Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Series: The Vampire Academy
Publisher: Razorbill
Category: Young Adult
512 Pages

Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

Oh. My. God. This book was just...wow. It blew my mind away. You know how some series's have a book that is just a filler book? Blood Promise is nothing like that. It does have it's down moments but everything comes together in the end.

The novel starts shortly after Shadow Kiss ended. Rose is in Russia hunting down the newly "enlightened" Demetri. She's really toned down in this book. Since she's on her own now you can see the more sensitive side of her. She's lost a lot of her spark since she lost Demetri and left Lissa. Lissa fans - don't worry. She shows up plenty of times during the book. She seems to have been channeling Rose since most of the times you see her she's pissed off or depressed.

The pace was perfect! The ending was brilliant. I don't want to ruin it, but it makes the next book seem like it's going to be even better. Spirit Bound is set to hit the shelves on May 18th, 2010!

A+

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Series: The Vampire Academy
Publisher: Razor Bill
Category: Young Adult
448 Pages

It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since making her first Strigoi kills, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She's having dark thoughts, behaving erratically, and worst of all...might be seeing ghosts.

As Rose questions her sanity, new complications arise. Lissa has begun experimenting with her magic once more, their enemy Victor Dashkov might be set free, and Rose's forbidden relationship with Dimitri is starting to heat up again. But when a deadly threat no one saw coming changes their entire world, Rose must put her own life on the line--and choose between the two people she loves most.

It's only a little over a month until Blood Promise. Shadow Kiss may be the most impressive book in this series so far - and that says something. This book has the perfect pace and plot.

Rose is still growing up in this book. She's grown from hot-headed girl into a woman with a -normally- controlled temper. Dimitri becomes more-developed character in this book. Lissa... Lissa is either really selfish or really stupid.
"It had to be one of the weirdest things in the universe that Lissa had never come close to suspecting my feelings for Dimitri but that Adrian had figured it out." page 36
Keep in mind that by know it'd almost been an entire school year since Rose got a crush on Dimitri. -.-

The plot has several different twists and turns. Everything ties together in the end- something Mead excels at. I plan on picking up other books by her while waiting for Blood Promise.

A+

Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Series: The Vampire Adademy
Publisher: Razor Bill
Category: Young Adult
327 Pages

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose…
It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if handto- hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks….This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.
But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price…

So it takes a book months to be written, months to be published, and it takes me all of two hours to read. Am I the only person who sees the injustice of this? Eh, I’m just kidding. Kinda.

This is an amazing sequal to the Vampire Academy. In this book, Rose struggles to put her love for Dimitri on hold while trying to become a grade-A strigoi killer – which may or may not be all she thinks it is.

The original characters are still awesome in the book. They’re growing and evolving as time progresses, which is what every character in a story should do. There’s three new solid additions this time around: Christian’s aunt Tasha, Adrian, and Rose’s mom Janine (dun dun dun!) Tasha is an awesomely sweet character that wants to add progress into moroi ways. Adrian is awesome. I love his character and how he always goes “Hey little dhampir”. Janine is a piece of work – as well she should be. Rose and her’s relationship both made me happy and sad all at once by making me think of my father…

Anyway, this book lives up to its expectations. It’s got a sad ending that will break your heart, but it will leave you hungry for more. The plot is deeper then before since every answer Vampire Academy came up with just leads to more questions. This books has more action, more romance, and more heartbreak. So do yourself a favor and pick up this book.

A

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead


Series: The Vampire Academy
Publisher: Razor Bill (Penguin)
Category: Young Adult
332 Pages

From Razor Bill:
St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . .

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

Somewhere down the line, I became addicted to vampire books. Only the good ones of course! ;) The Vampire Academy is definitely one of the good ones. I'm sure the idea of a vampire school was used before this book (which was published in 2007) and I'm sure it'll be redone. But no one will be able to do it with the twist that Mead has given it.

The vampire mythology in this book is stunning. Most vampires are Moroi - vampires tied to one specific element that are also mortal. The Strigoi are the vampires of our nightmares - ruthless creatures that can't stand sunlight and are hard to kill. Then there are Dhampirs - half human and half vampire that can only breed with Moroi, so often become guardians of the Moroi. The best of both worlds, for the most part.

The pace of this story is perfect. You'll never guess who the villain is. Since this was my second time reading it I caught some of the hints, but if you've never read it I doubt you'll pick up on it. It's a delicious read, it really is. While there is a lot of important choices in this book there's also a lot of normal high school stuff like, let's say, destroying reputations, flirting, and gossiping.

Rose was a badass character. I wanted to be her throughout this entire book. She has a sharp tongue and plans on being one of the only Dhampir women to become a guardian. What's not to like? Lissa, who is the last of her royal line, was really likable. Her story is interesting. I don't want to ruin anything, but it's not just hormones making her go crazy. I loved the three main men too: Dimitri, Christian, and Mason. Mason is such a great character. So is Christian (who might just be a male version of Rose). These two really add to the story. And Dimitri? Dear God, can I have a Dimitri? Please?

I hope that in the fourth book (I've already read the three that are out before) to learn even more about shadow-kissed Anna. Does this cover make anyone else think of Anna?


This book is worth a read. Completely. If you don't own it and want to or if you want to pre-order the fourth installment Blood Promise order it from the University Bookstore in Seattle and you can have it signed by Richelle Mead! This site explains how.

A+