Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1)

 
4.6 (3)
 
4.7 (11)
158 0
Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1)
Author(s)
Publisher
Genre(s)
Age Range
12+
Release Date
August 23, 2011
ISBN
1595143173
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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.

Editor reviews

Another Great Start to a Series from Richelle Mead
Overall rating
 
4.7
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
Bloodlines by Richelle Mead was an interesting read - it is so very different from the Vampire Academy series. At first it was a bit slower on the action, but the last third of the book completely makes up for the lack of action at the beginning. It was intense and I quite loved it. I am intrigued to see where Richelle Mead will go next.

I love the characters. Readers really get to know Sydney better in Bloodlines, which makes sense as it is her book. She is such a fun character - spunky and serious. You also see another side of Adrian in Bloodlines, which was pretty awesome.

Some of the plot was a bit far fetched for me. There are these tattoos that all the students are getting to enhance their abilities and it just seemed a bit odd to me. I had a bit of trouble buying completely into it. That aside, the rest of the book was completely kick butt awesome. There was such a mystery readers had to try to solve.

I am curious to learn more of the alchemists world. While Richelle Mead lets readers see a little more in Bloodlines, she's pretty close-mouthed about the issue so I hope to learn more in The Golden Lily and the other books in the series. I just find the organization so fascinating and want to know more about them.

Bloodlines was a pretty solid start to a new series from Richelle Mead. I cannot wait to follow up with the story, especially after the ending that Richelle Mead leaves readers with. It is a complete firework! I was left with my mouth wide open. In a way, I'm a little happy I waited so long to read Bloodlines since I have The Golden Lily right on hand.
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From Missy's Reads & Reviews
Overall rating
 
4.7
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
I was a huge fan of the Vampire Academy series, so when I first heard about this spin-off series I had very mixed emotions. I don't have much experience with spin-offs but I felt that VA was so good, I didn't want anything to taint the world for me. Plus, I had grown to love the main characters in the series so I didn't know what to expect with them taking to the sidelines while the characters who were on the sidelines in Vampire Academy took the spotlight. This book actually came in the mail from the publisher, unrequested. My mixed emotions stayed with me for all of a day - then I got all anxious and just had to read it. Honestly? I'm glad I did.

My favorite characters taking a backseat to the other characters didn't bother me as much as I thought, but I think the main reason is that the characters taking the stage this time around were characters that I did enjoy in the other series. Sydney was a great character. Although she is no Rose, she's amazing in her own ways. Where Rose was always a kick-ass character who dove into action, Sydney felt more realistically human to me in that she is eighteen, yet still learning who she is and is sometimes vulnerable. Of course, this might have to do with that fact that Rose wasn't exactly all human... but I liked both of them for very different reasons. I also loved the fact that Adrian took a bigger role in this book than what I was expecting. I loved him in Vampire Academy and it was good to see him, though his pain sometimes made my heart ache. However, we still had some very Adrian moments that definitely let us know he's still Adrian... just an Adrian trying to get over heartbreak.

Bloodlines is written exactly the way that we've come to expect and love from Richelle Mead - which is nothing less than page-turning. There's action, an amazing plot and some cameos that were not expected but definitely welcomed. The one thing that this novel lacked that Vampire Academy did not was a love interest and romance. There were hints to some that may come along in the next book, but it definitely took a backseat to everything else in this one. At the end, there were some unanswered questions but I'm sure we'll get our answers as the series continues. If you haven't read the Vampire Academy series, you may be a little lost. Richelle Mead definitely put some information in to help you out, though I don't know if it's substantial enough to keep you completely informed.

Overall, this was a great start to a spin-off series and I absolutely adored it. Vampire Academy fans will definitely feel at home with the familiar characters. Everyone else will enjoy a great story full of engaging characters and a spectacular plot that will have your head spinning.
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Interesting new twist on the "vampire" genre.
Overall rating
 
4.3
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
When I received this book I was a bit nervous because I have not read any of the Vampire Academy series. However, I was only slightly confused in the first couple of chapters and was actually able to catch on really quickly! I enjoyed the writing style, the characters and the storyline very much.

