Unabridged Bookshelf: AudioBook Review: The Golden Lily

About the Book

Title: The Golden Lily
Author: Richelle Mead

Series: Bloodlines # 2

Publication Date: June 12, 2012

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.
Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she’s been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California–tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.
But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age–old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi—the fiercest vampires, the ones who don’t die. But it’s her fear of being just that—special, magical, powerful—that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else—someone forbidden to her.
When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney’s loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.
Should she trust the Alchemists—or her heart?

My Review of The Golden Lily

When I read the first Bloodlines book, I was happy to see some of my favorite characters from Vampire Academy again. This time I opted to listen to the audiobook for The Golden Lily. While reading is always going to be my favorite way to deliver a book, I really enjoyed the audiobook. My favorite part was the few new to this series, but familiar faces that showed up in The Golden Lily.

My only complaint about Bloodlines was Sydney’s constant immense whining about her weight and diet. In The Golden Lily, it continues but it is not as frequent of quite as whinny. That maybe because I heard it through the narrator’s voice instead of reading it and forming my own context. I really think it is because Sydney really grows into her own during The Golden Lily. She wants to protect her charges, and herself as new dangers arrive in town. Adrian also helps with her self-confidence, which is why I think there is less emphasis on her weight and diet.

While there is a plot unfolding behind the scenes, my favorite parts were Sydney experiencing normal teenage life, dating, a boyfriend, and high school dances, the whole nine yards. Of course my true favorite scenes always involved Adrian, how could they not. In the audiobook, I find the narrator’s ability to capture Adrian was brilliant.

The events of The Golden Lily left almost more questions than it gave answers. I can only imagine some of those questions will be answered in The Indigo Spell. I am more curious to see more of Adrian and Sydney. Besides, I have been dying to find out who is Marcus Finch since the promotion of The Indigo Spell release.

**Unabridged Bookshelf purchased this audiobook**

Thank you for visiting Unabridged Bookshelf!