Review - Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy 6) by Richelle Mead

4 out of 5

Synopsis:

The astonishing final novel in Richelle Mead's epic series!

Murder. Love. Jealousy. And the ultimate sacrifice. Now, with Rose on trial for her life and Lissa first in line for the Royal Throne, nothing will ever be the same between them.

Review:

I read this book twice before wanting to offer a review. The first time I read it I was a little annoyed. The second time I understood.
Firstly, Rose has to clear her name for the henious crime she's been accused of. Her friends help her out and soon she's on the run with Dimitri and a surprise addition of Sydney.
The romance goes back and forth with the love triangle until Sonya Karp comes back into the story and then Rose finally has to place her pieces in order. What is most important to her - the love of Adrian, the love of Dimitri or her devotion to Lissa?
To begin with I was surprised by her rebuff of D considering how much they grew together again in the last book. But though the author didn't ever write it in Rose's narrative we hear Dimitri constantly saying words that he did when he was Strigoi. "You can't run from me, I will always find you etc". Was Rose scared of this or did she just want to get away from him? Unfortunately we don't really find the answer. While Dimitri constantly reminds her of all the horrible things he did while in his former guise, he does go on abit saying the same things over and over again in the story even until the end.
Rose seeks Lissa out in her head and figures out what exactly her friends are doing in her absence, however again, too much filler.
When the story ended (after my first read) I was disappointed that the Author had headed in this direction. The life at the Moroi Court wasn't that interesting for me. I wanted more action from the Guardians and more from the Alchemists. However after the second read I finally got it.
Rose's life has been completely dominated (and we learn this even from the first book) by her need to protect Lissa. The guardians devote their lives to the Moroi and to protect them.
I was expecting more to come from Dimitri's ability to remember the Strigoi groups scattered around the world and possibly was hoping that they would start a campaign to find them and either defeat them or turn them.
But, the Guardians motto comes back to mind. Nothing else matters except the Moroi - they come first.
Many reviewers have mentioned Adrian. I don't think Adrian was ever deserving of Rose, and I think Adrian is so screwed up that he acted badly when he asked Rose to consider him when she came back (Blood Promise). Has he no heart? Why would he even think that she would be able to consider him when the love of her life has just been turned? Selfish? Yes, I think so.
So, Rose turns to him for affection like a comfort blanket, nothing more. At the end of Last Sacrifice he reacts badly but in my opinion he deserves it. He needs to grow a spine.
Ultimately Dimitri and Rose come together and most of the story gets sown up nicely. But a little niggle remains so this is food for thought.
They, neither of them, mention Dimitri's family who all still think he's Strigoi. Wouldn't you want to tell them straight away? Didn't they deserve that after looking after Rose so well?

Review: Summer's Crossing by Julie Kagawa

Summer's Crossing by Julie Kagawa

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis:

A Midsummer's Nightmare? Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Summer Court prankster, King Oberon's right hand, bane of many a faery queen's existence—and secret friend to Prince Ash of the Winter Court. Until one girl's death came between them, and another girl stole both their hearts.

Now Ash has granted one favor too many and someone's come to collect, forcing the prince to a place he cannot go without Puck's help—into the heart of the Summer Court. And Puck faces the ultimate choice—betray Ash and possibly win the girl they both love, or help his former friend turned bitter enemy pull off a deception that no true faery prankster could possibly resist.

Review:

So, unlike many of my fellow reviewers I'm not a massive Puck fan. I mean, I get why he likes Meghan and all, what with being at school with her and guarding her in the real world. But sooner or later you have to take the hint that she likes someone else and you absolutely MUST NOT try to muscle in on a best friends romance.

So that's where I am with Puck. This story is a novella so quite short but is told from Puck's POV.
Stripped down into the barest of nutshells this book exposes Puck and all his goodness, sarcasm, and pranks. We actually get to find out about what REALLY happened between Puck and Ash and why the rivallry between the two is so intense. They don't actually hate each other. Their friendship was, just like Meghan and Ash's love, forbidden. Both from opposite sides yet they formed an unusual tie and didn't care about the consequences.

