Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Blood Promise

by Richelle Mead

series: Vampire Academy

April 2010
Penguin
Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Action


Why I read it: It's the 4th installment of the Vampire Academy Series.

Synopsis from Barnesandnoble[dot]com.

*******SPOILER FOR BOOKS 1, 2 & 3!!!***********

The recent Strigoi attack at St. Vladimir's Academy was the deadliest ever in the school's history, claiming the lives of Moroi students, teachers, and guardians alike. Even worse, the Strigoi took some of their victims with them . . . including Dimitri.

He'd rather die than be one of them, and now Rose must abandon her best friend, Lissa - the one she has sworn to protect no matter what - and keep the promise Dimitri begged her to make long ago. But with everything at stake, how can she possibly destroy the person she loves most?

*******SPOILER FOR BOOKS 1, 2 & 3!!!***********

So from book 3, we know that Rose has quit school to find Dimitri... And kill him. Lissa finally realizes what Dimitri means to Rose: more than just a mentor/teacher. This is a different turning point book. Book 2 was a turning point for Rose's personality. She calmed down after the aftermath of Mason. Book 3 was a turning point for the strigoi vs. moroi and dhampir races and Dimitri. Book 4 (this one) is a turning point for the story and the entire world.

Rose goes to Russia. She figures that's where he would go. Though I don't understand why it's so "obvious" he'd go there. His family is still where he grew up, in Siberia, but as strigoi, you don't think he'd go there to be with his family. I think he once said his mom would let him come back home for any reason, but I don't think that carries on over to him being strigoi.

Regardless, that's where Rose goes. Which leads to a whole different way of life. Not because she's American in Russia, but because she's a dhampir (with no guardian mark but a molnija -pronounced: molnia - mark that represents her killing lots of strigoi in a battle) where strigoi are roaming around through the human night life in major cities.

She meets a lot of new people, one of which is a new type of "species" that we didn't know before. Because Rose quit school before she was told :D. She keeps in touch with Lissa via their connection. Adrian visits her dreams a lot, trying to figure out where she is, she disconnects it when he gets too close to finding out.

Dimitri's in the story.... Richelle Mead did a really good job on him. It made me like Adrian even more than I did before. I don't want to give away anything. But since you know she's hunting him, that's the whole point of the book, it would be cruel and unusual punishment if Mrs Mead didn't have him in it. You really see more in to the psyche of the strigoi and their world. Things are drastically different than what they thought, while other stay the same. I wouldn't have been able to guess the things that Richelle gets in to.

Rose still does a lot of ass kicking. Beautiful ass kicking. The only kind she knows how to do ;p.

The ending of the book is soooo long and painful in so many ways (all good, I promise... and by "good" I mean in the writing.... I definitely am not referring to the way the story ends in this one. That would be rude). I don't know where I would rank this in the whole series, it's not the best, but the good thing about this series is that there isn't a worst. 

Anyway! Action packed, twists and turns, she keeps you on your feet, non-stoppable, etc. Great addition to the series. Richelle's writing is fabulous, as always.

Ratings: 
1.Cover: +1
2. Hooked: +1
3. Finished the book: +1
4. Overall Feeling: Pos +2
5. Re-Readability: +1
6. Suggest to others: +2
7. Lost time: Nope +18. Readability:+1

10 out of 10. A well deserved 10. love this series


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Other's in series (in order):

Vampire Academy

Frostbite

Shadow Kiss

Blood Promise

Spirit Bound

Last Sacrifice

Girls That Growl by Mari Mancusi

Girls That Growl

by Mari Mancusi

October 2007

Romantic/Paranormal Young Adult

Penguin
$9.99


Why I read it: To decide whether or not my boss should put it in our stores (along with the rest of the series).

Synopsis from Barnesandnoble[dot]com.

Third in Mancusi's hip, sassy vampire series, featuring the heroine of Stake That!

She's a vampire. She's also a vampire slayer. (It's a long story.) And now Rayne McDonald, Goth girl, has to carry out her most deviant mission yet: trying out for the cheerleading squad.

