The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

Release Date: November 19, 2013
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Purchased

Summary

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .

But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure—and re-education—looms larger than ever.

Pulses will race throughout this thrilling fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe. (courtesy of Goodreads.)

Review

There are surprisingly few books that I buy and begin reading on the day they're released. Richelle Mead's Bloodlines series falls into that vaunted category. I waited for The Fiery Heart with bated breath for month and dug into it as soon as it was released.

It was worth the wait. Really, the only negative thing I can say about it is that it ended on a huge cliff-hanger and the next book won't be released until July 2014. Torture, I tell you.

Indigo Spell concluded with Sydney and Adrian embracing their relationship whole-heartedly. They are in the throes of obsessive love in The Fiery Heart. Not that they can spread this around. They have to contend with the Moroi disgust for human/vampire relationships. But that's small potatoes compared to the potential consequences of discovery by the Alchemists. And now that Sydney's sister Zoe is staying with her, everything must be hush hush.

This book stands out from the previous three in the series in that it is told from dual perspectives of Adrian and Sydney. As we saw in Allegiant, people often have strong and negative impressions of dual point of view novels. I happen to love getting more than one perspective and I think it works particularly well here. Adrian and Sydney have very different voices so it's easy to tell them apart. Additionally, aside from the times where they're together, they lead very different lives. So hearing from both of them enables us to see a side of the story first hand that you wouldn't get otherwise.

Sydney is a different character in this story. She's a rebel. She's doing exactly the opposite of what she's done her entire life - actively seeking to flaunt every rule that's placed before her. Despite the radical switch, it seems logical in the face of her changing view of who's right and who's wrong. We still get hints of Sydney's uber organized, Type A mind.

I loved getting to know Adrian better. I feel like I already know him pretty well from all the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines books, but this took it to another level. In this book, we get a vivid look at the ups and downs of Adrian's moods. It's also a very pro-medication viewpoint of depression, which is something I don't read much of. It's not all depressing stuff though. We still get loads of Adrian's mock arrogance humor.

The plot of The Fiery Heart is almost exactly what I expected it to be. I couldn't have guessed the details, but I could draft a rough outline of the beginning, middle, and end. To some readers this may be a criticism. I expect a series like Bloodlines to follow a sort of formula. In fact, I want it to follow that formula, because I've sketched out the entire series in my head and would like that to come to reality. So far I'm having a great ride. It only gets better from here.

Rating: 4 / 5

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