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

Well guys, I've finished the series. I have to say that after reading all six of these wonderful books, Richelle Mead is the queen of vampire fiction. These books are beautifully and skillfully written and while I'm happy that I finished the series, I'm also disappointed I won't get to read more from Rose's point of view. After a very small amount of deliberation, I'll be starting the Bloodlines series next. I was going to take a Richelle Mead reading break, but after finished Last Sacrifice last night, I've decided I need something else to hold me over!


Quite obviously, I'm not going to be giving away too much about the plot of Last Sacrifice. I will however let you know that it is a nonstop adventure that leads our characters not only on physical adventures across the country but spiritual and emotional journeys as well. We get to see our characters grow up and really come into their own.

Whereas a few of the previous books in the VA series had me feeling a little bored and I had to fight to get myself through certain parts, this book literally had me going from page one. There was not a paragraph of this book that didn't pull me in or get me excited. In fact, towards the end of the book, I had to slow down and remind myself that there are important things in all of the paragraphs, not just the ones with Rose and Dimitri.

Overall, I fell completely head over heels for this series and its characters. Richelle Mead is now one of my favorite authors as her stories are so rich and fun you can't ever put them down. I was talking to a friend who is on book 1 in the series. She was asking me if so and so is important and if this or that would play a big roll in further books and I told her that Richelle Mead rarely introduces nonsense in her books. If there is information, then it will be important later in the story. I loved this aspect of the books because I never felt like my time was wasted on unimportant details or facts.

As I said before, I'm going to be starting Bloodlines soon and so you'll have to put up with some more reviews on Mead's books. Now in order to reward you for your patience and enthusiasm, I'll be doing a VA themed giveaway once I've finished The Golden Lily. I've still got some swag left over from The Golden Lily tour with Richelle Mead and I'd love to give away some books. Stay tuned :)

10 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

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Winners of Giveaway #6!

It's now time to announce the winners of my Giveaway #6, the pre-order giveaway! I've got two winners here that I will need to hear back from within 72 hours in order for them to receive their books. If I don't hear back in 72 hours, I'll be choosing another winner. And the lucky winners are:

Kimberly Rampersad

Melody Yang

These folks have been emailed and I will get the books sent out as soon as I get a reply! Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway and stop by again soon, more great reviews and giveaways to come.

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

And I've finished another one of the Vampire Academy books and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now, I'm not sure if I'm excited to start the last book and have the series come to a close as I'm so excited/anxious to figure out what Ms. Mead has in store, or if I'm completely heart broken to be done with this series. I think the end of the next book will answer that question for me but until I get there, please enjoy this review of book five, Spirit Bound. Once again, I will try and keep the review as spoiler free as possible, but as you know, I'm pretty dang excited about the series so a little something here or there may slip!


Spirit Bound takes our characters to new places. As their training and schooling at St. Vladimir's is coming to a close, reality sets in that our favorite vampires and guardians are going to be out in the real world. They'll begin with a return to Court. For Rose and the other guardians, this means learning of their placements after graduation and for Lissa and the other royals, it's a chance to learn about politics and meet those who they will be associating with for the rest of their lives. As it always seems to be the case with our friends, tragedy and turmoil are lurking around every corner. This book brings intrigue, excitement and shock as Mead writes a story that is no doubt setting up a beautiful finale for the series.

I will tell you that at first, I felt the book dragged a little. I was somewhat disappointed because I felt as though I was reading Blood Promise again, just taking in new information. As the story progressed, Mead began dishing out her typical shocking plot twists and turns and I ended up reading the last two thirds of the book in one sitting.

A lot happens in this fifth installment, and I mean a lot. We are treated to the highest of ups and the lowest of downs as we are forced to suffer along with our characters. Of course I won't be giving away any of the big deal plot twists but I will say that I am thoroughly enjoying Meads unpredictable storyline. So many stories that I've been reading lately are the same ho-hum story or have plots that you figure out after the first 10 pages. With the Vampire Academy series, I'm in a constant state of emotional turmoil as Mead puts my torn heart back together again only to break it once more. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining because this girl's got talent.

Well I think that's all I'm going to say for this one. I'm keeping it short and sweet so I can get on to Last Sacrifice and see how this wonderful story will end. Time to grab my tissues and a glass of wine.

8 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

Allison
imabibliophobic.blogspot.com

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

Part of me really didn't want to write this review tonight... mostly because I want to be reading the next book Spirit Bound. I don't know what it is about the VA series, but I devour these books in only a matter of days (sometimes hours!) and Blood Promise was no different. Once again, I will warn you that there may be some semi spoilers in this review. I've really enjoyed the dialog I've had with other readers on these books and so I don't want to be too cryptic about my opinions.