Rayne already has enough on her plate: her twin keeps whining about whether or not to go all the way; her mom's boyfriend is moving in; and her man, Jareth, who's now allowed out in the sun, has turned from a dark, brooding hottie vamp into a surfer dude.

But this vampire slayer is still on the clock, and she has a new assignment. A member of the football team has disappeared-and her bosses at Slayer Inc. think the cheerleaders had something to do with it. Now they want her to infiltrate the squad and get the dirt. But first, she'll need an extreme prep makeover. If only they'd let her wear fishnets under that revolting uniform.

*****************************************************************************

I read this back on 4/16/10, things are starting to sort-of coming back to me since I took notes (two note cards worth!) so I may have a lot of "if I remember correctly"s and "I believe".

Rayne was doing the thinking again in this book. And now she's vamp. And a vamp slayer.

Their mom still knows how to rub me the wrong way, I swear. I believe she had a boyfriend staying for a while and he was using one of her daughter's rooms to sleep in. I had a MASSIVE problem with this. If your already sleeping with the dude (implied) then just have him stay in your room. Don't disrupt your kids' lives further by kicking one of your daughters out of her own room so that you can play house with your boyfriend. If you're not sleeping with him and you don't have an extra room, TOO BAD!! A grown man can't afford a hotel room for a couple of weeks and you're with him? I don't think she was even seeing him for very long either. Picture perfect of a stupid mom, in my humble (psh) opinion.

I asked for this in my review of "Stake That": for Rayne to lose control. And it looks like she finally did on her mother. notes literally say: "Finally, Rayne loses control. & the mother just keeps looking worse." From what I remember, Rayne confronts her mom about her boyfriend and they get into a fight. Her mom chooses boyfriend over the emotional stability of her kid. Yeah, kids don't have much to begin with, but there's a point when they need you more than normal. Sadly, that's usually when parents run away from them fastest.

Jareth and Rayne spend a lot of time together in this book. The feeling I got from Jareth is that he's an idiot. He's too easily fooled by a young girl with no extraordinary talent for mischief. I'm not very good at it myself, which leads me to the point of "Jareth is an idiot" because even I could fool him. I think Ms/Mrs. (not sure) Mancusi's idea was to make Rayne cunning and sneaky, and there were times when it really just made Jareth look bad. Their dialogue was hard to follow, they'd skip (leading) sentences. They both are in crazy-town if they can understand each others half-explanations. Which, I find myself doing in my own "babies". I make that illogical jump in my head and I don't explain the steps my mind automatically skips over for others to understand. Reading it a long time later or a few projects later helped me realize that there was no sense in what I wrote. I think using that method would have helped this book immensely.

Notes: "Rayne's a bitch". hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. She just kept torturing everyone around her (minus her mom) and when Jareth FINALLY scolds her, she responds by crying like the world is out to get her. Hey, I know how it is to be a bitch. Grew up being one in fact. But the one thing I noticed when I lessened my bitch was that: hey! The world was only out to get me because I was out to get it! Crying for a hard ass after getting just one scolding doesn't seem authentic to me. Especially if it's made to believe that she's feeling the hardship of it and has remorse. It all felt like guilt-play to me.

Once again, Mancusi wraps the story up in some expensive paper and a huge bow. All of her plans go so smoothly it makes me wonder why she's "goth". She was supposed to have Jareth as backup and still everything went smoothly. I needed a glass of wine to go with all that cheese! K, not really, I can only drink wine if I chase it with coke (yeah, not joking). The comment still means the same thing though, I can't handle all that fakeness! The supposed challenges that aren't challenges when Rayne can get through it without sweating. If she's supposed to be so smart then make her challenges harder. That's easy enough if you throw in a failure or two. Make it so she fails and someone else has to save her. Or even that she's getting tired and then up the ante by bringing in another bad guy. who's holding someone she loves by the neck. at knife point. Add tension. Add curiosity. What would she do if her arm was dislocated? Would she give up and run or stay and fight? Would she be able to handle the pain or lose consciousness? We don't know this about Rayne because nothing bad ever happens to her. I think the worst thing in her life is her mother (Yes, I know she's a vampire and a vampire hunter, but sooooooo what compared to her mom. She can deal with every other dead thing, her mom is.... stupid)

All that being said, there was a bit of drama towards the end again that made me keep reading. I think I would have loved it if she would have left some opening or tension or unanswered questions in the end (especially since there's still another book in the series). Alas, it did not happen.

