read with a good amount of suspense, if not necessarily all the action of the previous installments.
The okay (I don’t want to say bad because I don’t think any of it is bad, just okay): Adrian’s story was not nearly as compelling as Sydney’s. After seeing him grow as a character in the past few books, we see him fall apart. This book really makes it seem like his only reason for being happy/a good person/living is her, and I find that off-putting. At some points his character even started to annoy me slightly (I know, I know BLASPHEMY). Also he treats a side character like crap, not cool. There is also something related to the ending that I was not a huge fan of, But this really comes down to personal reasons, not necessarily a problem with the book itself.
Overall, it was a fun, quick read with characters I have come to enjoy. If you’re already a fan of the series I think it is worth your time.
The good: the plot with Sydney and the re-education center was very interesting. Parallels to “real life versions” of re-education were apparent and pretty compelling. I also looked forward to her chapters simply to see how she was going to make it through and eventually escape (because c’mon she is GOING to escape). Plus, it added to the ever growing list of why Sydney is kind of a badass. The plot also moves at a good pace, it is a pretty quick read with a good amount of suspense, if not necessarily all the action of the previous installments.
The okay (I don’t want to say bad because I don’t think any of it is bad, just okay): Adrian’s story was not nearly as compelling as Sydney’s. After seeing him grow as a character in the past few books, we see him fall apart. This book really makes it seem like his only reason for being happy/a good person/living is her, and I find that off-putting. At some points his character even started to annoy me slightly (I know, I know BLASPHEMY). Also he treats a side character like crap, not cool. There is also something related to the ending that I was not a huge fan of,
Spoiler
the marriage. I get it, it made sense plotwise and opens the door for the happy ending in the final book, but I was just disappointed with that outcome for Sydney’s character. Also they are so young.Overall, it was a fun, quick read with characters I have come to enjoy. If you’re already a fan of the series I think it is worth your time.