Double Book Review: Bloodlines & The Golden Lilly

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Released: August 23rd, 2011
Read: April 2017
Publisher: Penguin Group
Format: Hardcover, 421 pages
Series: Bloodlines No. 1

Summary from Goodreads:

I wasn't free of my past, not yet.

Sydney's blood is special. That's because she's an alchemist - one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. But the last encounter Sydney had with vampires got her in deep trouble with the other alchemists. And now with her allegiences in question, her future is on the line.

When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the unlikeliest of places: a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one.


The Moroi court believe Jill and Sydney will be safe at Amberwood Prep, but threats, distractions, and forbidden romance lurk both outside - and within - the school grounds. Now that they're in hiding, the drama is only just beginning.

Review:

This was one book that satisfied an itch. After Vampire Acadamy, I was itching to relive the excitement that was the world of the Moroi. And after a while of procrastinating and reading other stuff I finally read Bloodlines. While it is different, BELIEVE me, it is just as good! The beauty of it, is that it isn't a carbon copy of it's mother series, and it actually stands on it's own. One may even argue that you could read it without prior VA knowledge. But I digress, this book was superb. I grew really attached to Sydney (our heroine) and how dang smart she was. It was refreshing to have a main character that is smart and sees no need to rush to get a boyfriend. Her character had a lot of emotional depth, and the dilemma she faces at living with a vampire makes her quite human. Unlike the original series, there are real conversations on whether or now vampires are human, what makes us human, and how can we coexist (man I make it sound like vampires are real...). Sydney is conflicted because of her Alchemist beliefs and it makes for an interesting read. Plus this book also brings back fan-faves Eddie, Jill and Adrian. I had no idea how much I loved Adrian and his self-destructive ways until I read this book. Rose clearly didn't know what she had when she was with him. All in all, this book is amazing, as it feels familiar enough to VA to feel like home, but it still holds it's own.

Favourite Quotes:
“Mmm. O positive, my favorite.” 
― Richelle Mead, Bloodlines

“The greatest changes in history have come when people were able to shake off what others told them to do.” 

― Richelle Mead, Bloodlines

Rating:
8.5/10

The Golden Lilly by Richelle Mead

Released: June 12th, 2012
Read: April 2017
Publisher: Penguin Group
Format: Paperback, 418 pages
Series: Bloodlines No. 2

Summary from Goodreads:

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. Alchemists protect vampire secrets - and human lives.

Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she's been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California - tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formorly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.

But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age-old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and her sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi - the fiercest vampires, the ones who don't die. But it's her fear of being just that - special, magical, powerful - that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Braydon, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else - someone forbidden to her.

When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney's loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.

Should she trust the Alchemists - or her heart?

Review:
So as you may see, I am kinda on a Richelle Mead kick right now, specifically the Bloodlines novels. While I am always wary starting book two (given shitty histories of sequels, hello Insurgent?) this book picked up right where book one ended and it just keeps getting better. Sydney is same as ever, and this time she GETS A BOYFRIEND! Yes you read that right. Who would've thought? And for once, this boyfriend is OK with her being genius-level smart. However, what makes this book is the arrival of two well known VA characters: Sonya Karp and Dimitri Belikov (swoon!!). This new gang is ready for everything, and it feels as if it's in this book that the series has found it's way in the post-VA world. I truly loved this book, but for one very specific reason. You could tell from page one that there was some sexual tension between Sydney and Adrian. And oddly enough, I loved it. It seems that they would be really good together! The plot for this is a little darker (vampire hunters!) but the balance between that and high school life is perfect; not too much, not too little. This was a really strong sequel, and I am already getting my hands on book three!

Favourite Quotes:
“Adrian ordered a martini, earning disapproving looks from his father and me.
'It's barely noon,' said Nathan.
'I know,' said Adrian. 'I'm surprised I held out that long too.” 

― Richelle Mead, The Golden Lily

“Why not see which is brighter: your aura or the sun?” 

― Richelle Mead, The Golden Lily

Rating:
9/10

Perfect for people who love: Vampires, teen books, romance, drama, supernatural, drama

Let me know what you think!
Happy Reading,
Mari

Book Review: The Dark Days Club

The Dark Days Club by Allison Goodman

Released: January 26th, 2016
Read: January 2016
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Format: Paperback ARC, 496 Pages

Description from Goodreads:
London, April 1812. On the eve of eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Wrexhall’s presentation to the queen, one of her family’s housemaids disappears-and Helen is drawn into the shadows of Regency London. There, she meets Lord Carlston, one of the few who can stop the perpetrators: a cabal of demons infiltrating every level of society. Dare she ask for his help, when his reputation is almost as black as his lingering eyes? And will her intelligence and headstrong curiosity wind up leading them into a death trap?

