Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead

Title: Silver Shadows (Bloodlines #5)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: July 29, 2014

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.

Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive. 

For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity an the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to phone in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle process daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him…

Their worst fears now a chilling reality, Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour in this heart-pounding fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where all bets are off. 

If you’ve been following this blog since the beginning then you know that I’m a HUGE Richelle Mead fangirl, and an EVEN BIGGER Bloodlines series fangirl. I had been waiting what felt like FOREVER for Silver Shadows. Once I got my hands on my copy of the book, I absolutely devoured it.

Sydney has always been told to follow the rules. And for an Alchemist, following the rules means no fraternizing with vampires. But now, she has risked everything to do what she thinks is right, even if it meant alienating herself from the people who have always taken care of her. Now stuck and surrounded by Alchemists who are determined to change her, Sydney does everything she can in order to hold on to who she is and the people she loves. If she keeps holding on, Sydney knows that Adrian will find a way to get to her. He has to. If he doesn’t Sydney may not be able to come back from it all.

HOLY CRAP this book guys. When I got home to find that my pre-ordered copy had arrived, the only thing I considered doing what drop everything and start reading. And that’s what I did. How could I not? After everything that happened in The Fiery Heart, it felt like I had been waiting forever for Silver Shadows. But knowing what was going to be happening in this book, I was also afraid of what it would do to my emotions. And I definitely felt a lot of emotions while reading. This book brought on ALL THE FEELS, in the way that very few books can. There were parts of this book that were downright difficult to read. What the Alchemists put Sydney through is beyond awful. And seeing everyone else torture themselves over what had happened to Sydney was just as painful. But as weird as it might be to say, that pain was worth it for what came in the last third or so of the book. If I thought the first two thirds of the book had given me a lot of feelings, it was NOTHING compared to ALL THE FEELS I got in that last part. It’s hard for me to say much of anything about that part of the book though, without ruining it for everyone who hasn’t read it. So just go read it, and then come talk to me about it. If you’re anything like me, you will NEED to get your feelings out. 

Silver Shadows is the fifth book in the Bloodlines series, and at this point I feel like I keep saying the same thing about Sydney, Adrian and their friends in each of these reviews. So I apologize in advance if I’m starting to sound like a broken record where these characters are concerned. It’s no secret that I love Sydney and Adrian, and I love that with every book you get to see a different side of them. In Silver Shadows, I got to see Sydney’s strength. Before this book, I knew she was strong, but didn’t know the extent of that strength. With Adrian, I hated seeing him fall back in his old ways, but at the same time I loved his determination when he got his act together. I’ve said it before, but there’s so much more to him than people give him credit for, and the lengths he will go to for the people he cares about, it just warms my heart. And just because it needs mentioning for the billionth time, Adrian and Sydney belong together, no matter what people think. I would be happy reading books about those two until the end of times. And that’s only a SLIGHT exaggeration. 

If you think that I ADORED Silver Shadows, then you absolutely guessed right. At this point, Richelle Mead can write anything, and I mean ANYTHING, that features Sydney and Adrian together and I would read it. It goes without saying that I’m now DYING to read The Ruby Circle. And if you haven’t already read Richelle Mead’s books, you are missing out in a big way.

The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

Title: The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines #4)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: November 19, 2013

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her…

But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure--and re-education--looms larger than ever.

Pulses will race throughout this thrilling fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.

I love Richelle Mead. I loved her Vampire Academy series. And I absolutely love her Bloodlines series. So as you can imagine, I have been waiting for The Fiery Heart since the moment I finished The Indigo Spell. But I was kinda scared of what The Fiery Heart would do to my heart. And I was right to be scared, but I also absolutely loved the story.

Sydney Sage always thought that the hardest part of her life as an Alchemist would be living and working with vampires. But the moment she met Adrian Ivashkov, a Moroi prince, that started to chance. Now, Sydney is ready to turn her back on the Alchemist way of life. But first she has to find a way to protect her sister Zoe from being brainwashed by their father and the Alchemists. And she has to find a way to protect her relationship with Adrian. Because if anyone were to fin out, the Alchemists would send Sydney straight to re-education.

Have I mentioned that I was absolutely terrified of The Fiery Heart? As excited as I was to read the book, I was cared of what it would do to my poor heart. Long before the book was released, Richelle Mead has teased that The Fiery Heart would do for this series what Shadow Kiss did for the Vampire Academy series. And you have no idea how much that scared me. The whole time I was reading, I was also waiting for that crucial moment, the moment that would change everything and break my heart in the process. But as much as that moment hurt, I loved everything that came beforehand. I loved finally seeing the romance between Sydney and Adrian. It felt like I had waited for so long for this to happen and it just warmed my heart to read about the two of them together. What was an interesting new addition to the story this time around was the dual perspectives. The story had previously only been told from Sydney's perspective, but this time I was able to also get inside Adrian's head and I loved it. If anything, my love for Adrian only grew as a result of this.

