The Fiery Heart

Originally posted on my blog: Tangled Up In Books The Fiery Heart was both my favorite book in the series thus far and the hardest to read. When I opened the book and saw the first chapter was in Adrian's POV I had an initial burst of excitement and then my stomach dropped because if you're at all familiar with this series and Adrian Ivashkov than you're familiar with his bouts of depression and the vices he uses for coping mechanisms. It's one thing to witness his self-destruction secondhand as you're reading either from Rose or Sydney's POV as we've done up to this point. And it is an entirely new experience to be inside his head when he hits those really low spots and watch his mind spin out of control when in the grips and aftermath of spirit. I was brought to tears and it really hit home just how fragile his mind is. --"I'm not your concierge. Neither is Sydney. I don't know why she always takes care of that stuff for you. She should be dealing with things that are essential for your survival. Ordering pizza isn't one of them." I knew there was going to be a lot of frustration while reading this book, due to the arrival of a certain character at the end of Indigo Spell. The level of that frustration, though, really took me by surprise. The temptation to throw my book across the room hit me hard on more than one occasion. I knew before I even started reading exactly where things would eventually lead just from seeing her name appear on the page. Yet even that predictability and frustration didn't take anything away from how insanely good this book was. --"And don't think for an instant that I wouldn't do terrible, unspeakable things if it could save someone I love." The more I get into this series the deeper my feelings go for these characters. Whether it's ones I never thought I'd feel anything for really like Ms. T, Wolfe, Angeline and Trey, who I now find myself excited to get to the next scene they'll appear in. Or characters that I've loved since I first met them like Adrian, Sydney, Jill and Eddy. I can't get enough. They've all made changes since the start of the series. Some in very small ways and others so drastically that if you went back and started at the beginning again you'd hardly recognize them. --Whereas Angeline's antics made me want to pull out my hair sometimes, he found them endearing. I swear sometimes Angeline didn't even have to be in a scene for you to be laughing at her antics. One character would relate to another what zany thing she'd recently done and I would burst with laughter. Because it was all just so sweet and endearing and they're things that are basically common knowledge to you and me but she comes from a different world and doesn't know any better, like when she went on about how the meerkat wasn't really a cat...I went from being so leery of having her added to the storyline to wondering, like Adrian had at one point, what their lives would have been like without her. She was definitely a bright spot of comic relief to lighten up things when they were either frustrating or sad. Just about everyone had their moments of humor but I adored Angeline's the most. --Everyone said I concealed my feelings, but he always seemed to know how I felt. Oh my word and things have really heated up between Adrian and Sydney. If this were any other series and any other set of characters I probably would blame my love for all things Sydrian on the fact that we're dealing with a forbidden romance because, let's face it, I'm all about the taboo when it comes to reading romance. While I do love that extra little something it adds to the story, I really do just love both of these characters so much. Just a discreet shared look across a room full of people is enough to set me into a swoon frenzy when it comes to these two. I'm not sure I've ever shipped anything so hard before. --"Things have fallen apart," I said, finally taking the dragon. "The center didn't hold." There's only two books left for me at this point. I'm feeling a mixture of excitement, nerves and sadness. I'm so excited to see what will come of these characters, all of them, and this world that they live in. I'm nervous for many reasons. One of them of course being that crazy cliffhanger, once again something to reinforce how glad I am I waited until all the books where out before I started! Another just the worry of seeing everything come together and the, hopefully, closure of everything going on with all these people from both Vampire Academy and Bloodlines both since the storyline affects everyone. Plus my track record with being happy with series endings is a bit shaky. And I'm sad because that's just it, it's going to be an ending. But until then I just need to make it through Silver Shadows...

