Last Sacrifice

I enjoyed this last book in the series. I was sad that I had read all the books and had nothing to look forward to. I just didn't like the picture on the cover. I picture Rose with a different look.

i absolutly loved this book! I have already read the frist five, and can't wait for the Seventh book to come out! honestly I think they are better than The Vampire Diaries or The Twilight Saga!Read The Vampire Academy and prepare to be intrigued!

This was the best book in the series! The entire series is amazing and this was a perfect conclusion for it! If you liked the Twilight Saga, Vampire Academy is definitely for you! Richelle Mead is one heck of a writer.

THERE ARE MANY SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

It felt like one really important point was overlooked here. Rose often dreamed and was even forced to live it by Avery, getting away and leading a life of her own choosing with Dmitri rather than a life of servitude to Lissa or any other Moroi. This is a huge point that is brought up in the series and is never resolved. Just because she gets her promise mark does not mean she doesn't want another life for herself. (She did it when it seemed as if nothing could bring her and Dmitri back together.) It is almost like it is passive resignation to a life that was planned for her by virtue of her birth but never by her choice. I think that she and Dmitri needed to talk about what they wanted from life and make this decision to be guardians and not together rather than ignore the reality that they are giving up their life together in servitude to others.

Dmitri goes from almost catatonic with grief and remorse to I love you with too much ease. The few bouts of struggle seem unlikely to yield the turnaround in behavior that they do. Rose is siphoning spirit off Lissa at an alarming pace and only has one huge breakdown? This also felt wrong. Why introduce the people living in the woods and not have them help the story along with either info on the lost Dragomir (I actually thought s/he would be living there in hiding at first)or help clearing Rose of the murder? In the absence of this help, maybe this group should have been saved for the spin off and not bogged down the pace of the story.

Rose and Dmitri never talk about what happened between them in Siberia, even though she forgives him, they should have spoken about all of it. Or his subsequent stalking of her. He never acknowledges the love and strength it would take for her to try to end his Strigoi existence by death or by spirit cure. He never talks about how hard it must have been for her to kill so many Strigoi looking for him. They never talk about her challenging final exam. They never talk about their one sexual experience in the cabin. (The perfect time for that was their second time together.) All of these things could have been addressed in the road trip and would have felt more honest in bringing Dmitri to redemption than "your hair is beautiful" did. Therefore I propose the series really does require one more book about Rose. One that hashes out these points, has Abe and Janine talk to them both about what went on in their past relationship and brings in Dmitri's family.

As observed by other reviewers, there was no mention of Dmitri's family at all. I would have expected most of his family to get on a plane and support him based on Rose's word alone. At the least a phone call should have been part of the story with a planned trip to follow.

The other thing that really bothered me was ending the book feeling like Rose simply did not care about the fate of her many friends. Adrian's conversation with her broke my heart but needed to be done. But once he points out the sacrifices of so many of her close friends on her behalf, she doesn't even say "I'll look into that tomorrow" she just shines it over. She was somewhat selfish throughout the series (which is appropriate for her age) but she was always loyal to her friends and this lack of interest in their well being didn't sit well with me. I understand the author wanted to leave questions for the new series, I just wanted Rose to acknowledge that she would now try to help her friends out of the jams she had gotten them into.

All of that said it is easy to complain when the hard work that went into it wasn't mine. I did love the book, I guess I wanted more of a balance of action and relationship in line with Patricia Briggs. I am grateful to Mead for writing the series and the effort she took in making me care about the characters and keeping me addictively flipping pages to see what would happen next. I look forward to any new books set in this world and hope that she will reconsider relegating Rose to the background and acknowledge that she can have books set in this world that are about Rose and books that feature other characters at the same time (see Kelly Armstrong's women of the other world and Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson/alpha and omega).

This book was a very good end to the series. I'm quite sad to see it go. The only things I dint like is how things turned out between her and Adrian and how the bond broke. But besides that it was wonderful.

This book is the last of the series but also the best, it has some shocking scenes and didnt really end the way i wanted it too. It would be great if the author would come out with another book. But i really loved this one it was worth it.

I just wanted to Thank Richelle Mead for creating such an Amazing world, and people and their challenges!!

I love how we got to see more of Dimitri and fully understand his love for Rose....

I am really sad that rose's pov has ended...but I am soo looking forward the spin off series, because hopefully all my questions will get answered!!!