I've always loved Sydney and I love how much she's changed and evolved since I first person. I love the person's she's become. She no longer lets the Alchemist beliefs dictate her life, choosing instead to rely on her own beliefs. And I love the person Sydney becomes when she's with Adrian. It's almost life when she's with Adrian, it's the only time Sydney gets to really be herself. And that's the side of her I really love: the Sydney who gets to let go and be who she wants to be, not who everyone expects her to be. And now here's the thing about Adrian: in the Vampire Academy books, I fully believed that Rose belonged with Dimitri, but I still loved Adrian. And now I pretty much adore Adrian. Getting into his head has only made me love him more. There's so much more to him than people tend to give him credit for. Everything he does for the people he cares about, no matter how crazy that can sometimes be, just warms my heart. If only he could believe in himself as much as Sydney does, he might be able to be a little easier on himself. But I still love Adrian either way.

Richelle Mead's The Fiery Heart was just what I had hoped it would be. This story may have broken my heart at the end, but it also made me beyond happy and warmed my heart. Though I will admit that it has left me absolutely desperate to read Silver Shadows. July 2014 can't come soon enough!

Top Ten Tuesday: Fall 2013 TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is Top Ten Books on my fall TBR list.

I will preface this post by saying that some of these books have already been published, others are books that will be published at some point in the next few months. Regardless of if the book has been published or not, I am looking forward to reading all of these in the coming months.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth - There is a strong likelihood that Allegiant is on just about everyone's list and I totally understand why. After everything that went down in Insurgent, I can't wait to see how it will all come together. Plus we get Four's point of view.

Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes - I found myself liking Falling Kingdoms last year so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. I've had an ARC of Rebel Spring sitting on my bookshelf for a few months and now that the release date is getting closer, I have the perfect excuse to read it.

The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead - Richelle Mead. Adrian Ivashkov. Enough said.

Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano - The premise of Perfect Ruin is that it takes place in a utopian world. And it's written by Lauren DeStefano. That's pretty much all I need to know in order to know I will want to read this book.

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry - My heart broke a little in Dare You To with what happened to Isaiah so I can't wait to finally read his story in Crash Into You. Plus, as far as I'm concerned, Katie McGarry can do no wrong.

How to Love by Katie Cotugno - I was lucky enough to get an ARC of How to Love while at BEA and I proceeded to read it on the bus ride back from NYC. But it's one of those books that I really, desperately want to reread. So since it's coming out soon, I'll most likely be doing just that.

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White - So far I have loved everything I have read by Kiersten WHite. And now she writes a book about mythology? Count me in.

Resist by Sarah Crossan - I loved Breathe. I want to know what happens next (though I may need a refresher between now and then). And that's all that really needs to be said about Resist.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black - Vampires and Holly Black. Do I really need to explain this any further?

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater - I only just recently read The Raven Boys but the moment I finished, I wanted the sequel. And now I have it. So you can bet I'll be reading The Dream Thieves and Ronan's story quite soon.

What books are on your fall TBR list?

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

Title: The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: February 12, 2013

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive--this time in part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.

If you've been following this blog for any length of time then you probably know by now that I absolutely love Richelle Mead's books. So I had been waiting for The Indigo Spell ever since I read the very last page of The Golden Lily last spring. So right when I got my hands on a copy of The Indigo Spell I couldn't help but start reading right away and I wasn't disappointed in the least.

Sydney Sage isn't sure where her allegiances lie anymore. After spending so much time int eh company of vampires, Sydney stars to think that maybe everything she's been told by the Alchemists isn't true. And after Adrian's declaration, Sydney really doesn't know what to do anymore. But she doesn't have time to think about that. Between worrying about her increased magic use an worrying about what the Alchemists might be hiding from her, Sydney barely has time to make sure Jill stays safe and hidden from those after her. But when Marcus Finch shows up in town, Sydney can't stay away, especially if it means finding out the truth about the Alchemists. But it might also mean turning her back on everything she knows and everyone she cares about. 

