[Book Review] Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Summary (from Goodreads):
They come first.

My vision was growing dimmer, the blackness and ghosts closing in. I swore it was like I could hear Robert whispering in my ear: The world of the dead won't give you up a second time. Just before the light completely vanished, I saw Dimitri's face join Lissa's. I wanted to smile. I decided then that if the two people I loved most were safe, I could leave this world.

The dead could finally have me.

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 is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back...and this time she is truly 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.

Author: Richelle Mead

Series: Vampire Academy #6 

Edition: Hardcover

Pages: 594

Genres: Fantasy/Paranormal, Young Adult, Romance 

Published: December 7, 2010

Reading Level: Teens 

Plot: 
It’s the final book of the Vampire Academy series, so naturally, there’s going to be a lot of stuff happening. More problems are going to arise that will have to find a way to get resolved by the end of the book. Some of those problems won’t find their solution. That’s where I believe the Bloodline series comes to play.   

Characters: 

Looking back, there was so much character growth since book one. All of the characters, or most of them (you’ll understand once you read it), have found a way to be strong not only as a united group, but also as individuals.

Relationships: 

I think it’s funny how Lissa and Rose’s friendship is one of my favorite fictional relationships yet they spend a majority of these books being torn apart. Maybe that’s part of the reason I like it so much. Even when they are apart, they have a really strong friendship. 

Romance: 
As far as relationships go, this was the hardest of the books to get by. There are two guys Rose could be with. Only one will end up with her. One of them is going to get their heart broken. That, in my opinion was really hard to watch. 
But at the same time, I felt like Rose ended up with who she was supposed to be. I won’t spoil who it is, but the Richelle Mead picked the right guy.  

Writing: 
I’ve come to really love Richelle Mead’s writing in the last year. Based on the internet following she has, I’m not the only one. That’s a lot of components about her writing that I love, but I think it all goes back to how strong her characters are.   

Hopes for Spin-Off:
I only know a list of things about the spin off. I know who the main girl is. I know who the love interest (or at least one of them) is. Other than that, nothing. I look forward to reading about it cause I feel like it’s gong to be a story of it’s own.   
 
5 OUT OF 5 STARS FOR LAST SACRIFICE BY RICHELLE MEAD.

Check out my reviews for the other book in this series. 

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy *1)

Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2)

Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy #3)

Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4)

Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5)

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[Book Review] Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Summary (from Goodreads):

Dimitri gave Rose the ultimate choice. But she chose wrong...

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri's birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir's and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can't wait for their real lives beyond the Academy's iron gates to begin. But Rose's heart still aches for Dimitri, and she knows 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 now he is hunting her. And this time he won't rest until Rose joins him... forever.

Author: Richelle Mead

Series: Vampire Academy #5 

Edition: Hardcover

Pages: 489

Genres: Fantasy/Paranormal, Young Adult, Romance 

Published: May 18, 2010 

Reading Level: Teens 

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve hated the idea of staying still. So rather than have my sister yell at me because I didn’t do the dishes or fold the laundry, I’ve been doing it on my own as I should be. But I also knew I wanted to get through the Vampire Academy series as soon as possible.

I never really thought about listening to audiobooks until I learned that Molly Quinn who plays Alexis Castle on ABC’s Castle, voiced some of The Mortal Instrument books. With that idea in mind, I looked for the audiobook on Youtube and stumbled across a Youtuber who reads chapter by chapter in each video. It was perfect. When I was done with chores, I would find exactly where I was on my hardcover copy and jump straight in.   

Plot: 

So much happened in the fifth book of the Vampire Academy Series. Looking back at how it started and how it ended, it’s almost weird how much changed just in one book. With one thing that was solved, another problem would rise. 

Characters: 

The reader really gets to know more about Adrian than the previous three books he was in showed. Sure, the readers know his history and what status he has, but in Spirit Bound, the reader gets to know more about Adrian’s character. We get to see a softer side of him.

There’s also a different side of Lissa that is shown. In the other four books, it’s pretty clear that Lissa isn’t really a fighter. In Spirit Bound, she is forced to show that fighter and stronger side of herself. 

Relationships: 

I’ve always said I’ve loved the Lissa and Rose friendship. Each book they prove more and more how much they are willing to do for each other. How far they will go just to help the other one out. A lot of that has been Rose doing things for Lissa. In Spirit Bound, Lissa does a lot for Rose.  

Romance: 

I’ve always been Team Dimitri. Even though I liked Adrian, I didn’t care for Rose and Adrian as much as I loved Dimitri and Rose. However, in showing more of Adrian’s softer side, Richelle Mead made me start to like the idea of Dimitri and Adrian.

