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Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, Book 3) Review

So third installment in the Vampire Academy series, we are back at the Academy a couple of weeks after Rose has killed her first Strigoi and things are not quite right. Rose has been forever changed by the events that lead up to Mason's death and so has everyone else that was there with her. This definitely increases the dark undertone that these books have had because Rose has a darker outlook on life. She is no longer thinking about what outfit she should wear tomorrow or how cute her hair looks, as her birthday approaches she really only wants one thing

"Freedom, I thought. That was the only gift I longed for. Freedom to make my own choices. Freedom to love who I wanted"

That line really sums it up the best I think. Rose is struggling with who she is and what the priorities in her life should be. She is also quickly becoming one of my favorite characters, I love her sarcastic attitude mixed with her ability to kick anyone's butt who attempts to take a swing at her or her friends. Which now that she has entered the field training portion of her senior year, she gets to take a swing at quite a few people and get out some of that aggression.

I also have a confession to make, I am starting to like Adrian, I know...I still don't think he belongs with Rose, but he really is growing on me. He is funny, and even though he might not want other people to know about it he really does care about people around him and try to help out when he can. Which he does demonstrate big time towards the beginning of this book. And all that joking aside, I really think he does care for Rose and wants a chance to date her, not that she is going to give into that right now. Why is that? Well Dimitri is still around and he is still the one I am rooting for. Although getting some alone time between him and Rose is very difficult and it is definitely starting to weigh on them both.

Okay, the next part I might get people throwing things at me for but here goes. While reading, I got up to get something to drink and I noticed on the back cover of this book it says "The obvious heir to the Twilight throne..." Really? Don't get me wrong, I love Twilight, I really do! It has a great story and I read all 4 books in one week, no seriously, I did. I did not sleep very much, it was bad. Anyways, that being said I don't think these two books can really be put in the same category. Just because they both have vampires in them doesn't mean they are the same book. Rose is a much stronger character and I like the view from her seat much better than Bella's. Rose is much more complex and her life is just more interesting to me. Vampire Academy also has a lot of layers to it and I like getting to peal them back book by book. I also like all the character development we are getting in these books and the fact that things aren't always pretty, there are causalities when you live in these worlds and Richelle Mead is not afraid to rip at your heart strings and kill off characters. I know that sounds morbid, but I feel like a book that takes place in a world where there is constant fighting and paranormal creatures, you are going to lose some people. That doesn't mean I like it, I was horrified when Mason died. I had to put the book down and walk away for a minute, but it made sense and it made the book more realistic. Is all this making sense?

Along those realistic lines, towards the end I was getting a little more than annoyed with Lissa, which I will not say why because I do not want to spoil it but if anyone else has read this I think you know what I am talking about right? She needs to step back and look at the bigger picture here because she is getting on my nerves. I am hoping to be back on her side when I read the next book.

To sum up, I am loving these books! I am also trying to read them slowly because I know I have to wait until D-e-c-e-m-b-e-r for the last one and I am not a very patient person. But Richelle Mead has me hooked on these books. She paints a dark picture of a world that I get lost in when I pick these books up. So if you have not started the series yet, what are you waiting for?

Language Love:

"Leafless tree branches swayed in that wind, clawing at the sides of the stone dorm like fingernails."

How could I not love this one? I picture that scene in my head perfectly and I love the idea of branches clawing, great description.

Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, Book 3) Feature

ISBN13: 9781595141972
Condition: New
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Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, Book 3) Overview

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Rose Hathaway 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 . . .

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Customer Reviews

A good installment, but some slow places - Tiger Holland - North Alabama
Rose's six weeks of field training in Moroi guardianship are about to begin, and she's psyched. But instead of being assigned to protect Lissa during every waking hour, she's assigned to Christian, which infuriates her. Lately Rose has been experiencing more fury than usual, and her dark moods and fits of violent temper spring up out of nowhere. Then she starts seeing the ghost of her dead guy friend and learning disturbing things about her shadow-kissed state and her psychic bond with Lissa. Also, the baddie from book one has not yet been brought to justice, so his trial must be dealt with (briefly).

