Bloodlines

Title: Bloodlines

Author: Richelle Mead

Reading Level: Young Adult

Location: YA Mead (when it comes in)

When alchemist, Sydney, is tasked with the undesirable assignment of watching over Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, she knows that she can make no mistakes if she wants to silence her detractors. She heads to Palm Springs where she, Jill and Jill’s guardian, Eddie, will be enrolled in an exclusive, human private school to hide Jill away from enemies in the Moroi world. Along for the ride is fellow alchemist, Keith, as well as intriguing, Moroi royal, Adrian.

Once in Palm Springs, Sydney begins to settle into a routine, attend classes, get Jill to regular feedings, banter with Adrian and contend with self-absorbed Keith. However, all is not as it seems at the school or with Sydney’s Moroi acquaintances. Some of the students have strange tattoos which are rumored to boost intelligence, mood or athletic ability. Plus, Jill’s unhealthy attachment to Adrian coupled with her problems adjusting to the student dynamic has combined to keep Sydney on her toes. Unfortunately, Sydney has a lot of unanswered questions and no one will give her any information. Whatever action she takes, she needs to do it quickly because her existence in Palm Springs is even more dangerous than she ever imagined.

Alright, I am a huge fan of the Vampire Academy (VA) series so I was excited about this spin-off. I was not a huge fan of Sydney in the VA books but I absolutely loved her in this book! Right from the beginning you are introduced to Sydney’s alchemist world, her family and her upbringing. You begin to understand the reason she is stiff and uncompromising but you also realize that she is smart and passionate about her work. She has become one of my favorite characters and I can’t wait to see how much she is going to change throughout this series. Adrian’s dynamic personality and sarcastic humor were a welcome addition to this book. I am also anticipating great things in the development of his character. A few characters from VA make cameo appearances with one big shocker addition at the end that should make the next book very interesting. Even though this is a starter book that sets up the Bloodlines series, it is still an entertaining, exciting book. I had a few plot twists figured out about midway through but there was quite a surprise near the end.

If you have never read any of the VA books, you should have no problem jumping into this series. Even though some characters carry over, Richelle Mead successfully crafts this as a stand-alone. She adequately explains the dynamics of the Moroi and Strigoi so the average reader will be able to get into this series without having read the VA books.

The Bottom Line: Bloodlines is a wonderful beginning to this VA spinoff series! Sydney is a strong, exciting main character who will carry this series well. If you were a fan of the Vampire Academy books, you should absolutely love this first book. Those who enjoy the paranormal or the paranormal romance genre should definitely give this book a try.

Blood Promise

Title: Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, Book 4)
Author: Richelle Mead
Location: YA Mead
Reading Level: Young Adult

This review vaguely discusses the plot points of the 3 previous Vampire Academy books. If you have not yet read Vampire Academy, Frostbite, and Shadow Kiss, skip ahead and read the bottom line.

When Blood Promise begins, Rose is in Russia trying to locate Dimitri and killing any Strigoi that wander across her path. She knows she needs to carry out the promise she made to Dimitri, but is still emotionally reeling from the events in the last book. Meanwhile, Lissa is back at the Academy with Adrian attempting to master more facets of her spirit powers. She misses Rose terribly but manages to make a friend in the new headmaster’s enigmatic daughter, Avery. Under Avery’s influence, Lissa’s powers become darker and on the other side of the ocean, Rose encounters one of the hardest personal struggles she will ever face. Will Rose find the strength to fulfill her promise to Dimitri? Will Lissa face the darkness that slowly envelopes her?

One of the fears in reading such a long series (a reported 6 books!) is that the middle books will function primarily as filler for the meatier content to come at the end of the series. Therefore, I am thrilled to report that this 4th book in the Vampire Academy series contains the same amount of fresh content, exhilarating action, and emotional turmoil that readers have come to expect from this series. Richelle Mead introduces a few new characters in this book which help the story feel crisp and exciting, as does Rose’s journey in Russia, a place where she knows little of the language and culture.

I find it very difficult to talk about the plot of this book without giving anything away. I will say that I found Mead’s writing impressive in this installment simply because she makes Rose’s emotions so palpable. The reader really feels Rose’s insecurity about her identity and place in the world as well as her anguish over the task to which she is committed. I did not feel as invested in Lissa’s problems but that part of the story still worked very well. Without revealing too much, I think Vampire Academy fans will be extremely pleased with this book, there is sadness, but also a fraction of hope to carry through to the next installment.

The Bottom Line: If you have not read this series, start reading Vampire Academy now! I truly enjoyed the emotional, exciting and hopeful journey that Blood Promise delivered. My favorite of the series by far will have fans impatient for the next installment. The next book, Spirit Bound, has a reported release of May 18, 2010.

City of Glass

Title: City of Glass
Author: Cassandra Clare
Reading Level: YA
Location: YA Clare

This review discusses major plot points from the first two Mortal Instrument books. If you have not yet read City of Bones and City of Ashes, skip ahead to the bottom line.

This third and final installment of the Mortal Instruments trilogy opens with all the Shadowhunters returning to Idris to face an inevitable battle with Valentine. Even though Jace disapproves of Clary going along, she wants to meet up with a warlock who has the power to cure her comatose mother. Upon arriving they realize that Valentine’s attack is indeed imminent and his spies have ears all over Idris. While the Clave argues over himself and the final Mortal Instrument, Valentine prepares a deadly and devastating attack to begin a final war. Everyone who has not yet died in the last two books returns with a few new faces to attempt to thwart Valentine’s selfish plan to acquire the final mortal instrument and desecrate the race of shadowhunters.

