(view spoiler)[Sydney is stupid, she should have turned her father right in. Is she so stupid that she thinks that he won't find a way how to make her life hell? (hide spoiler)]
I would love more Sydney/Rose/Adrian/Dimitri scenes. Those are sweet and hilarious. But a lot of parts were wasted, and they were running around pointlessly....more
Pretty okay. Nothing special. Quite boring. Lissa is still self-centered.
Merged review:
"Damn it. Someone’s always stupid enough to have it on them whPretty okay. Nothing special. Quite boring. Lissa is still self-centered.
Merged review:
"Damn it. Someone’s always stupid enough to have it on them when they get caught. They need to burn that thing. Or eat it.”
But you’ve got to understand my shock. You’re Dimitri Belikov. Campus badass. Defender of justice. You’re even dressed like a sheriff, for God’s sake! It’s like Lissa being an angel. Your personalities run so deep you can’t even escape them when you’re in costume...>
That is such a Rose Hathaway thing to say. I miss VA so much:'(. Great to be back again.
Edit (19/5/2020): Lately, I had a bit of bad luck when it came to books, I was more often disappointed than not. So, that's a perfect time for a re-reaEdit (19/5/2020): Lately, I had a bit of bad luck when it came to books, I was more often disappointed than not. So, that's a perfect time for a re-read of I book that I've loved, right?
And I still do! There is not much for me to say other than that I had an absolute blast reading this. I was grinning, laughing, I was enjoying what I was reading.
“Oh, God. I’m trapped in the fucking Chronicles of Narnia." "I’m sure that would be an amusing reference, if I understood it.”
This is one of the few books that has lines on the spine from how often I held it open. Especially that one which goes to pages 102 and 103 is really worrying me!
Anyway, I totally loved all the little "foreshadowing" for the rest of the series which I did not see before. Love it!
“You used your power to toss one rock at me?" he exclaimed, an almost comic note of incredulity in his voice. "On the contrary," I heard Dorian say pleasantly. "I didn't use magic for that. I just threw it.”
But what I did not like was Kiyo and during this whole book, I was dying a bit inside because of the idea that he will be in the rest of the series.
Original: One of my favourite books. And definitely my favourite series by Richelle Mead. However, I wish there was no Kiyo - he's annoying and taking too much space. Dorian should be there more, like all the time!...more
EDIT (June 2020): I just want a book focusing on Dorian and Eugenie from start to finish. Am I really asking that much?
I have to say that my opinion oEDIT (June 2020): I just want a book focusing on Dorian and Eugenie from start to finish. Am I really asking that much?
I have to say that my opinion or feelings on this book did not change.
I still hate Kiyo (from the first moment in book one). I still want more of Dorian. I still want to shake Eugenie to finally wake up! I mean no matter what Dorian does, she makes it the biggest betrayal ever and when Kiyo (view spoiler)[tries to kill her and her kids (hide spoiler)] she's totally shocked and hurt. Where's the rage? She's just surprised Pikachu. I mean Kiyo was always a bad boyfriend, and for some reason, Eugenie always tried to find some stupid excuses. In the name of "being human".
"I see. It's your turn again."
This sentence still breaks my heart.
(view spoiler)[I have to say that the whole "I already broke up with you in my head, so, I did not cheat" is some serious mental gymnastics. I mean, how hard one would have to try to come up with nonsense like that? That's not how breakups work. (hide spoiler)]
EDIT (11/4/2017): Grr! No way! Kill Kiyo! Kill him! I'll start a petition: Kill Kiyo!
I love Richelle Mead. I love her stories. Unfortunately, Eugenie is killing me!
I would love to give 5* to this book. But I cannot because of her.
I love Dorian more and more with every book. She does not deserve him. And why is she still surprise that he has his own agenda? (view spoiler)[ Come on! Is the crown just a trinket? How could she believe it? I did not think that she was really stupid. Other than liking Kiyo which is really stupid. (hide spoiler)]
"I see. It's your turn again." (view spoiler)[ Yes! She goes from Dorian to Kiyo again and again! She knows what an idiot Kiyo is! And then she is surprised that he's trying to kill her! How come that she did not see it coming? Everyone else did... (hide spoiler)]
And at the end, Dorian saves the day again....more
Okay, I had my sights on this book right after it was published. It's from Richelle Mead! How much do you need?
Plus it seemed to be inspired by ChinesOkay, I had my sights on this book right after it was published. It's from Richelle Mead! How much do you need?
Plus it seemed to be inspired by Chinese mythology or set in China. This was a hard sell for me.
