Series: Bloodlines #4
Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the wolds 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.
4 Drink Me Potions
After committing to Adrian and the love Sydney just can’t deny between them anymore, things should be looking up, right? And then the bomb of a cliffhanger had to drop with Zoe Sage’s arrival.
Although, to be honest, not much really happens in The Fiery Heart by way of action or adventure, this fourth installment was quite enjoyable. There were MANY, and I highlight many , steamy and romantic encounters between Adrian and Sydney throughout. Maybe it was made a lot more fun as their relationship had to be kept secret, even among their close friends living in Palm Springs.
This was also the first book in the series to have alternating POVs between Adrian and Sydney. And my, it was an interesting experience to get into Adrian’s head as well. He really is such a loveable character, even though he has so many vices from spirit’s ups and downs. Maybe it’s because of his brokenness that makes him such a relateable guy. He’s by far from perfect, but his love for Sydney helps balance out his problems and makes him yearn to be a better person.
I love the progression of their relationship being such a main point of this book. When a book is part of such a long series, most books contain crazy plotlines amidst the romance that goes on as an after thought while the protagonists are off fighting whatever problems they have to face. This allowed readers to really explore their forbidden relationship as a major crazy plot line in itself that could ultimately lead towards more problems down the road, particularly the threat of re-education for Sydney.
With Zoe’s arrival, there just seems to be a ticking time bomb on their happiness. On top of that, Richelle Mead still added something big besides romance into the story. The emergence of a possible Strigoi vaccine for the Moroi is a major development for this world, which took up a huge part of Adrian’s POV. As for Sydney’s half of the book, she was exploring the potential ability with her magic to counteract heavier dosages of re-inking that would be able to protect ex-Alchemist rebels if ever captured by the organization. So, even with romance being the forefront of The Fiery Heart, it was by far from boring comparatively to the others as some new discoveries were explored.
And to conclude such a romantic story, Richelle Mead brings us back to the heart of action, as is her style, with that crazy ending. I’ll have to say, I’m just glad I read this series late and didn’t have to wait for the next book.
Overall Recommendation:
A well-written installment alternating between Adrian and Sydney’s POV that focused more on their forbidden romance than any other crazy schemes that have been introduced in the earlier novels. With plenty of steamy moments, Mead takes us to the heart of their strong love and shows us just how perfectly matched they are for each other, no matter how different their worlds were before. For a book that doesn’t necessarily contain too much action, I found it very enjoyable as it truly developed our two protagonists that sets the stage for whatever craziness is to come in the next book. A definite must-read!
Down the Rabbit Hole 