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.
The Fiery Heart is definitely the turning point of the series. Not just because we get Adrian's added POV. A lot of big stuff happens! Happy stuff, swoony stuff, exciting stuff, and horrible stuff! The beginning is a little slow, but then it really picks up, and as always, the ending is explosive! It starts a couple months after The Indigo Spell. Sydney has mostly settled into a new routine, which now involves her sister who wants to spend a lot of time together. However, like I said, a lot happens and Sydney needs to be everywhere all at once to handle it.
Adian's POV was quite interesting. I don't think it was essential to have it in The Fiery Heart, but I enjoyed it. I liked that he's almost exactly the same as we see him from Sydney's perspective. It's just that we get his every rambling thought, and we learn why he is like that. I can't say that I was surprised by this discovery, but I was surprised about how Adrian actually went about dealing with it. I'm very proud of him.
The plot of The Fiery Heart is mostly revolved around Sydney and Adrian working on their respective projects, which both happen to involve some kind of charm making. Sydney is working on the ink that will stop Alchemist compulsion, while Adrian is still working with Spirit to create a way to keep Strigoi from turning anyone. There's amazing developments from both of them, and I continue to love learning more about the science and magic of vampires and witches.
Of course, there's romance in The Fiery Heart. There's no way there couldn't be based on the title and where we left off last time. Feelings are ramped way, way, way up this time! I was worried that there wouldn't be much since Sydney has to be more careful with her sister around, but the author made it work! Lots and lots of kissing and steaminess and plenty of cheesey moments as well. But then...well, that ending happens and I was in desperate need for the next book.
The Fiery Heart was really great. I've noticed that the author tends to make the 4th book of her series super emotionally intense and that is no different here. Bloodlines may have started off rocky, but it's certainly hit its stride now.
