Woman Reading

So that’s it; that’s the end. The end of Rose and Dmitri, the end of Sydney and Adrian… I’m actually really sad. Between Vampire Academy and then Bloodlines I’ve been reading this series for so long and now I think it is officially over!

The Ruby Circle went where I never anticipated that it would go. Richelle Mead made choices in this spin-off series that I wouldn’t have liked if someone had spoiled it for me before I read it. I have always preferred stories that were responsible, especially books that are written for teenagers. I can definitely say that if I had been writing the book I wouldn’t have gone down this path. Officially though, after having had all kinds of reservations, I’m okay with all of it. If books always ended the way we anticipate, or want them to end, then nothing is really ever a surprise. Richelle Mead told this second half of the story with integrity and kept her characters as true to themselves as possible, perhaps with the exception of Adrian… and even then everyone can change and mature. I never, not once, struggled with Adrian’s character growth.

There is still one aspect of this world that I am bothered was never resolved. I still wish that we could have seen the boundaries pushed further with regards to the classist rules that the Moroi/Dhampir/Humans adhered to. Yes we saw people push back. We saw love develop between all three of the groups, but it was never pushed to the forefront of their people. It’s still frowned upon. You’re still ostracized if you choose a different lifestyle. I wish that we had a heroine or hero that purposely tried to create real change. I accept that it’s realistic to see it happen slowly. That change isn’t just one person forcing everyone else to bend to their will, that it is more about a group of people who eventually change the whole… maybe I just wanted to feel like the topic was being addressed head on and I never did. It was always a secondary issue.

Who knows, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Richelle Mead isn’t finished with this world and these groups. Maybe she’s saving that part of the story for something in the future. I feel like there’s too much left unfinished, and I’m not ready to say goodbye. I hope that she’s got more planned. I hope I’m wrong. Ms. Mead, please tell me I’m wrong…

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