The sad part is that Mead has not improved in her writing in over 6 full-length, overly long novels. I really tried to like her but NO. Rose is a boring Narcissist to the end and Dimitri remains 2-dimensional and leaves you wondering why he liked this really stupid, inconsiderate, throw-your-friends-under-the-bus "girl" at his age. Their sex scenes are empty and somewhat comical ( "I felt my blood get hot, he is hot, his great hair, my great hair, blah, blah. I laughed and groaned praying for these flat scenes to end. Ack!) I found this book exceedingly long as well, with no rhyme or reason in a very loose plot of who-done-it. Read Ilona Andrews or Patricia Briggs if you love urban fantasy that is well written and has great characters. But this series needs a good flushing.

Richelle Mead's "last" Vampire Academy story moves quickly, is chockful of action and comes to a satisfying conclusion. Without giving away details on release-day one, there are a couple of climactic plot devices similar to, but more subtle than Harry Potter, DH's, "You have your mother's eyes", as uttered by the dying Prof. Snape. Namely, there are powers and strengths which the heroines Rose and Lissa have supposedly been growing all along, but which manifest themselves at the end, right in front of our eyes, where they have been hidden in"plain sight". But the mental double-take at how things are resolved lasts less than a second.

I thought that the first volume, Vampire Academy, was the strongest of the series, but VA has been surpassed by Last Sacrifice.

This was a perfect end to a great series! I wish we could continue with Rose and Dimitri...and Adrian...and the rest of the gang!! Can't wait to find out more about the new VA series and who the characters will be...

It was a long wait for this last book in the series. But well worth the wait. Lots of on your edge of your seat action. And of course, love that finally finds the way to our main characters. I really enjoyed it!

I started off loving this series but tired of it by book 6. Rose is truly selfish and thoughtless teenager. This book held my attention only half way through before I started guessing what would happened in each event. Anyway I wanted the author to prolong the relationship between Adrian and Rose knowing that the underdog never wins.

I absolutely hated the ending which again made me think why the author ended the series with so many unanswered questions. Once again Rose proves to be that rash, selfish girl who ends up with her man but doesn't think nor cares about the outcome of her friends only her own happiness.

I also felt it was stupid that Rose lost her bound with Lissa because of her almost life and death experience which magic wasn't used to bring her back. Say What???
I don't think this was really thought out but a quick way to end it. The only thing I did like about Rose was her connection to Lissa. I give this book 2 stars.

I'm still a fan and can't wait for the spin off so I can read what happened to the other characters.

Love the suspense in this book. I could not put it down. I needed to read the whole book in one sitting, or else. The friction between Rose && Dimitri was undeniable. Love This Book. Happy With The Way The Series Ended.

I love the series! Bought the books, bought the e-books! Nonetheless, I hate the ending because Adrian deserved better! I keep reading their last meeting (Rose & Adrian"s), because I cannot believe how twisted, selfish and arrogant Rose was at the end. Very disappointed with the last couple of chapter, but like I said, I Love the series!

I have been a follower of the Vampire Academy series from the beginning. I always have that that Richelle Mead is a great writer in my opinion. She put a lot of action and good plot lines in her books. In the last Sacrifice it starts of as Rose being held in Jail for the murder of the Queen of the Moroi. I really enjoy this book But i just wish there was another one after this!I do recommend you buying it though.

Also appears on The Screaming Nitpicker. Originally written in December 2010, rewritten and reposted in March 2011.

BEWARE: There are spoilers here not just for Last Sacrifice, but for the entirety of the Vampire Academy series!

After the cliffhanger ending of Spirit Bound, Rose is set to stand trial for the murder of the Moroi queen Tatiana, the great-aunt of her boyfriend Adrian. However, her friends and family don't plan to let hr go on trial. They break her out with the help of some explosions and she goes on the run with her Lissa-appointed bodyguard Dimitri. Their plan is to get her somewhere safe until she can be proven innocent, but Rose has her own mission: find Lissa's illegitimate half-sibling. Meanwhile, Lissa works hard at court to clear Rose's name, find Tatiana's true killer, and maybe even become the next queen.

When I first read the book and wrote the review for it in December 2010, I was on a cloud of euphoria and not thinking very clearly. None of my favorite characters died (even if two of my favorites were given serious crap), the series had what I thought was a good ending, and it was eleven at night. I just wanted to write my review and go to bed. That was a mistake. Without a critical mind in my head, I reviewed this book, the book I anticipated more than any other in 2010. This time around, I've got my head on straight.

First comes the good parts: Lissa. each piece of the story that showed what she was doing at court and her growth as a character were amazing. From what I know, very few fans liked Lissa at the beginning and I didn't care much for her either. Now she's my favorite female character. She underwent staggering growth in six books and I'm proud of the person she's become. This girl's cutting is long behind her; now she is true royalty, a woman who can stand on her own without leaning on Rose to support her. I think she'll make an amazing queen. Too bad I won't be able to see it for myself.