I had all kinds of ideas about what could happen in The Indigo Spell, especially since Richelle Mead is known for breaking her readers' hearts with the third book in her series. So I was prepared to pretty much have my heart wrenched out of my chest. And with every page I turned, I was afraid of what would happen next. But that didn't stop me from enjoying the story in the least. Right from the first page I was beyond thrilled to be back in this world I love, with the characters I have also come to love. There was so much happening in The Indigo Spell, with every page I turned something new was happening. And the romance was back in full force, leading to some majorly swoon-worthy moments. But I don't want to ruin those for anyone. As it turns out though, my heart wasn't completely ripped to pieces, but that only makes me that much more nervous for what's to come in The Fiery Heart.

I've said this before but I love Sydney Sage. I love how conflicted she is over everything because if I were in her shows I would be the same way. And I love who Sydney has become. She's changed so much since I first met her back in the Vampire Academy books and that change has mostly been for the best. And a lot of that chance has to do with Adrian. You really don't want me to get started on Adrian because as strongly as I believed Rose belonged with Dimitri, I always loved Adrian. And I absolutely love the person Adrian is becoming. he keeps on surprising me every time he does anything, especially if it's for Sydney. Let's just say if you weren't already, Adrian will make you swoon in The Indigo Spell. Marcus Finch on the other hand was a bit of a disappointment. He was so played up in the promotion for the book that I expected him to be so much more. He intrigued me for sure, but I thought he would be so much more than he ended up being. Who knows though, maybe he'll come back in future books.

Once again, Richelle Mead didn't disappoint me with The Indigo Spell. I loved the story from start to finish. And as is often the case with any book in this series, I was just begging for The Fiery Heart by the time I finished The Indigo Spell. And if you haven't picked up the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series by this point, you really should. 

The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

Title: The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: June 12, 2012

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. Alchemists protect vampire secrets--and human lives.

Sydney would love to go to college, but instead, she's been sent into hiding at a posh boarding school in Palm Springs, California--tasked with protecting Moroi princess Jill Dragomir from assassins who want to throw the Moroi court into civil war. Formerly in disgrace, Sydney is now praised for her loyalty and obedience, and held up as the model of an exemplary Alchemist.

But the closer she grows to Jill, Eddie, and especially Adrian, the more she finds herself questioning her age-old Alchemist beliefs, her idea of family, and the sense of what it means to truly belong. Her world becomes even more complicated when magical experiments show Sydney may hold the key to prevent becoming Strigoi--the fiercest vampires, the ones who don't die. But it's her fear of being just that--special, magical, powerful--that scares her more than anything. Equally daunting is her new romance with Brayden, a cute, brainy guy who seems to be her match in every way. Yet, as perfect as he seems, Sydney finds herself being drawn to someone else--someone forbidden to her.

When a shocking secret threatens to tear the vampire world apart, Sydney's loyalties are suddenly tested more than ever before. She wonders how she's supposed to strike a balance between the principles and dogmas she's been taught, and what her instincts are now telling her.

Should she trust the Alchemists--or her heart?

I am a huge Richelle Mead fan and I love both her Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series. Because f that, The Golden Lily was pretty much the book I was looking forward to the most this year. And in true Richelle Mead fashion, The Golden Lily was amazing and left me begging for more.

Sidney Sage is a member of the Alchemists, a group dedicated to keeping the vampire world secret from humans. Her whole life, Sydney has been taught to hate vampires, but her latest assignment is making her doubt everything she has ever been taught. The more time she spends with Angeline, Jill, Eddie and especially Adrian, the more she realizes that vampires may not be as bad and awful as she has always been told. Despite all this doubt, Sydney is being held up as the model Alchemist and she couldn't feel like more of a fraud. But soon enough, a mysterious group threatens the vampire world, and more importantly, Sydney's friends. Suddenly, Sydney's loyalties are put to the test, but she isn't sur who she should trust anymore.

Before I say anything else, I will apologize for any gushing that may follow. I have so much love for both Richelle Mead and The Golden Lily. I had very high expectations for the book and they were more than met. The Golden Lily was incredible, and once I started reading, I just couldn't put the book down. I was completely drawn into the story, not wanting to ever leave. The story itself was fantastic and never even came close to dragging or being boring. And the ending, oh that ending. I sort of saw it coming but that doesn't mean it wasn't a killer. Even though I know things will probably work out, that's still not how I wanted things to go.

While she will never replace Rose in my heart, Sydney is still one of my favorite characters of all time. I am loving the person Sydney is becoming even though I know parts of becoming that person were definitely hard for her This time around, her academic approach to romance definitely had me smiling on more than one occasion. Sydney's just such an overall great character. Like with Bloodlines, I loved being able to see more of Jill, Eddie and Adrian. They are such great characters and finding out more about them just makes me love them even more. Especially Adrian. Because while I never thought he was right for Rose, I always had a major soft spot for Adrian. And with every page of The Golden Lily I read, I loved Adrian more. And of course, having Dimitri Belikov back wasn't so bad. 