Favorite Quote? I giggled when I read it in my notes too, so it's good!

"Does one shake hands with a werewolf? or do they, I don't know, sniff butts to get to know one another? Ew, I so don't want to go there" 

hehe, good right? Which leads me to comment that Mancusi's writing reminds me of shows like 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation (no, not the office). A fast paced sitcom with random silly-ness and dialogue. Which I love. They're great mindless things to watch. Reading isn't so mindless, but it helps to read something that you like watching. No matter how mean that sounds I really mean it as a compliment. I'm the beginning of the "youtube generation" where we like things moving and fast and short. Mancusi does a great job with that audience.


Should you read it?: I definitely think you should read Boys that Bite and Stake That first so you can get the gist of where the characters have been. This one isn't as good as Stake That but it's still nice to read about characters you've put some time in to.

Would I read it again?: Probably not. Just because it's too short and it didn't leave a lasting impression on my mind. I was interested in the well being of the characters, but it was just too neatly wrapped I think. And the passion in there was lacking a bit. (same as the Stake That review)




Ratings:

1.Cover: +1

2. Hooked: +0

3. Finished the book: +1

4. Overall Feeling: Pos +1

5. Re-Readability: +0

6. Suggest to others: +1

7. Lost time: Nope +1

8. Readability:+0. 5

(also the same as the Stake That review)
so it looks like this gets a 5.5 out of 10.

Others in series:

Boys That Bite

Stake That

Girls that Growl

Bad Blood

Stake That! by Mari Mancusi

Stake That

by Mari Mancusi

December 2006

Romantic/Paranormal Young Adult

Penguin
$9.99


Why I read it: To decide whether or not my boss should put it in our stores (along with the rest of the series).

Synopsis from Barnesandnoble[dot]com.

The edgy young vampire series continues!

A fresh voice and fresh blood-it adds up to one very sassy vampire series...

Sisters. They'll swipe your clothes, your boyfriends, your destiny. But it wasn't exactly Rayne's twin Sunny's fault. Magnus, a vamp hottie and coven leader, mistook Sunny for Rayne last month and bit her instead. Now they're doing the inter-species dating thing.

Turns out that for every generation, there's a Vampire Slayer-and this time around, it just happens to be Rayne MacDonald. Her first mission: infiltrate a seedy vamp bar downtown and expose its vampire owner for purposely spreading a blood disease he created himself-a task almost harder than passing trig.

After going it alone once, Rayne realizes she needs help. So Magnus sends his sexy Goth buddy Jareth to go undercover with her. And, frankly, Rayne wouldn't mind going under the covers with him. Maybe fate doesn't bite after all...

*****************************************************************************

This time with this series, I actually couldn't wait to keep reading this book. Once you get past the valley-girl language (which I never thought I'd say... what's next? Gray hairs?), and the sometimes hard to follow sentences, it's a great story. Oh, and once you got past the slow start and a money hungry troll... Okay, the troll wasn't real, I made it up. She started it out in a blog format, which I thought was really neat! It tied in the last book with this second one. But then she stopped because stuff got hard for Rayne. The comments at the end were the best part. They were witty and showed a bit more of the character and how she deals with other people that aren't so close to her. Plus, just about every blog of hers was commented on! That's something I don't know much about ;).


