Matched by Ally Condie

Cassia Reyes lives in a Society where every choice is made for her: what to eat, what to wear, where to play and work, when to die.  On her 17th birthday, Cassia is also told who she'll marry: she's been Matched with her best friend Xander Carrow.  Cassia's excitement over being Matched with Xander is short-lived, though, when Ky Markham's face flashes on the screen.  Ky's face is only there for a moment, but it's long enough for Cassia to wonder if he could be the one.  The Society tells Cassia that it's simply a rare glitch that caused Ky's face to show, that she should focus on her life with Xander.  But Cassia can't get Ky off her mind, and the more time the two spend together, the harder Cassia falls.  She also begins to question the rightness of the Society in mapping out her life for her.  Ky opens Cassia's eyes to an entirely different way of life, and the Society is not happy.

I'll admit that it took me a little while to really get into Matched.  Not having the time to read more than a few pages at a time didn't help, I'm sure, but the pace of the story was just very slow starting out.  We follow Cassia as she prepares for her Match Banquet, and the details of her world are revealed ever so slowly.  It's not until the middle of the book that things actually pick up, but by that time so much had been revealed about the way the Society dictates every aspect of its citizen's lives that I was hooked.

Cassia's uncertainty about which path to choose was believable.  On one hand she had her perfect life; her Match with Xander; everything she's ever known.  On the other, she had Ky; her grandfather's illegal poem telling her to "rage against the dying of the light" and to "not go gentle"; the sense that things aren't what they seem.  Cassia doesn't want to make trouble for herself or her family.  Which path is the right one?

Matched kept me on the edge of my seat.  It was a very intriguing read, one that made me think.  I wouldn't want to live in Cassia's world, that's for sure, but knowing I had someone like Ky to curl up to would make the fight worth it.

Can't wait to read the second book!

4/5

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

I'm going to warn you right now that this review will contain SPOILERS.  I just can't write a review without referring to things that have happened throughout the series, and I'll also include spoilers from Last Sacrifice itself.

You've been warned.  Read no further, unless you don't mind spoilers.

In Spirit Bound, Rose and Lissa brought Dimitri back to life, after he was turned into a Strigoi in Shadow Kiss.  Being a dhampir again wasn't easy for Dimitri, though, and he found himself dealing with a lot of depression and guilt for the lives he'd taken as a Strigoi.  He also told Rose that he didn't love her anymore, that he couldn't love anyone again.  Rose, heartbroken, decided to give things with Adrian a chance.  At the end of Spirit Bound, Rose was arrested for murdering Queen Tatiana.

Last Sacrifice picks up where Spirit Bound left off, with Rose in prison.  Her father and friends plan and execute a daring break-out.  Shocking as it is - Rose had no clue a jailbreak was in the planning, as Lissa had blocked Rose from her mind - Rose is most shocked to see that Adrian and Dimitri have worked together to break her out.  Oh, I loved it, but I was so torn!  Those two men are both awesome in their own ways, and while I knew Rose and Dimitri were meant to be, a small part of me wished that Adrian would win the girl.  Still, I'm Team Dimitri and have been from the beginning.

Most of the book follows Rose as she, Dimitri and Sydney the Alchemist hide from the Moroi authorities, in the hopes that Rose's trial can be stalled, giving them enough time to discover who really murdered the queen.  They also hope to find Lissa's half-sibling because another Dragomir guarantees that Lissa will be in the running to become the new Moroi monarch.

After the amazingness of Spirit Bound, I had such high expectations that Last Sacrifice would be just as good, if not better.  I was a bit disappointed.  First of all, the book was far too long.  Almost 600 pages, with most of that spent with Rose in random small towns, hiding out.  The first chapters were amazing, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.  Then the action slowed and strange new characters - the Keepers - were introduced.  I didn't like those chapters at all.  Snore.  The rest of the book seemed kind of slow after that.

I had no inkling at all that the killer would be Tasha!  Poor Christian.  I guess it makes sense, since Tasha wanted Dimitri to be her guardian - and more.  While I'm sad for Christian, I'm happy that Adrian's mom wasn't the killer because I think that would have destroyed Adrian, especially after what he'd gone through with Rose.  His ending was completely heartbreaking, and after he yelled at Rose and then wasn't heard from again, I thought "Is that really it?"  I wanted more closure with the Adrian story, but I have a hunch that things were left that way because Adrian is going to be the main character in Mead's VA spinoff series.  His story is definitely NOT over.  Richelle Mead says in her Acknowledgements page that she "[hopes] you'll continue to enjoy the many Moroi and dhampir adventures to come."  Here's hoping I'll get Adrian's story, and that Rose and Dimitri will make appearances. 