The Golden Lily was even better than I expected it to be. Richelle Mead certainly knows how to toy with her readers' emotions, leaving them begging for more. And with that ending, I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to be able to wait for book three.

The Golden Lily ARC Giveaway

If you have been following my In My Mailbox posts the last couple of weeks, you may know that I was lucky enough to receive two advance copies of The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead. Since I only need one copy, I have decided to give you all a chance to win my second copy. I've already read the book and it was absolutely fantastic. If you are a fan of Richelle Mead, you are pretty much guaranteed to love this book. There was definitely a lot going on, and some characters from Vampire Academy make a comeback. But you're going to have to wait for my review closer to the release date to find out more.

To enter the giveaway, fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Due to limited funds, this giveaway is open to US/Canada only.

Good luck to everyone who enters!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Title: Bloodlines (Bloodlines #1)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: August 23, 2011

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir--the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir--is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the unlikeliest of places: a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. the last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one.

The Moroi court believe Jill and Sydney will be safe at Amberwood Prep, but threats, distractions, and forbidden romance lurk both outside--and within--the school grounds. Now that they're in hiding, the drama is only just beginning.

I don't think I would be lying if I said that Bloodlines was the book I anticipated the most this year. After I finished the final Vampire Academy book, I couldn't wait for August to come so I could go back to the world I love so much. So you can imagine just how excited I was to finally be able to read Bloodlines.

When her father wakes her up in the middle of the night and tells her to get dressed, Sydney is worried the Alchemists have finally decided how to punish her for having helped Rose Hathaway escape from the Moroi Court. But it turns out that's not what they have in mind at all. Before she even has time to realize what is happening, Sydney is being told to pack her bags and she is on her way to Palm Springs, California. There she will be going to Amberwood Prep boarding school, rooming with non other than Jill Dragomir, sister of the Moroi Queen, who has been sent into hiding after threats on her life were made. But that's only the beginning for Sydney as she soon finds out she will have a lot more to deal with than just trying to keep the Dragomir princess safe safe and hidden. For someone who isn't particularly fond of vampires, Sydney will now be getting close to a lot more of them than she could have ever imagined. 

When I first started reading Bloodlines, I couldn't wait to go back to the world and characters I had first been introduced to in the Vampire Academy serie. I was also quite apprehensive because I was afraid the book wouldn't live up to my expectations. As it turned out, I was definitely not disappointed by Bloodlines even though I've heard of quite a few people who had the opposite reaction. I'll just say that if you expect it to be just like Vampire Academy, odds are you'll end up disappointed. As far as I was concerned, the story was fantastic and I enjoyed every page of it. In this book, Richelle Mead wrote a great story that is more than enjoyable with all the wit, humor and sarcasm that I've come to expect from her.

Sydney is no Rose Hathaway but she is awesome and kick ass in her own way. She if definitely a rebel, going against most of what the Alchemists stand for, especially when it comes to vampires. I definitely loved getting to know her better and finding out who she really is. I also really loved finding out more about Jill. It always felt like there was a lot more to her and I was finally able to see what it was. The same thing goes for Eddie. He was always there but I never really knew much about him beyond what I saw happening. Now that I know more about him, I'm definitely liking him more and more. And I was more than happy to have Adrian back. He made me laugh pretty much every time he spoke or did anything. What was even more amusing, to me at least, was everything that seemed to be going on with him and Sydney. I definitely can't wait to see where that's going to go.

Bloodlines was definitely everything I expected, and maybe even more. Richelle Mead definitely had the right idea with this spinoff series and I can't wait to see where she's going to take it next. June 2012 and The Golden Lily, the second book in the series, cannot come fast enough.

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Title: Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy #6)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: December 7, 2010

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules. She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir’s Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardians to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose--for a crime she didn’t even commit. She’s in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She’ll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.

But the clock on Rose’s life in running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back...and this time she truly is out of second chances. The big question is, when your whole life is about saving others, who will save you?

Join Rose, Dimitri, Adrian, and Lissa in Last Sacrifice, the epic, unforgettable finale to Richelle Mead’s international #1 bestselling Vampire Academy series.

****SPOILER ALERT!!! DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS BOOK OR THE PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE SERIES!!!****

Last Sacrifice was simply AMAZING. I apologize ahead of time if it seems like I’m rambling but I’m having trouble putting my thoughts into words about this book. I’m always torn between wanting to keep reading and making it last as long as possible when it comes to the last installment of a series. I was happy to be reunited with Rose an her friends once again their adventures never ceased to amuse me.

