The Indigo Spell

Indigo Spell cast its spell on me, that is for sure. From the first page, I didn't want to put it down. Adrian is hot as ever and comes out with lines like this:
Because I can't help doing it. And hey, if I keep loving you, maybe you'll eventually crack and love me too. Hell, I'm pretty sure you're already half in love with me." p. 30
Remember--no matter how ordinary things seem between us--I'm still here, still in love with you, and care about you more than any other guy, evil or otherwise, ever will. p. 30
So, yeah. I am glad that he is in the process of getting his happy ending. Because, surely Richelle can't be that cruel and not eventually get these two together, right?? Right???
The pacing is awesome. There are multiple plot threads show more going on, but it kept me on the edge of my seat and I began to see how they all worked together to help Sydney become stronger and discover who she wants to be, instead of who she has been told to be.
There are some steamy moments, that I wanted to read over and over... To put myself in Sydney's body because then Adrian would be talking to me, touching me, thinking about me, and loving me.
I should have just stopped before the last two pages, because then I would have been okay waiting a bit for Fiery Heart. (well, who am I kidding? Even if neatly tied up, I would still want more Adrian and Sydney) But of course, Richelle had to be a little mean and throw a huge obstacle in their path. One that I have no idea how they are going to combat.
Non-stop awesomeness going on. There is magic, hot Adrian, a new mystery character, kick ass Eddie, and Sydney is changing so much! I loved watching her come into her own, and want to think for herself.

Bottom Line: Great installment in a must read series. show less

Oh my God, who knew that this series could get any better? This book was INTENSE! There were points where I was jumping up and down I was so excited. And Adrian... will you marry me? Please?! You get to see how vulnerable he is in this book, yet at the same time he remains his goofy troublesome self. I felt like I was a part of this mission with these characters. And honestly I laughed out loud a lot. Adrian's so funny. He's so cute. And I'm insanely jealous of Sydney.

Something that Adrian said kind of... hit home and made me cry. My late boyfriend used to say something very similar when he was alive. When I read that line I had to read it about 14 more times, and it broke my heart. And then he says it a bunch more times, just in case I show more didn't get the point. Ouch Adrian, I never thought you'd hurt me like that. show less

The third book in the Bloodlines series is packed with all the danger, intrigue, magic and romance that have made this series such a hit with me. When the story begins, Sydney is in denial about her relationship with Adrian. After all, Moroi and Alchemists are not supposed to fall in love. In fact, most Alchemists really, really dislike all Moroi even while their mission is to keep the Moroi hidden from the normal human society. But Sydney's denial is causing emotional pain for all of them and for Jill who is linked to Adrian because he brought her back to life.

Sydney's romance is not the only one in this story. Jill loves Eddy who likes her back but is dating Angeline because his duty is to guard Jill, not to love her. And Angeline is show more falling in love with Trey who is her math tutor and a former member of the Warriors who want all vampires—Strigoi and Moroi—dead. He didn't leave the Warriors by choice and would go back to them in a heartbeat if they would let him.

Sydney is also learning more magic from her teacher Ms. Terwilliger and is much less reluctant to use it. Since someone is finding young magic users and draining their magic, youth, and beauty from them, Sydney's new dedication to magic could save her life. Ms. Terwilliger is afraid that it is her older sister who is doing the draining.

Sydney is also coming to believe that the Alchemists are not the organization she thought they were. They are keeping secrets from her and, when she meets Marcus Finch—the former Alchemist that the Alchemist says doesn't exist, her doubts gain momentum.

Sydney is torn so many ways in this story. Her relationship with Adrian defies logic and everything she has learned as an Alchemist. Her use of magic is against Alchemist beliefs. Her loyalty to the Alchemists is crumbling with each new thing she learns.

I can't wait to read what happens in The Fiery Heart which will be released in November. show less

In The Indigo Spell this series finally comes into its own. Funny that it does it by moving its main plot far, far away from Alchemists, Moroi, and Strigoi. The main plot has to do with witches, actually one particular witch who through a convoluted plot hole would be targeting Sydney. Sydney and Ms. Terwilliger go on the offense and this time Sydney participates fully, working out her human magic user issues on her own and therefore feeling much less forced into anything. Sydney also seems to be coming into herself, acknowledging who her friends really are and showing them who she really is.