The expansion into the world of the Keepers, the Moroi and such that live in caves away from civilization, was fun while it lasted. I don't see any reason why it was there other than set-up for the spin-off (because you know that's exactly what this is), but I liked it. Angeline, a dhampir girl in the Keeper world, was an interesting one and it would be a crime if she didn't appear in the spin-off. We do learn who Lissa's sibling is and anyone who figured out Mead's style will know who it is. That doesn't mean it can't still be a shock, though.

Now then, on to the bad... And there's a lot of it. First stop: Adrian. He'd had so much bull thrown at him over the course of the series and he didn't deserve any of it. Adrian was always more compelling than Dimitri, especially in the later books, because he's (figuratively) human. He has his issues and problems and his character has such life, but he's given such horrible treatment. This guy funds your trip to Siberia so you can kill the guy you love (or try and fail, more accurately) and then you repay him by cheating on him and using his credit card for things like a hotel in Las Vegas? Wow... I'm glad they broke up. Adrian deserves better than that.

What I hate worse is that he won't get over his heartbreak on his own. No, everyone and their kitchen sink knows by now that people are already making calls of "Adrian/Jill!" and "Adrian/Sydney!" and "love triangle!" because everyone knows it will happen in the spin-off. Allow me to make a statement to counter one I saw a Vampire Academy fan make once: FALLING IN LOVE IS NOT THE ONLY HAPPY ENDING. Apparently, it's not a happy ending until they're in love with someone. Conquering a massive case of heartbreak and being free to live life without that burden does not seem to count. Other Vampire Academy fans really make me angry sometimes, you know?

I really thought this would be one paranormal book where the female love rival wouldn't turn into a raging bitch. She didn't get the guy, but Tasha seemed like a true ally of Rose's and a friend who could be trusted. Tasha was my favorite female character until now (Lissa pushed her off the pedestal) and I hated to see that her character became the villain. Well, we can always try again elsewhere... I should have expected it. For Pete's sake, I'd read the fifth Georgina book a few months earlier and the same thing: love rival/friend to main character turns into a horrible person over the guy they both like.

A series-wide problem that became obvious to me in this book is how women would use a man's feelings for them to get stuff done. There were at least two instances in this book and what Rose got Adrian to do for her in previous books would account for many more. I advocate the equality of men and women. That's what being feminist is about. In this series, women are often painted as manipulative creatures that are above men and act like puppeteers. Whether real or fictional, women do not need this kind of image! Why is playing with the heart, something most can agree is an unforgivable crime, so common within these novels?

Thinking over this book again, I suddenly realized it: I hate Rose Hathaway. Adrian's speech at the end of the novel was dead-on. Over the course of the series and especially the last two books, Rose became a manipulative girl trying to pass herself off as a hero and left a lot of collateral damage behind on the way to her happy ending with Dimitri. Whatever Jill wanted to do with her life is pretty much screwed now, Eddie will be lucky to get any sort of job after what's happened, and Adrian's got one heck of a broken heart. She just brushes all of this off with "you're only a victim because you're letting yourself be one." Again, NO!

Let it be known that I am delusional. I loved this series so much at the beginning that my poor inner child can't accept the ending as a natural one and I made up two scenarios that explain the mess it turned into. One: The news of Dimitri becoming Strigoi drove Rose insane and her mental instability accounts for her thoughts and actions from Blood Promise onward. Two: Avery's spirit magic did something to Rose's brain during that fight and everything that happened from that point onward is because of that. I liked Blood Promise, so I use the second explanation. Either way, Rose stopped acting like Rose and that's how it fell apart.

Make fun of me. Comment and tell me how pathetic I am. I don't care. All I know is that this wonderful series that I fangirled and pushed on everyone I could (even my mother!) fell apart sometime around Spirit Bound (or Blood Promise, but I liked that book and didn't notice if it happened in there) and I will not invest my money in the spin-off or its first book Bloodlines. I read the Georgina and Dark Swan books too, but I'm not reading anymore of Mead's books after the final Georgina book comes out. I'll leave Dark Swan unfinished and look it up one day. Why keep reading when I know the series will eventually implode? It happened in Georgina, then in Vampire Academy, and it will happen again.

What can I say about "Vampire Academy"? My interest in the books soared like a crescendo, reaching its peak with the 4th installment "Blood Promise", in my opinion the best in the series, in which the two protagonists Rose and Dimitri faced each other in an eerie Russian landscape. My interest and sense of wonder persisted, though somewhat dimmed, in the following chapter- Spirit Bound- to deflate, like a halogen balloon loosing its air, with the final book. Don't get me wrong: in the last book the story lines remained good and the denouement in which the Moroi's political future was decided in a bold move, was quite exciting. However, after reading several of the reviews I decided that, rather than add to all the praises, I would write about one character I found absolutely compelling. A character I have seen, against all odds, grow through the pages, after he first appeared in "Frostbite".