Not a stranger to trouble, Rose Hathaway now finds herself in more trouble than she has ever been. She is being accused of having murdered Queen Tatiana, a murder she has not committed. Being who she is and having the friends she does, Rose gets the help she needs in order to clear her name. In order to clear her name, Rose and her friends take on most of the Moroi Court and travel across the country to find all the necessary evidence. Ready to do whatever it takes Rose and her friends only have so much time to do what they hope. To get more time what better way than to have Lissa run for Queen of the Moroi?

By this point in the series, I honestly feel like the characters in the books are real people that I could randomly meet in the street. Rose is one of my favorite heroines out there and should she actually exist, I’m sure we would be best friends. In this book, I love her more than ever. Her butt-kicking, sarcasm, and moral code just make me love her that much more. And her friendship with Lissa just seals the deal for me. She would do anything for Lissa and just about anyone else she loves. My only problem with Rose in this book is that she is with Adrian but that can easily be overlooked in the long run. In this book I was really liking the bond between her and Lissa this time around. The two spent a lot of time apart so it gave good insight into what Lissa was thinking and feeling as well as what was going on with everyone that was left behind at Court.

You’ve heard me say this before, Dimitri pretty much drives me crazy. In the other books I didn’t always understand his actions and most of the time those actions confused me and made me angry. But now I love Dimitri more than ever. There is a clear change happening in him throughout the book. And without giving anything away I was way more than happy with the end result. Now if only Dimitri actually existed I would be extremely happy. I am Team Dimitri all the way, but I still love Adrian. The guy sure has a lot of flaws but deep down he has a lot of potential to be a really great guy. I feel like I never really talk about Christian even though I absolutely love him. Most of the time he just makes me crack up with his cynical comments and just his general attitude. He and Lissa really work well together and I’m happy they were able to work everything out.

I often find myself be let down by the last book in a series but this one really didn’t disappoint. The story took me to places I never expected to go. Every time I turned a page I had absolutely no idea what to expect. Each chapter finished on a cliffhanger only making me want to read further, resulting in me reading the whole book in one day and that doesn’t happen to me often. More than anything else, I loved the ending. Everything came to a complete circle, there were no loose ends left to tie up. And the way that was all done made me really happy and had me giggling while getting teary eyed when I read the very last page, read the book and you’ll understand.

Last Sacrifice was an amazing finale to an extraordinary series. Except now that it’s over, it feels like there’s something missing. I can’t wait for Bloodlines, the spin-off series based on some of the minor characters. Hopefully there will be some appearances from my favorite Vampire Academy peeps.

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Title: Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: May 18, 2010

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Siberia, Dimitri’s birthblace, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s--and to her best friend, Lissa Dragomir. It’s graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives outside of the academy’s cold iron gates to finally begin. But even with the intrigue and excitement of court life looming, Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri. He’s out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance, and now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won’t join him, he won’t rest until he has silenced her...forever.

But Rose can’t forget what she learned on her journey--whispers of a magic too impossible and terrifying to comprehend. A magic inextricably tied to Lissa that could hold the answer to all of Rose’s prayers, but not without devastating consequences. Now Rose will have to decide what--and who--matters most to her. And in the end, is trues love really worth the price.

So most of you have heard me gush over the Vampire Academy series and I will continue to do so in this review. Consider yourself forewarned. I absolutely love these books and as many of you know I am totally Team Dimitri and this has yet to change though I am liking Adrian more and more. But besides my swooning over Dimitri, once again the story was amazing and a lot of what happened it did not necessarily see coming which only made the story that much better. Spirit Bound was simply awesome, much like the other books in the series, so prepare for some gushing on my part.

During her time in Siberia, Rose discovered there may be away to bring Dimitri back, to turn him back to a dhampir. And Rose being who she is, she is prepared to do just about anything to get him back. Only this time she doesn’t do it on her own. She has graduated high school and is following Lissa and their friends to Court to get her official assignment. While waiting for that assignment, Rose sneaks out of Court with Lissa and Eddie and jets off to Alaska to do nothing less than break someone out of jail. Of course with that comes all the usual trouble. But Rose and Lissa do succeed in turning Dimitri back. But of course, like with all of Rose’s plans, even more trouble comes out of this than she thought possible.

