The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead | Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5)

"Those words, that voice, had more power over me than any phantom ever could."

My thoughts on the conclusion to a phenomenal series? I can’t even believe I am about to say this but The Ruby Circle is the first, and only, book in the Bloodlines series that I didn’t love. I liked it, this much is true, enough to reread it in the future, but it was still a rather weak installment and not at all up to the standards usually set by Richelle Mead.

I daresay it bordered on half-assed and rushed.

It was enjoyable–but only to an extent. By comparison to the other novels in the series, it was watered down and sped up to hit a more suspenseful note. But it didn’t mesh well with it at all. Mead attempted to wrap up plots from the novels in a way that could have been excellent, had the novel been a bit longer and less “everyone gets a happily ever after except a few!” and more detailed.

See, I’m all for happy endings and logically speaking a lot of things from this final book have been a long time coming and hinted at for ages. But it all felt a bit dull. “Boom, this thing happened!” and “Boom! They’re together now!” and “Boom, let’s make a deal!” is how the story felt to me. Unlike the previous installments, it felt rushed and as if we were told things rather than shown them.

Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead | Rating: ★★★★★

“Are you in a suit?" I managed at last, my voice choking up. "You didn’t have to dress up for me."
"Quiet, Sage," he said. "I’ll make the hilarious one-liners during this daring rescue."

Richelle Mead is at it again! And by that I mean, she’s being an absolute angel and nightmare and the ultimate goddess of suspense all at the same time. No! Joke! I repeat: no joke.

Silver Shadows is just as fast paced as every novel Mead has ever written and then some. I can’t say all the emotions I felt while reading this one because it’s indescribable but I guess you should trust me when I say it, this book will make you feel e v e r y t h i n g. Prepare yourself for a surge of emotion and a whole world of danger, because whereas The Fiery Heart was all about passion and love, this one takes on a darker tone, while still holding onto the romance and humor of the rest of the series.

Last we saw, Sydney and Adrian were separated when the Alchemists caught wind of their relationship. Sydney Sage was turned in by her own, and younger sister, Zoe Sage and things really hit the fan. After all this time of keeping their relationship a secret, they have been discovered and during an altercation in the night which our previous installment ended, Sydney has sacrificed herself to save her friend Eddie (who was with her when she was taken) and is now being held at an Alchemist reeducation center.

The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead | Rating: ★★★★★

"Don’t take the high ground and assume you already know what you’ll do. The truth is, when it comes to someone you love, you’ll find there isn’t anything you won’t do."

The Fiery Heart, the fourth and fittingly fiery installment of the wildly popular Bloodlines series, spin-off to Vampire Academy, takes on a different tone than its predecessors. It’s refreshing. Darker. Edgier. Sexier. After finishing it, in just over one sitting, I found that it’s my favorite in the series thus far–in spite of the heartbreaking finale that leaves us with one question in the form of a cliffhanger.

But we’ll get to that soon. Richelle Mead kicks things up a notch this round and we see even more growth in Sydney Sage. Sydney has grown to be one of my favorite characters in many, many years, and is perhaps one of Mead’s finest developed in all the novels she’s produced.

Sydney Sage is a phenomenal lead character. She’s everything one could hope for in fiction. I love how we’ve seen her go from isolated and cold to something far more superior and warm. There’s just something incredibly pleasing to look at her in this installment and to look back at her first introduction in the Vampire Academy series.

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2) by Richelle Mead | Rating: ★★★★★

“Wasn’t that kind of the basis of passion? I didn’t know that either. The only thing I knew for sure was that this kiss had been a lot like the last one. Nice, but it didn’t blow me away. My heart sank. There was something wrong with me. Everyone was always going on about how socially inept I was. Did it extend to romance as well? Was I so cold that I’d spend my life never feeling anything?”

Sydney Sage is back in the second installment of her spin-off series Bloodlines. In our previous chapter, the first of the series, we were shown quite a bit of action and familiar faces from the beloved Vampire Academy series and I’ve never been more excited! After an action packed fight involving a duo of Strigoi, and one former Strigoi who set his heart on changing back to the deadly monster he once was, and lastly some, shall we say, unexpected flames–we’re more than aware of dangers our gang just may be facing.

