Review: The Golden Lily and The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

I read these books back to back this week, so I thought I would combine them into one review. There's no major spoilers for either book, but their is spoilers for the first novel in the series Bloodlines.

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) and The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) mainly focus on how Sydney’s torn between two worlds. One being the Alchemists her family and what she is raised to believe and the other is the Moroi world what she learns about them on her own. This is similar to what teens go through every day. While they are not debating whether or not vampires are morally good or bad, but rather in political views, future jobs they want to pursue, or maybe a hobby that their family does not believe in.

I also found Sydney’s slightly eating disorder another aspect that is easy for young readers to identify with, especially with today's media. Sydney is not over weight she even says she’s in a size 4. Yet she is comparing herself to Moroi who are supermodel sized 0. Personally, I can really relate to this. I’m also a size four yet sometimes feel the same way Sydney does.  In the first book her aversion to food seemed weird for a young adult novel and I wasn’t sure where Richelle Mead was going to take it. In the 2^nd book Adrian out right says Sydney is on the verge on an eating disorder. From there she learns she might actually have a problem. I really applaud Richelle Mead for putting this in her series. It's a great lesson for young adults.

The main character is not the only reason I love these books. The plot is always moving forward and interesting. The first Vampire Academy series dealt with the vampire world and didn't really extend much out of that. I loved how Richelle Mead added the witches to the Bloodlines series. It set it apart and gave it a new twist to the world. I also enjoy that each individual book in the series has its own plot. There’s a problem that starts, climax’s and is mostly resolved in each novel while also setting it up for more advance plot points in the following novels. It’s a great way for the series to advance.

Lastly, the romance between Sydney and Adrian has a forbidden Romeo and Juliet feel to it. I’ve been rooting for them since the first novel and can’t wait to see how it plays out in the rest of the series. They have some serious problems to get through if it is going to work out. They are literally not allowed to be together based on the Alchemist laws.

 

Can't wait to read more of Richelle Mead. I'm going to start the next book in the series ASAP!

 

--Danielle