Author: Richelle Meade
Publisher: Razorbill
Published: February 10th ,2015
Series: Bloodlines #6
How I Served It:Kindle
How I Got It:Live-brary
Summary:
"Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.After their secret romance is exposed, Sydney and Adrian find themselves facing the wrath of both the Alchemists and the Moroi in this electrifying conclusion to Richelle Mead’s New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series. When the life of someone they both love is put on the line, Sydney risks everything to hunt down a deadly former nemesis. Meanwhile, Adrian becomes enmeshed in a puzzle that could hold the key to a shocking secret about spirit magic, a secret that could shake the entire Moroi world." -- Goodreads
Review:
Normally I'm not a huge fan of everyone in a story getting a picture-perfect happy ending. Does that make me a bad person? Maybe. It's just that I generally prefer endings that are a little more real. That's why I liked the ending of the original Vampire Academy series I think, not everyone was happy. That said, I still really liked Ruby Circle. Yeah, the epilogue was a little sugary for my tastes, but it still felt genuine. :)
I often have openly called the Bloodlines series fluffy and vaguely guilty-pleasure-y. I stand by both of these statements, but I think the fact that I've now read six of these books shows that I really, really like them all the same. I hope Meade continues to write in this world so we can get glimpses of what Sydney and Adrian and Rose and Dimitri do next. I like how she did that here, giving just a taste of what the fan-favorites from VA were up to.
Actually, I think the inclusion of Rose and Dimitri was my favorite part of Ruby Circle. Specifically the scene towards the end when Sydney and Rose are fighting together. Sydney's grown a ton since the last time they were really tag-teaming in the finale of VA. I like how they were brought in because the events surrounding Olive/Nina directly affect them (even if I do feel like that whole thing was total fan-service... not that I mind it?). I kind of wish that Lissa and Christian had played more of a part, but I guess Adrian was never really all that close to either of them.
I'm finding it hard to think of things to criticize or dote on in regards to this novel. The plot was interesting enough, what with Jill being missing. It tied up some loose ends in regards to the Alchemists and covens and Nina/Olive... The visit to the dhampir camp which led to the revelation about Adrian's familial relationship to Dimitri was kind of random, but in a good way... overall this book did everything I want a Bloodlines novel to do. It entertained me. It made me happy. I didn't have to think too hard about anything (but yet unlike so many other fluff pieces, I feel like the plot would not crumble if I did choose to analyze it).
The plot-line surrounding Spirit and its effects, which has been an overarching theme throughout the six books (as well as across both series), is the only one that I would argue remains unfinished. I felt this way after VA ended too. Meade keeps adding more and more pieces to the puzzle. It's to the point where I feel like she might need to write another series in order to answer all of the questions her characters are posing about the limitations of this power. Or maybe she doesn't really have an answer to the Spirit question either and just uses it as a catch-all for whatever she thinks up. I find this hard to believe though as for the most part Meade's plots are impressively solid. I was re-reading the Vampire Academy set last weekend (it was snowing) and whenever she had Adrian talk about Sydney and Rose/Dimitri talk about dhampir's procreation limitations I got the vibe that she had already planned it all out in her head. Really, I have no complaints.
I will say that Adrian and Sydney are far more interesting when they are separated/denying their feelings than when they are together. I don't really blame the author or anyone for this, it's a general truth across all media. There's a reason most Disney movies end after she kisses the prince and why most television shows drag out a will-they, won't-they wayyyy past its due date. Happy endings are great. Drama and heartbreak is great (as long as it culminates in a happy ending). Happy couples are... boring. But at the same time, I really did want them to be happy, all of them.
The Final Noodle: Was this the most interesting, high-voltage novel in the Bloodlines series? No. Was it a really good way to end it? Probably. Overall I still think the Vampire Academy series was better, but I think that's just because I prefer Rose's brashness to Sydney's insecurities. Both women are great protagonists though, and I've really, really enjoyed reading both series. They're incredibly fast reads that might not change anyone's life, but they will make you smile. (And Meade has teen romance angst down).
No comments:
Post a Comment