You’ve heard me say it before but I absolutely love Rose. She is just such a great character. She has a mind of her own and all things considered she pretty much has her own moral compass too...and it doesn’t really always point north. The lengths she will to go to help her friends are just incredible. Once again she manages to surprise me with every single one of her actions. I mean who in their right mind would break one of their worst enemies out of prison on a hunch that they can help bring someone back to life. Even though Rose technically now only has one guy in her life, she still manages to find herself in the middle of some whacked out love triangles. Adrian is honestly good for her and you can tell that she really cares about him but it’s still not the same as the way it was with Dimitri...heck the way it still is with Dimitri.

Speaking of Dimitri. He essentially drives me crazy. When he’s Strigoi I just want to kill him because he is a major jerk. But at the same time I can’t help but still love him because, well, he’s Dimitri so what else can I do? And when he’s back to being a dhampir he is almost more infuriating. I don’t want to give anything away but he just needs to get over himself and get on with his life. Kind of harsh but if you read the book and are rooting for Rose and Dimitri to be together you will totally get what I mean. And opposite from Dimitri there is Adrian. I have to admit that I am liking him more and more. You can easily tell how much he cares for Rose and that his feelings are genuine. Maybe the reason I’m rooting for Dimitri and Rose so much is because I want Adrian all to myself. Sure he has some flaws, and by some I mean many, but beneath it all there is a really great guy just waiting to be discovered.

The story itself was once again amazing. There is more action than I could wish for and twists and turns every step of the way. Some of it I saw coming, some of it not so much but regardless of all that the story was awesome. I’m not exactly sure how to describe it without giving too much of it away but it is a story you most definitely want to read. And let’s just say the ending will make you want to have Last Sacrifice on hand. It was that good.

To put it in simple terms, Spirit Bound was incredibly awesome. I finished reading it and I immediately sent my brother an e-mail to tell him to forget about getting me Last Sacrifice for Christmas. There was no way I was waiting three weeks to find out what happened next. I’ve read Last Sacrifice and you’ll here me gush about it all in another review soon.

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Title: Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: August 25, 2009

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Bound by love but sworn to kill...

The world thought Dimitri was dead. And to a certain extent he was. But I hadn’t been able to forget a conversation he and I had once had. We’d both agreed that we’d rather be dead--truly dead--than walk the world as Strigoi. It was time to honor our words.

Guardian 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 the 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?

****SPOILER ALERT!!! DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS BOOK OR THE PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE SERIES!!!****

I swear, these books just keep on getting better and better. Every time I finish one I think they just can’t get better, then I pick up the next one and have the same reaction all over again. Blood Promise was just as good as all the other books in the Vampire Academy series, if not even better. There is just something about these books that makes me love them so much more every time I finish one.

Now the Dimitri is turned Strigoi, Rose must go and find him so she can kill him and release his soul. They had both agreed that they would rather be dead than Strigoi and Rose wants to honor the promise she made to Dimitri in that car not so long ago. Now in Russia, Rose is not sure where she should go to find the man she loves, much less what she’ll do once she comes face to face with him. In theory, finding Dimitri and killing him should be easy because he is no longer the Dimitri she knew and loved but in reality, will killing the man she loves mean killing herself in the process?

Blood Promise was really different from the other books in the series, but different in a good way. Everything was that much more focused on Rose and with my love for Rose this made me a happy reader. Rose was very different in this book. She still had that reckless, impulsive nature but it wasn’t used to protect others but more to selfishly put herself in the face of unnecessary danger. But it was also nice to see her show her emotions more, especially when she found herself living with Dimitri’s family. Speaking of which, Dimitri’s family was great. It was so nice to see where he got so many of his qualities from and to learn more about his past. I loved how easily they accepted Rose and they could all so easily understand why Dimitri had loved her and how much she loved him. They were all really great women and I hope I see more of them, but I doubt that will happen.

I still can’t help but love Dimitri but this time I might have been more attracted to him because he became more the bad boy type. He wasn’t the same loving, kind but fierce man that Rose fell in love with and that I fell in love with. To be honest, sometimes he annoyed me like no other and was practically yelling at Rose to get a grip even though I knew there was no way she could hear me. At other times, Dimitri pretty much scared me but I still couldn’t help but hope it was all some big practical joke and he would return to being guardian Dimitri. Adrian on the other hand totally grew on me. He wasn’t the obnoxious, arrogant Adrian from the other book and you could tell he genuinely cared about what happened to Rose and what was happening to Lissa. And he totally made me laugh at the end of the book.

Blood Promise was just as good as all the other Vampire Academy books. I know I’m repeating myself, but I am so glad I finally decided to give this series a chance. Had I not, I would have totally missed out on some pretty awesome books. Now I just need to get to the bookstore and get myself a copy of Spirit Bound.

