Book Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Let me start off by saying that I'm a Vampire Academy fan. I've read all the books and was sad to say goodbye to Rose and the gang. But then Ms.Mead made the announcement of a spin off series,hope was ignited. Here's a description of Bloodlines from goodreads:

When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines 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.

Okay, some of those who have read the Vampires Academy series may have had certain issues with Rose's POV. She could be pretty headstrong at times, jumping into action before thinking, which got her into all sorts of trouble. But where Rose was impulsive, Sydney is reserved, over thinking every action with meticulous planning ahead, and that can be a little hard to get used to. Sydney doesn't know how to stand up for herself and it drove me crazy because I knew that there was no way Rose would put up with that shiz, but after I got used to Sydney as a narrator and got Rose out of my head, I began to understand where she was coming from.
Some of your faves from VA do make an appearance in this book, even Rose, but the feel is different not only because of the change in POV but because the setting is no longer at St.Vladimir's but up at Palm Springs, CA, which made me miss the Academy.
Then there's the romance. From the moment Rose meets Dimitri you know what's going to happen, things are going to get sexy. But the build up to the romance in Bloodlines is slow, and I honestly can't say who I think will end up with who because of all the complications standing in the way of the relationships Ms. Mead is trying to bring together.
All in all she hasn't lost her touch. There were plenty of twists I didn't see coming and the storyline kept my attention. I'm curious to see where Sydney's story takes us and to see all the romance blossom through the series. Hope this is helpful to anyone thinking about picking up the new series. I highly recommend reading the Vampire Academy series first though, so you don't feel out of the loop on what's going on. Happy reading!