Silver Shadows By Richelle Mead

Silver Shadows By Richelle MeadSilver Shadows by Richelle Mead
Series: Bloodlines #5
Published by Penguin on July 29, 2014
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal
Goodreads
four-stars

In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists. Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive. For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . Their worst fears now a chilling reality, Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour in this heart-pounding fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where all bets are off

 

As The Fiery Heart ended, Sydney was dragged to “reeducation” and as Silver Shadows opens, she is still there, undergoing some pretty awful treatment in the name of reprogramming her brain.  As with book 4, we get Adrian’s point of view and he has almost given up ever finding Sydney’s location.  As they each fight from where they are, you get to see how being a couple has changed them as individuals.  Adrian, particularly, has lost the playboy attitude.  I was glad, however, that they didn’t turn him into some sort of pseudo-guardian badass.  He is still the same Adrian, using wit and sarcasm rather than throwing a punch (unless he has to) but his whole way of dealing with things has changed.  Their journey to break Sydney out was truly heart-stopping and to say it was a page-turner would be an understatement.

Sydney’s character really has developed in such a delightful way.  She is growing into someone who is able to form her own opinions about the alchemists and their bigoted beliefs, but is able to keep the things about her alchemist training that serve her well, mainly her discipline and intellect.  I thought that was a really important distinction for her to make because it mirrors the growth process that everyone must go through in life; you keep the things that have made you a better person, and you leave behind the teachings that  keep you from being the best person you can be.  As Adrian and Sydney leap into an unknown conflict, they do so as two people who really are committed to each other.  Even though things were falling predictably apart, I couldn’t help but smile at the team that they made.  With each book in this series, my love for Bloodlines grows and grows.  I cannot wait to see what the final book has in store for us!

 

four-stars

About Richelle Mead

RICHELLE MEAD is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Vampire Academy series and its spin-off series, Bloodlines. Originally from Michigan, she now lives in Seattle, Washington.

Kate


2 responses to “Silver Shadows By Richelle Mead

  1. I can’t believe this series is almost over! Seems like just yesterday that Bloodlines was released… and I STILL need to finish Vampire Academy! I’m pleased that this series is still going strong after book 5 because it gives me something to look forward to when I finally finish VA!

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