We can all agree writing a review isn’t easy, especially if the book hit you in a way you were completely not expecting. The Fiery Heart is one of those rare cases. I was anticipating this book for literally months but I didn’t foresee that It would get such a very strong reaction from me and by strong I meant WHY DID YOU END LIKE THAT RICHELLE MEAD! I GOTTA HAVE SILVER SHADOWS NOW-I HAVE NEEDS, LIFE-IS-OVER kind of response. After finishing reading The Fiery Heart in one sitting, I’m 100% sure I suffered a mental breakdown and post the-fiery-heart-depression. It wasn’t easy. I can’t cope up just yet. The Fiery Heart picks up not longer after The Indigo Spell ended, Sydney and Adrian are struggling to keep their relationship off the radar and with her sister Zoe around. Everything is not as easy as it seems. Working with Marcus has changed her perspective and beliefs with the Alchemista and Sydney must now make a decision that would gravely impact the life she was raised with. The new dual point-of-view is flawless. With a distinction between Sydney and Adrian’s point of view the shifting chapters flow smoothly, It’s not confusing and very relatable in that you could perfectly see everything from their perspective. It’s very refreshing to finally get inside Adrian’s head. We had know him since Frostbite but we never had the chance to get to know intimately until Bloodlines. In The Fiery Heart we see him more in a vulnerable and strong perspective. We get to know his past and what kind of inner demons he’s battling. Adrian and Sydney’s relationship move to the next level, I couldn’t help but to be proud of them. Sydney Sage raised the bar of heroines. She’s one of a kind. There are no words to describe how empowering her character is as a reader and as a woman. I’m trying not to be biased but she’s simply one of the best protagonists and heroines I’ve ever read and encountered. Adrian, my poor lost soul. He’s quirky, witty, handsome, and swoonable (that’s a word I invented only for him alone.) There’s no boring moment with him. They are quite a pair. They are no doubt today’s Young Adult best well written couple. All of the characters had gone through great character developments. Kudos to you Richelle. It warms my heart to see the Vampire Academy characters back once again. It’s like a dream come true. I couldn’t ask for any better reunion except next time to have Jill, Eddie, Angeline and the rest of the gang at court. The tone of The Fiery Heart is the usual Richelle Mead kind of thing. It has witty comebacks, passion, heartbreak, sorrow, revenge and despair. The Fiery Heart is as real as it get. Bloodlines was the introduction or should I say the debut novel of the series. in The Golden Lily Sydney unravels some discoveries about herself and her feelings. In The Indigo Spell she come to terms with how she really feels and re-evaluates her definition of right and wrong. In The Fiery Heart it was a rush of emotions. This book is filled with passion. It will make you swoon. Like I said there’s Mead humor in it and you can’t help but laugh out loud. This book is not just about blissful sunsets. The Fiery Heart is dark in a terrible kind of way. Richelle perfectly captured the crack of the story, the harsh, brutal system that would tear your heart apart. The Fiery Heart grabbed me from the moment I started reading it. I savored and devoured every page of it. Mead is ruthless enough to throw a lot of twists out there that would make the readers sad and emotional. Yeah, I anticipated that particular pivotal moment were going to happen but It still doesn’t make it any easier to cope up with all of the consequences. Futhermore, Richelle Mead outdoes herself once again. The Fiery Heart exceeded all my expectations. The cliffhanger will leave you with a bitter feeling that will make you ache for Silver Shadows. I cannot wait enough for the next installment of this series. All I know is Richelle Mead never disappoints. The Fiery Heart is undeniably a brutal novel that offers nothing but a passionate love & heartbreak. Bloodlines best installment yet.