And the characters were supposed to be deaf and using sign language. This book seemed to be checking all the boxes for me! Love, Love!
However, before I got the book, the not-so-happy reviews started to roll in. The rating started to drop. And I was confused to why.
It took me years to finally start reading this book, and now, several days after finishing, I'm not sure what to say.
First, I cannot believe that this was written by Richelle Mead. It just doesn't seem to on the same level as the rest of her books. I kept thinking that maybe this was the first book she ever wrote but was published later. Or maybe it was the fact that this has only some odd 260 pages, shorter than most of her books which are mostly series. Maybe she needs more space?
I liked the sign language aspect; I loved that when Fei started to hear, she did not understand spoken language. I was fascinated by her learning the different sounds. That was definitely the best part.
I don't know what went wrong. Maybe the proportions of the book were wrong. (view spoiler)[ so much time was spend in the village, describing their daily life and then Fei finding out she can hear. Then the climb down and the stay in the city seemed very rushed. I wanted more! It seemed to suddenly pile and then we got to spend pages on Fei's strange dreams. (hide spoiler)]
A problem I had was that I did not care for a single character in this book. And I mean that. I did not care about them, their lives or their relationships. I could not stand the relationship between Fei and her sister. The protective older sister doing everything for her younger sister was over-done in the YA, and I cannot stomach it anymore.
I do not get society. Artists + elders, miners and suppliers. And apparently, some cleaners or maids who work for the artists and elders. I don't really understand the suppliers. I did not get the huge importance of the artists, but if they are the future elders, I can live with that. But I still feel like there was something missing.
I don't even know if I want to mention the romance in this book because it seemed very forced. I did not feel it. Same with Fei being promised to someone else which had next to zero influence on the story. I do not get why it was even added on such a limited space?
I was very much intrigued by what was happening under the mountain or (view spoiler)[the other villages that shared their fate! (hide spoiler)] That was definitely my favourite part of the book.
The ending... Well, (view spoiler)[this is how I imagine Deus ex machina. Suddenly pixius appear and save everything. I know that they were mention during the book, but since there was no other fantasy element, I sort of did not expect anything fantasy to happen. And suddenly they save the situation. I don't know, but I feel cheated. When I got excited that the metals were to blame for them losing their senses because it was a very simple and plausible explanation, nothing crazy: no curse or anything which would demand a virgin to be sacrificed. But then a bunch of magical creatures save the situation and more than that, they start healing chosen people and restoring their senses. (hide spoiler)]
If you told me a week ago that I would be very much disappointed by Richelle Mead's book, I would laugh at you. But here I'm, disappointed by this one....more
Áááá! To je tak šílený! :( Dřív jsem jakýkoliv díl z VA přečetla za jeden den. Dodnes si pamatuju, jak jsem se zažrala do pětky a přečetla jsem ji na Áááá! To je tak šílený! :( Dřív jsem jakýkoliv díl z VA přečetla za jeden den. Dodnes si pamatuju, jak jsem se zažrala do pětky a přečetla jsem ji na jeden zátach. Ale teď, když jsem věděla, co mě na konci Stínem políbené čeká, tak jsem se nemohla dokopat k tomu, abych to dočetla! Pamatuji si, jaký to pro mě tehdá byl šok, vůbec jsem to nečekala a teď? Znovu mi to rozbilo srdce... :( Zvláštní, že jsem strašně chtěla, aby Rose byla s Adrianem, ale teď konečně vidím, že to mezi nimi nefunguje... :D Zvláštní, že mi to nikdy dřív nedošlo. :D Jak říkám: Jsem Team Adrian, ale k Rose patří Dimitrij. ;) Na konci mě překvapilo, že mi Lissa opět přišla strašně sebestředná. Zvykla si, že první je ona a až pak Rose. Byla naštvaná, to jsem chápala, ale nikdy se v průběhu nezajímala, co se s Rose doopravdy děje. A to s tím koho Rose miluje víc? Zajímalo by mě, co by řekla ona, kdyby přišlo na ni a Christiana. Opět musím konstatovat, že to bylo stejně skvělé jako poprvé, i když jiné v tom, že vím, co se tam stane.