Adrian, a rather spoiled, rich, unencumbered college drop-out bon viveur, strikingly handsome, falls in love with our heroine and because of this love, undergoes an often overlooked but profound transformation. He is in my eyes the most interesting character in these novels. In spite of his upbringings in an environment where political intrigues and self-interests replaced morals and values, and having been raised to rely on others for his protection and needs, Adrian becomes a dependable, generous, honest and unselfish friend- by choice not duty. Over and over we find him ready to jump in- perhaps not with muscular strength, perhaps not with "Godlike" reflexes- but with whatever else he has to offer. He puts his money- conveniently- at the disposal of his "little Dhampir" who uses it shamelessly. He volunteers his freshly developed healing abilities, almost to the point of collapse, to cure wounded Dhampirs after Lissa's rescue from Dimitri the Strigoi. He uses his compulsion gift to help Rose's escape and to mask Dimitri's appearance. He proves his courage when he fights a full-fledged guardian, without any training of his own, to defend Lissa. He uses his connections- when they are needed- to help his friends. Yet, all of these endearing qualities and unselfish acts that could have been inspiring and redeeming enough in the eyes of so many, are easily discarded by the most important person in his world.
It almost seems like the author, after building up this character, looks for some inadequate reasons to justify Rose's choice. I read in one of the reviews that Dimitri should have been out of the picture after the ultimate duel on that bridge over the Ob. I think he should have been too. How could he make amends for all the deaths he caused in the Dhampirs, the Moroi or even the human worlds- even if he did so as a Strigoi? How could love endure after what he did to Rose? How could he remain in "favor" and get his great job when Eddie Castile could not be forgiven? It makes absolutely no sense. I hope Adrian finds a well deserved and more rewarding place in the upcoming series and most of all a girl who will appreciate his irresistible charm.

And to conclude, I'll say a word about Rose, the "badass" main character and her fall from grace. Rose, who ultimately turns out to be so disappointing with her deceptions and weak rationalizations. All the way to the end Rose, like a little girl, continues to believe that saying "sorry" will erase the damages she causes by using and manipulating people unscrupulously to reach the only goals that matter to her: insuring Lissa's safety and getting her man. What a pity! She could have been such a heroine! She has yet to redeem herself in my eyes. She did not make a choice between the two men in her life: she never had to. There was never a real struggle. She used one when it was convenient, discarding him once the one she had been chasing after all along finally relents.Yes, she did save the day- doing what she had trained all her life to do-, but in the end, well, I found her quite unconvincing. And these flaws in Rose's character ultimately make the difference between a "so so" ending and what could have been a great one.

I have read all of these books, including the spin offs. Did I particularly like where it left the secondary characters in this book, well no. Who would? This a series that makes you connect with all the characters and leaves you wondering what happened to those guys who were hardly mentioned? On the other hand it had a nice balance for the "stars of the show". Rose gets a lot of flack from other reviewers, but let's face it, who really knows what they want at that age? I think if we try we can all remember being adolescent and being torn and confused. As for Lissa, again the same thing. Hormones are crazy and rational thinking is not part of the age group we're talking about here. On the plus side I love these stories. I have read them many times and love how realistically the characters grow. The heartache and confusion that goes with the times and believing in the love that one truly feels inside and that it's worth fighting for. It doesn't matter if you're the age of Lissa and Rose or Sonya Karp. Love is love and there are multiple levels, rather toward Demitri or Adrian. I've personally always loved Adrian as a character, but people who disapprove of the way Rose treats him, also forget that Adrian is just as confused as she is. Unsure of what he really wants and unlearned in the ways of a mature relationship. Their troubles are very realistic and I love the way the author demonstrates that. It's worth a read and sincerely hope people who do finish this set go into read the spin off. Again a fantastic tale that ties up the loose ends and shows that a true love, no matter its form, can be binding and can change and grow as needed to accommodate the people in your life. Happy reading!

Rose has always gone through life by her own set of rules, but this time things set to be looking slightly difficult for her. Somehow Rose has managed to break some laws along the way but this time she has been caught for a crime that she didn't even commit.

There seems to be one way to get Rose out of Jail but she needs the help of Adrian and Dimitri, but with time running out for her. Rose knows that she needs to put her feelings aside for Dimitri as she is with Adrian now but for some reason she can't seem to do that and it's like that since Dimitri got turned back he has put up a guarded wall.

I honestly wish that Dimitri could be able to forgive himself for what went on with Rose back when he was Strigoi but for now he knows that he needs to help find a way to help save Rose from going to jail and to also help Lissa get that vote to become the new ruler of the Moroi world.