But can Eddie, Jill, Adrian and Sydney continue to keep their identities safe from the world? And can they keep each other safe?

Now that Sonya Karp, Dimitri Belikov and a very persistent Angeline, who readers will remember from Last Sacrifice as one of the Keepers, are thrown into their little family mix the stakes are higher than ever. Sonya seems to be in danger by a group of men who claim to have known her during her time as a Strigoi and an attack not long after which they only narrowly escaped.

Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1) by Richelle Mead | Rating: ★★★★★

“The greatest changes in history have come when people were able to shake off what others told them to do.”

Returning to the same world her Vampire Academy series is set in, Richelle Mead introduces us to characters we’d already come to know (and love) in their own spin-off series titled Bloodlines. Although taking place in the same world and having a similar structure, Bloodlines is on the fast track to take on a life of its own.

And it’s really quite satisfying.

In this first installment we see through the eyes of Sydney Sage, who we know as the alchemist who befriends and helps dhampir, Rose Hathaway, in the original series. We know Sydney to be a bit more standoffish in comparison to the other characters due to her strict upbringing and the way in which she was conditioned to feel and think, and in Bloodlines we get an understanding of who she is and what exactly she feels.

Hint: her thoughts and complex and conflicting because the longer she spends in the company of those she once viewed as “evil and unnatural” she grows to care for them a great deal. Old habits do die hard, though, and in spite of the newfound warmth towards them she has an awful lot of struggles when it comes to what she feels and what she believes she should feel.

Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy #6) by Richelle Mead | Rating: ★★★★★

Sometimes the greatest tests of our strength are situations that don't seem so obviously dangerous. Sometimes surviving is the hardest thing of all.

It’s been a wild ride and latched itself carefully to my heart but in this sixth and final installment, Last Sacrifice, the much beloved Vampire Academy series has come to an end. Mead promises readers more romance, adventure and surprises are up her sleeves to fade this series out with a bang. And it comes as no surprise that she accomplishes this and more, all the while setting the stage for a spin-off novel.

We open with Rose Hathaway, our brilliant and badass narrator, hidden away in jail at court for a treasonous crime she has been accused of: murdering the queen.

All signs point all too clearly to her and so a great many have turned against her. She has been framed and the real killer is still out there; the evidence is strong against her, our girl is innocent, and it’s devastating seeing how quickly people were to believe the worst.

With her life on the line, and ready to clear her name, Rose’s future seems grim and almost hopeless. But with a surprising amount of help from Abe and her friends and boyfriend, she is able to bust out of jail and go into hiding with Dimitri and Sydney, while the others stay busy in court to prove her innocence.

Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5) by Richelle Mead | Rating: ★★★★★

“Dreams, dreams. I walk them; I live them. I delude myself with them. It's a wonder I can spot reality anymore.”

As usual, the fifth book in the Vampire Academy series sets a course to destroy your emotions and make you feel everything you possibly can. Spirit Bound is just as good as the previous installments and proves that things keep getting better (and worse when it comes to heartbreak). Richelle Mead provides readers with an action packed, emotional, vivid read that proves to be impossible to put down.

It had a lot to live up towards with the stunning scenery and spooky moments we’d witnessed in the eyes of the narrator when she was in Siberia. But it was a task Mead did so beautifully–the novel is one of the best of the series.

After barely escaping the clutches of her former instructor and lover (turned Strigoi) Dimitri Belikov, Rose Hathaway finds herself back at St. Vladimir’s for one final term and prepares for graduation. While most of her peers are looking towards their careers as guardians, Rose can’t help but to wonder where life with lead her next and if she will ever truly be her best friends, Lissa’s, guardian.

Blood Promise (VA #4) by Richelle Mead | Rating: ★★★★★

If your eyes weren't open, you wouldn't know the difference between dreaming and waking.

Armed with a mission–one devastating task–Rose Hathaway has left behind the comfort of her best friend and school all to pursue and kill the man she loves. In the events of the third book in the much beloved Vampire Academy novels, Rose’s school was under attack by the notoriously evil undead Strigoi and in this very battle a great deal is lost. But the biggest loss in the end was that of Dimitri Belikov–Rose’s instructor and the man she loves–is changed into a Strigoi against his will.

