The Golden Lily - Richelle Mead

The Golden Lily: A Bloodlines Novel – Richelle Mead

Pages: 418

Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin)

Release Date: 8^th June 2012

Other Titles by this Author: Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound, Last Sacrifice, Bloodlines

Will love lose her everything she knows?

Sydney is an alchemist. She protects vampire secrets – and human lives.

In hiding at a California boarding school, Sydney’s life has become irrevocably intertwined with Jill Dragomir, the vampire Moroi princess she has been tasked with protecting. She has grown close to those in Jill’s royal circle – and to someone in particular. Someone that forces her to question everything the alchemists believe in. Someone forbidden.

When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world – her new world – apart, Sydney’s loyalties are tested more than ever. Should she trust the alchemists – or her heart?

Richelle Mead’s novels are some of the tense, action-packed and emotionally involving that I’ve ever read and I never fail to become fully invested in them. The Golden Lily was no exception.

One of the first things that made me smile about The Golden Lily will be something that lovers of the Vampire Academy series will understand completely: lots of Dimitri. He will always be my favourite guy from Richelle Mead’s vampire world and I was very happy to see him, though I did miss the lack of Rose. They seem to swap so far; one in, one out. But without the overpowering fire of Rose, Sydney was able to really come into her own for me. I liked her in Bloodlines, but I loved her in The Golden Lily.

I loved Syndey’s growing irritation with always being seen as responsible and dutiful; it was really quite amusing. This came with the overall softening of her character, towards vampires, the vampire world and on her view of what’s right and wrong, natural and unnatural and it was so nice to see her as more human. There was another aspect about Sydney’s focus and complete control that seemed a lot more prominent in The Golden Lily that really intrigued me and that was her obsession with calories and sugar and wanting to have the waif-like figure of the Moroi that she’s never physically be able to achieve. It was almost painful to witness, but I can completely understand where she’s coming from: she is an eighteen-year-old girl who’s surrounded by beautiful people all day.

With Sydney’s softening attitude towards Moroi and dhamphirs came a delicious forbidden spark that Richelle Mead excels at: the electric chemistry between Sydney and Adrian. I wasn’t Adrian’s biggest fan in the Vampire Academy series, but I absolutely adore him in this one. As we got more personal and emotional glimpses of him, I completely understood why Sydney was falling for him. And boy was she! I love the fact that she ignored it so completely that she barely understood it herself until they were attached at the lips. And, wow, that was a kiss. What was even funnier was how Adrian’s feelings affected Jill through the bond – it was brilliant. They are a couple where the odds would be so completely against them and yet I championed them all the way. I just wish that Sydney hadn’t done what she did...

Even though The Golden Lily took a little longer to get going than I’m used to from Richelle Mead, I still loved it and I’m already desperately anxious for book three and the repercussions of the intense final chapter of the book.

Thank you to Razorbill for providing me with a review copy.

Sophie