Sydney is an extremely strong character. She wants to please her father, even though he never gives her praise even when she does a good job, and protect her little sister, Zoe, from having to join the Alchemist. When the Alchemist sends her on a new mission, she is a bit worried because she will have to live with a vampire. And that is something the alchemist just do not do. Sydney handles it well though and actually starts to befriend the vampire, Jill, and I really enjoyed reading the interactions between the two of them. I also thought all of the secondary characters were strong as well and not just thrown in for good measure. It made sense that they were all in the story. They were not there for show, or to fill space. I especially adored Adrian. His character was mysterious and very likeable. I could not wait for the scenes where Sydney and Adrian were together.

I have to say that this book made me very curious about the Vampire Academy series and I am now looking forward to picking up the first book of the series and getting started. If that series is as good as this spin off, I'm sure I'll love it!
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User reviews

11 reviews
 
91%
4 stars
 
0%
 
9%
2 stars
 
0%
1 star
 
0%
Overall rating
 
4.7
Plot
 
4.6(11)
Characters
 
4.8(11)
Writing Style
 
4.7(11)
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A(0)
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Great Spin-off
Overall rating
 
4.7
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
This series is a spin-off from the Vampire Academy series with Sydney Sage as the main character. Sydney is assigned to help keep Princess Jill Dragomir hidden to prevent her assassination and the resulting civil war of the Moroi world. Along with Jill, Sydney is assigned to a boarding school in Palm Spring with Eddie Castile and Adrian Ivashkov.

Sydney is very different from Rose Hathaway. She is has a high intellect and craves knowledge with modesty and celibacy being very important to her. Sydney is extremely excited to be going to school as she previously hasn't been allowed and takes advantage of this at every opportunity. Being an Alchemist she has deep-rooted views about Moroi and Dhampirs resulting in major trust issues and even great fear at times. Sydney gradually overcomes this as she learns to trust Jill, Eddie and Adrian and even count them as her close friends.

Sydney and Adrian develop feelings for each other more and more during the series. This is quite hard for Sydney at first as the world views a relationship between Moroi and humans to be of the utmost taboo. Over time they overcome this as their love for each other is far greater. Their relationship develops slowly at first which is great to see, they start out not trusting each other at first then slowly they become good friends.

This series is fast past with plenty of amazing twists and turns that I didn't see coming. It expands on the world more and more and even reveal some new mysteries. The series is written really well so that everything flows together naturally. It has great character development and even some reappearances of characters from Vampire Academy.
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Great Spin-off
Overall rating
 
4.7
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
This series is a spin-off from the Vampire Academy series with Sydney Sage as the main character. Sydney is assigned to help keep Princess Jill Dragomir hidden to prevent her assassination and the resulting civil war of the Moroi world. Along with Jill, Sydney is assigned to a boarding school in Palm Spring with Eddie Castile and Adrian Ivashkov.

Sydney is very different from Rose Hathaway. She is has a high intellect and craves knowledge with modesty and celibacy being very important to her. Sydney is extremely excited to be going to school as she previously hasn't been allowed and takes advantage of this at every opportunity. Being an Alchemist she has deep-rooted views about Moroi and Dhampirs resulting in major trust issues and even great fear at times. Sydney gradually overcomes this as she learns to trust Jill, Eddie and Adrian and even count them as her close friends.

Sydney and Adrian develop feelings for each other more and more during the series. This is quite hard for Sydney at first as the world views a relationship between Moroi and humans to be of the utmost taboo. Over time they overcome this as their love for each other is far greater. Their relationship develops slowly at first which is great to see, they start out not trusting each other at first then slowly they become good friends.

This series is fast past with plenty of amazing twists and turns that I didn't see coming. It expands on the world more and more and even reveal some new mysteries. The series is written really well so that everything flows together naturally. It has great character development and even some reappearances of characters from Vampire Academy.
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Great series
Overall rating
 