I just love Richelle Mead. I loved Vampire Academy. I love Adrian, Sydney, them together, Eddie, all the characters really. I love this spin-off series. And well The Fiery Heart just makes it all that much better. The Fiery Heart is definitely the best in the series so far. And I can’t wait to see how it fits into the entire series as a whole. Richelle Mead likened The Fiery Heart for Bloodlines to Shadow Kiss for Vampire Academy. She said that what Shadow Kiss did for the Vampire Academy series, The Fiery Heart will do for the Bloodlines series, and I can totally see what she means. Obviously, the books aren’t mirror images, as a matter of fact, they’re quite different. But I think what she meant by that was that Shadow Kiss took Vampire Academy to the next level with the storyline and the characters, and that’s exactly what The Fiery Heart has done for the Bloodlines series. Where things have been a little slower paced for the series up until this point, I can totally see how everything from here on out will be faster paced and more intense. Without getting into too much detail, The Fiery Heart was a really sweet book. Sydney’s made her choice in The Indigo Spell. She’s overcome her Alchemist hangups, and she and Adrian are officially a couple. And well, just witnessing that was beautiful. It was fun. And it was sigh-worthy. Though Richelle Mead avoids any graphic detail in The Fiery Heart, there are several physical scenes—to the point where I’m not sure what age group I would feel comfortable recommending this book. But don’t be confused, everything’s not perfect for Sydney and Adrian because, now more than ever, they have to go through so much effort to keep their relationship a secret. And as any reader would suspect, this is made more difficult by the addition of Sydney’s younger sister, Zoe, joining the Palm Springs team. Zoe has something to prove—that she can be just as good, if not better, of an Alchemist as Sydney has been. Sydney is every bit the leading female that Rose was from Vampire Academy. Where Rose is all brute force and smart mouth, Sydney is cunning, smart, and all finesse. Sydney takes care of business. She takes care of everyone else. But she’s being pulled in too many directions these days. She has the Alchemists mission. She has her witchcraft. She has a new and rapidly developing relationship with Adrian. She has found friends in the other Moroi and dhampirs in the group. She has the resistance to the Alchemist mission with Marcus Finch. She has her parents upcoming divorce and custody battle of her younger sister. And she of course is trying to balance a dangerous line with being a sister and being free to pursue all of her side interests that Zoe can’t know about. It’s inevitable that Sydney will become overwhelmed with all of her responsibilities. Adrian finally gets everything that his fans have been hoping for throughout both Vampire Academy and Bloodlines. People hated the way Rose treated him. While I do NOT approve of Rose’s treatment of Adrian, I was always a Rose and Dimitri fan. And I firmly believe that Adrian needed to go through that experience with Rose in order for him to be in the right place and frame of mind to be ready for Sydney and his relationship with her. Adrian really comes into his own. He struggles with battling his persona of bad boy, slacker with who he wants to be for Sydney. He wants Sydney to have the world. And of course, he wants to be the one to give it to her. Adrian shows how essential he is to the Moroi as a whole, to Sydney as a partner, and just in general. He makes some difficult choices, and he grows more in this book than probably any other. Yet he’s the same old Adrian that we all fell in love with way back when he showed up on a porch in the middle of Strigoi crisis back in book 2, Frostbite, of Vampire Academy. The secondary characters continue to grow on me. I’d absolutely LOVE for Richelle Mead to write from Eddie’s POV! Give Eddie his own spin off series! PLEASE! He’s been such a staple throughout both Vampire Academy and Bloodlines. I just love him! He’s so loyal. He’s intense. He’s just trying to be the best guardian he possibly can. And we of course have Jill, who I’ve grown to like more. She still makes some decisions that I think are indicative of her young age, but overall she’s growing on me. Angelina is still as whacky as ever—though she has a much smaller role. Trey. Jackie. The addition of Neil to the group. He was okay. A bit intense. He has a purpose to serve and he does so willingly and with conviction. And then we even see almost all of our favorites from Vampire Academy. Rose, Dimitri, Christian, Lissa, and even Sonya make appearances. I hated the way that Rose sees Adrian—how she can’t see his growth and seems like she’ll always see him as some slacker, but it makes sense that she does see him that way. I loved seeing Lissa’s interaction with