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Title: Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy #3)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: November 13, 2008

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth’s magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest 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 Lissa one of them.

Rose knows it is forbidden to love another guardian. Her best friend Lissa--the last Dragomir princess--must always come first. Unfortunately, when it comes to gorgeous Dimitri Belikov, some rules are meant to be broken...

Then a strange darkness begins to grow in Rose’s mind, and ghostly shadows warn of a terrible evil drawing nearer to the Academy’s iron gates. The immortal undead are closing in, and they want vengeance for the lives Rose has stolen. In a heat-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 once can survive?

I love being able to read all the books from a series in a row, I just get so much more into it that way...well, until I run out of the books. I’m so glad I can do this with the Vampire Academy books because they are so amazing, I absolutely loved them. Now that I’m done reading Shadow Kiss, my love for these books has only grown. I don’t even know how to explain what it is about this series but they are really captivating and I never want to put them down (I’m actually forcing myself to write this review instead of starting to read the next one).

It’s time for the senior dhampirs to do their Field Experience, each of them is assigned a Moroi from the Academy to protect during 6 weeks and their performance has a lot to do in determining what happens after graduation. Of course Rose thinks Lissa will be assigned to her but has a shock when she hears that her friend Eddie gets Lissa and she is assigned Christian, Lissa’s boyfriend. Everything seems to be going well for Rose until she starts seeing Mason’s ghost, at this point thing go from bad to worse. A battle on the grounds of the Academy only heats things up that much more and by then end Rose just doesn’t know what to do anymore.

I’m sure by now you guys all know how much I love Rose and how amazing I think she is, so I’ll spare you. I’ll just say that my feelings about her are still the same after having read Shadow Kiss. What I won’t spare you from are my feelings for Dimitri. Oh how I love Dimitri, my love for him has just grown in this book. The way he cares about Rose and treats her just makes me wish sometimes that I was Rose. I loved how in this book he acted more on his feelings. I cannot tell you how happy I was when he and Rose finally gave in to their feelings about each other, it totally made my day. The only thing that made it even better was when he told her he had this whole plan figured out about how they could be together. But of course things just couldn’t be happy and good.

Oh how I wanted things to end well and for Rose and Dimitri to live happily ever after. But of course that didn’t happen, because, really, it never happens. I honestly thought everything was going to work out for them, especially since they both survived the Strigoi attack but the next events just had to go and ruin that. Don’t get me wrong, the story was amazingly good and I had nothing against the ending, I just wished it had ended differently. Despite though little details not being what I wanted them to be, I wouldn’t want the book to end any other way because that would just mean that there wouldn’t necessarily be a point to there being more books in the series. It’s really hard to give the ending away just because it’s so good but at the same time you can’t believe what happened actually happened.

My love for the Vampire Academy books just grows which each installment I read. Shadow Kiss was even better than Vampire Academy and Frostbite and so far is my favorite in the series. But that might just change once I finish reading Blood Promise, which I can’t wait to get more into.

Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Title: Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: April 10, 2008

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth’s magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest 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 Lissa one of them.

Rose has serious guy trouble. Her gorgeous tutor, Dimitri, has his eyes on someone else, her friend Mason has a huger crush on her, and she keeps getting stuck in her best friend Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian.

Then a nearby Strigoi attack puts St. Vladimir’s on high alert, and the Academy whisks its students away on a mandatory holiday ski trip. But the glittering winter landscape and 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...

I was glad that I had Frostbite waiting for me when I finished Vampire Academy because I definitely wanted to know what was going to be happening next. This book was as good a read as the previous one and made me that much more happy that I finally decided to pick up this series. I have to admit, that I liked Frostbite better than the first book in the series, I don’t know how to explain it exactly, but this one did something that just had me wanting more from start to finish.

Rose thought the only thing she had to worry about was her feelings for her mentor Dimitri but a Strigoi attack nearby changes all that. Not only is everyone on high alert but she also has more boy troubles than she originally thought. Dimitri seems to be interested in someone else, her good friend Mason is crazy about her but she doesn’t care about him that way and to make things worse she keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head whenever she’s making out, or more, with her boyfriend Christian. Thing should be interesting for Rose as the Academy students are sent to a ski resort in Idaho as a way to keep them safe from more possible Strigoi attacks.