As sad as I was for Adrian, I was ecstatic that Dimitri (aka "a certain smoldering dhampir", according to my sister Kira) finally declared his love for Rose and that they got their happily ever after!  They belong together, no question.  And I'm glad that the bond between Lissa and Rose was broken when Rose almost died protecting Lissa from Tasha's bullets.  I'm hoping that Rose will have a more 'normal' life now that she doesn't have to feel everything Lissa's feeling, and she no longer has to take the darkness and insanity from Lissa.

As to who Lissa's half-sibling is, I had no clue it would be Jill.  Maybe I should have seen it coming, but I didn't.  I hope that Lissa is nice to Jill, and that the two of them end up having a great relationship.  It's not Jill's fault that she's the illegitimate child of Eric Dragomir, after all.

I'm glad that Christian and Lissa ended up together, and that Lissa was elected queen.

Overall, I found Last Sacrifice a satisfying conclusion to the Vampire Academy series, but it wasn't as good as Spirit Bound.  And there wasn't enough Rose and Dimitri love.  Can't win 'em all, though.

I'm torn between 4 and 4.5 stars, but I'll go with 4 because the more I think about this book (I finished it last night), the more I wish it would have been better.

4/5

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

After an unsuccessful mission in Siberia, Rose returns to St. Vladimir's Academy and is reunited with Lissa.  Rose aces her guardian trials and the girls graduate, both ready to move on and see what life has to offer.  Rose hasn't forgotten about Dimitri, though.  She knows he's out there somewhere, waiting for her.  She hasn't forgotten her mission, either, and won't give up hope that she can somehow save Dimitri.

Of the five Vampire Academy books I've read, Spirit Bound is my favorite.  (It also has the best cover of the series.)  All the regulars are back for some non-stop, kick-butt action.  Rose has moved on and is now in a relationship with Adrian, though she's still not over Dimitri.  The fact that Adrian knows of the feelings his "little dhampir" still has for Dimitri and loves her anyway really makes me like him that much more.  He just keeps growing on me.  Lissa really matured in this book, and proved what an asset she can be.  And Dimitri... oh, I do love him.

I feel like I can't say much about this book without giving too much away!  It's so hard to write a non-spoilerish review, so I'm just going to say that I LOVED this book, just as much as the first time I read it.  I can't wait to start Last Sacrifice.

5/5

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

The deadly Strigoi attack at St. Vladimir's claimed the lives of Moroi students, teachers, and guardians.  Dimitri was captured, and now Rose is determined to find him and 'save' him, even though it means she must abandon Lissa.  Though she swore to protect Lissa at any cost, Rose knows that she must follow her heart and fulfill the promise she made Dimitri all those months ago.  Thinking that Dimitri will be in his homeland, Rose travels across Siberia in search of the man she loves.  She meets Dimitri's family, and also a mysterious businessman named Abe, whose role in Rose's life is bigger than she ever expected.

Back at St. Vlad's, Lissa is depressed without Rose, but the new headmaster's daughter, Avery, cheers her up with drinking and partying.  Christian doesn't approve, and even Adrian isn't sure what to think of the change.  Rose still occasionally uses her bond to visit Lissa, and doesn't like the new Lissa she's seeing.  Something is just not right.

I remember thinking during my first read of Blood Promise just how boring and drawn-out most of it was.  The second time around was even worse.  All the time Rose spends in Siberia is a complete snooze-fest.  New characters were introduced in both storylines (Rose and Lissa's), but I can't say I even cared about a single one of them.  With the exception of Sydney the Alchemist and Abe, the new characters played no important part in furthering the story.  I felt like the regular characters didn't have enough of a presence in this book, and I missed them.  And what's with all the random Rose and Dimitri flashbacks?  They added nothing to the story.

The last few chapters were the saving grace of the book.  Rose failed in her attempt to save Dimitri, and now he's after her.  But Rose may have a way to really bring Dimitri back.

My original rating was a 4, but if I were to rate the re-read, I'd give it a 3.5 at most.  I think Blood Promise is the weakest book in the series.

