THE INDIGO SPELL by Richelle Mead

Book Three in the Bloodlines series
Publisher: Razorbill
Number of pages: 401
Date Published: February 12th, 2013 
Date Read: October 17th (re- read)
Genre: Young Adult, Supernatural, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy
Source: Bought






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(Description source: Goodreads)

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do.

Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run.

Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her.

But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought.

There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her.

And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.

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“Do you want me to call you Celery Stick instead of Cupcake or Honey-Pie? It just doesn’t inspire the same warm and fuzzy feelings.” 

The Bloodlines series continues to leave me amazed and desperate for more and this latest installment definately does not dissapoint.

The Indigo Spell continues Sydney's story from just after the point that The Golden Lily ended at.

As in The Golden Lily, it opens into a few scenes which remind us how the Alchemists feel towards the Vampire races and provides more insight into Sydney's ralationship with her own race in conrast to that whith her Vampire friends.

As Sydney constantly battles to keep the identity of her Vampire friends a secret from the humans surrounding them she must also hide her friendshipfrom the other Alchemists.
She finds herself getting pulled into a battle of good versus evil to save not only everyone she cares about but the innocents nearby from an scheming witch who could do no limit of bad. On top of these situations she finds herself falling deeply for Moroi Vampire and commonly-known bad boy Adrian.

Despite them having a mutual understanding of each other that runs deeper that she is willing to accept Sydney must decide if she will follow her head or her heart.

With another excessively long list of hilariarity and absoloutely gorgeous moments what isn't to love about The Indigo Spell??

 I for one adore it and found it just as good as it the books before it. The inclusion of magical elements and new characters is something that was well done and didn't feel as though it had been rushed or an after though.

 Marcus was quite a pushy character and im sure that we havnt seen the last of him. Although I disliked him because of his pushiness and self-assured attitude I find that he was quite a well written character besides that and I like the idea behind him and his group.
Quite a few of the plot twists involving Angeline were ones that at this stage seem to be quite unnecessary although I am sure that more shall be revealled in The Fiery Heart.

Aaaaarrgghhh!!! I simply cannot express my excitement for The Fiery Heart it is the book I absoloutely CANNOT wait for this year and would just about kill for!! Aargh! More Adrian!! <3

“Adrian shook his head, still smiling. "I've said over and over, I'd do anything for you. I just keep hoping it'll be something like, 'Adrian, let's go hot-tubbing' or 'Adrian, take me out for fondue.'"
"Well, sometimes we have to--did you say fondue?" Sometimes it was impossible to follow Adrian's train of thought. "Why in the world would I ever say that?"
He shrugged. "I like fondue.”

I rate The Indigo Spell Five out of Five!!!

THE GOLDEN LILY by Richelle Mead

Book Two in the Bloodlines series
Publisher: Razorbill
Number of pages: 421
Date read: June 12th, 2012 (re-read)
Genre: Young Adult, Supernatural, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy
Source: Bought






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(Description source: Goodreads)

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?

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“Adrian, I'm on a date. Why are you here? On my car?”

The Golden Lily kicks off from immediately after the events concluding Bloodlines.

In the first few chapters, Mead reintroduces the Alchemists and shows us exactly how they feel about Vampires, this resonates in Sydney as she has gotten closer to them than the Alchemists would be accepting of. This is reflected with Sydney getting a look at the effects of getting too close to the vampires (Strigoi especially) and what she would be submitted to if the other Alchemists found out about her strengthening friendships.

Sydney has not only had the impossible task of keeping the vampires in line and from not being discovered by their fellow students and community members in Palm Springs but has also had to deal with the everyday ramifications of living with teenagers and this has not been easy to say the least. But when Angeline joins their 'family' with her more uncivilised mannerisms and expectations, Sydney definitely has her work cut out for her.

Balancing this family life with friendships, a newly discovered love- life and her school time now containing magic use (which the Alchemists highly disapprove of to say the least), if Sydney makes the wrong move, may be sent in for reeducation.

With threats being made to her vampire friends by a dangerous and mysterious Vampire Hunting group, Sydney is torn between her loyalties to the Alchemists and to her new friends.

