The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

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Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she’s been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California–tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.

But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age–old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi—the fiercest vampires, the ones who don’t die. But it’s her fear of being just that—special, magical, powerful—that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else—someone forbidden to her.

When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney’s loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.

Should she trust the Alchemists—or her heart?

My thoughts

I've had a difficult time writing a review for this book (seriously, it has taken me forever), because I'm so overly excited by it. This was even better than Bloodlines, and I really liked that book. But not this. No, I LOVE this book! I don't think I'll be able to properly express myself and do this book justice, but I shall do my best. 

First of all, this book opens up only a few weeks from when Bloodlines ended. I gotta say that I prefer, when there's isn't too wide a time gab between books in a series. Anyway, things are a bit calm right now, even though Bloodlines left Sydney with a lot of questions. Is there something special about her blood? Can humans really wield magic? And is everything the Alchemists say true? Sydney seeks the answers, but she might not like what she find. I liked that she begins to question the Alchemist's beliefs, even though she is also reminded what happens to those who defy them and get too close to vampires. Sydney mentioned re-education center in the last book, and TGL gives a glimpse of what that means. Doesn't seem very nice. I certainly don't hope Sydney will somehow end up there!

Sydney was finally starting to feel comfortable around vampires (and especially a certain person), and I really, really liked that. She's slowly starting to break free from those patterns she was raised in. She still has everybody else interest at heart, and ultimately it's this I think will break her loose and fully embrace who she really is.
Once again, Sydney gave me an easy laugh. She is now expanding her social interactions to.. dating! Man, I was laughing so hard at times. She hasn't got a clue about anything. Which also explains why she doesn't get all the hints from that certain someone, though they were very obvious. I feel a need to mention Brayden here, who I'm sure is a very good guy, but also possibly the most boring guy! Most of all, he was so comical.
Anyway, I think it gave Sydney a good perspective of how a relationship should be, when she experiences the real thing.

Jill was much improved in this; she was more mature and thought a lot about her actions and the possible consequenses. I really liked her in this. And with her we also get to see some interesting side effects of the bond she shares with Adrian.

Speaking of. Adrian! He continued the growth he had going in Bloodlines, which is so great, because he is so much more than that facade he has put of for everyone. At heart he is an amazing guy, and Sydney brings out the best in him and gives him courage to be this better, stronger person he is. Ah, I loved Adrian in this book. And now I think I'll stop talking more about him, or I'll go crazy fangirling. 

There was a lot more emotional tension in this, which I'm a total sucker for. So what Bloodlines lacked was definitely made up for in The Golden Lily. I can't wait to see what The Indigo Spell will bring. Especially with that ending. Oh my gosh! I think my eyes popped out of my head when I read it, and then I was like nooooo, how could you do that?! Whyyyyyy?! Okay, I know why, but still..

Overall, as you might have noticed, I loved this book. It has reach my all-time-favourites list (and that is kind of hard to get on). Now I'll just go to anxiously wait for The Indigo Spell. 

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Swoon Thursday (2) - Divergent

SWOON is a weekly meme hosted by YA Bound.

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering. 

Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog. We want to know!

I just finished Divergent last night (yeah, I know I'm way behind), but nonetheless Four made me totally swoon. If you haven't yet read the book, this may be a bit spoilery.

“I have something I need to tell you," he says. I run my fingers along the tendons in his hands and look back at him. "I might be in love with you." He smiles a little. "I'm waiting until I'm sure to tell you, though."
"That's sensible of you," I say, smiling too. "We should find some paper so you can make a list or a chart or something."

I feel his laughter against my side, his nose sliding along my jaw, his lips pressing my ear.

"Maybe I'm already sure," he says, "and I just don't want to frighten you."

I laugh a little. "Then you should know better."

"Fine," he says. "Then I love you.” 

*Sigh* I think Four has just secured himself a spot as my new book boyfriend. 

Who has made you swoon this week? Leave a link below, or just leave the quote in the comment below.

Waiting on Wednesday (13)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
This week I'm waiting for:


Blurred by Tara Fuller
Release date: July 2.

Cash is haunted by things. Hungry, hollow things. They only leave him alone when Anaya, Heaven’s beautiful reaper, is around. Cash has always been good with girls, but Anaya isn’t like the others. She’s dead. And with his deteriorating health, Cash might soon be as well.

Anaya never breaks the rules, but the night of the fire she recognized part of Cash’s soul—and doomed him to something worse than death. Cash’s soul now resides in an expired body, making him a shadow walker—a rare, coveted being that can walk between worlds. A being creatures of the underworld would do anything to get their hands on.

The lines between life and death are blurring, and Anaya and Cash find themselves falling helplessly over the edge. Trapped in a world where the living don’t belong, can Cash make it out alive?


