Monday Mini-Reviews - The Indigo Spell and The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

 

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. They protect vampire secrets--and human lives." 
In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.

In the third book in Richelle Mead’s Bloodlines series, Sydney is torn between her lifelong beliefs and her heart. Increasingly worried about the hints that the Alchemists are keeping secrets from her, she decides to track down Marcus Finch, a former Alchemist who might have the answers she’s looking for. But her history teacher, Mrs Terwilliger, is convinced that she has innate magical abilities, and that she might be the next target for a powerful witch who keeps her youth by draining the life out of other magic-users.

Again, the best part of the book was the characters, especially Adrian and Sydney. Mrs Terwilliger also gets a more significant role as her attempts to get Sydney to take up learning magic become central to the plot. Marcus Finch, the former Alchemist, is an intriguing character, too, and I was glad to see that Mead didn’t develop a love triangle with Sydney and Adrian. The plot is exciting and it was really interesting to learn more about the way magic works in the VA universe, and the different groups who practice it. Sydney has become more independent and is learning to use magic to defend herself, giving her the chance to fight back, and there is a lot more action in this book. With magic, romance and a twisting plotline, this series has officially grabbed me, and I can’t wait for Book 4!

 

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. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives.

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .

But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure — and re-education — looms larger than ever.

Pulses will race throughout this smoldering fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.

I couldn’t wait to read the fourth in Richelle Mead’s addictive Bloodlines series, and I wasn’t disappointed. Sydney and Adrian’s relationship gets more development as they risk everything to be together, and Sydney’s decision to learn magic also puts her at risk from the Alchemists she once trusted. But now she’s working to undermine them completely.

I liked the alternating POV’s as we got Adrian’s perspective as well as he struggles against the unstable mood swings brought on by using spirit magic. I like how he and Sydney both mature and how each considers the other’s feelings, and the development of their relationship takes centre stage in the story. The plot wasn’t as evident and I did get a bit bored with some of the recapping and tangents which dragged out the romance sub-plot but did nothing to advance the main plot. That said, I still love the characters, and this instalment brings more of the passion and drama that make this series so addictive!