Along with the slow beginning, there was way too quick of an end. And for the 2nd time, I will complain about the 1 thing I had a problem with... cute, neat packaging at the end. Everything in their plan works semi perfectly. The only hiccup didn't seem as detrimental as I would have thought it would be. Once again, she left me wanting more from her. Rayne's not made of stone! Let her feelings seep through!!!! Because I would love to see it, read about it, hear it. I dunno, it just seems cheesy to me. And I don't do well with cheese :(. [I don't mean the delicious dairy product that tastes like a slice of heaven... no!]


The difficulty I had with the characters where the same as before. Mom's out of her flippin' mind. Those girls deserve better than her. The dad is a pathetic loser. I'm sorry, I have  no sympathy for selfish parents. But that's a hot button with me already... and Mari pushed the button! hehe. Rayne seems even more dramatic and illogical. She doesn't make good decisions, and she doesn't know how to be responsible for her bad decisions. She has that sense of entitlement sweating out of her pores. I think Jareth was my favorite. Magnus had a few cameos in the book,


There was a surprise at the end! I won't spoil it, but it is neat :D Oh, and it's not the very very end... it's the end of the trouble that was wrapped up nicely ;)


Should you read it?: I definitely think you should read Boys that Bite first! But in this instance, the sequel is better than the original. If you liked the first one, you'll love this one better. If you didn't like the first one... read this one anyway to give it another shot.

Would I read it again?: Probably not. Just because it's too short and it didn't leave a lasting impression on my mind. I was interested in the well being of the characters, but it was just too neatly wrapped I think. And the passion in there was lacking a bit.




Ratings:

1.Cover: +1

2. Hooked: +0

3. Finished the book: +1

4. Overall Feeling: Pos +1

5. Re-Readability: +0

6. Suggest to others: +1

7. Lost time: Nope +1

8. Readability:+0. 5

so it looks like this gets a 5.5 out of 10.

Others in series:

Boys That Bite

Stake That

Girls that Growl

Bad Blood

Boys That Bite by Mari Mancusi

Boys That Bite

by Mari Mancusi

April 2006

Romantic/Paranormal Young Adult

Penguin

$9.99

Why I read it: To decide whether or not my boss should put it in our stores (along with the rest of the series).

Synopsis (provided by BarnesandNoble[dot]com)

This is not your typical boybites-girl love story.


Technically Sunshine can't get killed-because she's immortal. Well, not quite yet. Due to the worst case of mistaken identity with her dark-side-loving twin sister at a Goth club called Club Fang, Magnus, a vampire hottie, went for Sunshine's innocent neck. Now if she doesn't reverse it in time, Magnus will be her blood mate forever and she's doomed to be a blood-gulping, pasty, daylight-hating vampire. That would seriously bite.


And now, after the unfortunate slaying of the vampire leader, Sunshine, her sister Rayne, and Magnus must find the one thing that can solve her problem: the Holy Grail. They wish it were a joke but it's not. It's absolutely necessary that Sunshine gets out of this in time, because somehow she scored the hottest prom date in her school, the mouth-watering Jake Wilder. So she just can't be a vampire for the prom-let alone the rest of eternity.

I got this book from work as an "assignment". One of my bosses (book buyer) was having a hard time deciding what was good Young Adult material to put in our stores (mainly grocery).

This book is the 1st in the "Blood Coven" series:

Boys that Bite

Stake That

Girls that Growl

Bad Blood (as of January 5, 2010) 

Mari doesn't waste much time getting into the grunt of things. Which, with the first in the series is always good since when you first pick it up, you don't know what it's about. You have no predetermined thoughts on how this will be. I learned very quickly that the language was very young. Mari used "like" a lot. And I finally understood what my dad was always bitchin' about when I was younger. It was scary to think that I couldn't relate to a young talking book though. Last time I checked, 23 wasn't that old!


So, Sunny's a bit different. I didn't feel Sunny as a character. In fact, she seemed more of like an actress playing a part. I couldn' get a grasp on her. Do you know what I mean? I wanted to like her, I really did! I wanted to love her, relate to her, feel her pain of what was happening to her. But it was as if she went from "what the hell" to "meh, whatev" in an instant. I wish I could have seen more into her mind. Feel her pain. Rayne, her twin sister is such a drama queen. But it's almost a forced drama queen. I really dug Magnus though :D The love interest in the story :D. He seemed to be more real than the others.