Adrian as they were always close but in a completely different way than the others. They bond over Spirit, which totally makes sense. but you can tell how much Lissa cares for him. And then there’s Zoe, of course. She deserves her own paragraph because she has a much bigger role within the book as a whole. On the one hand, I feel really sorry for Zoe. She’s trying so hard to find her father’s approval. Unfortunately he’s one of those that doesn’t hand it out easily—if ever really. So she’s fighting an almost impossible battle. And because she craves that so much, she’s driven to make bad decisions in order to please him. She feels so lonely, and that’s an aspect that I can relate to. Her sister is there, right beside her, but yet so far away at the same time. Sydney doesn’t agree with Zoe on almost anything at this point—whether Zoe intellectually knows it or not, she can definitely feel the divide between them. She’s surrounded by people she’s afraid of and trying her best not to get close to. And then her parents are getting a divorce, which is enough to tear at the heart of any child, much less one who is thrust so specifically in the middle and used against one parent. I hated what all she was going through—I felt sorry for her. Yet at the same time, I despised her weakness. Truly Zoe just needs to come into her own as a person. Hopefully we’ll see some growth out of her in the coming books. I almost feel like I can’t fully rate The Fiery Heart until I see how the rest of the series plays out. I need to know how crucial it is to the evolution of the series as whole. Yet, because I can’t know that yet, I’m going to go with a very merry 4.5 Stars. I loved the romance between Sydney and Adrian. I thought the conflict of trying to balance it all was well done. And in true Richelle Mead style, we’re left at a semi-cliffhanger, and I’m dying to know what happens next. Have you read The Fiery Heart? What did you think? Let me know! For more reviews, check out Somewhere Only We Know - [...]

I can't even begin to express how amazing this book was. I want need Silver Shadows right this instant because with an ending like that...well let's just say it's going to be a very long wait. The Fiery Heart picks up right where we left off, Sydney's sister is now in town, Sydney is working on a way to combat the tattoo, and most importantly Sydney and Adrian are finally together!! Let's just take a moment to relish the Sydrian love... This addition to the Bloodlines series is extremely well written in every way. There was plenty of witty banter between all of the characters, some action, and plenty of romance. Plot-wise, it was interesting to see Sydney develop her magic more and work toward her ultimate goal. However, I think the best part was the growth and development of her character. Sydney finds herself in this book, more so than the previous books in this series. She let's go, and realizes that, in her words, "Sometimes frivolity isn't a bad thing." Adrian's character makes some major developments as well, and this book has some landmarks for him. He's stronger, braver, and more open. You can definitely see the impact that Sydney has had on him. He's still the sexy, hilarious guy we all know and love, but just more mature (and let me tell you, that makes him even more sexy!!!). Zoe was an interesting addition to the series, and I can't stand her. I hope she changes in future books, and becomes a bit more like her sister ;) Sydney and Zoe's dad makes an appearance, and don't even get me started on the hate I feel for him. I just can't even talk about it!! Readers are treated to the return of characters from the Vampire Academy series, and it brought me right back to that world. It also made me want to re-read the series, so it's a win-win! One of the stand out things in this novel is the dual POV between Adrian and Sydney. It was very well done, and it allowed us to see a different side to Adrian that we never have seen previously. The dual POV also allows the reader to have a unique perspective on both sides of the relationship between Sydney and Adrian. In general, the relationship was expertly done. But, come on, it's Richelle Mead, and she knows how to write a good romance! There are definitely some steamy, sexy scenes, but even just the flirty day-to-day things had my heart melting. There wasn't too much action in this one until the end, with the plot focusing more on Sydney working secretly on the tattoo, but that was actually fine with me. It provided a nice lull before things went crazy. And yes, things get crazy in a major way! The ending is a shock, with a surprising betrayal, and it will leave you begging for the next in the series. I honestly can say though that I'm enjoying this series much more than Vampire Academy (but that just might be because of Adrian). I think it just might be the fact that you get sucked into the story, and connect much deeper to the characters. I can't wait to see what's in store for our beloved characters next! Happy reading :)

