Published: 2008
Publisher: Razorbill
Author's Website: richellemead.com
Purchase @ Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com
Rose Hathaway knows it is forbidden to love another guardian. Her best friend, Lissa – the last Drogomir princess – must always come first. Unfortunately, when it comes to gorgeous Dimitri Belikov, some rules are meant to be broken...
But since making her first Strigoi kills, Rose hasn’t been feeling right. Something dark has begun to grow in her mind, and ghastly shadows warn of a terrible evil drawing nearer to the Academy’s iron gates. And now that LIssa and Rose’s sworn enemy, is on trial for his freedom, tensions in the Moroi world are higher than ever.
Lying to Lissa about Dimitri is one thing, but suddenly there’s a way more that friendship at stake. The immortal undead are on the prowl, and they want vengeance for the lives that Rose has stolen. In a heart-stopping battle to rival her worst nightmares, Rose will have to choose between life, love, and the two people who matter most...but will her choice mean that only one can survive?
Shadow Kiss is the third instalment in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. Words cannot this describe this book. Scenes were just absolutely breath-taking and not always in a good way.
Rose is undertaking the most important tests that are detrimental to her future as a guardian but trouble always seems to follow her and makes her life difficult. She feels cut off from everyone after she starts seeing things and feels she has to be strong for Lissa. But being strong means she has to shut those out that are closest to her. Being unable to tell anyone what is happening makes Rose look unstable and not cut out to be a guardian.
Lissa is still exploring her powers with the help of Adrian and in return he is learning to grow his own powers. Together they may be unable to unlock each other’s powers and take them to a whole new level. Christian is jealous of their relationship and connects with Rose because of it as she isn’t a bit Adrian fan either.
There were so many great moments in this book and it’s very hard to go into detail about one particular scene without giving anything away. Let just say there is a huge pivotal scene in this book for Rose and the future of the characters occurs in the last few chapters. It makes me want to read the series even more and see what is in store for our characters.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and have enjoyed the series so far. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in the series and find out what happens next.
Disclaimer: I do not own this book, I borrowed this from my local library. I have not been paid to review this book and everything that I have said is of my own honest opinion.
My Rating: E, B, H, X
Published: 2007
Publisher: Razorbill
Author's Website: richellemead.com
Purchase @ Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com
Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess; a mortal vampire with an unbreakable bond to the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest and most dangerous vampires - the ones who never die.
The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a Dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making her one of them.
After two years of illicit freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. Rose will continue her Dhampir education. Lissa will go back to being Queen of the elite Moroi social scene. And both girls will resume breaking Academy hearts.
Fear made Lissa and Rose run away from St. Vladimir's - inside the Academy's iron gates, their world is even more fraught with danger. Here, the cutthroat ranks of the Moroi perform unspeakable rituals, and their secretive nature and love of the night creates an enigmatic world full of social complexities. Rose and Lissa must navigate through this dangerous world, confront the temptation of forbidden romance, and never once let their guard down, lest the Strigoi make Lissa one of them forever...
Vampire Academy is the first novel in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. The first book introduces us into the world of the vampires in Montana. Rose, a Dhampir (a mortal half vampire, half human), is the best friend and unofficial guardian of the, Moroi (mortal upper class vampire), Princess Lissa Dragomir. They are connected by a bond that was forged after a horrible accident that happened a few years prior to the present time set in the book.
The story starts with Rose and Lissa on the run from the academy and trying to keep out of Strigoi’s way. The Strigoi are vampires are evil and have killed which makes them immortal but it takes away their ability to go out in the sun and it takes away their magic. The pair ran away because there was danger near at the academy and Rose decided it was best to get Lissa away from there as she fears for their lives. They manage to remain hidden for two years. But eventually they were caught.
Once they return to the academy, a string of unusual sacrifices start happening and they are directed at our leading ladies. They don’t know who is behind it but they do know that they can’t let their secret get out or else their lives will never be the same.
Rose carries on her Dhampir education but also takes on extra training sessions with Lissa’s other guardian, Dimitiri, in order to make her the best guardian she can be. She wants to be able to protect Lissa the best she can and to do this she must know how to take down and defeat the Strigroi even if it’s someone she knows. She can’t allow herself to hesitate or to be distracted, which proves difficult when she becomes attracted to someone she really shouldn’t.
I loved all the action in this book. There were a few action scenes but there also lots of nice warm moments between Lissa and Rose. You can see that their friendship goes beyond their bond and that they care deeply for one another. Rose always has Lissa’s back and won’t let anything hurt her. Lissa is the exact same, she doesn’t like it when people try to hurt Rose.
Rose is an excellent, kick ass, tough character. She doesn’t take anything lying down, she gets back up and fights it head on. I envy her quick wittedness and her loyalty to Lissa. Nothing can break her loyalty to Lissa, even when she pushes Rose away. Lissa comes across as a delicate flower, beautiful and gentle but easily crushed if in the wrong hands. But what people don’t realise is that she is the hidden bee within that flower, ready to sting if Rose or she is threatened.
Overall, I loved this book and can’t wait to sink my teeth into the next book in the series, Frostbite. I think this book has an excellent plot and it’s well balance between the plot, romance and friendship. There are lots of funny parts in this book, which is because of Rose although Christian’s dark humour is rather amusing. There are scenes of a sexual nature but nothing too erotic or explicit and there are a few gruesome scenes. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys vampire fiction. This book is a mix between PC & Kristin Cast’s House of Night Series and MaryJanice Davidson’s Queen Betsy series and I love both of these series.
Disclaimer: I have not purchased this book, I borrowed it from the library. I have not been paid to review this book and everything I have said is of my own honest opinion.
Books that I have borrowed from the libarary this week:
Working for Animators, Inc. is just a job - like selling insurance. But all the money in the world wasn't enough for me to take on the particular job Harold Gaynor was offering.
Somebody else did, though - a rogue animator. Now he's not just raising the dead...he's raising Hell. And it's just to me to stop it.
The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a Dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making her one of them.
After two years of illicit freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. Rose will continue her Dhampir education. Lissa will go back to being Queen of the elite Moroi social scene. And both girls will resume breaking Academy hearts.
Fear made Lissa and Rose run away from St. Vladimir's - inside the Academy's iron gates, their world is even more fraught with danger. Here, the cutthroat ranks of the Moroi perform unspeakable rituals, and their secretive nature and love of the night creates an enigmatic world full of social complexities. Rose and Lissa must navigate through this dangerous world, confront the temptation of forbidden romance, and never once let their guard down, lest the Strigoi make Lissa one of them forever...