Okay so it's no secret that I simply LOOOOVE these novels, mostly because of Adrian *swoon*, but I love not only his character development but also that of others such as Angeline, Eddie and Jill and of course Sydney herself.

With Angeline beginning as a quite rough and out of place character she finds her niche in the 'family' and starts to integrate quite well into the human culture and society of school. I like how she changes and begins to learn about respect and love and all manner values and qualities and that she begins to demonstrate these herself. I find that she is a very likable character and her growing relationship with the others is great as well as her growing sense of maturity and responsibility.

Jill is a totally different kettle of fish throughout both Bloodlines and The Golden Lily she certainly has her moments. Her childish side comes through whenever boys or the modelling are concerned and she often does not take others into consideration  Besides that she is has a likable character and I really like the idea of her and Eddie possibly being together in future novels because Eddie seems to ground her and help her to consider other people.

I think that Adrian and Sydney (mostly Adrian though) provide the majority of the humour, so much so that there is an almost endless list of hilarious lines such as these ones:

“But I’m just going to be out there having a tea party with her cats or whatever it is she has in mind."

and

You used nunchucks on a moose?"
Wolfe got a haunted look in his eyes. "I used all sorts of things on that bastard.” 

....that had me laughing so hard every few chapters. I am SO glad that the amount of humour was increased and that it did not seem as though the humour was out of place of forced in any way.

 Although aspects of the plot were quite predictable I found that others were actually quite surprising and unexpected. I think that the balance between character development and storyline plot was perfect and Adrian was PERFECT (as always).

Okay I simply CANNOT wait to re- read The Indigo Spell!! More Adrian!!!!!

"Day 24. Situation is growing worse. My captors continue to find new and horrific ways to torture me. When not working, Agent Scarlet spends her days examining fabric swatches for bridesmaid dresses and going on about how in love she is. This usually causes Agent Boring Borscht to regale us with stories of Russian weddings that are even more boring than his usual ones. My attempts at escape have been thwarted thus far.

Also, I am out of cigarettes.

Any assistance or tobacco products you can send will be greatly appreciated.
-Prisoner 24601"

I rate The Golden Lily Five out of Five!!!

BLOODLINES by Richelle Mead

Book One in the Bloodlines series
Publisher: Razorbill
Number of pages: 421
Date read: September 5th, 2013 (re-read)
Genre: Young Adult, Supernatural, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy
Source: Bought






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(Description source: Goodreads)

Blood doesn't lie...

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

When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway.

But what unfolds is far worse.

Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding.

To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the last place anyone would think to look for vampire royalty - a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California.

But instead of finding safety at Amberwood Prep, Sydney discovers the drama is only just beginning...

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“Takes a lot of tries before you hit perfection." He paused to reconsider that. "Well, except for my parents. They got it on the first try."

Bloodlines is the continuation of Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series.

Instead of following the adventures and escapades of Rose, Lissa and Dimitri it follows that of alchemist, Sydney and her trials in keeping a vampire princess safe for a couple of months.

Faced with the expectations of the alchemists community around her, who are waiting for her to screw up and fratanise with vampires again. But Sydney is determined to keep her younger sister out of the alchemists clutches by fulfilling a task which may jepardise her relationships with those she cares most about in the alchemist world.

Syney once again gets to spend time with the shy Jill (sister to Vampire Queen Lissa), the ever flippant party boy Adrian and the protective guardian Eddie.

Battling her instincts to bring her supervisor, Keith, down a few pegs through revealing his dirty lttle secret.

Sydney must tow the very thin line between being friendly and professional towards the vampire group to avoid causing herself anymore trouble and being sent for reeducation, though this may be difficult when there is a traitor amongst them.

  

I LOVED Bloodlines!!! Although I have read it before, it is a novel which I can read numerous times! I really enjoy the development of the characters and the dimension that Mead gives to the who we were able to meet briefly but did not get to properly meet, during the Vampire Academy series.