Review:
Where do I begin? Being a historical fiction and fantasy fan, this book grabbed my right from the start. I love Lady Helen herself. She is a strong woman in a time when being unladylike was frowned upon. Although there is a slow start to the main plot point (just under a hundred pages in) it's well worth it. The way Goodman writes about how Helen gets/realizes her powers is interesting- not at all cheesy. You end up urging her to realize her full potential, rather than roll your eyes. But my favorite character was Lord Carlston. He's dark, handsome and the epitome of every fictional love interest. In the synopsis, it says something along the lines "... his bad reputation." Boy does he ever have one! This makes the tension between the two of them even better! My one critique was that some of the lines sounded sort of fake- like the line didn't fit with the character. It was odd, but this book has the perfect blend of the supernatural with historical fiction that it was still a great read!

Favorite Quotes:
"You have far more courage than you think you do." - The Dark Days Club by Allison Goodman

Rating: 8.5/10

Recommended for people who like: paranormal, supernatural, fantasy, historical fiction, romance

Happy Reading,
Mari

Book Review: The Vampire Diaries

Taken from mybooksmylife.com

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L.J. Smith

Release Date: 1. March. 1999
Read: July 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher
Format: Paperback, 311 pages

Description from Goodreads:
A Love Triangle of Unspeakable Horror...
Elena
Searching for the ultimate thrill, she vowed to have Stefan.
Stefan
Haunted by his tragic past, he struggled to resist her passion.
Damon
Driven by revenge, he hunted the brother who betrayed him.
The terrifying story of two vampire brothers and the beautiful girl torn between them.

Review: 
This book was very different than the show, let me say that much. It shocked me at the liberties that the show took from the book. They changed the personalities of quite a few characters, and took others out completely. One of my favorite parts of the book was Meredith, someone who didn't make it into the show, despite the fact that she is a strong female character. I thought that as a whole, the book was a really fun read. The action was exciting, and most of the characters were extremely fun to read about. While reading, the biggest casting fail that I found was Bonnie. In the book, she is of Irish decent with red hair and freckles. In the show, she is the complete opposite. 
However, the show did succeed in one regard. I felt like in the book, Elena (the main character) was at times acting like a certain other human who falls in love with a vampire. She was strangely oblivious to Stefans odd behavior. There was too much obsession in her, which was cringe-worthy. However, since the summer of 2013, I have read the entire series and I am now searching like crazy for the first book in the Returned series.

Favorite Quote: “Evil will never find peace. It may triumph, but it will never find peace” 
― L.J. Smith, The Awakening
Rating: 3.25/5 Stars

Recommended for people who like: supernatural, romance, YA, adventure

Happy Reading,
Mari

Book Review: Reawakened

Reawakened by Colleen Houck

Release date: August 11th, 2015
Read: August 2015
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Format: Hardcover, 400 pages


Description from GoodReads: When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification.
   And she really can't imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe to find his brothers and complete a grand ceremony that will save mankind.
   But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world.
   From New York Times bestselling author Colleen Houck comes an epic adventure about two star-crossed teens who must battle mythical forces and ancient curses on a journey with more twists and turns than the Nile itself.

Review: I was expecting something like Rick Riordan's The Kane Chronicles, but more YA. What I did not expect was a pouty rich girl who has nothing to do but endlessly wander the halls of the Met. So tragic.
   Egypt in general is portrayed as an exotic fairytale place, and doesn't delve any deeper than that. Ever. The three princes are all somewhat in love with Lilliana, despite her lack of redeeming qualities. One of them feeds off her energy against her will, stalks her, and she still falls for him. Mostly because he's gorgeous by 21st century beauty standards.
   The book only mentions about a third of Egyptian gods, and upon further the investigation, the myth that the story is based off of is wrong too.
   Thoroughly, thoroughly disappointed.

Quotable Quotes:
"I could fall recklessly, dangerously, in love with a guy like him." - Lilliana Young

Rating: 2/5 stars

Read if you liked: the Red Pyramid, the House of Anubis, bad representations of other countries, Beauty and the Beast, Tiger's Curse, bad romances




Optimistically yours, Ola <3

Book Review: The Diviners

             The Diviners by Libba Bray

Release date: September 8, 2012
Read: February 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: Hardcover, 529 pages

Description from Goodreads:
   Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.
   Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.
   As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened.

Review: Normally, I don't go for the really creepy, and paranormal books. Add the fact that it's set in the 1920's, and you are in for a really scary ride.