I'm really bummed about this, because I think Mari missed out in an awesome opportunity to go more into her characters and how they tick than she did. I understand that she was writing more to a short attention span audience, but it doesn't help when I can't connect with the characters. Sunny couldn't be upset that she was turning into a vampire. She couldn't fume, because she'd practically told to shut up. And then Rayne could have been angrier than she was. I'm sorry, but if you work for so long and hard on something, and the night that it's all coming together, your twin sister gets it instead.... I would be livid!!!! I'd hate the world. But Rayne... just brushes it off. I know she never knew the guy, but come on!!! [pst.. that's  not a rant towards Mari Mancusi, that's a rant towards the character Rayne... yes, as if she were a real person :D]. I just felt like a lot of sisterly bonding could have happened and I'm bummed I missed out on it. Because, not all of us get along swell with our sisters, so it's nice to see it go wrong and be worked on.


Their mom is one horrible piece of work. She doesn't know where her kids are, she's oblivious to EVERYTHING!! She's an emotional wreck... I feel like she should have 50 cats around her at all times. I don't wonder why the girls are as bad as they are. Though I do wonder how they got to be as good as they are.


Like I said above. I loved Magnus. He was probably my favorite character. His back story seemed real. And I felt that there was a genuine connection between Sunny and him. I would have loved more time with them finding each other, but it seems to be the theme here. I'm always wanting more!!! Which I would take as a compliment. If I didn't want more, I'd tell you ;). The vampire aspect of it was really neat to find. I like the "donor" system, instead of the "vegetarian" or the "stab everyone in the neck with your fangs" kind. If there were real vampires [I sorta wish there were], I could imagine them using a donor system these days. Although, if you did have to do the "stab everyone in the neck with your fangs" thing, can you at least get all the murderers, rapists, child molesting crack jobs before you go after innocents? Thanks :D


I know what I've written so far sounds like I'm bashing. But I'm not. I liked the book. The ending was the best part, and no, not because it was the end. That's where all the excitement happens! If that excitement could have gone on throughout the whole book, I could have honestly rated it higher. And most of what I've said that was bad was about the characters. I just couldn't be friends with them. It doesn't mean someone else wouldn't.


But I do have 1 complaint. Just 1! Everything seems so easy for the characters. Dodging their mom, getting to far away places, wrapping up the "case" and not to mention, everything gets wrapped up into a ribbon in the end. I'm sorry, but with all their problems they have with their parents, school, boyfriends, the whole vampire thing... It shouldn't have been so easy to accomplish their goal.


Okay! phew! I got that off my chest. Overall, good book and easy to read. I would recommend this. Though more of to be a filler.  I am going to suggest it to my boss to put in the YA section at grocery and grocery-type stores across the west side of the states, once I finish all 3 other books in this series and enjoy it. I'm a firm believer in keeping a series together, and I can't have 1 book in stores and not the others.




It's a quick and easy read, that is actually, well, enjoyable. Most of those that are quick & easy aren't very good. But this kept me entertained. The love interest in the story was expected... BUT... it took just long enough to get started where you start to second guess yourself. And it developed nicely. I was a bit disappointed in the end, but that's because it just went to quick and worked out fine without a hiccup... I would have preferred it to be a bit more dramatic.

Anyway, I would suggest reading this book. However, being that it's $9.99, I suggest getting it from your library or borrowing it from a friend. If they decide to make it the mass market version [the small books], for just a couple $$ cheaper, then buying it is warranted.


Ratings:

1.Cover: +1

2. Hooked: +1

3. Finished the book: +1

4. Overall Feeling: Pos +1

5. Re-Readability: +0

6. Suggest to others: +1

7. Lost time: a lil bit +0.5

8. Readability: +0.5


So, that's a 6 out of 10 on my rating system.

Mortal Instruments - City of Bones

Their hidden world is about to be revealed....