We meet our characters separated and unhappy when Blood Promise begins. Rose has put a great distance between herself and her home and friends as she sets out on a dark and deadly mission. Her quest leads her to Russia where she encounters an Alchemist, Sydney and a host of other characters who hep her and deter her on her path. Through out the book, Rose must choose not only between the right choice and the easy choice but she must also choose to turn her back on those that she loves most to sacrifice herself for love.

I will start off by saying that I didn't enjoy this book as much as the others for a few reasons. First and foremost, I felt that this one dragged a little. Blood Promise was more of a filler book that provided a lot of information and set up a wonderful book five as I can only imagine. That's not to say that things didn't happen in this book. Please don't get me wrong, there were some very emotional and intense scenes  but I felt like there was more world building than actual story telling. This was not a bad thing per say. Mead has created such a unique and complex world and so it seems only right that at least a few of the books in her six book series be dedicated to giving some meat to the world of the Moroi, Strigoi and Dhampire.

If you've read my other reviews in the VA academy series, you'll know that I am quite in love with Mr. Dimitri and so I may not have liked this one because we do see quite a different side to this hunky Russian. I fell for his quite demeanor and restrained love for Rose and in past books, and in Blood Promise, well... he's a completely different man. Understandably so, but you'll understand when I say I was as sad and disappointed as Rose was when she met the new and improved Dimitri.

The tone of this book was quite different as well. It seemed that every story line we were following was full of sorrow and misery, which of course was the intention. This wasn't supposed to be the happiest of stories as tragedy has just struck, but it was a little monotonous to read as the characters were continually sad and upset.

In conclusion, this book just made me more and more excited for book five and I can't wait to get this next one underway!

7 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

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

I have one word for you: Amazing. Shadow Kiss was such a thrill ride that I read all 440 pages in one night... I just couldn't stop. Now after that one amazing word, I think I may have a few other words for Richelle Mead because of how she made me feel at the end of this heart breaker. I'm only joking, Shadow Kiss has further put me in awe of Mead's talented storytelling and superb writing. I know I normally do spoiler free reviews and I can assure you I will not be giving away any huge plot twists, but be cautious in reading this review as I feel like I need to get some things off my chest that may spoil some mystery to the series.


Shadow Kiss starts with our characters cooping with the events of the past and they must deal with the death of their friend. As this semester begins, the senior novices must begin their field training and they are each assigned a Moroi to protect. Rose believes everything is goign according to her plan: Lissa will be her Moroi, she's trying to make peace with her nonexistent relationship with Dimitri and she's coming to terms with her interaction with the Strigoi, but of course when things seem to be going their best, it's the the calm before the storm.

Now as I said before, I went and saw Richelle Mead speak at her launch party for The Golden Lily and I had not read any of her books yet. She sympathized with her readers, not quite apologizing, for the ending of book three and in my head, I thought wow, these people are nuts. With all their whining and grumbling you'd think Mead had gone and kicked everyone's puppy. Now, I feel like she really did kick my puppy.

This lady has a special way of ripping your heart out and stepping on it, while you still appreciate her writing and her big plot twist. Obviously I won't be giving away what happened at the end, but while I was beyond devastated (I may or may not have cried in my bed for a little bit at 1 am) I appreciated what she did. I've been reading a great deal of paranormal romances lately and they all end the same, something bad happens but then things right themselves and the couple snuggle but look forward to further evil in the next installment. While this makes me happy (obviously) it doesn't make for a very interesting story. In Shadow Kiss, I felt as though Mead turned my world upside down, which while sad, is a good thing! It kept things interesting and I am scrambling to get my hands on book 4.

The story was actually longer than the other two in the series but i found it much easier to get through and I really enjoyed the story. After the devastation that occurred on their ski trip, our main characters have changed. They are more cautious, wiser and have a different out look on life than their fellow students at St. Vladimir's. I welcomed this change in personalities and it made fore a much more interesting read.

Rose has a lot to deal with in this book as she finds out more about her relationship with Lissa and she has to come to terms with what's really inside of her. Is being a guardian and putting her Moroi's every need before hers something she wants? Rose questions a lot of her deeprooted beliefs in this story and she has to  make the hard decisions, which is one of the things I love most about Rose. I said in a previous reveiw that she's working her way up to one of my favorite heroines in YA fiction and I think she made it up to the top five. She is kick ass and I love her.

