Bloodlines Canadian Blog Tour

Thanks to the lovely Tynga at Tynga's reviews for letting me use this pretty header.

I was really happy when Penguin Canada contacted me to participate in the Canadian Blog Tour for Bloodlines. I've never read Richelle Mead's books, so I was excited to start here!

BLOOD DOESN'T LIE

I wasn’t free of my past, not yet.

Sydney’s blood is special. That’s because she’s an alchemist—one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of human and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives. But the last encounter Sydney had with vampires got her in deep trouble with the other alchemists. And now with her allegiances in question, her future is on the line.

When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she’s still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir—the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir—is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill’s guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the unlikeliest of places—a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one.

The Moroi court believe Jill and Sydney will be safe at Amberwood Prep, but threats, distractions, and forbidden romance lurk both outside—and within—the school grounds. Now that they’re in hiding, the drama is only just beginning.

And because I really loved Adrian -



But if you prefer Mr. Dimitri Belikov, this ones for you -



And if neither of those were good enough for you, check out the teaser trailers for Rose Hathaway, Sydney Sage, or Jill Dragomir.

Plus, if you're intruigued by Bloodlines, and don't have a copy (yet), you can read the first chapter here.

Be sure to read my review here.

And the fun on my stop for the Canadian Bloodlines Tour doesn't end there, Penguin Canada has given me the opportunity to share the love with another reader out there. One lucky Canadian winner will get their own copy of Bloodlines by Richelle Mead. Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below (and bear with me as this is my first time using it). Canadian only please as Penguin Canada will be shipping the prize. Be sure to do the mandatory entry correctly in order for your entry to count.
Thanks for stopping by!

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Publish Date: August 23, 2011
Publisher: Razorbill Fiction
Pages: 421
ISBN: 978-1-59514-317-4
Series: Bloodlines #1
Source: ARC for review from Publisher

Goodreads Synopsis:

BLOOD DOESN'T LIE.
Sydney is an alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of human and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the last place anyone would think to look for vampire royalty - a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. But instead of finding safety at Amberwood Prep, Sydney discovers the drama is only just beginning.

My Review:

Bloodlines is a spinoff of the highly popular Vampire Academy series written by Richelle Mead. This was the first book of Richelle’s that I’ve read and it wont be the last! I’ve had my eye on Vampire Academy books but never had the chance to read them, so when Penguin contacted me about Bloodlines, I jumped on the chance!
I was intruiged from the first page. I wanted to know more of the world Richelle Mead created, and I wanted to meet all of the characters. We first meet Sydney when she is awoken in the middle of the night by her father to tend to something very important. What could be so important that she’s forced to wake up? Well, Sydney is an alchemist, a human who’s in the middle of Vampires and Humans – protecting the secrets of the vampires, and protecting humans lives.
Bloodlines is a great read. It’s a vampire story, but it’s original. I’ve seen that some Vampire Academy readers who were hyped for this book, weren’t that impressed. Not that they didn’t like it (in the cases that I’ve seen) but they just didn’t think it was up to par with the VA series. The main thing I’ve seen is that Sydney wasn’t as strong a character as Rose. As I said, I haven’t read the VA series, so I can’t make a comparison between the two main characters. I can say that I thought Sydney was awesome. She was a strong girl who was true to her alchemist beliefs but wasn’t affriad to take chances. She knew that her first priority was to the alchemists, but felt like there was a middle ground too. Sydney was sent to protect and be the guardian to Jill, the sister to the Moroi Queen and be with Vampires, more specifally dhampirs, and moroi. Through converstations and scenes, we see that this isn’t the first time Sydney has ‘worked’ with the vampires, and other alchemists aren’t too thrilled with this. But as I said earlier, Sydney knows her limits, and rules and tries to stay true to her upbringing. Because of these mentions of Rose, and their past experiences, I am so eager to read the VA series. Richelle adds these sutble hints of the other series, and I believe it is to tie up loose ends in VA and to get people interested in VA! (And it worked, I went out and bought two of the books while reading Bloodlines – check out my IMM post here).
The other characters in Bloodlines are great too. We meet Jill, the vulnerable young girl who Sydney is responsible for protecting from danger. We learn so much about her throughout the novel, and I truly felt for her. All she goes through cannot be easy, but she’s a tough girl. I was introduced to Adrian Ivashkov on Bloodlines, and let me tell you, I adore him! The comments and remarks he makes were enough to make me laugh outloud. Again, Richelle adds comments in Bloodlines about Adrian and Rose, and makes me need to know more of their past. I learned so much about Adrian, and things he’s dealing with. He’s definitely a favourite character of mine now.
Another thing while reading others thought of Bloodlines, people seem to be disappointed that there was no romance. Really? I don’t think that this novel needed the romance. To me, it had enough of everything else – mystery regarding the Vampires, curiousness towards the Alchemists, and a rollercoaster of great story telling –that we didn’t need the extra romance. That’s not to say that Richelle shouldn’t add a little romance (maybe with Adrian and someone) but it can wait.Richelle Mead does an excellent job of creating this world in which you feel apart of. I suggest everyone read Bloodlines, and if you haven’t read the Vampire Academy series, read this one first. You wont be disappointed!

Mini Book Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Goodreads Synopsis:

When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive - this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.

My Mini Review:

Since I'm a Bloodlines blog tour hosr, I wanted to save my review for then, but I really liked Bloodlines and with the release just days away, I've been telling so many people about how great this book is. So I wanted to share this with you - my readers! Here's my mini review...

As I've said, I loved Bloodlines. I haven't read any of Richelle Mead's books before so this was a first. The story, the characters, the writing, it was all done so well that I guarantee this wont be the last of Meads books that I read.
I really liked Sydney, I think she is a strong character and I enjoyed reading about her. I am very intrugied about Adrian and Rose as they are mentioned in this book. (Adrian does have a role in Bloodlines though not to the extent of Vampire Academy series)
I can't wait to read more in the Bloodlines series, and I hope and encourage you all to pick up this book, whether you're new to Richelle Meads books or not, I'm sure you wont be disappointed!
Stay tuned and come back for a visit when I post my full review and participate in the Bloodlines Blog Tour. (My date is scheduled for September 25th, 2011) Hope to see you all then!