4.7
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
I loved the VA series and I love this series featuring Sydney, she's awesome. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel at first but, I grew to love her. Adrian as a lead can be iffy at times, but he's such a sweety and it was great to watch through the series the development of all the characters. This was told by Sydney's point of view, so it was interesting to watch her slowly change and become strong.
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Love the Writer, Love the Book
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
The Vampire Academy is over, Rose and all of her friends are living their lives in court with Lissa once the series comes to a close. However, there is another story tell and not everyone has had their happily ever afters, so now it is Sydney's turn. I remember her very well from the original story and I always thought she had a very original voice compared to many of the other characters in the series. Her distaste for vampires in the beginning is really what captured my interest. She grows to perhaps understand them but she still has a hard time being friendly with them because of her upbringing and the culture of the Alchemists. This book brings back characters such as Jill, Adrian, and Eddie as well. I love the growth that each character faces throughout Bloodlines, while staying true to their original nature. Richelle Mead's writing style brings to life a new world and I loved it!
?
Sydney, a girl those who have read the Vampire Academy series are familiar with, has always been loyal to those she cares about and from the beginning, she displays this characteristic from the first page. Not only is she still under punishment for her actions during the original books, no one believes they can trust her because she has become essentially a vampire lover according to their beliefs. When she accepts the job to assist in the protection of Jill, I think she still struggles with the initial disgust that she feels toward vampires. It will always be somewhat ingrained in her nature no matter how much she attempts to desensitize herself to it. I loved how easily she manages to take over the role of main character and carries the weight of a complex series that had Richelle Mead not done it, I would not have believed she would be able to handle it. This character brings to life the world of Vampire Academy in a way I never would have anticipated and yet, I love it.
?
Sometimes spin off series don't work but this one definitely does.
?
Jill has come into her own in this book. She continues to struggle with her identity after the shock of the finale for VA and she continues to struggle with the concept that she is anything but Jill. Her life has become tied to Adrian's much like Rose was tied to Lissa, which only proves to complicate matters further for the young Dragomir. It's hard not to love and feel bad for her after the story begins. This young woman has grown up a lot since she first was introduced to the VA series. I love, however, how naive she still proves to be, especially in the boy area and she takes to the whole romance thing quite easily unlike Sydney who would rather run from attractive men.
?
Poor, brooding Adrian still suffers from the emotional blow that he was handed at the end of VA and struggles to maintain his "I don't care" attitude. I think in this story, he truly comes into his own as his real aspirations come to the surface with Sydney's encouragement. He wants to be more than he is and move beyond the person who he once was - the one that apparently wasn't good enough for Rose. I've always adore Adrian with his attitude that always appears to be a facade and I love him more in this book than the original ones. And all I need to say about Eddie is that he is adorable.
?
I love the writer and I love the book. It works somewhat like a stand alone and is the perfect continuation of the Vampire Academy series for those who can't seem to let it go... like, well, me.
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VA Fans May Be Disappointed
Overall rating
 
3.3
Plot
 
2.0
Characters
 
3.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
As a huge fan of the Vampire Academy series, I had high hopes for Bloodlines. I was definitely apprehensive about the narrator switch, but I was also excited to see things from a different perspective. I shouldn't review Bloodlines by comparing it to Vampire Academy, but considering we see so many of the same characters, you'll have to excuse my use of comparisons.

Narrating Bloodlines is Sydney Sage, an alchemist, who has been educated since early childhood on how humans must be protected from vampires, and that vampires are an unnatural species. I found it hard to relate with Sydney's fears of Moroi vampires, as in the Vampire Academy series they are portrayed as normal people, who just happen to need blood to survive. It was actually a little uncomfortable to read some sections, specifically those where Keith talks about how wrong it would be for Sydney to feel compassion for any Moroi, or when Sydney reacts to Jill/Adrian's use of magic, as it felt quite racist. I kept trying to put myself in Sydney's shoes, but I just couldn't empathize with her fear or beliefs about the Moroi. I also didn't understand why Sydney kept comparing her body shape/size to Moroi, especially when she's supposed to believe they're unnatural. The references to Sydney stressing over her weight/image did nothing to forward the plot, and I found them quite annoying and unnecessary.

Putting aside my uncomfortableness with Sydney's discriminatory beliefs, I was also disappointed by the plot. It seemed promising - Jill is being attacked by rogue Moroi who would like to see her killed so Lissa is unable to keep the throne - but then, not much happens. We go through Jill's trials and tribulations of being an outcast in a new school (all from Sydney's perspective, of course), and we see Sydney investigate some suspicious talent/mind-altering tattoos reminiscent of her Alchemist lily tattoo, but its mostly just dialogue (which I have to say, is very well written) and situations being blown out of proportion to create conflict. Its not until the last 100 pages or so before we see any action, which is a huge let down after the non-stop action of the Vampire Academy series.

