*Shadow Kiss
Published: January 2nd, 2008
Publisher: Razorbill
Pg count: 443 pages
Series: Vampire Academy (Book 3)
Genre: YA; Paranormal; Fantasy
Feels: Excited; Frustrated; Annoyed; Astonished
*Blood Promise
Published: August 25th, 2009
Publisher: Razorbill
Pg count: 503 pages
Series: Vampire Academy (Book 4)
Genre: YA; Paranormal; Fantasy
Feels: Curious; Shocked
Shadow Kiss
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 heart-stopping battle to rival her worst nightmares, Rose will have to choose between life, love, and the two people who matter most… but will her choice mean that only one can survive?
Blood Promise
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?
I’ve decided to combine these two book reviews for two reasons. One, what I have to say for both books are really similar and I don’t want to have to say the same things over again. Two, I’ve procrastinated on these reviews that at this point I just need to get them done, it’s horrible to say but true. So now to the review…
I really liked these two books better than the last two, but after I read them I quickly lost interest in the series and still haven’t read the last two books in the series. I’m not even sure I want to finish the series. I’ve got loads of books on my TBR shelf that I want to read more. I’m not saying they’re no good; I’m saying that, to me, they’re eh. I just couldn’t get into them enough to keep up with the series and since I’m being honest, I don’t really know why I couldn’t get into the series. I think I should have, these are the types of books that I usually like. I’m just brainstorming here, but I think my reading tastes are evolving. I can’t stand teen drama anymore and need more substance in my books. For those reasons, I just couldn’t get into it.
Overall, they were good but not great. I’m still not a huge fan of Lissa, I still love Christian, Dimitri has taken an interesting turn and Rose has grown up a bit (finally). And now I don’t know what else to say because I procrastinated to long on this and don’t really have clear feelings or thoughts on the books anymore, mainly because I don’t remember much. Yay me… So sorry…Byeeeeeeeeee.
XO, YOUR FRIENDLY BOOK ELF
Rating; 3.8/ 5 for both
Goodreads: Shadow Kiss ~~ Goodreads: Blood Promise ~~ Richelle Mead Website
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