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Clary knows she should call the police, but it's hard to explain a murder when the body disappears into thin air and the murderers are invisible to everyone but Clary.

Equally startled by her ability to see them, the murderers explain themselves as Shadowhunters: a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Within twenty-four hours, Clary's mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....

This is a MUST read. I think the only thing that is bothersome is that it's written in the third person. That takes a little while to get used to it. But it doesn't take long for you to get past it. Cassandra Claire creates a VERY different and fantastic fictional world based in the everyday society in New York.

You become entranced in Clary's situation. It's almost like a Harry Potter beginning but with Shadowhunters instead of witches and warlocks.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.
Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves-Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.
Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.

This book was... a pleasant read. It was very original, I, at least have never read such a thing. It was very well written. But, like Stephenie Meyer's first book: Twilight, the main plot didn't show itself until the book was almost finishing.

It then took a while to get to the point. I was always interested though. I liked Ian better than Jared. Jeb and Jamie were my favorites. I liked Mel too (the body). She's feisty and smart.

Anyway, I don't recommend it if you want some action packed reading. It's for a couple of rainy and relaxing days.

Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow kiss

[edited 4/12/10. added rating system and labels]

 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; she 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 hearts.

Fear made Lissa and Rose run away from St. Vladimir's--but their world is fr

Buy it!

Read an excerpt!

aught with danger both inside and out of the Academy's iron gates. 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...

************************************************************************************************************

This is a classic "don't judge a book by its cover". Richelle Mead did a wonderful job creating an alternate reality inside our own world with Vampires, Damphirs and the undead (aka Strigoi). She makes it easy to relate to the characters despite the major differences (like the whole blood sucking thing).

The two main characters have an incredible bond that is unlike anything you will experience. The way that Rose wants to protect Lissa is so selfless. It makes you re-evaluate the way you feel about your best friend.

The romance is very well done. It's both loving and frustrating to the core. You will fall in love with the love interest yourself by the time you're done. =).

1.Cover: +.5

2. Hooked: +1

3. Finished the book: +1

4. Overall Feeling: Pos +2

5. Re-Readability: +1

6. Suggest to others: +2

7. Lost time: Nope +1

8. Readability:+1

Same 9.5 out of 10. If it weren't for the cover, I'd give this the well deserved 10 out of 10. But I have to be fair.

Rose Hathaway's got serious guy trouble. Her gorgeous tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason has a huge crush on her, and she keeps getting stuck in her best friend Lissa's head while she's making out with her boyfriend, Christian. (So not cool).

Then a massive Strigoi attack puts St. Vladimir's on high alert, and the Academy crawls with Guardians--including the legendary Janine Hathaway...Rose's formidable, long-absent mother. 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 provide the illusion of safety. When three students run away to strike back against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. Only this time, Rose--and her heart--are in more danger than she ever could have imagined...

*********************************************************************************************************** 

The relationship between Dimitri and Rose makes you frustrated beyond belief.

The relationship between Lissa and Christian gets steamier and you actually kind of enjoy his company.

Rose is VERY strong, tough, and independent. There's a threat to Dimitri and Rose's not quite there relationship. One that will leave you breathless in the end.

There's a new character who you love to hate and hate to love! Only because they're as smooth as lotion and they feel just as good on the skin ;).

Despite all the good, it's a tragic story.

1.Cover: +1

2. Hooked: +1

3. Finished the book: +1

4. Overall Feeling: Pos +2

5. Re-Readability: +1

6. Suggest to others: +2

7. Lost time: Nope +1

8. Readability:+1

10 out of 10 :D

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.

Oh. My. Word. It made me laugh, made me cry, I wanted so much more to happen, and yet I was still happy on how it went. Rose kicks some more butt and Dimitri is still sexy. Yes, a fictional character is sexy. They're love reaches new hights and is explored beautifully by Richelle.

Rose's vision on her life changes more and more with each chapter. Until you finally hope she comes around to your own kind of thinking. Lissa gets a little irritating. Just a little bit.