As a character I simply adore Adrain, I love him!! Since I first met Adrian in Frostbite I fell for him and I'm not ashamed of it hehe, he is gorgeous!! Such a funny, sweet and thoughtful personality I cannot help but adore him <3

The development of Sydney is one that I think was well executed, so much so that her character (which I found I couldn't identify with in past novels) was one that I grew to like and enojy the company of. I found that she grew in herself even just in this novel, as did the others.

I was definately was not expecting the plotline to take the twists and turns that it did and by the end come to many of the outcomes that it did. This was a journey that I found was a rollercoaster of emotion and developing connections between characters. I love the style in which it was written, the plot and its many twists and, of course, the characters!

“Yeah? Can you draw a skeleton riding a motorcycle with flames coming out of it? And I want a pirate hat on the skeleton. And a parrot on his shoulder. A skeleton parrot. Or maybe a ninja skeleton parrot? No, that would be overkill. But it'd be cool if the biker skeleton could be shooting some ninja throwing stars. That are on fire.” 

I rate Bloodlines Five out of Five!!!

AWOKEN by Timothy Miller

Publication date: August 13th, 2013
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Number of Pages: 240
Date read: August 8th, 2013
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
Source: ARC from Spencer Hill Press
Format: Paperback




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(Description source: Goodreads)

Fourteen-year-old Michael Stevens has never been ordinary; no orphan who hears music coming from rocks considers himself a typical teenager. But life gets a lot more complicated when two-foot-tall, albino, doll-like men sneak into his room one night, transforming the harmless music into a frightening ability he cannot control.

Soon, strangers in black suits begin to ask unsettling questions while unnatural animals with mismatched eyes haunt the streets. They are hunting, and not just Michael: anyone he cares about is in danger.

With the help of a mysterious drifter, an annoying girl he's accidentally mutated, and one of those creepy doll men, Michael finds himself in the middle of a war that could forever change the world he knows - reconstructing the very definition of humanity.

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Awoken really surprised me, I really was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did!

Firstly it began in a really interesting way, which I certainly was not expecting.

It drew me in from the beginning and even though Michael isn't the type of character I can usually relate to, I found that I grew to really connect with him.


Awoken opened dramatically, enticing me with curiosity to gather more information about what is in store for Michael and what the doll men are up to, as well as, why Michael is so important to them.

I found it increasingly easy to dive into the world, especially the more that I read it.

I enjoyed the way that the character relationships were formed and maintained, the way that they interacted with each other and grew as friends as well as people in themselves.

The detail given to setting and both plot and character development was lovely, events flowed into each other without leaving any dull gaps in the excitement.

I found that towards the end, just after the journey to the final confrontation, that the pace suddenly picked up and that a lot of information and action was packed into a few small chapters. This made it very challenging for me personally to create connections to the new characters introduced, the ending felt a bit rushed and as though the author tried to hurriedly tie up loose ends.

Overall I really enjoyed the world that was created and wish that there were more books set in this world, the doll men were hilarious at times and I adored their antics as well as Michael's responses to them!

I rate Awoken four out of Five!

LOST SPIRITS by Gabriella Poole

Book Four in the Darke Academy series
Publication date: November 1st 2012
Publisher: Hoddor and Stroughton
Number of Pages: 304
Date read: November 7th 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Source: Bought   
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(Description source: Goodreads)

A new term, a new location for the Darke Academy - and everything is different for Cassie Bell. 

The beauty of the turquoise Kenyan sea can't make up for the loss of her soulmate, Ranjit. 

  

He's on the run, and Cassie will do anything to find him. 

But when the evil Katerina and her mother appear, more powerful than ever, Cassie has to make a crucial decision.

 And her love for Ranjit might just be her ultimate weakness ...

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Lost Spirits is definately one of my favourite Dark Academy novels by far. In this last novel it keeps the storyline flowing in a way that doesn't seem as though Poole is trying too hard to keep the Darke Academy series going.

Lost Spirits continues to follow Cassie and her best friend Isabella through the trials and hardships of attending a school of prestigious, soul feeding students.
Since the end of the last term Cassie has been trying to cheer Isabella up since her adoring boyfriend Jake was murdered by Cassie's boyfriend at the time, Ranjit Singh.