EDIT: Až teď mi došlo, že v příštím díle bude Abe! Yes! :)...more
Úžasné! Miluju tuhle sérii, miluju tuhle knihu, miluju Rose, miluju... jo a miluju Adriana! Když se tam konečně objevil, tak jsem se chichotala, jak mÚžasné! Miluju tuhle sérii, miluju tuhle knihu, miluju Rose, miluju... jo a miluju Adriana! Když se tam konečně objevil, tak jsem se chichotala, jak malá holka! On je totiž fakt boží! Miluju, jak se chová, jak je takový bad boy, kterého nic nezajímá, ale přesto, už v tomhle díle, se pod tím vším dá tučit velké srdíčko. Rosina matka mi opět ze začátku lezla na nervy, pořád ještě trochu leze, ale dá se chápat. Další věc, která mě při prvním čtení nenapadla: chvilkami mi přišlo, že Lissa Rose maličko využívá, že ji bere jako dhampýrku, která tam má vždy být pro ni a která se jí musí přizpůsobit. Docela mě to překvapilo, protože dřív mi to tak nikdy nepřišlo. Btw nesnáším Tašu! Je to potvora! Ble!
Nebylo to stejné jako poprvé. Bylo to skvělé. Jak se jen jeden má vyjádřit... Za těch 6 dílů se toho stalo strašně moc a když teď znovu čtu první díl Nebylo to stejné jako poprvé. Bylo to skvělé. Jak se jen jeden má vyjádřit... Za těch 6 dílů se toho stalo strašně moc a když teď znovu čtu první díl a vím jak to všechno skončí, je to prostě zvláštní. Člověk je všechny lituje, protože si toho tolik ještě protrpí! Ke všem jsem měla jiný přístup, protože jsem věděla, jaký doopravdy jsou. Přesto to bylo úžasné! O nic menší zážitek než poprvé.
Jinak když jsem se zamyslela nad tím, jak si představuju postavy, tak mi tam všichni docela jdou. I když napoprvé u popisu Mii jsem si představila hezečku, která hraje Natalie, ale pak se to srovnala. Jinak k Dimitrijovi aka Danilovi - představuju si Dimku jinak. Neříkám, že Danila není hezký, bože chraň! On je boží! <3 Ale nevím... rozhodně nepochybuju, že po shlédnutí filmu se to změní.! :D
Trochu v rychlosti (Jo, musím se učit matiku :/, kéž bych měla mozek jako Sydney :D ). Za prvé - Adrianův pohled? Jo, potom, co jsem přečetla AllegianTrochu v rychlosti (Jo, musím se učit matiku :/, kéž bych měla mozek jako Sydney :D ). Za prvé - Adrianův pohled? Jo, potom, co jsem přečetla Allegiant jsem se dost bála. Ale nebylo čeho :). Jen si tentokrát myslím, že v čestině některé věci nemusí vyznít stejně jako v angličtině - zvlášť v Adrianově části. Ale uvidíme. :) Takže začátek byl takový pomalejší, vlastně se nic moc velkého nedělo. Řekla bych, že se připravovala půda pro to, co teprve mělo přijít. Ze začátku jsem dokonce měla problém, že se mi to četlo poněkud pomalu - tím nemíním, že by to bylo nudné! To rozhodně ne. Dočkali jsme se pár šoků, vtípků, naprosto očekávaných situácích... To co se stalo na konci, jsem věděla už od nějakých +/- 80% a doopravdy jsem nechtěla, aby to tak bylo. Doufala jsem, že to Richelle neudělá. Ale jo, udělala. Zoe je totálně blbá, podlézavá mrcha, jak jsem si myslela už od prvního okamžiku, kdy se tam zjevila. Kupodivu ostatní postavy - Angeliny, Neil - se ukazují jako užitečné a ne ty ploché(leč vtipné), zbytečné výplně, kterými byli doposud. Bod pro Richelle. :) Díky tomu, že jsme se dočkali (view spoiler)[ Rose a vlastně celé staré party :) (hide spoiler)] - (byl to vůbec spoiler??) Si Richelle vydobila další plusíky. To mi udělala strašnou radost. A doufám, že budou i v příštím díle. Tenhle příběh mám strašně ráda. Sice se Sydney nevyrovná Rose (to nikdo), ale přesto jsem ráda, že jsem se nemusela rozloučit se světem VA. Trochu tam vidím určitou paralelu s tím, co se stalo ve VA, ale stejnak si myslím, že to bude bombastické a dechberoucí. Půdu si pro to Richelle rozhodně připravila. I s postraními zápletkami (view spoiler)[ Tetování proti Strigoiům a proti Alchymistům - jsem zvědavá, jak se to vyvrbí :) (hide spoiler)]...more
July 2020: Well, I did not entirely plan to re-read this but seeing that I had no idea what I was even talking about in the "reaction" from 2013 plus tJuly 2020: Well, I did not entirely plan to re-read this but seeing that I had no idea what I was even talking about in the "reaction" from 2013 plus that it's only three pages long, re-read it was. And I have to say that I still agree with myself (Quite shocking, I know). Overall it is a fun, quick read but I still have a little issue with it.