You learn to love Adrian more than you hate him. He becomes a real person with feelings, rather than an annoying rich kid. He's charming for an alcoholic =).

But just when you think the last one is so horrible, you get to the end of this one and realize that the whole world can shatter in an unexpected instant.

1.Cover: +1

2. Hooked: +1

3. Finished the book: +1

4. Overall Feeling: Pos +2

5. Re-Readability: +1

6. Suggest to others: +2

7. Lost time: Nope +1

8. Readability:+1

Same 10 out of 10 :D

****Check out my YouTube Reviews here:
Vampire Academy
Frostbite
Shadow Kiss

The author's website:

http://www.richellemead.com/index.htm

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Old Cover

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

YA/Paranormal/Urban Fantasy

August 2007

Penguin

$8.99

Why I read it: I was trying to find something good after I read Twilight 7,000 times too many.

Barnes and Noble Synopsis:

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. 

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My Review:

I saw this book at the Barnes and Noble I always went to for months before I decided to give it a try... Unfortunately, the cover just didn't catch me like others did. But I wasn't having any luck with those types actually having any decent content. Luckily, this turned out to be a "don't judge a book by it's cover" moment. I was in a reading rut and grasping at straws by this point. This book is... WOW [and no, not World Of Warcraft]. Richelle Mead did a wonderful job creating an alternate reality inside of our own world that included vampires, damphirs and the undead [aka Strigoi]. She makes it easy to relate to the characters despite the major differences [like the whole blood-sucking or ass-kicking thing].

The two main characters, Rose Hathaway & Vasalissa Dragomir have an incredible bond that is unlike anything you will experience. The way that Rose wants to protect Lissa is so selfless. It makes you re-evaluate your relationship with your own best friend, and see how inadequate you are in comparison.

The romance is very well done for a YA. It's both loving and frustrating then is tied up in a little "craving more" bow. You will fall in love with the love interest by the 3rd time you "meet" him. I couldn't read Vampire Academy quick enough. But, I didn't want it to end as quick as it did either. I was only able to allow myself to finish when I realized there was a 2nd one, and it was out!

Vampire Academy pumps you up to the point where you want to go out and kick some ass [and laugh while doing it]. I was completely shocked by the "bad guy". Which is saying something. My #1 can predict the ending to just about every movie and book, so he's taught me well. And I didn't see this coming.

One thing I really liked is that either Richelle Mead is a complete genius [not discounting that idea at all], or she just really has her shit together. Because I couldn't find ANY holes and yet, I couldn't stop wondering what was going to happen next. The back-story laced throughout the current made sense and was completely valid. It didn't seem like she just made up some lame excuse that was a split second decision and assumed we the reader would be dumb. Instead, it was a building thing that was described in a matter of pages. Usually that's where you can find unanswered questions.

New Cover

The characters had depth and personality. Rose kicks ass, Lissa is caring, Dimitri is... well.. besides damned sexy... he's mysterious and dangerous, Christian is like the kid I would have loved to hang out with in high school [the one that doesn't waste his words, is snarky when he does talk, independent and doesn't care what you think about him--but he'll give you the "I'm-gonna-eat-your-babies" look if you talk badly about someone he cares about], and Mason is the insecure flirt. Oh boy... There's just so much awesomeness wrapped up in this book.

One of my favorite quotes: [Rose to Dimitri] "You beat up your dad when you were thirteen?"

I would have added everything about Dimitri, buuuuut, the whole book would be in this review. I just thought that quote summed up how bad-ass he is ;).

I recommend this book to EVERYONE.

1. Cover +.5

2. Hooked: +1

3. Finished the book: +1

4. Overall Feeling: Pos: +2

5. Re-readability: +1

6. Suggest to others: +2

7. Lost time: NOPE +1

8. Readability: +1

9.5 out of 10 possible points. I so wish I could give it the full 10 out of 10, because the content overpowered the cover [at least the old cover]... but, that wouldn't be the honest thing to do. But hey, if the cover's all that I couldn't grasp, that's one damned good book!

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Other Reviews: 

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