I hope Rose manages to become free, but honestly the way things seem to be going for her and Adrian don't seem to be looking to good. Don't get me wrong I do like Adrian as a character but I have never felt that he was right for Rose, as I thought Rose and Dimitri were right for each other from the start. I'd love it if Adrian could find someone who he can share his life with but honestly I don't think him and Rose were ever meant to be. You should give this last book in the series a try as if you love Rose then you're going to want to know the outcome of it all, plus surly you are going to want to know who she ends up being with. Take a chance with this book as I honestly think it's that good. Plus it's such an amazing end to a series, but don't worry you won't be saying goodbye to any of your favourite characters because if you pick up the Bloodline series you will see them in that series as well.

After reading this series in such a short amount of time, I wasn't fully prepared for the last book. I have become so attached to Rose, Lissa, Dimitri, Adrian, Christian, and everyone else and I wasn't ready to say goodbye to them. I also wasn't fully ready to deal with the outcome of Spirit Bound and what it would mean for Rose. I went into Last Sacrifice scared, apprehensive, excited, sad, and a host of other emotions.

Last Sacrifice picks off right where Spirit Bound left us and we're dealing with a confused Rose. She has no idea what is happening but we quickly learns that her friends concocted a crazy plan to her. In fact, their plan is straight out of a Rosemarie Hathaway's schemes' book. From then on, the books just takes us on a crazy ride that neither the reader or Rose knows what is going to happen.

This book was non-stop action from beginning to end. It was full of questions and not a lot of answers. In fact, the answers to questions came at such smaller pace compared to all the questions that piled up on Rose and Dimitri. The crazy ideas that Rose came up with and the chances she took, just further cemented how much Rose cares about Lissa and is willing to put herself on the line for her.

Last Sacrifice's ending was everything I was hoping that Rose would get. After a whirlwind 5 books, Rose deserves something good for herself. All the characters do. Richelle Mead outdid herself with this book and I am completely at her mercy. This series will always remain one of my favorite and have one of my favorite heroine ever. It will hold a very special spot in my life. So if you haven't already read this series, I seriously beg you to just give it a chance. You will not regret it.

Review for Entire Series:

I read all six books in 10 days. That is probably one of my most impressive reading conquests. I started the first book, Vampire Academy, expecting to read through the series slowly, switching between it and other books. Vampire Academy is just too damn good to stop, though. With a powerful beginning, the Vampire Academy Series is a constantly interesting, powerful set of novels with a familiar idea, based around vampire lore, but is so unique and creative that even those hesitant with young adult vampire novels should pick this series up. While a bit rough at the beginning, these books still start off strong and only get better throughout the six books, ending on a strong note that wraps up the story line but also leaves room for the spin-off series, Bloodlines. Vampire Academy is an amazing series with an intricate plot dealing with many concepts but also has wit and hilarity that will keep you engaged and hanging on to the edge of your seat the entire series.

Not only is the plot something to praise, the powerful characters of the Vampire Academy Series are some of the best characters I’ve been. From the main character, Rose Hathaway, to the numerous side characters, all the characters are multi-faceted and deeply developed, showcasing incredible growth and development throughout the six novels. Not only do the characters develop strongly, but the relationships are dynamic and varied, showing the evolution of friendships and romantic relationships over time and throughout life’s obstacles. Watching these characters develop throughout the story is one of the most satisfying parts to the series and endears you greatly to the wonderfully designed characters.

The writing is well done, sharp, witty, and easily puts you in the mind of the main character, while also painting a vivid picture of the vampire world focused on in the series. Richelle Mead has done an excellent job with world building, constructing an intense political universe for vampires and also utilizing classic lore, such as dhampirs, in a new and clever way. The series has weak spots at times, but over-all, the story is strong, engaging, and marvelously handled. I highly recommend the Vampire Academy Series for its plot, characters, writing and its all-around winning six book adventure.

I’m not sure how I feel about the conclusion to this epic series – on the one hand it was a lovely round-up and concluded in what, to be frank, is the most realistic way. But I wanted and ending that was legendary. After I had put the book down, I was struggling to remember how it all wrapped up… and that’s why I’m so on the fence with the culmination to the Vampire Academy books – I invested a lot of time in these big six books, so I wanted the conclusion to be the ultimate.

Lissa’s position I pretty much pegged in the first book of VA, and that was very satisfying. But Rose… well… she’s a warrior and I wanted a big bang – or promise of more to come. We kind of left her in a way that it trailed off.
But that is about the biggest aspect to ‘Last Sacrifice’ and the VA that bothered me. The rest was damphir goodness! I got the little plot twists that I’ve not come to expect, and that I rarely predict. The overall plot is pretty much easy to guess, but Richelle Mead always makes the journey there so interesting.

