Title:The Golden LilyAuthor: Richelle MeadEdition: hardcoverSeries: Bloodlines #2Released Date: June 12th, 2012 Publisher: RazorbillGoodreads / Amazon The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spinoff series
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.
The main reason I love these books is because of Sydney. Her intelligence just soars above everyone else, and she is simply perfect when it comes to her academics. When she speaks, it's always grammatically correct with no slang whatsoever, and I loved the conversations she had with the boy, Brayden, later on in the book. I'm truly glad we got to see more of that part of her, because when she's talking to people like Jill and Adrian, she tends to dumb it down for them. Also, Syndey's internal struggle was a bit part of the novel. Sydney is constantly contemplating whether or not what she's doing is considered 'being to friendly' with the Moroi, or if it's actually work. Throughout The Golden Lily, there's a constant push and pull between Sydney and the Moroi. One minute she'll be having the best time with them, and the next she has to push herself away in fear she's doing something wrong.
Honestly, Adrian really grew as a character in this one. Yes, I did say that: Adrian grew up. He becomes better, but not to impress Sydney or any of the other characters. He's doing it because he WANTS to get better. I really felt for him all throughout this novel, but he still had his usual wit and charm. Constantly, Adrian is getting torn down in this novel, especially by his father. The scene between Adrian, Nathan, and Sydney is very intense and interesting!
I was a bit afraid for this novel in the beginning. There wasn't much going on besides trying to train and becoming better friends with the Moroi, dhamphirs and other humans. I think the purpose was to show that Sydney was actually trying for a real life. There were certain parts where you could tell she forgot she was with vampires, and that's when Sydney really opened up. The action didn't start until over halfway into the novel, but when it did happen it was AMAZING. There wasn't fighting scenes, per say, but there was a lot of intense scenes where a fight COULD have broke out.
This novel actually has many subplots, and hidden romances, much to my surprise. Between Micah, Jill, Eddie, Angeline, and Trey - everything gets jumbled up! Don't worry, it's in a good way! They all get tied to each other in one way or another, which definitely makes it interesting!
The ending is going to hit you hard. There are so many things that pop up, but I'll keep those things to myself in fear of sharing spoilers! Refreshing the book in my head, there's so many unresolved things which is going to make The Indigo Spell simply amazing. I'm sure the action will jump in right away with this one, and I can't wait to read it! Richelle Mead managed to pull out another great novel, and I actually loved the Bloodline series more than I did the Vampire Academy series!
