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Series · young adult paranormal romance

Bloodlines

by Richelle Mead

The Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead has 6 known books (6 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Bloodlines (2011). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is The Ruby Circle.

Books
6 known books (6 novels)
Published
6
First published
2011
Status
completed
Shelved under
Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy
Last checked

Start here: Bloodlines (2011) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of Bloodlines

Bloodlines (2011)

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.

  1. Bloodlines

    Novel

    Bloodlines (2011) opens Richelle Mead's spin-off series at 343 pages, sending Sydney Sage -- an Alchemist trained to view vampires as unnatural -- into protecting Jill Mastrano Dragomir, with The Golden Lily following.

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  2. The Golden Lily

    Novel

    At 417 pages, The Golden Lily (2012) is the longest entry in Bloodlines, continuing Sydney's slow-building, forbidden romance with dhampir guardian Adrian Ivashkov as her Alchemist training keeps clashing with her closer-than-ever contact with the vampire world.

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  3. The Indigo Spell

    Novel

    The Indigo Spell (2013), 385 pages, is the third Bloodlines novel, deepening the political plot around the Moroi royal succession and the prejudices Sydney's Alchemist upbringing never had her examine from the inside.

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  4. The Fiery Heart

    Novel

    The Fiery Heart (2013) followed The Indigo Spell later that same year, running 382 pages as Sydney and Adrian's unlikely romance -- complicated by her Alchemist conditioning -- becomes the emotional spine of the series.

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  5. Silver Shadows

    Novel

    Silver Shadows (2014), 380 pages, is the fifth Bloodlines novel, continuing the guardians-versus-Strigoi stakes Mead carried over from Vampire Academy while pushing Sydney and Adrian's relationship toward its hardest test yet.

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  6. The Ruby Circle

    Novel

    The Ruby Circle (2015) closes the six-book Bloodlines series at 370 pages, resolving Sydney and Adrian's slow-building romance and the wider Moroi political plot that's run through the series since the original book.

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About the Bloodlines series

Bloodlines is Richelle Mead's direct sequel series to Vampire Academy, shifting focus from Rose Hathaway to Sydney Sage, an Alchemist -- a human sworn to keep the vampire world secret and, historically, to view vampires and their guardians as unnatural. Bloodlines opens with Sydney assigned to protect Jill Mastrano Dragomir, sent into hiding at a boarding school after a plot threatens the fragile Moroi royal succession, forcing Sydney into far closer contact with the vampire world -- and the dhampir guardian Adrian Ivashkov -- than her Alchemist training ever prepared her for.

Mead uses Sydney's outsider, rules-bound perspective to interrogate the prejudices Vampire Academy's Rose never had to examine from the inside, while continuing that series' central conflicts around Moroi politics, Strigoi threats, and the guardians who protect against them. The romance between Sydney and Adrian -- unlikely, slow-building, and complicated by Sydney's Alchemist conditioning -- becomes the emotional spine of the series.

Complete at six books, Bloodlines is widely considered essential reading for Vampire Academy fans and the natural next series once the original sextet is finished.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Bloodlines series?

Six: Bloodlines (2011), The Golden Lily (2012), The Indigo Spell (2013), The Fiery Heart (2013), Silver Shadows (2014), and The Ruby Circle (2015).

What order should I read Bloodlines in?

Publication order, starting with Bloodlines -- but read the original six-book Vampire Academy series first, since Bloodlines is a direct sequel that assumes that history.

Do I need to read Vampire Academy before Bloodlines?

Yes. Bloodlines is set right after Vampire Academy's ending and follows characters and events introduced there; starting with Bloodlines will spoil the original series.

Is Bloodlines finished?

Yes, the series is complete at six books, concluding with The Ruby Circle (2015).

Who is the main character of Bloodlines?

Sydney Sage, an Alchemist -- a human sworn to keep the vampire world secret -- who narrates in first person, unlike Vampire Academy's Rose Hathaway.

Reading order last verified .