Saturday 1 February 2014

Review: The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4) by Richelle Mead

The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines, #4)The Fiery Heart

Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Bloodlines
Pages: 438
Publisher/Source: Penguin Books Australia
Amazon
Release date: 19th November 2013

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .

But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure—and re-education—looms larger than ever.

Pulses will race throughout this thrilling fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.

Review: 5 out of 5 stars

Contains possible spoilers

The Fiery Heart is the fourth book in the wonderful Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead. It has taken me forever to write this review and to be honest my mind is still reeling over the events that took place, the plethora of emotions has left me so anxious to get hold of the next book just to find out the outcome of what has happened.

The Fiery Heart definitely made me realise that Sydney and Adrian are meant for one another; the banter, interactions and chemistry between them is entertaining and written to perfection, the uptight Sydney is long gone and in her place is someone with courage, strength and determination - I have absolutely loved her character progression throughout this series.

I don’t feel we got to see as much of the secondary characters in this book which was disappointing; they have each played a pivotal part up until this point so their presence was missed. I did enjoy meeting the new characters we were introduced to and I can’t wait to learn more about each of them.

We also get Adrian’s POV in this book which I think was needed to get more insight into his thoughts and reactions and how he feels about his ability to use spirit; he was quite troubled and understandably so for very good reasons, I liked how it was all dealt with - he is also a character I feel has really matured since we first met him in the VA series. The transition and contrast between the characters was flawless and both had their own distinct voice which I enjoyed.

The Fiery Heart is filled with plot twists and turns I never saw coming - we learnt more about breaking the alchemist tattoos, the connection between spirit use and the strigoi and also found out more about Sydney’s unique blood. There were some amazing action sequences which kept things entertaining; everything blended beautifully to create a brilliant page-turner and one that is written perfectly.

Richelle Mead writes the most riveting and engaging books and The Fiery Heart was no different; I wasn’t wowed by the first book, Bloodlines in the series; I compared it too much to The Vampire Academy series but this is fast becoming one of my favourites.

The ending killed me! It was brutal so I can’t wait to read the next book, Silver Shadows to see how it all comes together. Hopefully what has been built up to this point has not been destroyed – those who have read the book will know what I mean ;)

Thank-you to Penguin Books Australia and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review The Fiery Heart.


Bloodlines (Bloodlines, #1) The Golden Lily (Bloodlines, #2) The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines, #3) The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines, #4)


Richelle MeadAbout the author: Scorpio Richelle Mead is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy books for both adults and teens. Originally from Michigan, Richelle now lives in Seattle, Washington where she works on her three series full-time: Georgina Kincaid, Dark Swan, and Vampire Academy.

A life-long reader, Richelle has always loved mythology and folklore. When she can actually tear herself away from books (either reading or writing them), she enjoys bad reality TV, traveling, trying interesting cocktails, and shopping for dresses. She's a self-professed coffee addict and has a passion for all things wacky and humorous.

10 comments:

  1. OOoh nice review! I have to admit, I am deliberately holding off on reading this one as everyone as mentioned the ending and the agonizing wait til Silver Shadows. So I am trying my absolute best to hold off til maybe July 1 or something. Will have to see how long I can go! But great review! I still enjoy reading reviews for this one, have read a lot which is what caused me to hold off on reading it! A girl can only swallow so many cliffhangers in her lifetime! ;)

    Again, great review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jessica, I love this series but the cliffhangers drive me crazy.

      I hope you enjoy it as much as I did when you read it :-)

      Delete
  2. I have read anything by Mead but this sounds positively wonderful and you have me curious about the paranormal elements

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm such a huge fan of this author, I hope you get a chance to give her series a try. Her Georgina Kincaid (adult paranormal) is my favorite.

      Delete
  3. I am kicking myself for falling behind on this series. I have only read the first book. I intend to pick this up in the next couple of weeks. The good thing about procrastination is that I can read them back to back. I personally thought this series started out stronger than VA and I love Adrian, which is suprising since I was alwasy a Dmitri gal!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll always be a Dimitri Girl Heidi but Adrian has definitely grown on me :) I can't wait to see what you think of the other books.

      Delete
  4. I really liked this but didn't love it as much as book 3. Mostly because I knew what was going to happen at the end. All the little clues! It was so good to get Adrisn's POV. Excited for book 5!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That ending killed me! I can't wait for the next book - July can't come soon enough :)

      Delete
  5. Great review. I have got to find time for this series.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's so good Ellen! I think it gets better as the series progresses :)

      Delete

Thank-you so much for stopping by today!

I love to receive your comments, please leave your blog link & I'll be sure to stop by.

I also respond to your comment here on my blog :)