Now I don't want to scare you away from the book, however it's not for the faint of heart. I think I first realized this during the introduction. It begins at a party with a Ouija board. A OUIJA BOARD! I think any normal person would see that it's only going to go downhill from there.

Like I said before, I'm not the creepy book type of gal. But this book kept me hooked. I literally couldn't stop reading. It took a while to hit the action, as Bray did a lot of character building on Evie (the main character). Once it hit, it was awesome. Every twisty turn was refreshingly original, and I never felt bored.

Although, I wish that we could have seen a little more of New York City in the 20's. The whole story stayed in one area, so I think had we traveled a little further, the story would have had even more depth to it. All in all, it was a great book, and I can't wait to read the next one!


Favorite Quote: “Naughty John, Naughty John, does his work with his apron on. Cuts your throat and takes your bones, sells 'em off for a coupla stones.” ― Libba Bray, The Diviners


(Not gonna lie, this was one of the creepiest parts of the book)

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Recommended to people who like: horror, paranormal, supernatural, YA, romance, exciting, thriller, mystery




Happy Reading,


Mari

Book Review: The Mime Order

    The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

Release date: January 27th, 2015
Read: August 2015

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: Hardcover, 510 pages

Description from GoodReads:
   Paige Mahoney has escaped the brutal prison camp of Sheol I, but her problems have only just begun: many of the survivors are missing and she is the most wanted person in London...

   As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on the dreamwalker, the mime-lords and mime-queens of the city's gangs are invited to a rare meeting of the Unnatural Assembly. Jaxon Hall and his Seven Seals prepare to take centre stage, but there are bitter fault lines running through the clairvoyant community and dark secrets around every corner. Then the Rephaim begin crawling out from the shadows. But where is Warden? Paige must keep moving, from Seven Dials to Grub Street to the secret catacombs of Camden, until the fate of the underworld can be decided.

Review: I'm going to start off by saying that I loved the Bone Season, and the cliffhanger ending tore my heart out. This book haphazardly stuffed my heart back. It was probably because the whole suspicious Scion-Rephaite connection was blown wide open, and every motive was painstakingly explained. Not to mention, the whole 'trying to survive'/'learning about my powers' was pretty much over, which was what added the thrills.

   Although I took a five month break, I'm glad I picked it back up again for the ending. Not being one for huge written fight scenes, the 'Rose Ring' fight was surprisingly good. The whole thing was very Hunger Games-esque, but better. (Set the walking in sequence to "Too Slow" by Johnny Klimek)

   The Warden, was just there. As always. There only when Paige needed him. The first book rounded him out a little, but the Mime Order flattened him out again. 

   Altogether, there were only about five chapters that were worth it.

Quotable Quotes:
"Words are everything. Words give wings to those who have been stamped upon, broken beyond all hopes of repair."
"Madness is a matter of perspective, little dreamer." - Jaxon Hall 

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Read this if you liked: Mockingjay, the Bone Season, a Great and Terrible Beauty, Divergent, etc.

Optimistically yours, Ola <3

Book Review: The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson and the Olympians the Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan

Release date: July 1, 2005.

Read: 2009, and three times since.
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Format: Paperback, 375 pages
Series: Book #1 in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series

Description from Goodreads: Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse—Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena—Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

Review: "Blaa-ha-ha!" Just imagine. Your best friend is a satyr and you are only part human. Honestly, that'd be awesome. Who wouldn't want a little excitement in their lives? (And yes, I do realize that I would be constantly hunted.) You'd have supernatural powers and automatically be a pretty good fighter. That's the dream.
     The Lightning Thief is a well thought-out book. Rick Riordan took information, myths, and stories from textbooks and created an enchanting new world. He used prior knowledge and added an exciting twist. From Percy Jackson's point of view, you emerge into a camp filled with magical creatures and people to meet. Everything, from the climbing wall that spills lava to the appearances of monsters, is detailed, except for the characters. Only a few characters have backstories. How and when did Clarisse get to camp? When was the camp built? These are questions I'd love to have answers to. Although we don't learn much about some demigods other than their appearances, I still adore this book, and I understand that it is meant to have a sequel.

Favourite Quotes:

•  "It's funny how humans can wrap their mind around things and fit them into their version of reality."- Chiron, Rick Riordan
•  "The real world is where the monsters are. That's where you learn whether you're any good or not."- Annabeth, Rick Riordan

Rating: 6.5/10

Recommended if you like: greek mythology, gods, supernatural worlds, adventure books, or the Kane Chronicles

A recipe for disaster,

Lauren