The story opens up that relationship of brotherhood like never before and it really is delightful to read a quick story like this to ready ourselves for the final book of the series.

Kudos to Kagawa for filling in the gaps and making us all want to live in Nevernever!

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Review - Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy 5) by Richelle Mead

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

4 out of 5

Synopsis:
Salvation has its price.
The words stunned Adrian for a moment, but he kept going. "You're lying. What you're describing is impossible. There's no way to save a Strigoi. When they're gone, they're gone. They're dead. Undead. Forever."

Robert's next words weren't directed at Adrian. They were spoken to me. "That which is dead doesn't always stay dead...."

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 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's 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. In the end, is true love really worth the price?

My Review:

The Rose that we love has gone! We're left with a whinging girl who thinks that if she mouths off and pushes her weight around then she'll get answers. Bearing in mind that she is only eighteen and only the 'would-be' guardian for the last Dragomir descendent (nothings definite) I think she's got a little too big for her boots. Gone is the growing up phase where we hoped we would see a little more calm and rationality but I guess this is where love really hurts and affects us in different ways.

To begin with she persuades Lissa to help in getting Victor Dashkov out of prison. The very man who used Lissa in the first book for his own means and gains. Why would anyone who had been treated so unjustly agree to anything like this?
So, Adrian gets in on the action in Vegas too but really offers very little support or help in Rose's quest. A little bit disappointing.
And then Lissa and Christian begin their own little subterfuge for Rose's sake and one we know little of until they meet Dimitri finally and return him to his former self.
At this point I can only feel sorry for Rose (who is still acting irrational) as we, the reader, fear that Dimitri's affection is being transferred bizarrely to her best friend in a strange and unusual way. Dimitri emerges from his change a broken man but refuses to have anything to do with Rose. Again, thinking about his so called honour that he constantly talks about- wouldn't it be the honourable thing to openly speak to Rose and pointedly say that he's sorry instead of getting Lissa to pass on his messages?
At the end we see the former lovers finally arriving on a level ground when yet again disaster happens, but for this time its Rose.
It's a shame that this book couldn't have been wrapped up sooner. I did feel that 'filler' was the operative word in this book and more depth should have been emphasised on Dimitri and Rose's characters. They just feel a little bit shallow and not really deserving of the second chance they have both been given. Rose has no tolerance whatsoever and Dimitri has lost all value of life but instead of feeling sorry for them as a couple I just want to bang their heads together!
If you've been reading the series then you'll still love it (as I did!) but be prepared for annoyance!

Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Synopsis:

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

Review:
Even though I didn't rate Shiver too highly I wanted to find out if the story really held water, so here is my Linger review.

Isabel and Cole stole the show in this sequel and I actually had laugh out loud moments. The relationship between Sam and Grace is more intense particularly as Sam doesn't change for winter but Grace begins to feel the stirrings of her new life. When she gets ill, everything begins to change.

I did like the POV's in this story and was glad Isabel shared some of the limelight. Cole is intriguing and definitely meant for Isabel.

But storywise, still not a great deal going on except for a lot of filler. A little bit too much drag for my liking. That said, it was way better than Shiver IMO.

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Review - Blood Promise (Vampire Academy 4) by Richelle Mead

Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4)

by Richelle Mead

Synopsis:

Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same.

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

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

My Review:

This book wasn't really up to the standard of the last 3. Rose disappears to Siberia to trace Dimitri's family and for my liking spends a little too much time dallying than getting on with what she must. We meet the Alchemist, Sydney, who shows that while she finds dhampirs, moroi and strigoi all unquenchably vile she's willing to accept Rose for what she is.
Rose eventually finds Dimitri but of course he's Strigoi. More time passes as she's kept prisoner by him. All he wants to do is awaken her. All she wants to do is kill him.
For me this is the ultimate in any love story and I can truly understand why Rose doesn't act immediately. She's still drawn to him even though he's the enemy. We see that her understanding of Strigoi changes as she tries to dampen her feelings towards Dimitri but cannot.
Rose also delves into Lissa's mind and finds her friend has been picking up bad habits from a newbie at school. Lissa is suffering and needs Rose's help. This part of the story spoilt it as I think more should have been focused on Rose.
We're left with another cliff hanger which will lead straight on to book 5.