he Fiery Heart was a fabulous edition to a great series. I loved the pacing and character development, although there were times when I kinda wished it was more action-packed. The story line that felt more centered around the mystery of blood and tattoos than actual action. Sydney and Adrian are now a couple- which is nice but I feel that a lot of the tension that was between them has disappeared. Although I do love them as a couple- they are very lovey dovey, which surprised me a little. Especially with how serious Sydney normally is. I think with them as a couple Sydney is also a little more careless which will not do well for her in her line of work. Syndey’s little sister is a piece of work. A jealous little brat if you will. I wanted to shake her and call her mean names. She is really selfish and conceited. She is also convening and will just evil. Can you tell I do not like her? Hopefully, something bad will happen to her, and a Moroi will have to save her. Then maybe her viewpoints will change. She is also a bit on the immature side “ You are, Sydney. My sister! Why is everything else more important than me?” Umm.. cause she is trying to save you- you silly immature little sister. As well as trying to save Alchemist, and Morio everywhere. Hello, she is Sydney Sage after all. The secondary characters were pretty kick butt in this addition. Jill with her inside knowledge of Sydrian. Eddie with his ever supportive big brother role. Angeline and Trey were still trying to figure things out. Ms. Terwilliger and Bruno were a nice added touch as well. Neil was a great addition in that he helped to solve the blood mystery, although the girls fighting over him was a little too much. The ending was OMG are you serious kinda ending. Even though, you could have guessed it a mile away. The urgency in Eddie- his retelling of what happened is what did it in for me. How much more failure can a guy take? The tears started to well in my eyes. And the only thought I had was what will happen to Hopper? I know irrational for sure but seriously that is what I thought. I cannot wait for the next book to come out. July is a long way from now, but it will be worth it. Seeing Adrian get mad and then even will be worth it. Hopefully, Rose and Abe will be on his side and help him get Sydney back. Because let’s face it- he is better with her. My Rating 5 out of 5 stars Favorite Quote “I do need you. You have no idea how much I need you.” Other People Zoe- Sydney’s alchemist jealous younger sister Ms. Terwilliger- Sydney’s teacher and mentor is all things witchy

Review courtesy All Things Urban Fantasy Having already gone through the Vampire Academy gauntlet, I knew THE FIERY HEART was going to be an emotional roller-coaster. I wasn’t disappointed. There was even a primal scream at the end and a depressing glance at my calendar to gauge how much time between now and July, when the next book comes out. There was also a brief mental flogging for not waiting until the series was finished before starting it to save myself these horrendous waits. Alas, I’m not that strong. The dynamic of the Bloodlines series changed a lot with THE FIERY HEART in that, for the first time, we have dual points of view. I will admit to being very, very leery about this but that pessimism went unrewarded. I loved Adrian’s chapters almost as much as Sydney’s. I’m also thankful that Richelle Mead didn’t fall into the dual POV trap of retelling the same scene from each viewpoint. Each chapter moves the story forward. And Adrian, I’m happy to say, is just as snarky in his own head as he is through Sydney’s eyes. This being a mid-series book, it’s very hard to talk plot without massive spoilers but I can say this much: THE FIERY HEART makes good on every expectation I had going in with the added bonus of being so much more than I hoped to get. Mead shows once again that she can move a story arc forward while furthering subplots – picking up little nuggets of information she dropped two books ago that are suddenly back to the forefront with a vengeance. Mostly, she doesn’t fall into the other long-series trap of having a middle book read like nothing more than filler to stretch a thin plot out into more books. There’s so much going on, so much movement on the chess board that you’re too caught up for a single “get on with it” thought. You just want more. And you want it yesterday. In the end, I was left with my usual book hangover and frequent trips back into the story to reread the bookmarked sections as well as other more action-centric and plotty ones just to experience them again. THE FIERY HEART is another stellar addition to the already great Bloodlines series and one that is, in my opinion, richer and more intriguing than the precursor Vampire Academy series.