4/5

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

With graduation just around the corner, Rose and the other novices begin their field training, and Rose is assigned as Christian's guardian.  Ever since her first Strigoi kills, she has been seeing the ghost of her friend Mason, as well as dark shadows that creep across her vision.  The ghosts are making it almost impossible for her to concentrate on the tasks at hand.  Adrian tells her that aura is always tinged with black, that he can see her taking the darkness away from Lissa and into herself.  Will Rose survive the madness that threatens to overtake her?  And who can she trust with the secrets she's been keeping?  She longs to tell Lissa about her love for Dimitri, but feels that Lissa has enough to worry about already.  And as much as she wants to tell Dimitri about the ghosts she's been seeing, she fears he won't believe her.  When the Strigoi attack the campus of St. Vladimir's, everything as Rose knows it changes.

This book had a twist that blew me away the first time I read it.  It wasn't as exciting a read this time around (really, I've found that none of the three I've now reread have been), but that's because I already know what's going to happen.  The element of surprise has been taken away.  I still really enjoyed it, though.  The last few chapters, especially, were awesome and I remember thinking that I couldn't wait to delve into the fourth book to see what would happen to one of my favorite characters.

In Shadow Kiss, Dimitri and Rose take their relationship to a new level.  I love that they finally made plans for a future together (yay!), and I'm glad that Rose thought about what her life will really be like as Lissa's guardian.  I still have quite a crush on Dimitri, of course, but I also really like Adrian.  Everyone, Rose included, thinks he just wants to have "fun" with Rose, but he really does love her, and his actions at the end of the book make that clear.  What's also clear is that Rose will ever only have eyes for Dimitri.  And now she has to do something she never dreamed possible...

I'll go with my original rating, just as I did with the other books.

4.5/5

Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Winter break from St. Vladimir's Academy is supposed to be fun, but with Strigoi attacks on the rise, even a ski holiday at a luxury cabin isn't all it's cracked up to be.  Especially when Rose's mother unexpectedly shows up to provide extra guardian protection.  Rose and her mother have never gotten along, and their relationship is still strained.  As is Rose's relationship with Dimitri.  He's been asked to become guardian to Christian's aunt Tasha, and Rose is sure he'll take the position.  She's jealous of Dimitri and Tasha's friendly bantering, but knows that Dimitri will have a good life with Tasha.  She just wants him to be happy, and thinking that Dimitri will go on to be happy without her, Rose decides to try a relationship with her friend Mason, who has a serious crush on her.  The alluring and mysterious Adrian Ivashkov also piques Rose's interest.  But Rose can't get Dimitri off her mind.

Feeling rejected by Rose, Mason gathers his friend Eddie and mean-girl Mia, and the trio sneaks off campus to hunt down a rumored Strigoi colony in Spokane.  Rose is the only person who knows where they may be, and she and Christian follow them.  They are in way over their heads, though, and their lives are all in peril.  The enemy this time around is much more dangerous than Viktor Dashkov.

Frostbite was a better read than Vampire Academy, with much more action.  Rose has matured a little bit in this second book, but her temper can still get the best of her.  I love the romantic build-up between Rose and Dimitri, and while a part of me knows how wrong it is for them to be together (he's 24 and she's 17, after all), a bigger part of me can't help but cheer them on.  Like any good mentor, Dimitri tries really hard to keep his emotions in check, but Rose is so passionate that she sometimes breaks through his cool veneer.  (I love when that happens!)  She still has a long way to go, but the last few chapters of Frostbite show that she's clearly on her way toward becoming an amazing guardian.

4/5

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Is that a cheesy book cover, or what?

I first read the VA books over the summer, thinking that all five had been published and I could just read them all in a row, not having to wait for new books to be released.  Well, after finishing the fifth book, I discovered that a sixth book was set to be released.  So, I've been waiting since July to get my hands on book 6, Last Sacrifice, which was released today.  I ordered it from Amazon, so I'll probably have it in my hands tomorrow or Thursday, but before I read it, I'm rereading the others in the series so that I can jump right into Last Sacrifice.  And since I never reviewed the VA books when I read them the first time around (I was on a blog hiatus), I decided to review them as I reread them.  (Mostly for you, Kira, since you were so disappointed that I hadn't reviewed them.)

Vampire Academy revolves around dhampir Rose Hathaway, who is a bodyguard to Moroi princess Lissa Dragomir.  They'd run away from St. Vladimir's Academy, but have been captured and returned.  Now Lissa continues her schooling and Rose is back to guardian training.  Guardians are protectors of the Moroi, the good vampires, and mostly guard them from Strigoi - evil and highly dangerous vampires.  Rose is in training to hopefully become Lissa's guardian.  She takes her lessons from Dimitri Belikov, who's known as a "god" on campus.  Rose enjoys her time with Dimitri, and soon her feelings turn into more than just admiration for the skills he can teach her.  She falls in love with Dimitri, but knows that she must push those feelings aside and concentrate on protecting Lissa, for she and Lissa share a special bond and no one can protect Lissa like Rose can.