So, that next time I remember what I actually meant: (view spoiler)[So, I always thought that Dimitri would be very... I don't know... professional? That he would see Rose only as a rough dhampir, a problem. That slowly, with more time spent together, he would start to see more in her. And the fact that he was already noticing how gorgeous she's during the first meeting was against how I saw him. (hide spoiler)]
Original: Don't know what to thing. I really enjoyed it, but I feel like this was something that the author should keep for herself. That maybe some of us had an idea about Dimitri, which was destroyed with this short story. Maybe some of us supposed him to be kind of different persona. Well, I think that I imagined him a bit differently and I still do. Anyway, still glad to read this....more
I never thought I would find some to hate as much as I hate Dolores Umbridge. But Sheridan came close. Hope they're going to share the same corner in I never thought I would find some to hate as much as I hate Dolores Umbridge. But Sheridan came close. Hope they're going to share the same corner in the Hell!...more
Adrian je má srdcovka. Můj miláček. Jsem doopravdy ráda, že tohle není v Bloodlines, protože bych pak z toho měla srdcebol. Jo, vím, že Rose patří k DAdrian je má srdcovka. Můj miláček. Jsem doopravdy ráda, že tohle není v Bloodlines, protože bych pak z toho měla srdcebol. Jo, vím, že Rose patří k Dimitrijovi, ale stejnak bych jí nejraději zaškrtila... :D...more
♥“If I was drunk, I wouldn’t be here at all. And really, this is pretty good for four White Russians.” “White what?” I almost sat down but was afraid t♥“If I was drunk, I wouldn’t be here at all. And really, this is pretty good for four White Russians.” “White what?” I almost sat down but was afraid the chair might dematerialize beneath me. “It’s a drink,” he said. “You’d think I wouldn’t be into something named that—you know, considering my own personal experience with Russians. But they’re surprisingly delicious. The drinks, not real Russians.” (Side note, White Russian is really a great drink!)
This was amazing! I'm pretty sure that I'll die before I get Fiery Heart! You know, after the second book I was really afraid that the whole begging of this book would be WITHOUT Adrian. So I was really happy, that he was there almost all the time! And he was charming as always. Sometimes I was almost sorry for Sydney because she had really too many problems going on. Anyway, I'm really glad that she finally became confident with the whole situation, it's such a relief! Then since the whole Marcus think I was so afraid that Richelle will put a love triangle in this story. (view spoiler)[ She didn't, really good decision (hide spoiler)].
There is also one difference between VA and Bloodlines, Rose could work without Dimitri, and you still enjoyed the book so much. I love Adrian since the first time in VA, and I wanted him to be with Rose, but now I'm happy that he didn't. :)
I'm still curious what's going to happen with whole magic thing storyline :) The end of this book almost killed me!
Love it so much! - Pretty sure that what I'm saying is 100% confusing the book kept me reading for hours, and I was re-reading the best parts again and again :D
And the Zoe thing? Kill me, that's going to be epic, well there is like hundred other things which going to be epic, but whatever :D
♥“You're not as much of a lost cause as she was. I mean, with her, I had to overcome her deep, epic love with a Russian warlord. You and I just have to overcome hundreds of years' worth of deeply ingrained prejudice and taboo between our two races. Easy.”
♥“Adrian looked over at me again. “Who knows more about male weakness: you or me?”
“Go on.” I refused to directly answer the question.
“Get a new dress. One that shows a lot of skin. Short. Strapless. Maybe a push-up bra too.” He actually had the audacity to do a quick assessment of my chest. “Eh, maybe not. But definitely some high heels.”
“Adrian,” I exclaimed. “You’ve seen how Alchemists dress. Do you think I can really wear something like?”
He was unconcerned. “You’ll make it work. You’ll change clothes or something. But I’m telling you, if you want to get a guy to do something that might be difficult, then the best way is to distract him so that he can’t devote his full brainpower to the consequences.”
“You don’t have a lot of faith in your own gender.”
“Hey, I’m telling you the truth. I’ve been distracted by sexy dresses a lot.”
I didn’t really know if that was a valid argument, seeing as Adrian was distracted by a lot of things. Fondue. T-shirts. Kittens. “And so, what then? I show some skin, and the world is mine?”
