The Fiery Heart
Official Stuff –
Author – Richelle Mead
Pages – 438
Publisher – Razorbill
Series – Bloodlines
Summary –
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.
My Rating – 4 ½ Stars
Minor Spoilers for the series and the book below.
Guys.
Guys.
This is a giant book of Sydrian feels.
Fiery Heart starts off shortly after the events of Indigo Spell. Our favorite Alchemist has decided to throw all her beliefs out the window and not only became a practicing witch but has taken up a romantic relationship with Adrian.
This poses a huge problem because her sister, Zoe, has been sent to Amberwood Prep to start her Alchemist training and Zoe is dead set on impressing Daddy Sage.
To make matters worse (yea they can get worse) the Sage parents are getting a divorce and fighting for custody of Zoe and each parent wants Sydney to testify for their side, which puts more stress on Sydney. She wants Zoe to see the error of their dad and the Alchemist’s ways. That Moroi and dhampirs are just like humans.
While a lot of the book is Sydney and Adrian sneaking around and showing their love for each other (in some very physical ways *wink wink*) some important things happen. Adrian starts to lose it, like really lose it. Spirit seems to be taking its toll on Adrian. The book gets into Adrian’s depression and how much using Spirit affects him. With his POV we get to see that he is more than just a sarcastic drunk playboy. He loves Sydney wholeheartedly and you can see how much being loved back means to him. I mean, his aunt was murdered, his dad doesn’t like him, his mom is in jail, Rose kinda used him and dumped him; my poor Adrian just needs some love!
Also there seems to be a development in the Moroi’s ability to possibly fight off Strigoi (oh and Adrian helps. He’s a big help, actually. So proud!). And Sydney also makes her own discoveries involving a certain blue tattoo as she continues her magical pursuits.
There weren't many appearances by Eddie, Jill and the others but Rose, Lissa, Dimitri and even Christian are in the book.
And then there is the ending, which I wish people would stop comparing to Shadow Kiss because it was really predictable. It's not bad, not at all, in fact I liked it because it showed how strong Sydney is and that she really has changed her beliefs (there is one part where she really sticks it to her dad and I was like GO SYDNEY!). It is a cliffy ending though and I can’t wait until Silver Shadow.
I liked this book. I loved watching Sydney and Adrian’s relationship develop. I wish there had been more about Jill, Eddie and the rest of the gang, I get why they weren't exactly central to the plot and I did enjoy the little glimpses we got into their lives (especially a certain something towards the end).
I didn’t exactly like how dabbling was handled, like at all. It’s essentially rape and I wish it hadn’t been mentioned at all. We already know Adrian has a questionable past; do
we have to make it worse? It left kind of a bad taste in my mouth.
Besides that, I loved this book and I can’t wait for the next one (even though the cover of Silver Shadow looks terrible)!
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