 We also get to see more of her relationship with Dimitri. While I won't talk about this too much for fear of more heartbreak, I love him, plain and simple. I sense that Adrian is going to be moving into the spotlight a little more and I can't decide if I like him or not. While I love his charming whit and the bad ass air he exudes, I'm still stuck on Dimitri and I don't know if I'll be able to give Adrian a chance. Are you listening to me right now? What did Richelle Mead do to me?! On to book four...

9 out of 10

Happy Reading (keep tissues handy)

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Frostbite (Vampire Academy, #2) by Richelle Mead - Review

I hate doing this to you guys, reading all the books in a series right in a row, but with these books I can't help it. I'm completely drawn into the series and come hell or high water, I don't think I can stop continuing on so please forgive me if you get a little tired of my Vampire Academy reviews, but I'm hoping that you guys love the books as much as I do!


In Frostbite, we find our characters just as we left them after Vampire Academy ended. Lissa and Christian are getting hot and heavy, Mason is completely head over heels in love with Rose and as you know, Rose is falling hard for her instructor Dimitri. As these sordid love affairs are brewing, a Strigoi attack has left the Dhampir and Moroi world on high alert. In an effort to protect the students of St. Vladimir's the've decided to bus, or rather jet, the students an their families out to a ski resort for a little protected rest and relaxation. I'm sure you can imagine that things did not go according to plan as in this book, everything they know about the Strigoi is turned upside down and Rose gets first hand knowledge at how dangerous these vamps can be.

I really did enjoy this book more than Vampire Academy. That's not to say I didn't like book one, but in Frostbite, I already had a grasp of the vocabulary and the background stories so it made it easier to read and understand. The story was a little more intense as well and I can only anticipate them getting more and more exciting and dangerous as the stories continue.

Once again, Mead presented a beautifully written story that while sometimes a little predictable, was hard to put down. Something about these books takes me until about page 100 and then I don't put the book down until I finish it. That happened with the first book as well and I'm not exactly sure what happens 100 pages into her books, but something sparks and I couldn't stop reading.

My favorite characters were still my favorites and Frostbite made me love Rose even more. In this book, she shows her age a little bit at times and she has to face the harsh reality that being a guardian isn't about jumping into situations because you think you're a badass and can take on the world. She learns through her time with Dimitri and her mother that the Strigoi are a force to be reckoned with and not easily taken down. By the end of Frostbite, Rose is much wiser than her fellow students and while it takes tragedy for this to happen to her, I enjoyed this part of her story.

As I predicted,  I was pulling hard for Dimitri and Rose to get together. Every chapter I was hoping was the chapter that would lead them to continue their steamy romance, and I was constantly thinking KISS KISS!! Needless to say I got a little frustrated at times. Dimitri and Rose are swiftly becoming one of my favorite book couples!

If you are a little late on the uptake like I am in reading Vampire Academy, I most definitely recommend that you keep reading after book one. This book was worth the read!

8 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

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Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, #1) by Richelle Mead - Review

I'm so excited that I finished the first book in the Vampire Academy series. I've been waiting to start it for a while and now that I have, I'm so excited to continue on with this series. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Richelle Mead's launch party for her newest book. I had never read any of her books, but I was excited to see her speak nonetheless. She completely charmed me and I bought almost all of her books... yep... a lot of them.


This series follows some of the students who attend St. Vladimir's Academy, a boarding school for the Moroi and the Dhampir (a race of vampires and their half-vampire guardians). Lissa is a Moroi princess who's best friend, Rose, happens to be a very talented Dhampir who lives to protect her. Because of her loyalty, Rose takes Lissa on the run to save her from herself and those at St. Vladimir's. Once they are recaptured by a group of Dhampir working for St. Vladimir, Lissa and Rose must immerse themselves back into life at St. Vladimir among threats against Lissa and her powers and taunting from classmates. As if this wasn't enough to deal with, there's always the threat of the Strigoi, the evil race of imortal vampires hell bent on killing the royal Moroi families. Rose will stop at nothing to save her best friend and that may mean losing her life.

I completely fell in love with this book and it's characters. Mead has written a rich story with characters you can't help but love. I enjoyed Mead's writing style very much. She has a way of writing that sucks you into the world of the Moroi and the Dhampir and has you never wanting to leave. Her characters have a witty sensibility that makes you laugh out loud and wish that they were your best friends.

