The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4) by Richelle Mead-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 19, 2013

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .

But the struggle isn’t over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there’s still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure—and re-education—looms larger than ever.

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Where do I begin?? THE FIERY HEART by Richelle Mead is an awesome addition to the Bloodlines series. This novel is packed with humor, action, suspense and most of all………LOVE!! This is one of my favorite reads of the year! Adrian, our self- described, “eye candy with great hair” and Sydney, our smart and serious Alchemist are finally a couple! If you enjoy a great love story that slowly builds and shows a couple’s vulnerabilities and hurdles that must be overcome, you will love this book! Plus, we have alternating points of view from both Adrian and Sydney. I love her, but Adrian’s chapters leave you laughing out loud. He is so funny, but vulnerable and that makes him very swoon-worthy in my opinion.

Some highlights of this book are when Sydney joins a Coven and embraces that part of her life, magic! Zoe, her little sister, has moved into the dorms. She is the thorn in Sydney’s side because she becomes suspicious of Sydney’s activities. Sydney is still trying to analyze what ingredients are in their Alchemist tattoos, so that she can create an ink that allows them to break away and not be re-educated. Adrian is using his “Spirit” gift to try to discover what can make someone immune from turning Strigoli, or the undead!

Adrian gets to use some of that self- defense that he learned in a previous book and practices “treejitsu” on some men threatening Sydney. That is swinging a tree branch to protect his ladylove! There are many humorous parts, but like I said, the budding romance is the best. They are both committed to each other, even though the odds are against them. I loved all of Adrian’s escape plans: Move to Sweden and open a pancake shop, join a nudist colony in Fuji! You get the idea, they were all funny!

Adrian quotes a Yeats poem to describe their relationship: “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold….”, but he then tells her, “The center will hold, because we are the center.” Sydney doesn’t quite get it, but when things do start to fall apart at the shocking climatic end of the novel, she reassures him by saying in Latin, “The Center will hold”.

WOW!! I can’t wait until the next book!

Jules