SHADOW KISS BY RICHELLE MEAD

Genre:  YA, Paranormal, Fantasy

” I set off, off to kill the man I loved.”
– Richelle Mead, Shadow Kiss 

Series: Vampire Academy
Vampire Academy (#1 in Vampire Academy)
Frostbite (#2 in Vampire Academy)

Synopsis:
Join the Vampire Academy and Experience Augmented Reality. Click here and put your face on the cover of a best seller book. Are you tempted? Watch “Vampire Academy” come to life with your likeness!
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…[Goodreads]

As much as I appreciate how wonderful that last line is, WHY????? *Throw my book across the room* Richelle Mead just ripped my heart out of my body. I think this is the first time I have reached mourning status for a book. There have been books at which I have cried, but I was ugly girl crying during the last couple of chapters. Everything is in piece know and I personally don’t know what to do with myself. I can’t handle it and I definitely feel for Rose.

This book created many feelings inside of me to such an extent that I have to admit it is the first time I have seriously been this invested in a book. So far (besides the ending) this was my favorite of the Vampire Academy series. (Even though I still have three more books to go.) I think I should restate my love for that last line of the book. It is absolutely beautiful and every bit Rose.

” Life and death were so unpredictable. So close to each other. We existed moment to moment, never knowing who would be the next to leave this world.”

The fluidity of this series is astounding! As I began reading Shadow Kiss (even though I continued this after reading Frostbite) it made me feel like it was still all one book. Richelle Mead did not miss a beat and sure packed this novel full of greatness. I highly enjoyed the field experience and the journey that Rose went through with this event. You really saw the growth and development of Rose and also the realizations she came too about what it takes to guard a Moroi whom she did not share a bond with. I thought it was a good choice to pair her with Christian and loved their interactions and them eventually joining forces.

My favorite part of course was the development of the relationship between Rose and Dimitri. I have a soft spot for Dimitri in my heart (I think he gains the spot of hardest fictional character death) and believe he makes Rose so much stronger and realize that she needs to take care of herself as well. The other aspect that I loved in this book was the darkness that engulfed Rose. It definitely added a creepy element with the confusion of seeing ghost and the possibility of her going crazy. I really think this helped to elaborate the mystery behind her past and the concept of Rose being shadow-kissed.

“You aren’t afraid of throwing yourself in the path of danger, but you’re terrified of letting anyone in.”

So the whole first half you are set up and there so much  foreshadowing to what is about to happen. Even though I knew it was coming it still sent chills down my spine (and I am not speaking metaphorically, I literally had chills and my heart started racing). Mead had set this up perfectly. You finally get to the part where Dimitri and Rose finally sleep together and you are all happy that it FINALLY happened and than BAM! The Strigoi have passed the wards and gotten onto campus. I was definitely caught off guard by the moment. It had that great eerie factor since she had seen Mason appear again and at last he was able to communicate with Rose. Of course his only words would be “they’re coming”. I tip my (metaphorical) hat to Richelle Mead. That moment was one of absolute brilliancy.

“Throughout history, people with new ideas—who think differently and try to change things—have always been called troublemakers.”

This book hit me hard and brought about so many emotions. So many different thing took place during this book, there was so much action, discovery, love and death.  I would say I need to take a break and go hide away until the hurt is gone, but I can’t help but to continue on. The Vampire Academy Marathon Read must push forward (6 days and counting).