Review: The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
Steph’s Rating: 5 stars
Dani’s Rating: 5 stars
Overall Rating: 5 stars

Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: February 12th, 2013
Pages: 432

Goodreads 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.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive—this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood.

Steph’s Review:

    The Indigo Spell has to be the hottest, most searing YA book Richelle Mead has ever written, and here I thought that was impossible after all the Rose and Dimitri awesomeness. Oh my goodness, just let me marry Adrian Ivashkov right this instant. That boy has drilled his way into my heart and I think I am officially converting from Team Dimitri the Russian Warlord (LOL!) to Team Adrian Ivashkov. He’s hot, and hilarious, and kind, and caring and--okay I need to stop. For now. Shewww! There are some steamy scenes to look forward too in The Indigo Spell!!!

    I feel like this was a calm before the storm, the in between of the intro to the new Bloodlines world and the all-out fight climax. There’s lots of tension in here, along with several plots. Of course you have the Adrian and Sydney love story, but you also have Sydney trying to find out who this “Marcus Finch” is and what he has to do with the Alchemists. You also see Sydney trying to deal with her newfound witchy powers, and hiding them from everyone who might report her in. She’s got to deal with a crazy witch on the run, something outside of her Alchemist orders. It’s all quite complex when you read it, but I’m sure each part of the plot will contribute to the whole later in the series.

    Before The Indigo Spell, I wasn’t a huge fan of Sydney. I felt like she was too much of a loyal dog to the Alchemists, which really bugged me because it’s almost blatantly evident that they hadn’t been entirely upfront with her. She was a complete smarty who could so naive at times. After TIS, that completely turned around. I love Sydney now, and she’s turning out to be a cunning protagonist completely different from Rose in VA. She’s strong in her own way, even when she’s treading on dangerous waters. I love that she’s becoming a little rebel and thinking for herself instead of just gobbling up everything her higher ups feed to her. You can feel her loyalties shifting in this installment, and her doubt in what she believed was the utmost truth. After thinking back to the more timid Sydney we find in the VA series, I could really feel a big, dynamic change in her. I’m really loving this new and improved Sydney!

    And now we’ve reached Adrian. *swoons*. That boy has my heart and soul, I L-O-V-E him so much. He was just a drunken party playboy in VA, but now his sweet and caring side is really starting to show. You can just feel his love and devotion to Sydney in this book, and to all Bloodlines fans: You will be fanning yourself and loving his new relationship with Sydney :) Richelle gives this couple lots of attention in this book, and you will not be disappointed!

    You know, when I first heard about Marcus Finch in The Golden Lily, I thought he was going to turn out to be some serial killer or creepy boxing champ (teehee). Well I was proven wrong yet again. He’s actually quite charming...but don’t worry about that because he’s not interested in Sydney :D. He is an ex-Alchemist, and you will learn his reason for that in this book. You will also find out about how he even got that blue mark on his face over his golden lily. He actually didn’t play as much of a role as I thought, but I’m pretty sure we will see him again in the series. I loved Richelle’s thing about Mexico too, lol!

    I am trying to get to some of the major plots in The Indigo Spell, as you might’ve noticed. So next up are Sydney’s badass witch magic skills! That crazy teacher of hers Mrs. Terwilliger is not letting her off the hook, and Sydney is getting more adept with magic and even getting straight with it. She doesn’t chastise herself every time she performs it, and it has really helped get her out of some sticky situations. Did I mention the pet dragon and the fireball yet? And the mommy and daddy scene? You’ll just have to read to find out!

    So with all this new magic, The Indigo Spell takes a magical twist. Mrs. Terwilliger’s sister Veronica is on the loose, and she’s rampaging LA area and sucking up the youth from girls to live longer herself. Its not in Sydney’s orders to do anything about this, but how could she possibly let all these girls die around her and she could do something about it? How could she let it go if she’s a possible target? It’s great to watch Sydney’s self conflict, and realizing she should be doing what’s better for everyone, and not just for Alchemist society.

    This was definitely a surprising novel in the Bloodlines series! There wasn’t as much featuring of the school characters like Jill and Eddie, but that is totally made up for by our showcase on Adrian and Sydney. I feel like the real plot is starting to thicken, and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen in The Fiery Heart! It’s going to be in dual POV’s with Adrian as our other narrator. *squeals* You have no idea how much I am looking forward to that. I’ve always wanted to be in that crazy boy’s head. Great installment to Bloodlines, and surely a book all PNR lovers should read. The Indigo Spell has done nothing but reinforce my love for the VA world Richelle Mead has created!

Dani says: I agree with EVERYTHING Steph said! Well...almost everything. I still like Dimitri more than Adrian :P Sydney really becomes a strong "don't mess with me" girl and I LOVED the pet dragon scene! ;) Gotta read this book to know what I'm talking about!  <3

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