Review: The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

Title: The Golden Lily
Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Bloodlines
Book #: 2
Pages: 418
Reading Level: YA
Book Rating: 
Goodreads Rating: 4.57
Published: June 12th, 2012

The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spinoff series

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students--children of the wealthy and powerful--carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead's breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.

Taschima's POV:

Debating between a 3 and a 4 star...

Let's say 3.7 let's round up and give it a four.

I am just going to flat out say it. I am not in love with Adrian Ivashkov. *Le Gasp* Personally I've always been firmly Team Dimitri, and not even Adrian with his haunting good looks and bad boy persona could sway me away from my home team... not even in this VA spin off. Dimitri is still in the picture, he is a regular character in Golden Lily, and it just feels wrong to fantasize about another man when mine is just right there. Still I can see why many women, girls, and men alike would fall for Adrian's charms, specially since in The Golden Lily he seems to grow and he seems more ready to confront his problems (familial and otherwise). Can he be growing up? I don't think he'll ever leave his bad boy charisma behind, but I think he is trying to make healthy changes.

Things I liked about The Golden Lily... The romance actually. Which is good since this is what mainly keeps the books interesting. The will they or wont they WHEN THE HELL ARE THEY FINALLY GOING TO GET DOWN TO IT (kissing I mean, very PG13). I liked any part of the book that involved Sydney and Adrian. They amuse me. I also liked the excitement and adventure... at the end of the novel at least. *scratches head* Half the novel was about Sydney, and relationships, and Sydney trying new things, and well not life changing stuff. We didn't get a real threat to anybody's life till waay into the reading (or a threat in general). I have a tiny problem with this since I felt like something was missing throughout. It felt... lacking.

But Sydney as a character keeps surprising me with every book that comes out. She keeps growing, and her beliefs keep being slapped in the face so hard that she has to back off and really think on everything she has been taught her whole life. To see her struggle through these problems in a sometimes sensible and coherent fashion is very entertaining. I like Sydney when she makes sense, not when she is all *Oh god the vamps are going to eat me!*. But she is a work in process and I cannot wait to see where her character goes to in the next chapter of the series. I give Sydney a thumbs up.

Not only Sydney really, but Eddie, Angeline, and Jill as well. More Jill than the rest, she is really maturing and it shows in this book. Eddie, well he pisses me off (so sweet and yet at the same time so oblivious). And Angeline... well she seemed to grow from one page to the next. Not sure what to make of that, but oh well who cares about Angeline really?

However as for the story itself I have to say I was kind of disappointed. I saw every little plot twist coming from a mile away. What was gonna happen, why it was going to happen, who was going to be involved... basically everything. And nothing exciting (by this I mean life threatening) and mysterious happened till well into the book! It kind of pissed me off. I have come to expect more from the VA series, even if this is just a spin off created for us hungry fans.

I liked the ending because it had a very serious confrontation between our love birds, Sydney and Adrian (I am actually impressed Sydney was able to keep her hands off Belikov, strong will, I couldn't have... well, more like I wouldn't have). I really liked it, and I liked how Adrian was strong and stood up not only for himself but for Sydney as well, even though it caught her completely off guard.

The ending wasn't a cliff hanger or anything, and to be completely honest, well, I am not that anxious to get the next installment in the series. I feel like I might just light up and read some other books, waiting patiently for The Indigo Spell to make its debut in its due time. I liked the book, I really did (it entertained me) it just isn't VA.