Unfortunately, for many of the early chapters I felt like the story kept replaying too many already-known elements. Dimitri and Rose's relationship eventually does progress in a permanent direction, but I still wonder if we see slightly too much of their dancing around their feelings. Then we have Christian being jealous of Adrian and Lissa spending time together during their spirit-training, when he did in the last book. There not quite enough fresh activity or interpersonal conflict. I've concluded that perhaps Rose needs personal enemies to make the overall tone of the books 'click'. Mia was a good minor villainess in VA, and Rose's mom was an antagonist in Frostbite, not to mention the fact that it was hard to tell that Adrian in Frostbite wasn't a potential bad guy.

The deeper socio-political elements of VA are still present, thankfully. Elitism among the Moroi rears its ugly head higher than ever, thanks to a few appearances from Queen Tatiana who wants to manipulate Lissa. It's no stretch to say that the Queen is grooming Lissa to be her successor, and everybody in the entire series agrees that Lissa will be an ideal leader (my Mary-Sue radar hadn't really gone off on her before, but it's humming quietly now). Rose gets to further examine her own thoughts about her vital yet subservient role in her society, and the self-examination is very beneficial.

I wished there were more scenes with Christian Ozera in this book. For me, the Christian/Rose dynamic is one of the most fun things about the series, and the cleverest and wittiest moments in the early chapters come from the two of them rubbing each other the wrong way, then cooperating like siblings. At the end, they team up again and to astonishingly awesome effect. He's at his best when he's sparring or collaborating with Rose, but I have problems with his characterization in other places. I'm incredulous over his picking a non-verbal fight with Adrian, all the while saying things like "you're trying to steal Lissa away from me!" which sounds more like something Mason would have said once upon a time, but for our resident cynical sociopath? I'm not so sure.

I'll note that just when I thought Shadow Kiss was losing me, it got back on track and capped itself off with the sweetest Dimitri/Rose interaction one could hope for (brought tears to my eyes), as well as the best extended fight sequence yet. Good points! But though the basic story remains excellent and the characters are mostly vibrant, Shadow Kiss suffers from long stretches where not much is happening. Also, Adrian is a strong character with lots of potential, but he's left with not much to do during the whole novel when there are so many ways his character might have been used to add conflict other than the obvious Lissa-tension.

Love and Magic - Jacob's Beloved - Alberta, Canada
This book took a much more central focus of the relationship between Rose and Dimitri, as well as Rose's own unique abilities, thanks to her bond with Lissa. This book delved more into what harnessing the elements could do in practical terms, which I have been very curious about. In some ways, I feel like Mead is holding back in terms of telling the reader all the ways that Spirit can be used, but that is writer's privilege. My favorite part of the books is always Rose's relationship with Dimitri, so much so that I feel everything that she feels, laugh when she laughs, etc. Without spoiling the ending, I can definitely say I felt just as much as she did at the end.
It is interesting to see the effect that Rose and Lissa are collectively having on the political and social structures of this world that Mead has constructed. Unwritten rules that previously were unquestioned are now being broken repeatedly - and not just by Rose. Other Moroi are trying to wield compulsion, male Dhampirs are refusing to become guardians, Moroi are learning to wield their abilities offensively and train under guardians, and so on. Lissa falls under many exceptions, being the only Dragomir, which ironically puts Rose even more in the spotlight of society and allows her to be a catalyst for change.

Life After Death - ldyptzr -
This is the best vampire series ever! It's beautifully written! An amazing author with a very creative and detailed mind! This makes the Twilight series look like even more trash than it already is! For any paranormal, action, romance, political view lovers! Give this series a chance!!!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 05, 2010 21:52:04

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Sunday, September 5, 2010