3.5 stars. 
 I finally decided to give Bloodlines a shot after years of feeling indifferent about it. I loved Vampire Academy when I read it, but when I heard there was a spin-off series in the pipeline following Sydney's POV I was slightly disappointed. Sydney was one of the most boring characters in VA, and it just seemed so random to me. 
 The series is intended to tie up the loose ends from the end of VA. We're following Sydney's perspective as she is sent away to Palm Springs, California to supervise Jill and make sure she doesn't, you know, get assassinated. Apparently an attempt on her life has already been made in order to dethrone the controversial Queen Lissa, and the Court reacts by sending her away in secret while they can work on legislation to secure Lissa's seat. 
 Overall, Bloodlines was an easy read. It's not particularly long and Mead's witty dialogue helped move it along all the faster. However, I did find myself bored on a couple occasions due to unexciting subplots. We go from murdered queens and prison escapes in VA to trivial high school drama in Bloodlines. Most of the book was Sydney huffing and puffing as she babysits Jill and Adrian. The villain was predictable but the plot twist did catch me off guard, but unfortunately that was the extent of the action. 
 A small detail that bugged me was the fact that they sent Jill away with only one guardian to protect her. A guardian who apparently was stripped of his title and is a boy so he can't even live in the same dorm as her. In reality, he spends most of the school day separated from Jill and it's up to Sydney, an alchemist, to look after her. Why not just send a female guardian to begin with? And why only one? This is Princess Dragomir. She is the one person keeping Lissa on the throne and she has a huge target on her head. And why would an alchemist have to live with her? I just didn't understand Sydney's role in the whole deal. Keith was already the alchemist in charge of the area, and he could have just kept an eye on things. The whole arrangement just felt kind of forced in order to have the whole gang back together. I'm not complaining about having them back (although I feel Eddie could have had a more central role), but I do acknowledge the forced nature of it. Also, did Rose experience the same ailments Lissa did in VA? I know she could feel her emotions and whatnot but I don't remember it being as visceral as that. 
 All in all, it was a quick and fun read. I'll definitely read the next novel in the series, and I expect them to improve. Maybe I won't find Sydney so blah in the next one. Maybe.