Since that occasion, Ranjit has disappeared and Cassie is preoccupied wondering where he could be. When Isabella decides to leave the academy Darke decides to take a leap of faith and make a revalation that will permanently alter all ther lives.


I found that the way in which Poole intertwined the character relationships and personalities was creative and well executed. I  overly enjoyed the plot twists that occured and the ways in which the characters grew in themselves and how even they changed over the course of the Darke Academy novels.

There are certainly some characters which I hate with a passion and others which have been developed well and I absoloutely adore! For me this demonstrates the lengths to which the novel has been thought out and how passionate the author is about the world that she has created. The ending wasn't what I expected when I began Lost Spirits but I thought it was a superb way to end this series that I adore!

 

I rate Lost Spirits Four out of Five!

DIVIDED SOULS by Gabriella Poole

Book Three in the Darke Academy series
Publication date: August 5th 2010
Publisher: Hoddor and Stroughton
Number of Pages: 320
Date read: September 1st 2010
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Source: Bought    



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(Description source: Goodreads)

The Darke Academy is now in Istanbul, and wherever the Academy goes, death is never far behind.

 Death has followed the Darke Academy to the ancient city of Istanbul, where an unseen hunter is on the loose. 

Scholarship girl Cassie Bell is fascinated by the city's beauty, but there's no time for her to relax. 

Torn between an old flame and a new romance, she must also choose between the select world of the Few and her loyalty towards her best friends—and all the time a killer is stalking the Few.

As Cassie is about to discover, no one is above suspicion. Sometimes, the people you love can be the most dangerous enemies of all.

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"Cassie knew how much Isabella loved Jake. She knew her friend’s ferocious, burning loyalty, and how violently she defended those she loved; it was just that she’d never been on the receiving end before.

But there was more. Isabella was hiding something."

Divided Souls is a gripping and superb continuation of the Darke Academy series!
Set in the largest, most historic and exciting city of Istanbul, Turkey it follows scolarship girl, Cassie, on the thrilling adventure  of a lifetime. I

n the end of her first term at the Darke Academy she was implanted with a donor's soul against her will but the ceremony was interuppted part way through and now she is trapped as being part 'few' for the rest of her life. Being stuck with another bitchy and VERY opinionated woman inside your head isn't easy and even becomming overly attractive and gaining powerful connections often can't compensate for the frustrating Estelle.

This is Cassie's third term at the academy and with her best friend Isabella by her side, she can take on anything, except facing her brooding yet charming and breath-taking ex boyfriend Ranjit Singh that is.

Gabriella Poole continues to take you on the roller-coaster journey and certainly keeps everything interesting. She opens in a really enticing way that I really enjoyed, it left me wanting to see why the characters were in the position in which they were.
From the first few opening scenes I reconnected with the characters immediately, it was as though being reunited with old friends.

The style in which the Darke Academy series is written is one that I enjoy reading, it is easy to become absorbed in the world along with the characters and the setting is both vivid and exciting.

The story line that Divided Souls follows isn't one that I found to be too Cliched in many aspects, not all, just many. The classic love triangle-esque aspect was, I thought, tastefully done and didn't drag on for too long. The love interests were handled in a tasteful and quite delicate way, which did not enter into being irritating or slutty (cheating) in any way. 

If any characters annoy me from this novel it is Isabella's, I know and fully understand how unique and difficult her situation is but she really makes NO effort to fit in or to stop complaining so much about her situation. I adore Richard!! His personality is original and he is a genuinely likable character of which I cannot help but be fond of and feel sorry for. He is sweet and genuinely concerned about those that he cares about and would walk through burning fire for them.

I really found Divided Souls to be a great novel and will begin Lost Spirits ASAP

"Single and ready to tingle.
Cassie burst into laughter. ‘Mingle!’
Isabella grinned. ‘Deliberate mistake.’
‘Freudian slip, more like!'"

I rate Divided Souls Four out of Five!

COPPER GIRL by Jennifer Allis Provost

Book One in the Copper Legacy series
Publication date: June 28th, 2013
Publisher: Spence City
Number of Pages: 248
Date read: July, 2013
Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Magic
Source: ARC from Spence City
Format: Paperback




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(Description source: Goodreads)

Sara had always been careful.

