SBLC Reviews The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead
Monday, June 18th, 2012
The Golden Lily
By: Richelle Mead
Published: June 12, 2012
Published by: Razorbill
Reviewed by: Maria G.
Publisher’s Blurb: Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students–children of the wealthy and powerful–carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.
My review: This is going to be an interesting review because not only did my daughter have to chime in, but my husband wanted to chime in… This will be interesting.
So, not only did I get the book… I got the audiobook. I had a free credit, so why not? This is when my family got involved. Before you cringe… their reaction was kind of refreshing. Now, as you know, we pick up a couple of months after the last book. Everyone is as Amberwood, but Sydney was summoned to go before the alchemist leadership to handle a particular issue that strikes a nerve with Sage. After her visit, her feelings about her relationships with the Moroi that she is responsible for and deals with are conflicted.
This is clearly evident in Sydney’s attempt at romance. She dates a fellow that is literally the male version of her, but because of her obligations to her “family” they are never really allowed to move the relationship beyond the first real date.
When I say familial obligations, I mean Adrian. That guy manages to come up with new reasons to pull her from having those normal high school moments that girls strive for.
And that’s when my husband pipes in with, “That poor bastard, he’s in love with her and she can’t see it.”
Then my daughter follows with, “She’s oblivious. Wait, how old are these people? I thought they were in their 20’s?”
So, this went on for a while.
You may think that this is a clear sign that we did not like this book, but that is not the case. We listened to it and we laughed along to all those awkward moments that everyone has experienced when they first realize that they like someone, but really do not know how to deal with those feelings.
So, we heard the audio in three days and we never had so much with an audiobook.
Back to the book, I have to admit that the pacing and the story arc in this book were far more interesting than Bloodlines.
Unfortunately, Jill’s storyline was forgettable; the other storylines were quite interesting. The best revolved around Sydney, Adrian, Dimitri, Sonya and the vampire hunters. There was such an interesting buildup to the “boss battle” that I was afraid that it would not pan out to anything, but it left me happy, satisfied and wanting more.
In hindsight, this book reminded me of Harry Potter and Goble of Fire with all its issues with kids and romance. Yet, as someone who has fond memories of those times… I could only smile along. The best moments involved Sydney and Adrian, those two inevitably moved from friendship to confidants and to the inevitable next step.
These two characters have gone beyond their initial cardboard cut-out caricatures from Bloodlines and have evolved into far more complex and conflicted characters. You can’t help but want to see them be together. The question is will they allow that to happen?
I have to admit, I was sad when I finished this book. It was a fun read that reminded me of a supernatural teen novella and I cannot wait for the third installment which is hinted at towards the end of the book.
So, I think this would be a great book to pick up for yourself, your kid… whomever.
Now as stated earlier, the 3rd book in the installment, The Indigo Spell, will be released on February 13, 2013 and here is a little bit from the first paragraph:
This wasn’t the first time I’d been pulled out of bed for a crucial mission. It was, however, the first time I’d been subjected to such a personal line of questioning.
“Are you a virgin?”
What does it mean???? Ah, the torture. Well, mark your calendars for the next installment.
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