I also didn't understand how Sydney's actions could so completely go against her thoughts. She was constantly trying to prove that she was not a "vamp lover" in order to regain some trust from the Alchemists after her involvement in harbouring a dhampir fugitive, yet she kept going out of her way to make life easier for the Moroi around her. As someone who was supposed to believe that Moroi are an abomination, she should not have been so concerned about why there were so miserable. Her job was to ensure Jill was safe - not that she was happy. I wish there had been more internal struggle with her decisions to help make life easier for Jill (and Adrian for that matter) to correspond with her disgust we sometimes bore witness to (like during Jill's first feeding). It was hard to empathize and understand her dislike of Moroi when she was bending over backwards to make sure they weren't unhappy or uncomfortable.

Now having said all that, I want to make it clear that Bloodlines is written in true Richelle Mead fashion - its a page-turner that won't let you put it down; I flew through this book because I needed to know how it all came together. Just because it wasn't the action-packed thrill-race I was expecting does not mean that it was not well written. Once I was able to accept that Sydney was not Rose, and that I shouldn't expect a huge blow-out fight (or for her to stand up for herself) when faced with confrontation, I was able to enjoy most of what Bloodlines had to offer (although I did miss the romance that's so much a part of Vampire Academy). Unfortunately my excitement for the next instalment has nothing to do with any of the characters we saw throughout Bloodlines, but for the return of one of my favourites from Vampire Academy.

Oh! And, out of genuine curiosity, can anyone tell me how Sydney got Kelly Hayes' name? I don't remember her mentioning it before she asked what had happened to her.

All in all, Bloodlines is a good read - but Vampire Academy fans may be disappointed.
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Bloodlines a new richelle mead series
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
If you read the Vampire Academy series then you will love this new series because it has the same characters but also some new ones.
Good Points
Sydney an alchemist had to help Jill the Queen Lisa to be safe.Although she almost did not get the chance to help because of her bad behavior.While she is protecting Jill.There have been Vampires killed and their blood taken.She have to find out who done the vile with the help with her new friends who are not of her kind vampires.
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Another awesome book by Richelle Mead!
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
http://foreverlostinbooks.blogspot.com/2011/11/bloodlines-book-review.html

My first reaction after hearing about this new book written by Richelle Mead was a happy dance! I mean, who wouldn't do a happy dance after hearing that one of their favorite authors is doing a spin-off from one of your favorite series (in this case Vampire Academy!). I directly put it in my to-reads and waited patiently (or maybe not) for my library to get it. And they got it, so I ordered it for free, and I read it....


I can't say if I like the Vampire Academy series more or this one, because they both have ups and downs, and I must love both of them. We'll just have to see with the upcoming books!


I really love Sydney, and, I think I like her better than Rose, because Sydney's a bit like me, except she'S even more cold to everyone, not that I'm always cold to everyone.... but sometimes I am to people I dislike.


I really loved how the story was set (it's baseline-plot). And it kept me wanting more of the Adrian-Sydney complicated relationship between them.


The writing was as fun- fast-paced, action-packed as the Vampire Academy series, and I'd say almost even more.


Lots of people went from Team Dimitri (from VA) to Team Adrian (from VA and Bloodlines) after reading this book. Actually, I didn't.... I still love Dimitri more than Adrian :D


The cover is just..... sensational! And, you need to see the cover of the next book in the series -> The Golden Lily


5/5 stars, and worth your time to read!
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Vampire Academy to Bloodlines...
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
I wasn't sure if this book would be as fantastic as Vampire Academy because i thought Rose was such a great character and I love the Vampire Academy world... but I love this book! The characters are amazing and the plot was really interesting. This book is just as amazing as all of Richelle Meads other books!
Good Points
Its is just as good as the Vampire Academy series!
And you get to know more about the other characters!
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Bloodlines
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
I really enjoyed Bloodlines and was waiting for it since I found out a spin-off of Vampire Academy was coming out. I was really excited and happy with how Bloodlines turned out and can't wait for The Golden Lily. If you read this book and are a fan of Vampire Academy, you will not be disappointed.
Good Points
Even though it is from a different perspective compared to reading a Vampire's side, it is really good to see how alchemists think of vampires
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Bllodlines
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
it is so interesting. I couldn't put it down not even for dinner. During exams my mum had to band me from reading it. I am always into the book. Can't wait till the second book of this series comes out it called: The Gold Lily!!
Good Points
the characters fint into the book perfectly.
The plot and the mission of Sydney is so well described
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