Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Review: Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

Title: Silver Shadows (Bloodlines #5)
Author: Richelle Mead
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Fantasy
Release Date: 29 July, 2014
Source: Penguin Australia
Goodreads



Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

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.
Review by Nara

*Contains spoilers for previous books in the series*

The wait for this book was absolute. Torture.

Why torture?
1. Because cliffhanger.
2. Because cliffhanger.
3. BECAUSE CLIFFHANGER.

Reading this book was absolute. Torture.
(In a good way, of course. Don't worry haha)

Why torture?
1. Because Sydney was in Re-Education
2. Because Adrian couldn't cope with Sydney being in Re-Education
And of course
3. BECAUSE SYDRIAN WERE NOT TOGETHER (for a lot of the book)

Adrian had to deal with a lot of issues in Silver Shadows, and I think these issues really helped drive his character development. Some of the issues were pre-existing ones (namely his drinking problem) but some were new ones that he initially had difficulty dealing with. I think it's safe to say that he does manage to struggle through most of his problems, and I do love how the thought of Sydney gives him the strength to do so.

And damn, Sydney. Damn girl, you are strong. Some of the things that happen in re-education are simply the worst. Literal torture. And yet she's able to stand through that, and even goes so far as to help the other prisoners. Amazing.

Also, my god, THE MEANING OF THE TITLE?! SO AWESOME.

You know, towards the end of the book, I was thinking, well this is going swimmingly! Maybe there won't be a cliffhanger at the end of this one. WELL, ONE SHOULD NEVER LET THEIR GUARD DOWN WITH A RICHELLE MEAD. On literally the last few pages:
*cue Pokemon battle music*
BAM, A WILD CLIFFHANGER APPEARED.
Nara used Splash (in a puddle of Tears of Despair)
IT DID NOTHING.
Cliffhanger used Mwahahaha
IT WAS SUPER EFFECTIVE.
Nara was defeated. (until next year...Ruby Circle come at me...)

Favourite

Ratings
Overall: 10/10
Plot: 4.5/5
Writing: 5/5
Romance: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 2/5