REVIEW: Bloodlines (Bloodlines,#1) by Richelle Mead

Bloodlines (Bloodlines,#1) by Richelle Mead

Publication Date: August 23rd 2011

Publisher: Razorbill

Hardcover, 421 pages

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The first book in Richelle Mead's brand-new teen fiction series - set in the same world as Vampire Academy.


When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.


Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive - this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.

I've been dying to read Bloodlines,well,since the very first time I heard about the new spin off series by Richelle Mead!You see,I can't even describe how much I like the Vampire Academy series and since I heard there's more to come in the same universe,I knew I just had to read it!

Having actually read Bloodlines,one thing I can say for sure:Richelle Mead is so,so talented,that even when her story isn't exactly breathtaking,she still manages to grab her reader's interest and entertain him/her!

It's quite obvious,that I just couldn't make myself regard Bloodlines as one of the best books Richelle Mead has ever written.It was good,but not nearly as good as some of her other books.I somehow found Bloodlines lacking of inspiration.Mead took her good and tested formula of Vampire Academy and kind of reproduced it.We again have a private school,though of a different nature,Sydney takes Roses place (kind of),Jill Lisa's and we even get to have another well known kind of relationship between two characters (I'm not gonna state what kind of relationship,don't like to include any spoilers).

Anyway,Bloodlines,is more or less a copy of Vampire Academy,but with considerably less action and romance.I didn't mind so much the lack of romance,it was understandable under the circumstances (though I seriously hope that will change in the next book) but the lack of action bugged me a lot.I'm so used to the well planned and even better delivered action scenes Mead has in almost all her books I've read so far,that I terribly missed them in Bloodlines.There's still some action,but only some...And even if the book was fast paced after somewhere in the middle of the story (the first half was kind of slow) that didn't compensate me by any means.

I really don't need to say much about the characters in this book,or Mead's ability to create memorable and well developed characters.If she managed to transform the forgetable Sydney of the Vampire Academy series to the leading and totally memorable Sydney of Bloodlines,well,that in my book means she can do anything!

Adrian is our well known and beloved Adrian,though I'll just say it,even as the leading male,didn't manage to make me swoon over him.Maybe his role wasn't that big,maybe the fact he mostly beat himself over Rose (which I totally understand,but still,it didn't help me see him as hotness incarnate),tha fact is,I'm kind of still waiting to see more of Adrian.

Jill is the same sweet girl of VA,but we slowly start to see her transformation into a beautiful woman and Eddie,well,I loved him as a character from before,my fondness of him continues even more so here!

All in all,Bloodlines,may not have been the mindblowing book I kind of expected it to be,but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy myself while reading it or that I was disappointed by any means!Thinking of it,I just can't dislike anything Richelle Mead writes...I love her writing style and I think she's one of the best YA (and UF) writers out there.So,even if Bloodlines didn't exactly rock my world,all I can think now that I finished it is how much time do I have to wait for the next book!