I didn't start reading these novels until this year, but I'm certainly as enthusiastic as any long time fan when it comes to this series. The Fiery Heart will evoke pretty much every emotion you can think of. This book is probably my new favorite, though book 3 nips at its heels. Fans who have been waiting to finally see Sydrian (that's an amalgamation of Sydney and Adrian's names for those of you who don't understand shipper speak) in its full glory should not be disappointed but you have to remember that you're reading a Richelle Mead novel and it's the middle of the series, so expect some angst and some growing pains and a cliffhanger that reaches Holy-Smokes-Batman levels. It at least makes it somewhat realistic. I loved this novel to bits but I would have liked a little more development in the magic department. That's not to say it was lacking; her abilities are extremely relevant to this storyline, but it didn't feel quite as involved as with the previous books. I can understand that because this time the novel alternates between Adrian and Sydney's POVs. The read was still surprisingly cohesive. Sometimes that becomes a challenge for an author but I think Mead still captured both of their personalities very well. I didn't really sense as much page time being given to the supporting characters either. There are some significant developments with them and their stories, but don't expect much. This is clearly a Sydrian novel, made for Sydrian by Sydrian. Have I made it pretty clear that this novel is about Sydrian? And since this is a Sydrian novel, let's get back to that topic, shall we? This book makes you realize how good they really are for one another, though quite often their situation feels so hopeless. It's a case of star-crossed lovers if I've ever read one. Though she tries to keep up her alchemist front, internally Sydney becomes more of a free spirit; this leads to behavior more reckless than you'd come to expect from her and it's very refreshing. Adrian also really steps up to the plate to be responsible when it comes to his own vices. They balance each other extremely well, their chemistry is through the roof, and I loved every minute of it. This book really made me realize I will have to revise my Goodreads shelves. For a "Young Adult" it was racier than some adult novels I've read. But I was also recently told that series like this where the characters are 18 and over are considered "New Adult." Of course the Goodreads Awards don't make that distinction... and honestly when I see "new adult" I think of a new novel in the adult category, like new Hollows, Kate Daniels, Mercy Thompson, etc. I'm also considering calling this "Mature YA" but I'm still deciding. I'm open to suggestions. There are two novels left so I could understand why Mead didn't want to prolong the honeymoon period. She is an author that really makes her characters earn their HEAs and clearly this won't be an exception. I'm just hoping she can provide a satisfying ending to this series. It's no secret that her endings of series tend to polarize her readers so it does concern me a little bit. This is the first series where she has me by the balls and I'm totally at her mercy. But on the plus side, it's only 8 months until we get book 5! I'm ready for whatever, Ms. Mead! In the meantime, I'm gonna go re-read some of my fave passages from this one as they are MORE than enough to hold me over until next time!

The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead Steph's Rating: 4 stars Overall: 4 stars Steph's Review: Don't get me wrong, I loved The Fiery Heart. But this is the one time in a Richelle Mead book that I felt like something was...lacking, hence the 4 and not usual 5 I usually give her books. There was lots of cleverness in the writing, and hell yeah lots of romance (OMG Sydrian <3), but I felt like there was a very important element missing: and that is action. In the aftermath of Sydney's decision to remain in Palm Springs with the mindset of changing the Alchemists--from the inside--, trouble still doesn't seem to end for her. Her younger sister and future Alchemist galore Zoe is in town to "help Sydney with her Alchemist duties". Obviously, this puts a lovely dent in her relationship with Adrian, as well as all of the other Moroi and dhampirs that Sydney have come to like. It also doesn't help that Sydney has her witchcraft, something she must hide on top of everything else. Newly broken free of the Alchemist tattoo compulsion, she also must face the challenge of discovering exactly how the indigo spell works, in order to topple the Alchemists. If anything, I hate Zoe, and trust me, you will too. The stupid wench just can't get over herself and wants to be the