Synopsis:
In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch–a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood–or else she might be next. –goodreads
Publisher: Razorbill
Main Characters:
- Sydney Sage
- Adrian Ivashkov
- Jill Dragomir
- Eddie Castile
- Angeline Dawes
- Ms. Jaclyn Terwilliger
- Marcus Finch
Genre: Young Adult, Vampire, Paranormal
Pages: 401
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Thoughts:
The book came out in the wake of a very big announcement in the Vampire Academy fandom. Hearing the casting news got us, fangirls, screaming like crazy and fidgeting on the edge of our seats waiting for the movie to come out. So far, we know that Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters will come out on February 14, 2014 and stars Zoey Deutch as Rose Hathaway, Danila Kozlovsky (a reall Russian god, mind you!) as Dimitri Belikov and Lucy Fry as Lissa Dragomir. For more details, do visit the official VA movie fanpage.
Besides that, VA fans are also getting teasers from Richelle Mead, Penguin Australia (teasers starring Daisy Masterman and Nic Wheeler) as well as from early reviewers who are sooooo good at taking out quotes from the book that practically made Adrian (Sydrian) fangirls even crazier than they were after reading The Golden Lily. Goodness knows, I’m one of those having a difficult time waiting for the chance to read the book.
Just as I did with The Golden Lily, I dug up the ebook and read this faster than I thought I would. I seriously can’t wait for the release of the fourth installment, The Fiery Heart because I’m sure that it would only be then that my country would manage to release the paperback of The Indigo Spell. What a sad, sad life. Thank heavens I could always reread!
Plot/Story
Richelle had been dropping hints all over the series and was I glad with the development of the story. This book had so many things going on for Sydney so there really was no reason for anyone to get bored with it. I think the pacing has picked up quite a lot in this book which is why I read it so fast despite the ebook format.
There are two things that made this book an amazing read.
One, and definitely the best thing about The Indigo Spell, is Sydrian. This is still tamer than Romitri but heck, Sydrian is the ship that you desperately want to dock on its destination’s port but is always in danger of sinking. Seriously. Well yeah, we know they like love each other but what the hell, their forbidden romance is just so complicated that I can’t help but pull at my hair. Of course, we all know it’ll work out in the end, that theirs is real love and all that but damn…damn. Intelligent writer that Richelle is, she made every second with Adrian and Sydney together count. Like yeah, you can certainly feel the mush and the lust repressed feelings whenever Sydrian is on the page and I guess I’ll have to settle with that–for now.
“I don’t care if you say we can’t be together. I don’t care if you think I’m the most evil, unnatural creature walking on earth. You can think whatever you want, go whatever you want. I’m going to just go on loving you, even if it’s hopeless.”-Adrian Ivashkov
Two, Sydney’s involvement in witchcraft magic. If I ever said that Sydney has a boring life, I take it back. Now this girl’s definitely a fighter. I love the way the magic part was handled and right now, all I can say is that I want my own callistana–and several cats (okay, so maybe just one ’cause my dog’s quite territorial).
You’ll notice that I rated this book with 4.5 stars only as compared to The Golden Lily’s 5 stars. This may be an unpopular opinion considering how much improvement this book was when it comes to plot and pace, but I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed about Marcus Finch. Honestly speaking, I was expecting a hell of a lot more with his presence but I guess a book can only handle so much. I can’t tell much without spoiling the book but I really think there should be more to Marcus Finch than that. Anyway, all the Sydrian stuff made up for this slight disappointment so I’ll stop complaining. 🙂
Characters
Sydney
Well, talk about character development. The decisions she made and the way she changed yet remained who she really was, well that’s kind of extraordinary. She’s still not the feisty, sassy and rebellious (okay, so maybe she’s gone rebellious) character that some people wanted but seriously, I feel that the development of her character is a lot more evident than Rose’s ever was (not that I don’t like Rose. she’s practically the best character-narrator ever). In all respect, Sydney really is my favorite type of person: the kind that grows on you.
Another thing I like about her is that her abilities do not only require physical strength but also mental strength. I love Rose but I bet she wouldn’t memorize spells just to use magic. 😉
“Metaphors. This was the cost of making out with an artist.”-Sydney Sage
Adrian
This guy. Oh, this guy. He’s the fictional character that I don’t really think I’d ever find in real life. Not only because he’s a vampire but mostly because I haven’t even encountered an artist that’s really hot, what more an artist who’s hot, sensitive and perfect? More than anything else, Adrian made this book. I like how his mere presence messes up with Sydney’s mind and I absolutely adore how well he could understand Sydney. If there’s a character in the series that deserves all the love, it’s him.
One thing I’m worried about though is that he’s slowly becoming too perfect (well, yeah he has faults but those faults are way too forgivable). I don’t like perfect fictional guys and it’s the reason why I’m not as drawn to Dimitri as I was to Adrian. I really wish he gets to show more mistakes (if that’s the right word) because I really like it when there’s acceptance of imperfections.
“Under normal circumstances, you inviting me to the bedroom would be the highlight of my day.”-Adrian Ivashkov
Eddie
I like Eddie but I’m really not a fan of his decision to date Angeline. Upon reading The Indigo Spell, I only have a few words to say: See? I’m right! I really wish he gets more spotlight sometime in the future because he deserves it. I don’t like how his conflicts were all about his love life and I wish there would come a time when he’ll get to shine as bright as the sun or maybe like diamonds and become as fierce and badass as the guardian I’ve known him to be. I definitely think he should get more attention than Marcus Finch. I think a few scenes with Trey post-Angeline-Eddie would satisfy the hell out of me. Hihihi.
Jill
I don’t remember her that much in this book besides her spirit connection with Adrian. I need a lot of Eddie-Jill right now. One thing I’ve noticed is how she’s slowly becoming more mature. I kind of agree with Sydney. Jill has a certain regality that’s growing on me which I hope, yet again, would gain more development in the future.
Angeline
Ha. This girl, although not someone I hate, is nothing but trouble. Seriously. She keeps things more interesting with her mishaps but really, she needs to grow up. If anything, I think this girl needs to get herself involved in some fight with a strigoi. Or maybe a witch.
Ms. Terwilliger
I loooove this teacher! She’s almost motherly to Sydney and that alone earned my loyalty to her. She’s like the adult voice of sanity (or better yet, insanity) for the younger ones. I do wish to see her in action though. Like in real action.
Marcus Finch
If he wanted to be more likeable, I need him to be much more important than he was in this book. Yeah, he did a lot to release Sydney from the golden lily but heck, I need moooore.
Malachi Wolfe
Well, he’s not a main character but he’s well-received ever since The Golden Lily so I’m not surprised of his reappearance in Indigo. As usual, he’s a mystery that’s yet to be solved. I am so freaking excited to finally find out his true identity. *wink*
Writing Style
As usual, Richelle was her brilliant self in this book, particularly with Adrian’s character. I am a fan of Richelle’s ability to turn potentially dull characters and situations into something interesting through dialogue and chemistry. She did a great job with the Sydrian scenes (and all the scenes for that matter) but I really hope the other characters get more of the spotlight. Richelle’s great with subplots so I trust her to continue to deliver another great one in The Fiery Heart. Best thing about it? It’ll have Adrian’s POV in it! *fangirl flail*
“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 Ivashkov
All in all, this book’s amazing and despite the fact that I have a few disappointments (which are really minor, if I may say) in it. I can’t wait for The Fiery Heart to come out on November 19, 2013! Just a few months away!!!
My Thought Processes 