My absolute favorite part of this book was Rose, our heroine. She made her way up there as one of my favorite girls in YA fiction. She's strong, sassy and doesn't take anyone's B.S. Rose really has her head on straight and even as she's still growing up and learning to be an adult, she makes the hard decisions that no one has the balls to make and unselfishly, she thinks only of protecting Lissa and making herself the best guardian she can be. Seriously, this girl is kick ass and I loved reading about her adventures.

Now lets talk about Dimitri. Oh, Dimitri. If I were Rose, I'd be on him like white on rice! I loved their forbidden attraction and their almost love affair and I can't wait to see what happens with them in the coming books. I know I'll probably be frustrated and probably yelling for some kissing, but I can't wait!

I really liked Mead's unique take on vampires in this story as well. After hearing her speak, I found out that her basis for the Moroi, Strigoi and Dhampir are based on certain aspects of Romanian folklore. I really liked this different take on mythology. I found it to be creative and more believable... yes I said believable.

Overall, I did really like this story. I think I'm going to like the other books even more as I was just trying to get acquainted with the new world and the characters in this one. It was a lot to take in and a lot of different names to learn in this one!


Here's me and Richelle. Eep! I was fan girly and I hadn't even read any of her books yet!

8 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

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Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush #1) by Becca Fitzpatrick - Review

Hush, Hush has been sitting on my bookshelf staring at me for some time now. It also gives me the eye anytime I see it in the books store and so this lazy Saturday morning, I decided to give it a try. I read the whole book this morning and I have to say I was in a very good mood all day, thinking of fallen angels and boys named Patch...


Hush, Hush is set on the east coast and our main character Nora is just your average high school teenager. She's got a mouthy best friend and is a little more on the quite and reserved side of things. While she's never been interested in boys before, Patch, our leading man, taunts, teases and pushes his way into Nora's field of vision. Before she knows it, she's falling hard for the mysterious and dangerous Patch and she has no idea just how dangerous this darring young man can be. Filled with passion, action and of course romance, Hush, Hush is a well written book you'll find hard to put down.

Now, I've read some very positive and also some very negative reviews of this book and I have to say that I really enjoyed this read. While it wasn't my favorite book of all time, it was a new story that kept me entertained and begging for more Patch and Nora scenes. I feel like Fitzpatrick can do a lot with this series and it gave me a feeling that I will like each book more than the last.

Our heroine, Nora, is strong willed and naive (a gruesome combination if your love interest is a fallen angel....) and I really liked her character. During her interactions with the hunky Patch, I found myself thinking that I would have the same reactions to him in my own awkward adolescence. I probably would have liked to have seen a little bit more from Patch in this story. Also, I must confess, I did have a little chuckle and eye roll when I first read his name... Patch? Really? That sounds like an adorable fluffy puppy, not a leather jacket wearing heartbreaker. But as Hush, Hush progressed, I got over the name because who doesn't love a sexy, mysterious, motorcycle riding dark angel (Even if his name is Patch)?

Overall, the storyline did feel a little familiar at times, but I enjoyed the read nonetheless. I felt that Fitzpatrick did a stellar job creating two very different but compatible characters in a story of forbidden love. I'm excited to see what comes next in Crescendo and I hope to have book three, Silence finished by the time Finale is published.

7 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

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Giveaway #6! The Pre-Order Giveaway!

One of my favorite things to treat myself to is pre-ordering books. I love doing it way in advance and then getting a lovely surprise book in the mail! Well, I'd like to treat you guys to the same joy that I have! I'm doing a pre-order giveaway! I'll have two winners and they'll both get to choose the pre-order of their choice from Book Depository to be delivered right to their doors! I have some examples of some pre-orders I found below the Rafflecopter, but you are more than welcome to pick anything you're excited about that's available on bookdepository.com for pre-order!


The contest will run today, July 6th to July 20th! Good luck :)

Here are the giveaway rules:

• Must be 13 years or older!
• It's an international giveaway, so as long as book depository ships to you, you're eligible to win!
• I will announce the winners on the blog and send you an email. You will then have 72 hours to repsond to the email in order to be a winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here are some books that I thought might be some good picks!

Wake
Amanda Hocking

Finale
Becca Fitzpatrick

Reached
Ally Condie

Hidden
P.C. Cast + Kristin Cast

Girl of Nightmares
Kendare Blake

Beautiful Redemption
Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

The Evolution of Mara Dyer
Michelle Hodkin

Days of Blood and Starlight
Laini Taylor

The Mark of Athena
Rick Riordan

Sever
Lauren Destefano 

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Abandon (Abandon Trilogy #1) by Meg Cabot - Review

I will start off by saying that I've never read any of Meg Cabot's books. This was my introduction into her writing and I think I probably should have chosen another book to begin with. I've heard some great things about her writing and I picked Abandon out because I love mythology retelling and I thought another Persephone myth would be right up my alley. I wasn't a huge fan of this book, but I have no doubt that others will have a different opinion than me.