perfect little Alchemist--all to get more parental attention compared to "ideal Sydney (hah!)". Even though she's family to Sydney, she really doesn't act like it. And she's a pawn to her father, and doesn't even realize it. It seems that intelligence doesn't necessarily run in families, because Zoe was so naive in comparison to Sydney. All she does is stir up trouble and get in the way of everything that fans hope for. RM created a wonderful character for us to hate on :) When Richelle Mead said TFH was going to be a pretty dark book, she wasn't kidding. Adrian and Sydney spend the length of this book discovering who they are and what they actually care about, and most definitely go through difficult times, especially Adrian. He's combating his alcoholism but at the same time the darkness that comes with the use of spirit--which is something he also feels addicted to. In his darkest moments of relapse though, Sydney has to be there to pull him back from the edges of madness. But this is what makes their relationship strong. So onward to the Sydrian moments. TFH is hot, yet heartfelt. More so than Shadow Kiss of Vampire Academy, and I think Sydney and Adrian may be my favorite couple over Rose and Dimitri. It has to do with the dual POV's (which RM executed wonderfully), and that we can see into both of the protagonist's minds and feel how much they need each other. You can tell how much Adrian and Sydney have to support each other to make their relationship work. We get double the feels, fyi. Everything was perfect, except the action. While TFH is NOT a filler book, it just wasn't as exciting as the other installments. There is a lot of character development during this book that I'm sure is a necessary preamble for the events in Silver Shadows, but that takes away from action. Sydney and Adrian spend all their time in this book being molded into their new selves, and also finding out the mystery of the tattoos, that we don't see a lot of incidents or whatnot. I was so happy that we got to see the old character in this book; I missed their input. They don't get as much of a cameo as I expected, but there was this awesome scene with Abe. I love the guy, and not just because he's hilarious. He actually gives some good advice to Sydney instead of threatening her for once, and Abe is a much deeper character than his flippant yet mobster portrayal from before. RM also apologized for the ending. Yes, this is the huge game changer in the series, but I actually wasn't that surprised by it like how I was in the ending of Shadow Kiss. I suppose if you read into the situation, it's pretty easy to tell what is going to happen and it doesn't hurt as much when it does. I'm not trying to kill myself over this cliffy, and its more of an annoyance than anything because we have another half year to wait. With everything that's been happening at Palm Springs, I thought the way it ended was bound to happen at some point and it was just more of a matter of just when. Since TFH was a calm before the storm type of book, I know that Silver Shadows will be packed with the action I love. I know that Adrian is really going to bloom in the next book too. I can't wait for the sequel! --Steph @ A Walk on Words

Okay, first off, I just want to say that I genuinely love the Bloodlines series thus far. I love the romance, the drama, the complications, the characters, the plot. Everything. This book, however, didn't have such a strong appeal as its previous relations. The first half of it I thought was boring, but intense. Nothing major happened until partway through, which is why it has taken me so long to read it. And even after the midway mark, it lost its appeal once again. Why? Because there was simply too much sex. I mean, I'm all for Sydrian and all, but once is enough! We have been waiting for this intimate, passionate moment for many moons, and when it finally happened, it was breathtaking and beautiful. All that sexual tension resulted to that moment, and it was worth it, right? After that, after, like, the third sex scene, it kind of dismissed the point. It happened so often that almost all of the sexual tension igniting between Sydney and Adrian disappeared - almost. What really pissed me off was that they couldn't even kiss without having sex, and relationships should be about more than that. I hate Zoe. And her father is an absolute dick. I just want to kick him in his tiny mouse balls so freaking hard. The ending wrapped up nicely, sort of, and left a nice opening for the next book to carry on to. The ending literally earned those five stars.

I enjoy reading fantasy books. It is an easy reading and I found it entertaining. Interesting story as well. I like Richelle Mead's writing.