I just finished Inbetween, which is the first book in this companion series, and I really liked Fuller's writing and the world she has created. This one features Cash and Anaya's story, and I was very intrigued by both in Inbetween, so I'm looking forward to reading their story in Blurred. And isn't the cover just gorgeous?


Okay, now I just feel like mentioning that there's less than a week to the release of The Indigo Spell. Eep! Can't wait. Yeah, I know that was my last week's WOW, but I'm so excited! I'm seriously counting the days, one by one.

What are you waiting for this week? Leave a link below and let me know :)

Feature and Follow (2)

Feature and Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Go to either blog to see the rules for participation. 

Q: What is the first thing you would do if you woke up to find yourself in your favorite book?

A: Well, since my current favourite book is Anna and the French Kiss I would go find St. Clair and let him show me Paris, starting with Point Zero.

Swoon Thursday (1) - The Golden Lily

SWOON is a weekly meme hosted by YA Bound.

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering. 

Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog. We want to know!

This week I'm swooning over Adrian Ivashkov in The Golden Lily.

“I tried to be a better person for her– but it was to impress her, to get her to want me. But when I’m around you, I want to be better because… well, because it feels right. Because I want to. You make me want to become something greater than myself. I want to excel. You inspire me in every act, every word, every glance. I look at you, and you’re like… like light made into flesh. […] You have no clue how beautiful you are or how brightly you shine.”  

Aww, Adrian totally became my new book boyfriend with this.

Who are you swooning over this week? Leave a link below and let me know. 

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

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...

My thoughts

After reading Last Sacrifice I was eager to begin Bloodlines, as there was a lot of loose threads left. And I really liked Sydney, Jill, Eddie and of course Adrian in VA, though I must say I was a little disappointed by Adrian in Last Sacrifice. But don't worry, he totally made up for it in Bloodlines. 

Bloodlines is a spin-off on Vampire Academy, but I have to say that I was honestly amazed by how well connected the two series was. Everything just fit together, making it much more believable - if you can ever use that word in a story about vampires. 

I think the story was very good, and I liked the setting in Palm Springs, and how the vampires - or rather Jill - had to handle being away from St. Vladimirs. It was interesting to learn more about the Alchemists, and I understand Sydney's reaction to Rose in Blood Promise a lot better now. There's many prejudices between the races, though mostly from the Alchemists. I liked how Sydney slowly worked through these ingrained prejudices and started seeing the vampires and dhampirs as persons, and not some evil creatures of darkness. They were actually a lot nicer to her than the Alchemists!

While the story flew well, I think there was a great deal of time spent on unnececcesary matters, like who Jill could date. On the other hand I think this exact matter illustrated very much how worried Sydney always seem to be about humans and vampires/dhampirs interacting. But also about how she generally just worries too much. 

There wasn't really any romance in this book, which was a little disappointing, but with Sydney's character I understand that things has to build of for her. But I think that the rest of the series will fully compensate for the lack of romance in this, as I think there's a lot in store for Sydney. And Jill too.

I loved Sydney, much more than I ever did Rose, mostly because I understood Sydney's character better. She was very much always in control of herself, was very organized and very responsible. She definitely thought a lot before she acted on anything. I had a lot of fun seeing her learn about social interaction, which she knew absolutely nothing about. It resulted in some pretty hilarious situations, before she slowly learnt to understand things. 

I liked Jill a lot, though she was a bit annoying at times. I think she whinned too much about her situation, and how she couldn't live a normal life. I mean, someone tried to kill her, and she is still in mortal danger, who cares if you can date and that you have it tough right now. It's not that it's for the rest of her life, it might not be longer than six months. Grr. But despite this she was very nice and I think she's quite cute with all that rambling of hers. And I have to say I felt sorry for her, both for how she was almost rejected by Lissa, the constant danger she is in and the circumstances surrounding her assault.

I'll have to mention Eddie, too, because I really like him, and I was very happy to get to see more of him in Bloodlines. He's an amazing character and he is fiercely protective of Jill, and was very much a mini-Dimitri - but without the duster. 

As I mentioned before, I think Adrian had approved from Last Sacrifice where he regarded himself as a victim. He still suffered from this and Rose's choice, and he was rather sorry for himself. But then Sydney came along, and she told him to take responsibility for himself and gave him something unique: trust. And without spoiling too much, I can say I loved to see him react to this. 

Overall, I liked this book a lot. I can't wait to read the rest of the series, and find out what's going to happen to Sydney, Jill, Eddie and Adrian. If you've read Vampire Academy series, I'll definitely recommend you pick this up. If you haven't yet read VA I suggest you read this before you read Bloodlines.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Waiting on Wednesday (12)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
This week I'm waiting for:

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
Release date: February 12.

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series 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.


I just finished The Golden Lily the other day, and now I'm dying to read this. Good thing there's less than two weeks to the release - even though that feels like forever. 


What are you waiting for this week? Leave a link below and let me know.