She never spoke of magic, never associated with those suspected of handling magic, never thought of magic, and never, ever, let anyone see her mark. After all, the last thing she wanted was to end up missing, like her father and brother.

Then, a silver elf pushed his way into Sara's dream, and her life became anything but ordinary.

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"When you offered a token and lay nearly bare before me I assumed you wanted me."

Token? Oh right, my panties.

"And tonight ,you have bathed for me and attired yourself as a queen, and you have allowed me ingress to your chamber. What else was I to think?" 

Copper Girl  started off in a very individual way that right from the beginning had me absolutely  enthralled.

It follows Sara into her post war world where magic has been outlawed and the government has robots patroling all areas each day for the protection of the ctizens.

They enforce strict laws and regulations, including curfews and food rationings.

In this very sterile and unnatural world Sara hides her family history of being a major magic users but when a silver Elf named Micah starts coming into her dreams and stealing her panties afterwards, Sara feels a bond to him like never before.

Sara and Micah begin a relationship that draws them deep into the world of magic and otherworld beings that she tried to forget existed and they are drawn together in ways that can never be reversed.

When Sara discovers the fate of her missing brother and tries to delve further into what happened to both him and her father many years ago, there is no turning back as she stumbles upon government secrets that were never meant to be revealed.

Full of magic, naked comb-baring Nymphs, built sexy elves with awesome hair, humour and a government with a choke-hold on society what else could you ask for?

I began Copper Girl eager to see how Provost would weave the worlds of humans and elves together and I was pleasantly surprised when the transition between worlds didn't seem like a total dogs' breakfast like in some other novels I have read.

The worlds were well written but I fear that, as I generaly don't read too much into complicated back stories often, I missed important information in regards to the war between the Mundanes and Magic users. So I shall have to re-read Copper Girl before the sequel comes out.

Some aspects that I found quite irritating and unrealistic was that after 'meeting' Micah briefly only a few times, she was head over heels and almost ready to marry him, their relationship at the beginning seemed almost child-like and fanaticalistic to me. The way that Sara just accepted everything and wanted Micah so much despite them barely knowing each other really irritated me.

I also found that while most aspects of Copper Girl  were excellently explained in a detailled, thorough manner, others further on in the novel were glossed over so that some parts felt overly rushed and bulky, as opposed to the finesse shown at the beginning.

I enjoyed this book and the more time that I have to process Copper Girl, the more I feel that I liked it and the more positive I feel towards it. The characters and surroundings have depth to them and I am keen to see what the next installment in the Copper Legacy has to offer.

I rate Copper Girl Three out of Five!

BLOOD TIES by Gabriella Poole

Book Two in the Darke Academy series
Publication date: February 4th 2010
Publisher: Hoddor and Stroughton
Number of Pages: 288
Date read: August 31st 2010
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Source: Bought   
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(Description source: Goodreads)

Suspense builds in the second tale of the Darke Academy, where true graduates take life by the throatThis term the secretive Darke Academy has moved to New York, and Cassie Bell is no longer the innocent new girl. 

Now she is strong, determined, and hiding secrets of her own. 
Cassie has been introduced to the world of the Few and is struggling to come to terms with her astonishing powers, a dangerous romance, and the malevolent spirit inside her, demanding to be fed. 

When an old enemy returns, bent on revenge, Cassie is tested to the limit. 
Can she rescue her friends from a horrific fate, or will she end up destroying them to save herself?

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"Get your Jimmy Choos on, you mean," remarked Cassie under her breath, but she felt a thrill of glamour as she slipped into the gorgeous stilettos. "Am I going to be able to walk?"
"In these shoes you do not walk, Cassie, you stalk.”

Blood Ties further explores the hidden world of the dark and mysterious occurrences at the Darke Academy. 
It continues to follow Cassie Bell as she learns to live with being one of The Few, a very select group of students who have been given beauty, power and someone else's soul in their body.
Cassie is now trapped with Estelle, an old, strong and respected soul in her mind as well, this is no easy feat to deal with when Estelle interrupts her innermost thoughts and contributes her outspoken opinion to most things. 
As Cassie's friendships grow ever stronger with her classmates, especially Isabella, Ranjit and Richard, she begins to get a better view on her life and she begins to get it back on track. With Isabella by her side and the drop dead gorgeous Ranjit as her boyfriend Cassie feels as though she can take on the world. 
That is, until things take a dramatic twist for the worse and the tables turn on them, then Cassie finds herself torn between love, friends and self preservation.

