Review: The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) by Richelle Mead

Publisher: February 12, 2013 Razorbill
Genre: Paranormal
Format: Kindle
Source: Purchased

*Please note that it is very hard to review books past the first one in the series without having any spoilers at all.

Goodreads Summary
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. Goodreads

"Do you want me to call you Celery Stick instead of Cupcake or Honey-Pie? It just doesn't inspire the same warm and fuzzy feelings." 

Indigo Spell is the 3rd book in the Bloodlines series.   I must say this series is in my list of top favorites.  It follows Alchemist Sydney Sage.  She is on assignment in Palm Springs to protect Jill Mastrano, a Moroi princess, who is in hiding because she is the only bloodline to Queen Vasilisa.   Which is important because Moroi law states to be King or Queen you must have a living blood relative.  Sydney finds herself in complicated situations trying to balance her teachings and her new feelings towards what she deems unnatural.  She is diving head-first into a world of vampires and magic.   In this adventure, Sydney embarks on her own search for Marcus, a mysterious ex-alchemist, who may provide her with much needed answers. She is recruited to help Mrs. Terwilliger with a special project.  At the same trying to balance her work with the vampires, and sorting her conflicted feelings toward the handsome Adrian.

What made my heart happy:

I love seeing how far Sydney has come from the Vampire Academy series.   She does things now without even blinking an eye.  Previously, she would have had nothing at all to do with it.  Don't get me wrong, she still has conflicted moments about it.  However, she is really growing into her own person with her own mind.  Sydney is becoming one bad chick.   There is also plenty of action in this book.  It was hard for me to put this one down.   I just had to know what would happen next.   I like the fact that she is exploring and diving deeper into the world of magic.  Sydney is really starting to hone her skills and step out on her own to practice her magic.

THEN THERE'S ADRIAN!!  He is my absolute favorite part of the book.   His personality, his swag, and his look. He has got it, and he knows it.  I love love love the chemistry between Sydney and Adrian.  It's the forbidden fruit love story.

Now what kind of hurt my heart:

The only real complaint I have is it was very predictable to me.   One of my favorite things about Richelle Mead is the fact she is wonderful at surprising me.  Twists and unexpected plot turns are her specialty   I read a lot, so it is not easy to fool me, and she usually does that well.   Did being predictable ruin the book?  Absolutely not.  I just look forward to the big surprise and there wasn't one in this book.

Overall Conclusion:

I very much enjoyed The Indigo Spell.   It is a page turner just like the previous books.   There is action, adventure, comedy, love, suspense, everything that makes a book good.   If you are like me, and good at seeing things coming, you may be a little disappointed that there are no big 'WOW I didn't see that coming' moments.   My opinion is that this book is meant to set up the next book.    The ending had me thinking, "Geez now I have to wait until November."  The wheels in my head are just turning thinking about all the possibilities of what's to come.   I highly recommend this book and this series as a whole.   I am not even that into the Paranormal genre, but this series is certainly one of my top favorites.  Richelle Mead has a way of making all the characters human at the core to a point you almost forget they are vampires and magical creatures.  I can't wait to get my hands on Fiery Heart!