[As usual, trigger warning for eating disorders.]

Aaaaand now I have to wait for the next installment. But at least I have my life back!

Pleased with the ending -- more than enough to make me itch for the sequel, but not so much a cliff-hanger that I'll be chomping at the bit.

I remain undyingly fond of the main characters, and get a kick out of all the drama the others are going through completely independently of the protagonist (which she doesn't even hear about until it's over) -- gives a good sense that they have their own lives and don't revolve around her, which is a common hitch in any genre.

I'm not a big fan of and-then-she-found-out-she-had-magic-powers story lines, so this series isn't as much up my alley as the original Vampire Academy books, but Sydney has a clear enough show more voice and personality to carry it through. The tiny dragon/demon thing was a bit gimmicky, though.

Anyway, four stars for this one, as it maintains the trend of being The Funnest of Reads (but doesn't have The Twistiest of Plots or The Highest of Emotions or any of those qualities that would bump it to a fifth star). show less

I love Sydney and Adrian, both individually and as a couple. They bring out the best in each other, are entertaining as hell and have great chemistry. That being said, this book was a bit too filled with romance for me. I really missed seeing the rest of their 'family' since Eddie, Jill and Angeline were all pushed to the side (and Dimitri went home- which is good for my headcanon of him and Rose and whatever they're getting up to, but sad for me since, you know, its Dimitri and he's perfect and I could read him all day). Mead writes wonderful relationships, romantic and otherwise, and I really want the Bloodlines Series to develop and evolve some of those friendships (and character growth for minor characters) that VA is jam-packed show more with.

The plot is certainly picking up in TIS, getting us closer to the overarching plot of the mystery of the Alchemists and the development of Sydney's magic skills, but Alicia and her evil-mission seemed more like (another) plot-filler. Though it pushed Sydney into her magic, its pairing with her secret anti-Alchemist missions felt a little busy, though I'd rather that than the plot feel boring and predictable. We'll definitely see Alicia again, no doubt at the worst possible moment, and its one of those times I wish a villain would just be killed so I don't have to wait for them to jump out of the shadows once more.

I'm excited to see Sydney deal with Zoe's (and that new Dhampir's) presence. Their whole group was pretty lax about everything and I don't think an eventual reveal about Sydrian would have disturbed their dynamic. With Zoe in the mix, the next book should have some real stakes (haha, vampire joke) as Sydney and Adrian try to hide their relationship. Zoe's presence should also lead to Sydney having to deal with some of those repressed daddy issues that have lain just below the surface in the last three books. show less

[Cross-posted to Knite Writes]

There was less high school drama in this installment. Yay! Unfortunately, it was replaced by a confusing mix of conflicting priorities that often left me rolling my eyes. There was an evil witch going around sucking the life out of people…and Sydney was, for example, creating living quartz dragons in comedic sequences that ended with meals at a restaurant called Pies and Stuff. Marcus and his gang of “Merry Men” (as they were dubbed by Adrian) are a set of Alchemist deserters, and if they’re caught, or if Sydney gets caught consorting with them, a one-way ticket to re-education is the only foreseeable future. Yet Marcus, instead of being a serious figure, takes Sydney to ridiculous places where they show more do ridiculous things (like play Skee-ball). He shows up once at her school playing a guitar and actually causes a crowd of adoring girls to gather and swoon over him. Oh, please…really?

I was…confused by this book. I’m not sure if Mead is going for something more lighthearted than the original Vampire Academy and is struggling to make it work or…I don’t know what’s going on. But the dissonance between the action sequences/the constant threat of the antagonists/etc. and all the less-serious and awkwardly humorous material in between left me feeling…well, off when I was reading. It’s like Mead can’t quite decide what tone she wants for the series. It’s different from VA, that’s for sure, but it reads like Mead can’t figure out how different she wants it to be. As a result, different parts of the story ending up reading very differently (and not in a good way). The story lacks an underlying consistency of tone and intent. It’s bothersome. It really is.

There were a smattering of other issues as well. The plot dragged. Some of the plot points were incredibly predictable. Some of the new characters were not fleshed out very well…There were several general quality issues, basically.

Hopefully, some of them will be resolved in the next installment, The Fiery Heart, which comes out in November. (By the way, how on Earth is she writing these books so fast?) show less