Abandon, the first in the Abandon trilogy, tells the story of Piece, a young girl who has a brush with death at a young age and eventually, cheats death and Hades himself. Once she returns to life after escaping hell, she is never the same girl. The world changes around her as does her outlook on life as she becomes distracted and puts herself in a glass coffin, effectively shutting out the world. The only problem is that he always seems to be there. Whenever she needs him and sometimes when he's the last person she wants to see, he shows up and interrupts her life. As she gets to know him more, she finds herself in a position that may lead her back to the Underworld where she escaped from in the first place.

Honestly, this was a tough read for me. I read it in one sitting, but I really had to force myself to continue reading. When I began reading the book, I was so confused. I had to check Goodreads to make sure that I was reading the first book in the series, not the second or third. The first 80 pages or so jump around so much that I had trouble figuring out who was who and who did what. The rest of the book was sort of like this as well. Pierce would be in the present and then flash back to an earlier memory which made it so confusing and all the more difficult to get to know the characters.

Because of this, I found the characters really hard to fall for. Pierce wasn't the uber passionate and strong character I love in a heroine and she I didn't really feel that she had a defined personality. I'm also not a huge fan of John either. I felt like he was brooding and moody... and that was it. I didn't get a feel for his personality either and I couldn't root for their romance in this one.

Overall, I just couldn't get into the story. You know when you're reading an amazing book and the walls of your bedroom fall away and you're completely immersed in the story you're reading? This never happened while I was reading Abandon. I was a tad bored and I had a hard time making myself keep reading. I don't know if it's because I'm a huge fan of Aimee Carter's Goddess Test series that covers the same myth, only different and well... better, but this one didn't sit well with me.  The next book, Underworld, may be a little better as it seems like it will take place in the actual Underworld, but I don't think I'll be picking it up anytime soon.

2 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

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Fifty Shades Freed (Fifty Shades #3) by E.L. James - Review

And here we are. I've finally finished this infamous trilogy and I have to say, I'm very pleased with how things were ended. In previous reviews for both Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades Darker, I was addicted to the sereis amid some confusion on my part. Why do I even like these Twilight-y and raunchy books? I don't really have an answer to that question but I do know that I really enjoyed Fifty Shades Freed and I find myself content and all mushy inside after finishing it.


Honestly, what synopses can I give for this finale without ruining both books one and two? Through out this book, Anastasia and Christian contend to fight and work out their relationship. Who ever said love was easy? Especially when you love a billionaire, with an intimacy phobia and an obcession with BDSM... It seems that the worst of their problems may not be their stubbornness and sexual tenancies. There are threats to their lives that are out of their control and Ana must take fate into her own hands to make her relationship work and to save the lives of those she loves.

In this one, I really fell in love with Christian. He still had his twitchy palm moments that made me question my love, but overall I fell head over heals. There was more of a vulnerability to him in Freed than the other two stories and it was hard not to find his innocence and troubled soul endearing. Ana also kicked some butt in this one, quite literally. She came into her own in this book and not only stood up to her enemies, but found a way to stand up to Christian as well.

While these books are not expertly written, I got past that in book three and was constantly smiling at Ana and Grey's constant witty banter via email and it had me wishing I had my own kinky Mr. Grey to email while I'm working. A girl can dream, right? I also enjoyed how James skimmed through certain scenes in the book. There were not as many nonsensical, overly explained scenes and that helped the book move along at a better pace, which I liked better than the other books.

Freed more like a typical romance novel that I'm used to reading a la Robyn Carr and Sandra Brown, but with a little more of a modern twist and of course, a lot more kinky. It was refreshing and I read Freed in two sittings.

While the book was pretty predictable at times (Twilight part deux), I couldn't help but enjoy the ride. I was invested in their fifty shades of !#$%ed up relationship and I couldn't wait to see them happy. If you've started Fifty Shades of Grey, keep reading to get to Fifty Shades Freed. It's worth the read with all it's cheesy lines, lovey-dovey plot and the kinky. Who knew a book like this could make a girl get all sentimental?

7 out of 10

Happy Reading!

Laters ;)

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