Although I enjoyed the previous two books, City of Glass exceeded all my expectations for this trilogy. I enjoyed the change of scenery to Idris and the author does a good job describing this fantastical country and the city of Allicante. Many of the main characters become even more compelling as the author makes them more complicated in this final book. I have always considered Jace to be a deep, multi-layered character, but the author really delves into some of the other character’s feelings and motivations which make the book all the more satisfying. I also loved the deepening relationship between Alec and Magnus. The author succeeds in making their relationship intricate and genuine, instead of using them as the token gay couple. In the end, I love how all the story threads wrapped up in this book, it was truly an enthralling, action-packed conclusion to a very imaginative trilogy.

The Bottom Line: City of Glass was a great ending to the Mortal Instruments trilogy. The author does not shy away from violence, but it is not overdone. Amidst all the action, the characters deepen and the story becomes more intricate resulting in an exciting, satisfying conclusion.

Title: Hunted: A House of Night Novel
Author: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Location: YA Cast
Reading Level: Young Adult

This review may discuss some plot points from the previous House of Night books. If you have not yet read the first 4 books, you may want to skip ahead to the bottom line.

Zoey and her friends are back in this fifth novel in the House of Night series. They have escaped the House of Night after evil Neferet raised the demon god, Kalona, as part of her plan to wage a war on humans and rule the race of vampires. Zoey must stay true to her goddess and, with the help of her friends and family, defeat the combined power of Neferet and Kalona.

As a whole, Hunted was a very disappointing book. It is 323 pages and encompasses three days of Zoey’s life after she and her friends flee the house of night at the end of Untamed. The writing is atrocious as always, but normally an engaging plot makes up for this fact. However, very little occurs in this book and by the end, it really feels like the storyline and the characters just ran in circles. It was while reading this book that I realized that between the first book in this series and the fifth, only a few months have passed in Zoey’s life. This drawing out of the series, particularly obvious in this installment, seems a lame attempt on the part of the author to squeeze as much money out of the series as possible. This is extremely frustrating since I know a good amount of teenagers who truly wasted their money for the sloppy mess that is Hunted. For the next book, the authors might want to attempt to use their limited writing abilities to extend the storyline past a few days of Zoey's life while actually adding depth to the plot and characters.

The Bottom Line: This was a terrible book. Untamed really gave me high hopes for this series which came crashing down in this fifth installment. If you are a fervent reader of the series then you have probably already read Hunted. If not, I suggest you skip this one. Trust me, you won’t miss a thing.

Evernight

Title: Evernight
Author: Claudia Gray
Location: YA Gray
Reading Level: Young Adult

Bianca’s life is over! Her parents decided to move her away from the few friends she had in her old town and send her to Evernight Academy. Evernight is an old, secretive boarding school in the middle of nowhere which houses a bunch of rich, attractive teens. Bianca will never fit in with that crowd and the school itself is really creepy. All is not lost because shortly after arriving, Bianca meets Lucas. Lucas is different than everyone else, he is good looking and he seems to really like her. Will Bianca and Lucas work together to survive Evernight Academy or will their personal secrets tear them apart?

The main storyline of Evernight is unoriginal and therefore too familiar. The big secret of Evernight Academy is apparent to even the most basic reader by the 3rd chapter. Claudia Gray tries to spice up the story by revealing a plot twist in the middle that involves Bianca, but it feels too contrived. The revelation ultimately makes the character of Bianca seem incredibly inconsistent. Also, the author fails to fully develop the relationship between Lucas and Bianca so it ends up feeling emotionally shallow. With all of these flaws, it is difficult for the reader to really connect with the main characters in this book which makes the story a chore to read. The 2nd book in the Evernight series, Stargazer, comes out in March. One can only hope that Gray develops the characters further and weaves a more imaginative story.

The Bottom Line: There are many YA chick-lit fantasy series out there right now and this certainly is not among the best of them. The story was so obvious it dragged, the characters were flat and the plot twist was unbelievable. If you are looking for something to read after the Twilight saga, start with House of Night or Vampire Academy, this should not be at the top of your list.

Go Ask Malice: A Slayer's Diary

Title: Go Ask Malice: A Slayer's Diary
Author: Robert Joseph Levy
Location: YA Buffy Malice
Reading Level: Young Adult

Needing a vampire fix after finishing the Twilight series, I turned to the vampire staple that is the Buffy universe. "Go Ask Malice" tracks the life and upbringing of Faith, a vampire slayer who's past the reader finds is both surreal and realistic with friends who have visions, visits to the therapist's office, and juvenile pranks. The story is told through journal entries Faith must write for her therapist and social worker. Faith is an abused and neglected child who grows up in foster care, on the street, and doesn't ever seem to get a break....until she is called to be a slayer.


Bottom Line: This is a quick read, and also one that you want to be over quickly. It is blunt, to-the-point, and a little disturbing. There is no softening the blow with sub-plots, it is what it is.

Untamed by P.C. and Kristin Cast

Title: Untamed: A House of Night Novel
Author: P.C. and Kristin Cast
Location: YA Cast
Reading Level: Young Adult

This 4th House of Night novel begins just minutes after Chosen left off, Zoey’s friends are ticked at her and her best friend is a possibly evil, undead dead vampire. Things begin to get much worse once Zoey’s figures out Neferet’s secret weapon in her malicious war on humans. Zoey must reunite with her friends and gain new allies if she hopes to counter the rising evil in this intense, exciting installment from P.C. and Kristin Cast.
The writing is not stellar in this series, but fans read it for the exhilarating storyline and appealing characters. Zoey’s confidence continues to grow as she embraces her role as a leader. All of her awesome friends return in this book as well as some new intriguing characters. Fans will particularly appreciate the climactic ending, but they might have to re-read it to absorb it all.

The Bottom Line: Fans will love this book! I loved this book! It is by far, the best yet in the House of Night series. New fans will want to start with the first book, Marked, before sinking their teeth into this one.