The Golden Lily Series: Bloodlines #2
by Richelle Mead
Published by Penguin Group (Australia)
on 2012
Genres: Fantasy, Vampires, YA
Pages: 417
Goodreads
Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she's been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California - tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.
But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age-old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi - the fiercest vampires, the ones who don't die. But it's her fear of being just that - special, magical, powerful - that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else - someone forbidden to her.
When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney's loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.
Should she trust the Alchemists - or her heart?
The Golden Lily Review – Book 2 of the Vampire Academy spin-off, Bloodlines .
Review 
Both Adrian and Sydney have been learning more and more of themselves, and they continue to do so. I love him so much and hate all that weighs him down, but it makes me so happy to see how he keeps adjusting to all the damn curveballs he’s been thrown. Sure, he has a hard time keeping his vices in check but looking at the bigger picture, he’s not letting those hardships keep him down.
Now that the primary group has been established, the relationships between characters become a more prominent focus. Even Sonya and Dimitri become a temporary-permanent fixture in book 2 as they start their research into ex-strigoi not being able to be re-awakened.
There’s also a new threat, the Warriors of Light. Once upon a time they were alchemists, but broke away and became a more radical and aggressive group. After interacting with them, Sydney has an epiphany on the whole us vs. them or good vs. evil.
Story definitely moves along at a nice pace and leaves a lot of plots to be explored.
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