I also wanted some more questions answered a little better. More investigation into Spirit users. The fate of the remaining Strigoi. A solid direction for the reign of the new Queen. We get hints, but it felt too uncertain.

I know their journey is still not over, as the spin-off Bloodlines will delve into more of the VA world, and most likely give me some more answers. But I feel VA deserved an ending that resonated with me.

The writing is easy to read and a pleasure to while away an afternoon as always. And considering that ‘Last Sacrifice’ is 608 pages long, it was still a relatively fast read. It did drag a bit at some points, and the pacing isn’t as good as its predecessors – I think mainly because there was so much going on and Rose was in and out of her head as well as Lissa’s, it was difficult to get into one stream of consciousness where the action was ramping up, before you are yanked into another head space.

I think we also lost some of that mystery that we get throughout VA – it was pushed to the side with all the action in ‘Last Sacrifice.’ I wanted to there be a stronger presence of Spirit and it’s mythology/origins. And a bit more on the origin of the species of Moroi and Strigoi. With the introduction of the rebel group who were Traditionalists, it opened the door for this – but Richelle didn’t do anything with that. As too with the mythology/origins of the Alchemists.

So I’m going to have to read the Bloodlines series now to see if Mead will drop me some more breadcrumbs.

A wonderful book, slightly underwhelming ending, but a sad goodbye to our kick ass heroine Rose (by that I mean an end to the series – not that she dies).

Though I was way outside of the YA age group when I read this I loved it! The this series of books have been quite the emotional rollercoaster!

The world was SO well created and the characters jump off the page. It is easy to fall in love or hate with them. You just want to comfort some and throttle or even stake a few others!

Each book got better as you grew to know the characters, there dynamics and the conflicts in their world! Plenty of action and drama to keep you hooked and wishing for more!

This was a great series to read; amazing characters and stories to follow! I am only sad it is over!

The Big Picture:

The main question is this: was this book a good ending for the series?
My answer is sorta-but-not-really.
I didn't love Rose as much as I did before. Her cheating annoyed me. That isn't a quality I want to see in a beloved character. The plot was split between Lissa and Rose's story. I liked Lissa's much better. Even if it seemed like it belonged in 'Castle'. Rose had some interesting things happen to her, but it seemed to vaguely follow a soap opera's plot. (Illegitimate child much?) The romance was great but terrible at the same time. Again, cheating. I loved that Dimitri and Rose loved each other still. That didn't mean Adrian doesn't exist anymore, though. The ending was satisfactory. I didn't like how things ended with Adrian, but that's what the spinoff is for.
Travel Companion:

If we traveled with the main character Rose Hathaway, she would be:

The Warrior

She would be the fighter. She would be the one to defend the weak. She would defend her loved ones. She would be a soldier. She would be a great soldier.
We would meet her on her leave. She would be teaching martial arts to children. We would join in on her class and see her fighting spirit. We would invite her to join us to see Russia. She would join because she had heard so much from her instructor Dimitri, and she wanted to see it for herself.

I liked and hated Rose in this book.
I liked her defiant nature. And she was loyal to Lissa. She would fight to the end for her. She kept her humor. She was a fighter. All the qualities that made me root for Rose. She was still Rose. Those things I liked. She was loyal. Defiant. Brave. Sarcastic. Witty. She defended her friends. She fought for them. I admired her for that.

"Ah, my daughter," he said. "Eighteen, and already you've been accused of murder, aided felons, and acquired a death count higher than most guardians will ever see." He paused. "I couldn't be prouder."
Location 704 'Last Sacrifice'

But. I hated Rose because of her cheating. She could have let Adrian down nicely. I knew there was always chemistry between her and Dimitri, but that didn't mean Adrian didn't exist. She completely ignored her feelings for him. I could tell she loved him, but it didn't seem like that sometimes. She didn't have to be so harsh.

Read more at http://booksinmysuitcase.blogspot.hk/2015/07/review-last-sacrifice-by-richelle-mead.html

Minor spoilers alert!!!

I was really eager to discover the final fate of Rose and her circle of friends. A lot of jaw dropping events had lead up to this series ending novel. So it was a bit surprising to me that the storyline seemed to move at a much slower pace than both Blood Promise (VA #4) and Spirit Bound (VA #5).

Favorite character:
Abe, Rose's father - he was so wonderfully colorful, and I really missed him when he wasn't in a scene.

Favorite mythological abilities:
Spirit dreams - Rose had several interesting conversations with spirit users like Victor, Sonia and most especially Adrian.

