Bloodlines is Great Vampire Romance Follow-up to Vampire Academy
Richelle Mead’s series Vampire Academy was a wildly popular vampire romance that many of our readers, including me, enjoyed. It introduced us to the world of Moroi Vampires, teen alchemists and plenty of vampire romance for everyone. When Mead decided to end the series, so that the central character Rose could get a chance to enjoy her life, according to an interview with the author, we all thought it would be the end of our lovely travels into a very well fleshed-out world of vampire romance and adventure.
Lucky for all of us who loved the series, Richelle Mead decided instead of just heading off to a new land, she would bring us back to the same world, but with a different viewpoint. This time around, we are seeing her world through the eyes of Sydney, the alchemist we were introduced to in Vampire Academy.
The Return of Sydney
As the story begins, Sydney is awakened to find that her younger sister Zoe has been summoned by The Alchemists for a secret mission on behalf of the Moroi. As you may recall from Sydney in Vampire Academy, the last thing she would want for her sister Zoe is to have her dragged into the alchemist lifestyle. This being the case, it is not that surprising that Sydney decides to convince the powers that be that she would be a far better choice than Zoe for this mission, whatever it is. To both her surprise and joy, they agree and tell her she is to leave immediately for a very sunny part of Southern California, Palm Springs. If you have ever seen the place you would know, it is the last place anyone would ever expect to see a vampire romance. It is about as far away from dark and mysterious as you can get and still be on the same planet.
Soon Sydney is meeting up with Moroi Princess Jill, the sister to Queen Lissa, along with a few very familiar characters from Vampire Academy Adrian and Eddie. It is almost coming home week for those of us who miss the series. They will all be attending a human boarding school called Amberwood Prep, so they can be close at hand should Jill be in danger. This is the reason for the secrecy; Jill has been threatened because she is next in line for the throne and this school has been chosen as a safe hiding place for her. But even here, she will need protection, so the others are here to help.
Along the way we meet some new characters including the area alchemist Keith and the solitary known living Moroi in the area, Clarence and his son Lee. Throughout the story a new love has arisen amongst the group here to protect the princess from would-be assassins, and it is a vampire romance that is definitely forbidden.
A Great Beginning to a New Series
There are surprises around every corner in this story, and the relationships between vampire and human get even more complicated the further along we go. Mead does her usual great job at taking us along on a very twisted and thrilling ride, and then of course leaving us handing in mid-air until the next book. As far as cliff-hangers go, this one was not as big as many she did in Vampire Academy, but it was there none the less, making me want more.
If you are a fan of the Vampire Academy series, you are going to love the new Bloodlines . If you have not read them, my guess is you can jump in and enjoy this series, but you may by the end of the first section find yourself wanting to go back and meet some of this cast from the earlier times. Either way, you are bound to find this a vampire romance that keeps you happy to see Sydney get challenged and fight for the answers she needs in this great vampire tale.
