Review: Frostbite by Richelle Mead

FROSTBITE
By: Richelle Mead
Published By: Razorbill
Release Date: April 10, 2008
Series: Vampire Academy (#2)
Pages: 327
Genre: Paranormal
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Bought
Buy the Book: Amazon

Note: Frostbite is the second book in the Vampire Academy series. The following summary and review may contain spoilers if you have not read Vampire Academy.

Goodreads Summary: Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose...

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price...



I really enjoyed the first Vampire Academy book, and I was eager to continue the series. Frostbite was a great sequel, continuing the story while developing more of the world and bringing in new, intriguing characters. And best of all, there was more Dimitri.

After being on the run for two years to try and protect her best friend Lissa, Rose knows better than most Guardians that Moroi are never safe. However, in the wake of an unprecedented Strigoi attack just before the Christmas holidays, times seem more uncertain than ever. Moroi families with students at the Academy (and their Guardians) decide to spend the break together at a ski resort for safety. But Rose wasn't prepared for her mother to show up. She wasn't prepared for Adrian, or Tasha, or Dimitri's possible relationship with Tasha. And she certainly wasn't prepared for the changes that this Christmas holiday will mean for them all...

Danger, adventure, and (a lot of) romance - those three words can sum up Frostbite. But at the heart of it, Frostbite was really about Rose's evolution. She's slowly turning into the guardian she's meant to be, but there are still times that she can't avoid making rash decisions or giving into impulses. Sometimes she acts her age, but at other times she has insights and behavior that are definitely more mature. I liked seeing how Rose tried to develop into a leader, thinking not just about Lissa but about the bigger picture. This book also shows Rose with her mother, something we don't usually see in books with boarding schools, but I appreciated getting to see that side of Rose. Overall, she became stronger mentally and emotionally as well as physically, and I'm excited to see how she continues growing in the next books.

In addition to Rose's journey, there is even more action and adventure in Frostbite than in Vampire Academy. We see more of Mead's vampire world in this book as Rose interacts with other Guardians and Moroi; new characters are also introduced (like Adrian), and I am very curious to see how they affect the next books. There were also a couple of events that I never expected, and I have to say, I appreciate that Mead doesn't seem to hold anything back. Finally...no Vampire Academy review would be complete without mention of Dimitri. As far as YA books go, he's definitely near the top of the list of book boyfriends.

I love the world and characters that Richelle Mead has created in Vampire Academy. I can't wait to read Shadow Kiss!

Teaser Tuesday (74)

I'm very excited to be one of the many blogs participating in Teaser Tuesdays! TT is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To participate:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"There was a brief, collective intake of breath throughout the room. And then...chaos broke out."


p. 170 from FROSTBITE by Richelle Mead
Please share your teasers - post them or link to your blog!

Review: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

VAMPIRE ACADEMY
By: Richelle Mead
Published By: Razorbill
Release Date: Aug. 16, 2007
Series: Vampire Academy (#1)
Pages: 319
Genre: Paranormal
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Bought
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.



I tend to be late to a lot of things, so I shouldn't be surprised at myself for taking so long to start this series. However, now that I've finished Vampire Academy, I don't know why I waited so long to read this book. Something about this story immediately drew me in and kept me turning pages without realizing any time had passed.

Rose and Lissa have been on the run from St. Vladimir's Academy, but they both knew it couldn't last forever. When they're brought back by school guardians, Rose and Lissa realize that returning to life there will be more difficult than they thought. They're behind in their classes, and the danger that Rose tried to help Lissa avoid certainly hasn't gone away. While Lissa contends with her own internal debate, Rose has a much more physical fight - daily training sessions with her new mentor, Dimitri. He pushes her past all limits - including those she didn't know she had. As with any high school, rumors abound, and many are about Lissa. To make matters worse, someone seems to have it out for her. Can Rose fulfill her job as a guardian and and keep Lissa safe? And will Lissa and Rose ever be able to return to the life they once knew?

I can sum up everything good about Vampire Academy in one word: Dimitri. All right, that's really not true, but Dimitri is rather great. Handsome, mysterious, a skilled fighter, and able to whisper things in another language...what's not to love? I have a weakness for guys like that, and I loved seeing Dimitri throughout the book. However, in addition to Dimitri, I enjoyed the other characters too. Rose occasionally annoyed me, but most of the time I loved her snark. I also thought it was great to see such a strong friendship in the story, and I liked her fierce determination to protect Lissa. Christian was intriguing as well, even if he couldn't quite live up to Dimitri, and I'm looking forward to seeing how his character is developed in the future books. Beyond the characters, the world brings yet another fresh perspective to vampires - Richelle Mead has her own spin on the creatures, and I enjoyed the lore associated with them. After all of the vampire novels I've read, it was nice to find a vampire story I could still appreciate.

The story itself was fast-paced with a great balance between mystery, romance, action, and introspection. The book managed to surprise me with some of the events, which doesn't always happen. Yet I still wanted more from the whole story - more information, more fleshed-out scenes, more of the world. I'm sure all of this will come as the series unfolds, but I've never been one for patience. I can't wait to keep reading this series to see what happens next.

If you've been debating about reading these books, or just never gotten around to them, move them up on your to-read list. This is definitely a series worth picking up!

Teaser Tuesday (71)

I'm very excited to be one of the many blogs participating in Teaser Tuesdays! TT is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To participate:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"I tightened my grip on her arm, digging my nails in to get her attention. She flinched. 'No. It's not the same. It has nothing to do with that. Do you hear me?' I could feel both Natalie and Dimitri's eyes on us. 'It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay.'"


p. 99 from VAMPIRE ACADEMY by Richelle Mead
Please share your teasers - post them or link to your blog!

Teaser Tuesday (70)

I'm very excited to be one of the many blogs participating in Teaser Tuesdays! TT is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To participate:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"'My name is Dimitri Belikov,' he said. I could hear a faint Russian accent. 'I've come to take you back to St. Vladimir's Academy, Princess.'"


p. 11 from VAMPIRE ACADEMY by Richelle Mead
Please share your teasers - post them or link to your blog!