Rose and Lissa's bond - this Peeping Tom perk allowed Rose to stay in the loop with Lissa and court activities while she was a fugitive. It could also be amusing like when she saw Lissa and Christian get interrupted by a visit from Adrian. I loved when Christian told Adrian he had the worst timing ever. Without the girls' bond, we wouldn't have had that amusing scene otherwise.

Favorite scene:
“You see something you like?” I asked echoing something I’d said to him long ago when he’d caught me in a compromising position at school.

“Lots,” he said.

The emotion burning in those eyes was too much for me. I’d looked away, my heart pounding in my chest as I pulled my clothes on. “Don’t forget,” I said softly. “Don’t forget.” I couldn’t finish, but there was no need.

“I know, Rosa. I haven’t forgotten.”

I slipped on my shoes wishing I were weaker and would let my ultimatum slide. I couldn’t though. No matter what had passed between us verbally and physically. No matter how close we were to our fairytale ending. There was no future until he could forgive himself.

Overall, I really enjoyed the series.

Rose Hathaway has the uncanny ability to give me a gigantic headache but make me adore her at the same time.

Last Sacrifice is the last book in the Vampire Academy series and Richelle Mead's last chance to sacrifice my heart to the Rose/Adrian romance. Not that their love is huge in this book, nor is it even one of the main focuses. Plus, it's been five years since this book was published, we all know what's going on in the Bloodlines series, okay? Still, one of the most painful aspects of this book was Adrian's devastation. My heart has been shredded to a bloody pulp. But I digress.

This final book really sends the main gang out with a bang. With everyone working to buy time to save Rose's life, prove her innocence and find out who really murdered the queen, the book picks up fast and just keeps on going.

I'm a real fan of a book that actually goes places in a literal sense. It's exciting to be constantly moving with the characters, and this book definitely accomplished that. It was also heavy on the feels - I felt closer to many of the characters than I had before. Mainly Lissa. By the end of Last Sacrifice I was so incredibly devoted to Vasilissa Dragomir, it was ridiculous. Every time I cried for this book, it was because of something to do with Lissa.

Also a plus, Dimitri had a personality! Rose and Dimitri have never been an end all be all OTP for me. Honestly, I've found them pretty boring as a couple and, as you probably noticed, was more Team Adrian. At least in this final book he didn't seem to taste of cardboard.

I thought Mead was able to logically piece together who ended up being the murderer very well. It made sense but wasn't obvious, but once you think back to other books it becomes very, very clear.

Overall, I was really pleased with this final book and am already looking forward to Bloodlines. Rose and Adrian's final scene together (HEART = BLOODY PULP) made me need the spin off even more!

May contain spoilers.

The end of the Vampire Academy Series. It was a long journey to get here but it was worth it in the end. Everything was wrapped up nightly, all was said and done, and yet there’s still more… The Bloodlines Series.

My initial reaction when I first picked up the book was “Damn, this book is long…” and yes, there are longer books like the Harry Potter books, but something I’ve found with Mead’s books was longer doesn’t always mean better. I found that in length, where all your questions get answered also comes at the price of a lot of filler.

Rose Hathaway has done it all. Run away from school, been the youngest to kill a Strigoi, falling in love with her mentor, broken into high security prisons, and now she’s charged with murdering the Queen of the Moroi. That’s a lot of red for someone who’s only eighteen. Determined to get out of jail and find out who Tatiana’s murderer really was, Rose will need the help of all her friends and allies, as well as a few surprising enemies. But, in order to stall for time and keep the guardians off Rose’s trail Adrian and the others at court have to convince the Moroi to acknowledge Vasilisa as a candidate to become Queen.

First and foremost my problem with this book was that it was LONG. Now, I know that’s a serious criticism and in previous reviews I complain that most books are too short, well yes, that’s true. But there is also such thing as being too long. And yes, I can safely say that there are books out there that are not too long, and not too short, but just right.

The beginning of the book promised too much in my opinion. It seemed to start off halfway into a movie rather than the beginning. Picture Last Sacrifice as a film. Rose is in jail, all hope is lost, and then BOOM everyone she’s ever cared about in court ban together to bust her out of jail. WOW! That was totally exciting! Bang-up job! It shows a wonderful contrast to how Rose is always the one saving everyone else, and for once she’s the one that needs to be saved. Then there are a few epic chase scenes, yatta, yatta, yatta, and then it just gets really boring…

There’s a lot of back and forth going on with looking into Lissa’s head, which, I guess there was no other way around it, and it is an interesting way to go about the story instead of changing POV’s. Maybe I’m just being too picky. That’s probably what it is. The trials that Moroi Royalty go through in order to be crowned King or Queen were really very interesting. In my head it definitely played out like the Harry Potter Tri-Wizard trials, although perhaps not as exhilarating.