With loss beating down on her, a piece of her missing, Rose decides to take matters in her own hands and kill the monster he has become. Dimitri did not want this life. Dimitri was no longer Dimitri and Rose knows that the freeing of his soul is what he would have wanted. As a guardian-to-be, Rose Hathaway is trained for this sort of kill.

Taking off with some cash that her friend Adrian Ivashkov loaned, Rose sets off to travel the world and hunt Dimitri down. After choosing this mission over staying in school, Rose’s emotions are torn: being separated from Lissa destroys her in a way different from the loss of Dimitri. And if you pair this with the loss of her friend Mason back in Frost Bite, it’s easy to see that Rose is in a very fragile place when it comes down to losses.

Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy #3) by Richelle Mead | Rating: ★★★★★

“Don’t worry, little dhampir. You might be surrounded by clouds, but you’ll always be like sunshine to me.”

One thing is certain: Shadow Kiss proves that things just keep getting better in the beloved Vampire Academy series. Or more heartbreaking. First things first: I love that this series toys with my emotions and that Richelle Mead flips me on my ass multiple times. She is a pro at this. I am never quite sure if she is going to make me swoon or cry or a mixture of the boy.

That’s what makes this such a good series to me. It keeps me guessing, it gets me attached, it makes me question a lot in their world. Also, it’s a plus that the characters act like actual teenagers. Rose and Lissa are both highly flawed and in their world it’s almost as if they have to act more grown-up than they should–but their sarcasm, Rose’s recklessness and all their flaws are what make them seem real and it also gives us a promise of development in the future, which is solid.

I repeat, I repeat, I repeat: this is what makes Rose real. Her immaturity can be frustrating. Her sassiness can be obnoxious. But hello? She’s a teenager, guys. Use your heads.

Frost Bite (VA #2) by Richelle Mead | Rating: ★★★★★

You can’t force love, I realized. It’s there or it isn’t. If it’s not there, you’ve got to be able to admit it. If it is there, you’ve got to do whatever it takes to protect the ones you love.

Frostbite, the second of the international bestselling series Vampire Academy, proves that sequels can take a bite out of your heart and kick your ass in ways that the first book didn’t. Just when you think you are safe from the feels, they come right back and punch you in the face.

If you didn’t know already: Richelle Mead’s take on vampires is filled with thrills, romances, mythology and more that will delight readers in a way that most in this genre can’t. Which is what makes the series so damn delicious. And for me, Frostbite is even more appealing by the fact that it takes place during winter break at St. Vladimir’s.

Picking up where Vampire Academy left off, we’re treated to our fill of Rosemarie Hathaway’s badassery in form of her always witty narration. Fresh off the events in which the despicable Victor Dashkov attempted to torture Lissa Dragomir in a mind blowing betrayal to both girls, readers can’t help but to wonder what could possibly be next now that Victor is locked away.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead | Rating: ★★★★☆

"The incident with Dawn hadn’t been one of my finer moments. I honestly hadn’t expected to break any bones when I shoved her into a tree. Still, the incident had given me a dangerous reputation. The story had gained legendary status, and I liked to imagine that it was still being told around campfires late at night. Judging by the look on the girl’s face, it was."

When my friend bought this book for me years ago, I’d had my fill of vampire themed stories. Twilight was never fully for me, Blue Bloods left something to be desired and House of Night was the only one that sort of captured my attention. I put off reading this novel for nearly two years before picking it up and finding myself pleasantly surprised.

This is not like other vampire novels out there in the young adult market. And that is so, so good. I regret not picking it up sooner, honestly. In other words, if you’re being a judgey little prick: stop what you’re doing. Go pick up a copy and read it. No, seriously. GO!

I’ll start off by saying I was very surprised at how well written and thought out this novel seemed to be. It wasn’t half assed like so many supernatural stories seem to be and you can tell that Richelle not only did a lot of research, she put a lot of thought into how she wanted to paint the image of this world. She did a good job.