Review: The Fiery Heart- Richelle Mead

438 pages

Published November 19th 2013 by Razorbill

Synopsis

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives.

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.

Pulses will race throughout this smoldering fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.

My Review

“Don’t take the high ground and assume you already know what you’ll do. The truth is, when it comes to someone you love, you’ll find there isn’t anything you won’t do.” 

Oh. My. God.

It’s obvious now that Ms. Mead wasn’t kidding when she said The Fiery Heart is to Bloodlines what Shadow Kiss was to the VA series. This is the book where the story actually picks up pace, you see the beginning of another magically intricate plot and there is some real character development to boot.

“It’s Adrian Ivashkov logic. Don’t try to understand it. Just roll with it.” 

TFH was actually Adrian’s journey, one that was full of self-realization. He is no longer the party boy we knew in VA. His snarky and smartass side is never far away, but they are no longer his defining characteristics. Rather, we get to see more of his loyalty and passion, the depth of his love for Sydney, and his readiness to do anything for her. Adrian’s POV was addictive. It made me so damn frustrated when the POV switched to Sydney’s. It was hilarious to see his perspective on certain things and at the same time disturbing to see how much spirit affected him. The things he does and tries to do for Sydney were…well…. nothing short of fantabulous.

“Relax, having kids is years away. But can you imagine? Your brains, my charm, our collective good looks... then add in the usual physical abilities dhampirs get. It's really not even fair to everyone else.” 

“An image of Sydney's face appeared in my mind's eye, calm and lovely.
I believe in you.
My anxiety faded.
I took a deep breath and met the gazes of all those watching me in the room.
Who was I to do this?
I was Adrian Ivashkov.
And I was about to kick some ass.” 

“Moroi shied from the sunlight but as I watched Sydney, I knew without a doubt that humans had been made for the sun.” 

Sydney also comes a long way from hating vampires to loving one to death. Her concern for Adrian and her truces to keep him from using too much spirit and to control his rampant drinking were cute.

 “No matter how long or how difficult, we will undo whatever that Moroi boy has done to you."

I managed a wavering smile, tasting blood in my mouth. "You sure about that, Dad? Because he's done everything to me.” 

It was amazing how the two fit together like two missing puzzle pieces even after being so very different from one another. They complement each other perfectly and though I wouldn’t go as far as to say they have the Rose-Dimirti kind of magic, there is some really strong chemistry to spice things up.

“I'm guessing whatever 'ways' you have in mind aren't Jill-appropriate either." 

"Put your books away and I'll show you.” 

The various Eddy-Jill and Trey-Angeline moments seemed kinda forced though. As did Neil’s infatuation with a certain dhampir. It had none of the flair that Christian and Lissa had as supporting characters and seemed mostly stilted .

The ending was…. painful. A cliffhanger of sorts…again. After TFH’s comparison to shadow kiss, it was predictable but nothing had me prepared for Adrian’s reaction. The intensity and rawness of the emotion…it may have made me shed a few tears.

Overall…yet another stupendous book by Richelle Mead and yet another agonising cliffhanger to wait out until July 2014 until Silver Shadows comes out…

Highly recommended- 4/5 stars!