The triangle was stronger than ever. During Frostbite there was a Dimitri/Rose/Mason triangle, but it was clear Dimitri was the front runner. Here it’s not so clear. Rose has a connection between both boys in two different ways.

5 OUT OF 5 STARS FOR SPIRIT BOUND BY RICHELLE MEAD 

Check out my reviews for the other books in the series:

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1)

Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2)

Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy #3)

Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4)

Here is the audiobook videos I was talking about:

And if you're new to the series, check out the first chapter of the first book:

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[Book Review] Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

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

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

Author: Richelle Mead

Series: Vampire Academy (Book #4)

Edition: Hardcover

Pages: 503

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Published: April 6, 2010 by Razorbill

Reading Level: Young Adult 

I’ve been reading the Vampire Academy for almost a year now. However, with the Vampire Academy movie now out, I’m making it my goal to read all six of the books as soon as possible.  

With that being said, Blood Promise was the hardest of the four that I’ve read so far to get through. It was a good book, don’t get me wrong, but it wasn’t like the first three books. 

Plot: One of the reasons I found it difficult to read was because Rose, the main character, was separate from the rest of the main characters. Because of the events of Shadow Kiss (book #3), Rose is left on her own for a majority of the book. 

Although Rose has to take her own journey apart from the people she cares about, I really like where he journey takes her. Here’s a little spoiler alert for those who have not read the book, Rose meets Dimitri’s family. Before this book, I didn’t even consider it something that would happen yet. After reading the book, I realized why Richelle Mead wrote that into the book. It was needed.  

Characters: The thing I love most about the Vampire Academy series is Rose’s sassy girl attitude. While that was another thing that changed in this book, I was still able to enjoy the characters. 

Dimitri’s character stood out for me in this book. Mead wrote his character in a way that it felt like this story was half in his point of view. He doesn’t really censor himself and it allows the reader to see what’s going on in his mind. 

Relationships: Rose and Lissa’s relationship took a strain in Blood Promise, but at the same time, it was because of that strain that I believe in book #5, I believe their relationship will be stronger. 

I love Rose and Adrian’s back and forth banter. I ship Dimitri and Rose so I don’t really see the romance side of it.  

Romance: Two romances are put to the test. I actually like it more like that. When it’s all happy and lovey dovey, it can get pretty boring. While, the two romances that are put to the test are put to the test in two very different ways, the core of their problems is a personality change given because of supernatural reason. It sounds complicated (and I like that), but it made the story come together in the end.

Creative Way of Writing: Since I started reading the first page of Vampire Academy, I’ve loved Richelle Mead’s writing. She is not afraid to go all in. She kills characters off that we love. She breaks our favorite couples up. Yet, she does it in a way that the readers (or at least myself) don’t hate her.

4 out of 5 stars for Blood Promise by Richelle Mead. 

Book Trailer:

Movie Trailer for Vampire Academy:

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[Book Review] Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Summary (Amazon):
Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose…

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if handto- hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks.... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price…

Having just read Vampire Academy, I was thrilled to dive into this second book. There were so many things about the first book that I wanted to know about. Actually, I’m making it a goal to finish all six books before the movie starts shooting (end of May). 

Plot: Unlike the first book, Vampire Academy the events of the book don’t spread out to be months, but just a couple of weeks. It made the book feel different. At some times it did feel like it dragged, but the feeling did not last long. 

To me, the book had a darker feeling to it. It felt like there was more at stake in Frostbite than in Vampire Academy.  

Characters: With that different darker feel to it, the characters were put in a different place. Each of the characters (at least the main ones) has grown since the first book. That’s very important for a book to have, in my opinion. Without character growth, the storyline, relationships and even the romance tends to become ruined.  

Relationships: I stated in my last review for Vampire Academy that I loved Rose and Lissa’s best friend/protector/sister relationship. Another relationship I like is Rose and Mason’s. To some that could be considered a romance, but the aspect of their relationship that I like is their friendship. Richelle Mead does a really good of entangling all these different types of relationships whether they be strong friendship, strong enemies, or strong romance.

Romance: I ship (can you ship a book romance, I don’t know) the main couple, which if you’ve read Vampire Academy, you know it’s Rose and Dimitri. However, I enjoyed that they each went their separate ways. It allowed them to explore themselves, but also miss each other.  

I’m still reading the series. I’ve had to slow down and take a breather because of classes, but I still have that excitement. My curiosity to read these books has not died down and I don’t think it will. 

5 stars for Frostbite by Richelle Mead.