What I like about series is how you can see the characters change throughout each of the books. I already liked Rose at the end of Vampire Academy, but now I like her even more. You can really see how much she’s changed from the first to the second book, and most of these changes are for the best. I love seeing her struggle with her boy situation not because I want to see her struggling but because I’ve been in her situation before. Well, if you take out the part about getting stuck in your best friend’s head when she’s getting hot and heavy with her boyfriend. But that aside, I have totally been in her position. Rose isn’t completely changed, she still has that impulsive, sarcastic and reckless side to her that makes me crack up every so often. My feelings about Rose being a great female lead character have only been reinforced. I liked Lissa better this time around, she was able to stand up for herself and we see a whole new side of her appear and I really liked seeing that happen.

Dimitri still sounded pretty amazing in this book too. You can tell that he really cares about Rose but sometimes his words and his actions don’t really match up. But by the end of the book he makes up his mind on many things and I only like him that much more by that point. Mason was still there, still really amusing and still crazy about Rose. I liked him more in this book than the previous, but that might just have to do with the fact that we learn more about him. I loved finding out more about him and I just got really attached to him, to the point that he almost made me cry towards the end of the book. Christian I liked a lot more than I did in Vampire Academy, you can really tell he cares about Lissa and I loved seeing the relationship between him and Rose develop.

Overall, I have to say I liked Frostbite a lot more than Vampire Academy. The story got moving faster and there were different sub-plots that made it that much more interesting to read. The story was fast paced and right from the start there was a good deal of action. I’m saying the same thing I said when I finished the first book, I’m glad I bought the first four books all at once because I started Shadow Kiss as soon as I finished Frostbite. 

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Title: Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1)

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: August 16, 2007

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth’s magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest 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 Lissa one of them.

After two years of freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir’s Academy, a school for vampire royalty and their guardians-to-be, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. But inside the iron gates, life is even more fraught with danger...and the Strigoi are always close by.

Rose and Lissa must navigate their dangerous world, confront the temptations of forbidden love, and never once let their guard down, lest the evil undead make Lissa one of them forever...

For a while I had heard a lot about the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead but had never actually picked them up. Then a couple of weeks ago I found the first four books at a series for $1.99 each and decided to buy them so I could finally read them. As it turns out, all those good things I had heard were true and I really enjoyed reading Vampire Academy, the first book in the series.

Lissa and Rose have been on the run for the past two years. Rose has made it her duty to protect Lissa, her best friend. Only Lissa is a lot more than just Rose’s best friend. She is that last living member of the Dragomirs, a Moroi vampire royal family. But then the school finds them and forces them to come back to St. Vladimir’s, an academy for the Moroi and their guardians-to-be. There Rose tries to deal with life back at the Academy and protecting Lissa, their bond making it that much easier to know how Lissa feels at all time. And of course there are the extra training sessions with Dimitri to look forward to.

I’ll be honest, when I first picked up this book I was expecting more of the same as far as vampire series go. As it turns out, it’s different from all the other vampire books I’ve read and a good different. I liked how there are all the different types of vampires and how they differ from each other, it wasn’t something I’d never read about before. I really enjoyed reading Vampire Academy not just for that reason but the characters were pretty awesome too.

I don’t even know how to begin describing Rose. I just loved her, she’s so great. Her impulsiveness and sarcasm made me laugh so many times, especially considering she is always either impulsive or sarcastic. Though I think her best quality is how much she cares for Lissa. No matter what the situation, Rose always puts Lissa first, even if it means putting herself in harm’s way. She may just be a novice but she completely understands what it means to be a guardian. Lissa was also pretty cool, though sometimes I felt that she needed to stand up for herself more. I understand everything that’s happened with her family, but it sometimes felt like she was relying too much on Rose. But other than that I liked Lissa a lot too.

And then there was Dimitri. It’s pretty easy to understand why Rose falls so easily for him. By the descriptions she gives of him, he does sound pretty great. The way he’s all quiet and serious but sometimes opens up when you least expect it is what makes him such a likable character. As far as male characters go, Mason and Christian were interesting too. I felt sorry for Mason, as much as she likes Rose, she can’t help how she feels about Dimitri and doesn’t feel about him. Regardless, Mason was always great to lighten up the mood. I wasn’t sure about Christian at first, I guess I was kind of going with Rose’s feelings about him. But by the end of the book I could tell that he really was a good guy and really did care about Lissa.

Overall, I really liked Vampire Academy, I was pleasantly surprised by it. It was a great story but I found that it took a while to pick up, but that might just have to do with the fact that it’s part of a series. However, once it picked up, the book was really fast-paced and hard to put down. It was a really enjoyable read and I’m glad that I bought the first four books all in one go. I’m reading, Frosbite, the next one, as it is and I’m liking it so far.