I feel the same way I did when I first read Vampire Academy: it started out a bit slowly, but the action grew and by the time the book ended I was ready for more.  Like Rose, I fell in love with Dimitri, and I can't wait to read more about him in the upcoming books.  Yes, I've read the other books before, but I'm giddy and excited all over again.  The scenes with Dimitri are hot.

I did find all the foreshadowing interesting this time around.  I already know the story, so it was fun to pick up on all the little details I'd missed before or not known to pay attention to, like all the talk about St. Vladimir's "spirit".

3.5/5

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

When Isobel Lanley and Varen Nethers are paired for an English project, neither is very happy.  They are total opposites: Isobel a popular cheerleader, Varen a goth loner.  At first, Isobel wants nothing to do with Varen.  She grudgingly agrees to meet up with him to discuss the project and comes to the realization that he's not what he seems.  Isobel's football-playing boyfriend and her friends turn their backs on Isobel, which hurts at first.  But the more time she spends with Varen, the less she cares what her so-called 'friends' think.

While working on the project, about Edgar Allan Poe, Isobel comes across strange writings in Varen's notebook.  Soon after, she begins seeing scary creatures and discovers that Varen's writings have trapped him in a dreamworld of his own creation.  Only Isobel can save Varen and prevent the creatures from taking over the real world.

I'm not a fan of Edgar Allan Poe, but I think a series based on his writings is a cool idea.  I admit that I only skimmed the poems that were included in the book, because Poe's works aren't what interested me about the story.  I was more interested in the connection between Isobel and Varen.  (Did you know that Varen is an anagram for 'raven'?)  Usually, goth boys don't interest me in the least, but there was something about Varen that pulled me in.  He's a very deep and unique character, and he keeps many things hidden.  And Isobel isn't your ordinary cheerleader.  There's a real depth to her, as well.  I love that the relationship between Varen and Isobel wasn't rushed.  It developed slowly, like any real relationship does.

I hated the way Isobel's friends treated her, and Varen.  I really couldn't believe that they would be so cruel to her simply because she was hanging out with Varen.  I'm glad she dumped her possessive boyfriend and defended Varen.  Her actions were very admirable.  Not many high school cheerleaders would befriend and stand up for a goth kid the way Isobel did.

I have an admission to make:  I skimmed the last third of the book because it was so drawn-out and all the details about the dream realm bored me.  The funny thing is, though, that after finishing the book, I wanted to get my hands on book 2 right away.  I may not care about all the details of Varen's dream world, but I want to know how Isobel is going to rescue him.  Varen as a character fascinates me, and I'm looking forward to learning more about him.

Overall, I think the book was a bit too long (over 500 pages), but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

My rating: 3.5/5

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

At eight years of age, Evie discovers that she has a special gift... she sees through the glamours of paranormals.  With no family of her own, Evie is taken in by the International Paranormal Containment Agency (IPCA), a group charged with tracking and containing paranormal beings.  Eight years later, Evie has become somewhat bored with the usual "bag and tag" at work, but while she knows her gift is indispensable to the IPCA, she longs for a normal teenage life.  When Evie's superior, Raquel, is attacked by a shape-shifting -- and extremely cute -- teenage boy named Lend, Evie finds herself strangely drawn to him.  Lend is drawn to Evie, too, and wonders if she may be the person at the center of a dark faerie prophecy.  As Lend and Evie form a friendship, paranormals begin dying and Reth, a faerie obsessed with Evie, gives odd clues that may lead Evie to discover who she really is.

Prior to reading Paranormalcy, I'd read nothing but glowing reviews about the book.  Maybe the high praise is to blame for my less-than-stellar reaction to Evie's story.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it.  I just didn't love it.  Evie is a fun, spunky, likable character (although I never could understand her fascination with lockers, of all things), and Lend is the kind of guy teenage girls dream about.  I think the whole idea behind Paranormalcy and the IPCA is intriguing, and the story held my interest throughout.  I really had no clue where the story was going, but even so, in the end, it took a completely different turn than I had expected and I felt like things weren't quite as fleshed out as they could have been.  And what's up with Reth?  He remains a big mystery to me, even after all the interaction he and Evie had.

While I didn't love it, I still found Paranormalcy to be an entertaining read.  I'll definitely read the second book, Supernaturally.  I'm eager to know Reth better, and to see where life leads Evie and Lend.

My rating: 3.5/5