The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2)

Before I start writing the review I need to point something out. The cover for Bloodlines and The Golden Lily should be switched. Why? On every cover we have Sydney and someone else. So, IMO Jill should have been on the Bloodlines one and Adrian should be on the The Golden Lily because that way the cover would match its storyline.

I didn’t started reading this book with high expectations cause I was disappointed with the first instalment. Maybe I expected it would be like Vampire Academy which I adore. Maybe I wanted Sydney to be more like Rose. But VA days are over (for now).

What is new in this book? Well. Sydney has her own room now. Angeline is staying with Jill. Adrian is having trouble with accepting the fact Dimitri and Sonya are doing their research at his place. Also, it seems like Sydney and Adrian are spending more time together and are getting along pretty well considering they are two very different individuals. But if you look closely, you can tell they have similar problems-with their fathers. They are insecure and feel misunderstood.

Sydney made me laugh a couple of times. She would say so funny things with a straight face I couldn’t help myself and crack up. She is still on a diet even though she is size 4. I can’t remember when I…nevermind. Syd used to panic when others were talking about vampires but I feel like she is finally ready to call Jill, Eddie and Adrian her friends and not just vamps.

Jill was, ahh, well, Jill. Not much has changed about her since Bloodlines. She is still that girl who always has a boyfriend. The fact that she is 15 does not mean she should not use her brain. I swear, sometimes, she acts like a freaking monkey. She is all smiling-blushing- head-bowing bimbo.

As for Adrian. *sigh* My tortured prince. He surprised me. He has grown some serious balls. *snickers* He is trying to stay away from alcohol and cigarettes. But it doesn’t always go smoothly. It’s a day by day battle. He is also working on his paintings. Who could be responsible for this improvement?

All in all, I was not disappointed The Golden Lily. It was slow paced and for once I had no problem with that fact. I enjoyed every scene. It was worth the wait.

This is def a series for anyone who loves Vampire Academy. Old characters are getting a chance to shine along with some new ones! Don't miss this!

My biggest complaint about this book was the tortuous (to my heart) ending, and the lack of updates on my beloved Rose. And since Richelle has done this to me before, leaving me hanging and wanting so much more, I really expected it, though I have some awesome things to hold on to until Indigo Spell is released. As far as Rose, I know that this series isn't above her, it's about Sydney and Jill, along with smoking hot Adrian, but through Dimitri I hoped we might get a small guest appearance or something... But, that might just make it even harder to let go.
So, notice that my biggest complaints were really praises for Richelle's writing? Yeah, safe to say that I totally enjoyed this book. Sydney is such a different main character from Rose, but she is still compelling, and it is such character growth to watch her struggle against what she has been taught her whole life and what she sees with her eyes, and feels with her heart. Are humans really capable of being as evil as vampires? Would you take a room of vamps that you trust over a group of humans that seem to be out to get you? Her answers were once crystal clear, but now, more and more she is changing.
It is really hard to write the review without spoiling anything, but I loved to watch Sydney and Adrian. Getting the closer view into Adrian and what he is dealing with is exactly what I wanted at the end of Vampire Academy, and this series is delivering. His one-liners are fantastic, and we get to see a deeper and more intense side of him that VA only hinted at.
I love Richelle Mead's young adult books (I haven't tried the adult ones yet, so can't speak for them), and she does not disappoint with this fast paced, page turning sequel and spin off.

Normally I would write a little synopsis of the book, but not this time. Richelle Mead’s work speaks for itself. If you’re considering this book, chances are you’ve probably not only read Bloodlines, but also the entire Vampire Academy series; if you haven’t…then welcome to the Richelle fan club. With that said I’m just going to write a few little tidbits about some of the character development within this second installment of the Bloodlines series.

Richelle Mead leads us back to Palm Springs and back into the lives of Jill, Eddie, Sydney, Adrian, and Angeline. We also see more appearances from Dmitri and Sonya Karp than we did in Bloodlines.

Sydney goes through a lot of personal and emotional growth in this sequel. She not only learns more about the real history of Alchemists, but she also starts to realize that she has more loyalty and tolerance for the Moroi and Dhampir races…and that scares her because she doesn’t want that info to get back to the Alchemists because they would send her to the re-education center (which she is terrified of). The prejudice that her upbringing taught her (both from her father and the Alchemists) is very hard for her to overcome and she battles with it every day. The decisions that she makes along her journey in this book will make you…. (Nope, not going to give spoilers, it’s MUCH better to not know what’s going to happen – trust me, it will be worth the wait.)

And let us not forget about the sexy, and ever-inebriated, Adrian. For anyone who fell in love with Adrian during the Vampire Academy series (or even if you just discovered him in Bloodlines), be prepared to completely swoon over him yet again. We’ve all adored this sexy man who seems like he’s in a constant battle with his mental health (thanks to his spirit magic), but in this book Adrian takes it to an all new level. I won’t give more details and spoil the plots twists & turns, but just know that hiding his feelings behind his sardonic quips and his constant smoking and drinking just isn’t going to cut it this time.

Buy Golden Lily and get lost in between the pages. I will definitely be reading this book a couple more times before Bloodlines #3: The Indigo Spell comes out on February 12, 2013!!!