Book Review: The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

Series: Bloodline #3
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publication Date: February 12, 2013
Publisher: Razorbill
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 432
Source: Purchased

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. (Summary from Goodreads.com)

Several people have said it in their reviews and I completely agree: The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead is definitely the best installment in the Bloodlines series thus far. Mead takes all the adventures, insecurities, and romance she so expertly set up in the preceding books and amps all of it up to a whole new level! There were parts when I was seriously just like: 

In this installment, I am pleased to say that Sydney really comes into herself. She breaks away from the things she has always been told to believe and fights past the instincts drilled into her since birth. She not only makes discoveries, but seeks them out. She takes on challenges I never saw coming. She even wears risky dresses! I loved watching Sydney come out of her shell, but I'll admit sometimes I got a little frustrated. Obviously, tearing down all the mental barriers that you've spent your entire life building is not a simple task. But I began to grow weary of all the, "No. Thisiswrongthisiswrongthisiswrong," when clearly she knew otherwise in her heart. I think what was lacking the most for me in her character is the passion. Not that she doesn't have any. She's very passionate about doing what is right, but when she's so utterly confused as to what is considered right, she has nothing to really be passionate about. What is she supposed to fight for? I mean, I like Sydney and all, and she is a very respectable character, but sometimes I didn't really want to be in her head. Logic is cool and whatnot and Mead threw in enough twists and action to keep things interesting, but I like a little spontaneity from my heroines. With Sydney, almost every decision is thoroughly evaluated beforehand, almost every word carefully calculated in advance. However, where there is rational, we can find equal and opposite irrational in Adrian. Do I even need to say more? Adrian is--mmmmmm. This is where the passion rests. His character has more depth than ever in this book. He has become a lot stronger, thanks to Sydney. He is more determined, more stable, and more tapped into his creative talents. But have no fear, we still see all of his snark and arrogance that we've all come to adore. His dialogue is as heart melting as always! Yo, I don't wanna spoil anything for y'all, but let me also add that you will not be disappointed by the smooch level. Not disappointed at all. Yeah. And the intensity of those smooches. Mhmmmm.

I can't review this book without at least one mention of Marcus Finch. His character was...a little lackadaisical. I expected more badassery out of him. The potential for intrigue was there, and I'm thinking he might make future appearances and deliver the hopes many people had for him. 

One of Mead's greatest talents, I think, is balancing all the over-arching plots. Somehow, she always manages to add on to the already intricate world she has created. I loved diving further into the witchcraft, and getting to know Sydney's crazy teacher Mrs. Terwilliger a lot better. It's clear how much she cares for Sydney, and how much she's willing to risk, which is nice because Sydney hasn't had a whole lot of people taking risks for her throughout her life. Also, Mead is great with the politics, as usual. I loved that the alchemists were making an attempt to mend the rough relationship between them and the Moroi. Sydney even gets to attend a wedding! Of course, we also discover some secrets about Sydney's tattoos which are intriguing, but the whole concept of Marcus Finch and the indigo spell seemed to fall a little flat. There is tons of tension throughout the entire novel, though, and enough action to keep readers engaged. And Richelle does that pesky little thing she does in all of her books: sets us up for something, tears us down, rebuilds us, then throws everything we ever knew out the window. Keeping in mind what I felt while reading, I certainly would not want to be in Sydney Sage's shoes!

This book was definitely fantastic when it came to development and moving the story along. The ending holds so much promise and I have no doubt that Richelle Mead, Writing Goddess, will deliver everything I hope for and more in her next book. And all of her books after that. I wouldn't say this is THE MOST AMAZING SERIES EVER OMG, but if you absolutely adoreadoreadore the Vampire Academy series like I do, then you will have no regrets whatsoever about this series! 

** Please note: This is the first review I've written in month, so I'm a bit rusty!