Le moment tant redouté est arrivé. Sydney se fait pincer. Je redoutais le moment et je me demandais ce qui la perdrait. Des riens évidement, qui mis bout à bout l'ont dévoilé. Toute la petite équipe est dépassée. Sydney et les alchimistes d'un cote, Adrian et ses alliés de l'autre. Une situation insoutenable! J'ai passé ma lecture à attendre ce moment et j'avoue que je ne pense plus a ce que j'ai lu mais au tome 5. Je ne sais pas si c'est du a l'habilite de l'auteur ou à ma soif de connaitre l'histoire mais la tension monte du début à la fin. Tous les personnages sont présents et on découvre mieux la sœur de Sydney, Zoé. POur tout dire une Sydney toute jeune encore engluée dans les préceptes des alchimistes. Ce tome est déroutant car je m'étais habitué à une certaine routine dans le fonctionnement du groupe et l'arrivée de Zoé chamboule tout! Difficile de se concentrer sur les histoires de tout le monde sachant que l’inévitable arrive. Un excellent tome, facile à lire en anglais, qui nous plonge encore plus dans les rouages des pas si bienveillants alchimistes!

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Der vierte Teil aus Richelle Meads Reihe "Bloodlines" hat es endlich in sich. Nachdem mir bei den ersten drei Teilen die Spannung gefehlt hat, trifft sie in "Fiery Heart" nun endlich ein! Alles könnte so schön sein... ... wenn nicht Sydneys Schwester Zoe der bunt gemischten Gruppe in Palm Spings zugeteilt worden wäre. Jetzt muss Sydney noch vorsichtiger sein, um ihre Beziehung mit Adrian geheimzuhalten. Stil: Dieses Buch ist (glücklicherweise :)) nicht nur aus Sydneys, sondern auch aus Adrian Sicht geschrieben, was uns endlich ermöglicht, diesem Chameur mal in den Kopf zu gucken... Plot: Im Plot gibt es neue Handlungsstränge. Es geht nicht nur um die Romanze zwischen Adrian und Sydney, die sich nebenbei auf eine ganz neue Ebene weiterentwickelt (mit sehr romantischen aber auch herzzerreißenden Szenen) :) , es geht um Sydneys Familie, um Adrians Vergangenheit und um eine Entdeckung, die die ganze Vampirwelt verändern kann... Mit Adrian und Sydney mittendrin! Doch bleibt ihnen der Preis erspart, den sie am Ende vielleicht zahlen müssen, weil sie trotz aller Regeln zusammensein wollen? Charaktere: Besonders Adrian entwickelt sich in diesem Buch immer weiter. Nämlich vom Aufreißer zum verantwortungsvollen Partner. Leider macht ihm seine Magie immer wieder zu schaffen, was die Beziehung zwischen Adrian und Sydney auf die Probe stellt. Sydney hat mit einem aufkommenden Familiendrama zu kämpfen und bei Jills und Angelines Gefühlen findet man sich in einem Labyrinth ohne Ausgang wieder. Oder gibt es doch einen?... Außerdem treffen wir auf dieser Reise eine ganz bestimmte Königin :) und viele mehr wieder. Wozu genau sie zusammenkommen, sei hier Verschwiegen ;) Jedenfalls hat unsere Alchemie-Hexen-Vampir Freunden viel um die Ohren und die größte Gefahr aufzufliegen geht gerade von ihrer kleinen Schwester aus, die sie so verzeifelt versucht, von einem "normalen" Leben zu überzeugen. Meinung: Ich fand das Buch einfach von Anfang bis Ende umwerfend. Es ist ein absoluter Pageturner und nach der langatmigen Handlung aus den drei vorherigen Teilen, bei denen man sich teilweise gefragt hat, worum es bei diesem Buch gerade überhaupt geht, wahnsinnig gelungen. Beigeistert hat ich nicht nur die schwierige Romanze, die Adrian und Sydney geheimzuhalten versuchen, sondern auch wie die beiden ihre Welten verändern und verändern wollen. Durch die beiden kann die Angst in beiden Welten vielleicht ein Ende haben :)