Waiting on Wednesday: Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Silver Shadows
Bloodlines #5

by Richelle Mead

Coming July 29, 2014

Razorbill

Summary:

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 Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.

Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive.

For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .

Their worst fears now a chilling reality, Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour in this heart-pounding fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where all bets are off.

Why I want it:

Vampire Academy and its spinoff series Bloodlines are two of my favorite ya series and have been since 2008 when I was waiting for Breaking Dawn to be published, and I wanted to read about more vampires. I don't talk about VA or Bloodlines very much because they are so special to me, and I tend to keep quiet about sunch things. However, Fiery Heart totally destroyed me at the end, and I've spent the last...8-ish months in a state of emotional turmoil, thanks to Richelle. I want Silver Shadows because I need to have the current situation resolved, and I also need Richelle to raise the stakes even more to set up for a thrilling series finale in #6.

Why I think you should want it:

If you've ever read Vampire Academy or Bloodlines, no explanation is required. However, if you are somehow still living under a rock and haven't read any of Richelle's books (MAURA, I'M LOOKING AT YOU), this is why you should give Richelle a try: 1. Kickass heroines. Rose is the most badass ya protagonist I've ever read about, and she's one of my favorites. Bloodlines' Sydney is not the same physical presence that Rose is, but her intelligence and sense of fairness/justice/morality make her just as much of a rockstar as Rose. 2. Sexy love interests. From strong and serious Dimitri to goofy and lovable Mason, sexy and naughty Adrian to dependable and sweet Eddie, the boys of Vampire Academy/Bloodlines are also some of my favorites. Like the girls, they are dynamic and well rounded with complex motivations. 3. Swoons galore! You're bound to have some OTP ships, but that doesn't mean you won't totally love the chemistry between all the characters! Even when Richelle pairs the characters in ways you wouldn't expect, somehow it works. 4. Solid friendships. Yes, there's a lot of romance, but Richelle also focuses on friendships in the books. Whether BFFs Rose and Lissa are running around being twins at heart or Jill and Adrian (one of those unexpected combos) are doing some mind reading, the friendships portrayed in these series are pretty dang fantastic. 5. Drama, adventure, hijinks, and shenanigans! Richelle has a little bit of it all, from high school drama (school dances and dorm life!) to relationship issues (my-boyfriend-is-now-an-evil-vampire-and-I-have-to-kill-him) to parent issues to political drama, these series have something for everyone so if you do give it a try, the chances are definitely in your favor that you're going to love it.

Will you be picking up a copy of Silver Shadows on Tuesday like I will? Have you had your copy pre-ordered for months? Tell me your thoughts and your own WoW picks in the comments!