Blood Ties was a great sequel to Secret Lives, it followed on really well from where it left off and kept up the momentum to keep your blood pumping. 
The characters continue to develop, diverting slightly from their stock character persona's and becoming more realistic and relate-able.  
I would love to be able to say that the language becomes more sophisticated and that a wider vernacular is used but alas, sadly it is not the case and it tends to remain mostly at the same level.
 Although the plot line certainly does thicken and intensify, it is sadly quite predictable at times but still maintains some mystery and curiosity for readers.
The next book should be just as good and this series seems to only be getting better, so cannot wait to get my hands on Divided Souls.

“For this lowlife to remain at the Academy while I was expelled is simply...oh dear, how shall we put it?"
"A crime," murmured Sara.
"That's kind, dear Sara, but crime can be fun and sophisticated." Katerina gave a thin-lipped smile as the other three girls chuckled. ."

I rate Blood Ties Four out of Five!

SECRET LIVES by Gabriella Poole

 Book One in the Darke Academy series
Publication date: August 6th 2009
Publisher: Hoddor and Stroughton
Number of Pages: 288
Date read: August 30th 2010
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Source: Bought 

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(Description source: Goodreads)

The first in a new series about an exclusive school with a terrible secret—you'll be dying to join the chosen Few

The Darke Academy is a school like no other.

An elite establishment that moves to a new exotic city every term, its students are impossibly beautiful, sophisticated and rich, and the more the new scholarship girl Cassie Bell learns about the Academy, the more curious she becomes. 
What sinister secrets are guarded by The Few, —the select group of students who keep outsiders away?
 Who is the dark stranger prowling the corridors at night? 
And what really happened a year earlier, when the last scholarship girl died in mysterious circumstances?

 Cassie quickly discovers that a little knowledge may be a dangerous thing, but knowing too much can be deadly.

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“Oh, get down from your high horse before you fall off.”

Secret Lives is the enticing first novel in the Darke Academy series. 

It takes flight in the illustrious city of Paris, which you soon realise is the perfect place for the annually moving, elite boarding school, Darke Academy, to be.

When intelligent and very middle class Cassandra Bell, aka Cassie, arrives at the gates of Darke Academy she is in awe of it's size looming over her and its' gothic appearance. 

The prestige and elite standards overwhelm Cassie in not only the sheer size and looks, but also in the attitudes and persona's of the other students.

This being amplified even more so due to her being the looked down upon for being the 'scholarship girl'.

Despite being the insignificant, lowly scholarship girl, Cassie soon makes friends as well as some very important enemies.

 She soon finds herself ensnared within the select, prestigious group within the school named The Few, drawn in by their charisma and effortless good looks Cassie soon discovers a secret that could mean the end of life as she knows it.

When I first set my sights on Secret Lives, I was immediately drawn in and curious about the series. 

The cover alone makes it stand out of the shelf, with the striking title and those menacing, dangerous, yet somewhat alluring eyes. 

These elements accompanied by the  image of what one can only assume to be the academy gives an image that keeps in your mind and provides a sense in intrigue.

Secret Lives  was a bit difficult to get into at the beginning but I kept reading, curious as to where things would lead. I was well rewarded, because the story soon began to fly and I became trapped in Cassie's world with her. At the end of this novel I decided that I simply HAD to read the next few!!

Cassie, despite being the very stereotypical female protagonist, was a decent enough character and I even quite enjoyed how the love triangle was written. 

This is a really good book once it gets going, worth reading and with some great characters!

    

“Pretty?" mused Katerina. "I suppose so. She has unusual looks. True beauty, I think, requires a touch of cruelty. That seems to be missing."
"Good," muttered Cassie under her breath.
Richard shot her a warning look.”

I rate Secret Lives Four out of Five!