“That’ll help.” Amazingly, I could tell he was dead serious. “And you’ve gotta act confident the whole time, like it’s already a done deal. Then make sure when you’re actually asking for what you want that you tell him you’d be ‘so, so grateful.’ But don’t elaborate. His imagination will do half the work for you. ”
I shook my head, glad we’d almost reached our destination. I didn’t know how much more I could listen to. “This is the most ridiculous advice I’ve ever heard. It’s also kind of sexist too, but I can’t decide who it offends more, men or women.”
“Look, Sage. I don’t know much about chemistry or computer hacking or photosynthery, but this is something I’ve got a lot of experience with.” I think he meant photosynthesis, but I didn’t correct him. “Use my knowledge. Don’t let it go to waste.”
♥“The future of our relationship hinged on advice from a fifteen-year old girl, a probably untrue story from a one-eyed Chihuahua trainer, and me unromantically – yet skillfully – kissing you on top of silverware and china?”
♥“Look at it this way," Ms. Terwilliger said, after several moments of thought. "The callistana thinks of you two as its parents.”
♥“Adrian sifted through the bags and pulled out a slice of coconut cream. "If I were a dragon, this is what I'd go for." I didn't argue, mainly because that statement had no logical argument.”
♥“I tried to dredge up the same reaction other girls had around Marcus, but nothing happened. No matter how hard I tried, I just didn't have that same attraction His hair was too blond, I decided. And his eyes needed a little more green.”
♥“Adrian: Sometimes it’s worth lingering on the journey for a while before getting to the destination.” Metaphors. This was the cost of making out with an artist.”
Really good idea to put Rose and Dimitri for a while into the story :D...more
I still think that the book would have been better if the first third was cut short. I was not really enjoying Eugenie doing... nothiEDIT: June 2020.
I still think that the book would have been better if the first third was cut short. I was not really enjoying Eugenie doing... nothing.
The funny thing is that with every read I'm angrier and angrier with Eugenie. She does terrible things and then tries to excuse her behaviour. But at the same time, she punishes everyone for the smallest things. I'm starting to wish that there was more of character growth for her.
Sigh, this series really needs something. I'm not asking for a whole book; a novella would be enough or even a short story. Just to give this story a real closure it deserves. The ending Dorian deserves! And yeah, I still have fingers crossed that this would be Richelle Mead's COVID-19 project. It is probably unlikely, but the hope is all I have.
EDIT (11/4/2017): Wow, the ending made me angrier than the first time around. Dorian deserved so much more!
I loved the book/series. But the ending killed me. This book came out in 2011, and I have no hope that Richelle Mead will return to this series which kills me.
The beginning was kind of slow < spoiler> I know; she was pregnant. But the book could start later in the pregnancy. .
I still hate Kiyo and that Maiwenn monster!
I like how Richelle found the solution for Storm King heir. < spoiler> I knew that those kids were Dorian's. I just wish that Maiwenn would let it go so that Eugenie could take them to Dorian .
I guess I am going to just keep hoping that one day Richelle will write at least a novella where someone kills Kiyo and Maiwenn. < spoiler> And Dorian will meet Ivy and Isaac. <3 I cannot wait for that!
Btw, it's just me or did Kiyo's, and Maiwenn's daughter went from Luisa to Marta?...more
Then don't criticize if you can't offer a solution."
Wow, this re-read is going on very well. This book for me is a prime example EDIT (May 2020):
Then don't criticize if you can't offer a solution."
Wow, this re-read is going on very well. This book for me is a prime example that it can include the worse character, the biggest hypocrite ever which you just wish would disappear from the books for good, but you can still enjoy the book despite said character. Kiyo is in my Top10 of most despised characters. I mean I would have an afternoon tea with Umbridge before I would even say Hi to him.
Anyway, as I've mentioned in my review for the first book, it's so much fun to see all those little hints at what's going to happen next which I never saw before.
And even after reading this book several times, it still breaks my heart. First time I did not see that scene coming at all, and even now, I'm still not ready for it. And I probably never will be.
EDIT (11/4/2017): Wow, poor Eugenie. And please! just kill Kiyo already! Still one of my most favourite series from Richelle Mead.
jadadady... I can't even... EDIT:
I loved the first book - still remember when I read it during French class. :D So I don't really know why it took me so long to continue. Even though the beginning was a bit slow it was awesome. Always hated Kiyo since the first moment and after this, I hate him even more. He's the biggest hypocrite EVER. On the other hand, Dorian is such a sweetheart. Love him more with every word. And then Richelle Mead again managed to blew my mind. I did not expect that!...more
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