Review - Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy 3) by Richelle Mead

4 out of 5

Synopsis:
Is Rose's fate to kill the person she loves most? It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since Mason's death, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She has dark flashbacks in the middle of practice, can't concentrate in class, and has terrifying dreams about Lissa. But Rose has an even bigger secret .... She's in love with Dimitri. And this time, it's way more than a crush. Then Strigoi target the academy in the deadliest attack in Moroi history, and Dimitri is taken. Rose must protect Lissa at all costs, but keeping her best friend safe could mean losing Dimitri forever...

My Review:
The darkest book so far. Rose and Dimitri get much closer in this novel. Rose also has Adrian peering into her dreams. She's seeing Mason as a ghost, and she begins to realise what it is to be 'Shadow-kissed'.

Rose begins her field experience and falls short immediately. But she's too scared to tell anyone the reason why because no one will believe her. She visits the Court for Victor Dashkovs trial. The evil villian threats to expose her and Dimitri's secret but he starts baiting her with her shadowkissed past.

Eventually when she returns from the Court she confides in Dimitri after passing out on the flight back. Their relationship climbs to new levels and when Strigoi attack the school she starts to feel more like his equal. Except the worst thing imaginable happens to Dimitri and ultimately she must make a decision. Does she stay at school or do what must be done?

Brilliant story that will test your emotional levels to the max!

Review: Die for Me by Amy Plum

Die for Me by Amy Plum

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Right then...this is a toughy...but only because I've just read about 30 reviews caning the story for being a Twilight rip-off....I mean, honestly? First though here's the...

Synopsis
My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

Review:
So, lets begin with the 'Twilight'ism's shall we?
To put it simply, there is no comparison with Twilight. Both books are written in 1st person POV, yes, but the writing style is completely different. Personally I think Twilight could have been written by an 8 year old. The language and use of English was appalling whereas Die for Me was written with depth, insightfulness and charm that is rarely seen these days. Often YA books tend to be too basic in the English but it's about time that authors starting opening teenagers minds to diversify and that's exactly what this book does.

What's lovely is that it's set in Paris - not America. How refreshing! The characters are all fleshed out, and easy to relate to - especially Kate.

The romance was gorgeous, and Vincent definitely gets the heart swooning. Plus all his revenant kinsmen are equally amiable. Charlotte is a delight and Georgia is a great feisty sister who alas gets in with the enemy by mistake.

The descriptions were beautiful and sparkling, with a true sense of Paris that was believeable and the essence behind the story was a new direction that paid off.

I have a couple of gripes though.
1) French people who speak English do not use the word 'gotten'. This is an American word. They would have said 'got'.
2) The word 'normalcy' crops up a few times. To my knowledge this is a newish word that has only been used in our modern lingo for the past few years. I'm pretty sure older people wouldn't use it.
3) Vincent's age. I'm pretty sure that he was nineteen, but then we're told he's eighteen. The way I understand it, its because when he saves someone and dies he then reverts back to his former age. Somewhere along the line this got confusing but I think its just me.
4) Overuse of the 'zombie' concept. Yes, we know they're not zombie's or undead or vampires or werewolves but why not settle on a trope that we get, like unofficial guardian angel (without the angel wings or direct line to god). The zombie comparison almost pulled the story in another direction that I didn't enjoy.

Apart from that, I loved the book. The subject of Revenants is discussed in length and if you have a look at history books there are plenty of examples of strange things happening throughout WW1 and WW2 to dead or dying soldiers that cannot be explained so this is an old concept with a new twist. It's so nice to read something that wasn't stereotypical.

I can't wait for the second book! An amazing read!