I do admire all the technical work that went into this last book. A murder occurred and now everyone is trying to solve the mystery as to who did it. It even plays out like a mystery and at the end, presents the reader with a shocking turn that I didn’t see until it was obvious. (I know that sounds confusing but bear with me because if I say anything more it’ll give everything away).

Rose and Dimitri were amazing and were the highlight of the story. Adrian is my love! I LOVE him. And just all is right in the world. But there are still a lot of unanswered questions that might rise in your mind when you get to the end.
What happened to the Keepers?
Where is Robert?
What’s going to happen to the Dragomir Family now?
What about Sydney and the Alchemists?
Where is Eddie?
And serious can Abe and Janine please get back together? I mean, seriously. Aside from Rose and Dimitri, I love Janine and Abe. Abe’s just like…AMAZING like if he was my dad…just no problem.

All and all, a great end to a wonderful series. The romance, especially with Rose and Dimitri, came full circle and everyone, including Rose, did a lot of growing up in the year this series took place. With all the questions left untouched the only thing to do is read the continuation in the Bloodlines spinoff. But for now I need a break…

4/5 Hearts of Love

4.8 out of 5 stars

First of all this series as a whole was very well written. No loose ends were left to fray. I personally couldn't get behind the whole good and evil vampires thing. It wasn't something I felt made sense. Though there was research and folklore that contributed to the story, compared to other mythical creatures I have read about, Miroi, Strigoi, and Dhampirs, didn't get me excited or sucked into the story.

Rose and the politics and the plot twists did. I also found it strange that in the first book psy-hounds are a part of the story, but they do not get any mention or even reoccur in any of the other books. If that was the plan all along why incorporate them at all?

Well there are many things I should be feeling right now....like....thrilled , exhilarated, enlivened....and so on because I have just finished the last book in the Vampire Academy series. Or maybe I should be feeling ....sorrowful, dejected, downcast, despondent and so on. Because it is common to have mixed feelings when a series has ended.

But what I am feeling is disappointed. Because I had such high hopes for this book and  really I just feel kind of depressed. This book really dragged. Like hearing the seconds on a clock kind of drag. I basically had to force myself to finish the book just so I would know what happened to everybody.

But here's my overall biggest issue. This is suppose to be the last book in the Vampire Academy series, so why in the world would you leave so many things left unanswered? They way this book ended was like ending a book with a question mark. You get absolutely no closure.

So my only thought is that one : since there is a spinoff series that everything left unanswered will be picked up in the new spinoff series. Or two: the author could just leave things as they are. which by the way would totally suck.

As for the book itself, while still well written and the characters still as desirable as before, the main thing that suffered in this story was the actual story plot itself. 

Their are bound to be those who like this book and I'm not actually saying that I hate this book , just that well I didn't quite like it either. I guess you could say that I'm ambivalent. And that's why I gave this book 3 stars instead of a lower rating

I hadn't planned on writing a review for any of the books in this series because I was positive it'd be me just gushing. I'm a huge Richelle Mead fan so already I had it in my mind the Vampire Academy series wouldn't disappoint which was absolutely true, but I felt it deserved a review. Last Sacrifice will have you transfixed because it has a lot of interwoven stories and many surprises that spring up. Rose has grown up so much since she was a student at St. Vladamir's Academy and secretly vying for Dimitri's attention. Since then she's moved on to bigger and more dangerous things. She has been resistant to every law given and now the consequences are finally catching up to her. In this final book Rose is accused of assassinating a high official which is the worst offense in all of Dhamphir and Moroi laws. She's so used to being the one to save everyone from peril but now she is in the worst kind of danger. Despite making many enemies she still has a few loyal friends in her corner who will go to the ends of the earth to free her from a life behind bars or worse--a death sentence.

I admired Rose Hathaway's character because she holds nothing back. She does whatever she wants and the whole world be damned. She seeks out trouble and tries to fix impossible problems. I love that she is such a devoted friend to Lissa, and that she looks out for Dimitri, Adrian, and anyone else who needs her. Rose puts everyone above herself not just because it was instilled in her since she was young but because she genuinely cares about people, and it's just who she is. Dimitri has oddly always felt more of a background character even though he's the main love interest of Rose throughout the series. What's great is readers finally get to see him more than previous books and understand why Rose fell for him in the first place. Earlier in the series their relationship was all hearsay with the exception of a few scenes he was actually in, and we get to witness what kind of a person he is. He's a different sort of hero, he's not charming like Adrian, he doesn't openly express his feelings, and he is very reserved and limited with his actions. Most of Rose and Dimitri's relationship was obscured for the first half of the series, and in Last Sacrifice it's at the forefront, or moreso than it's ever been before. I wished in regards to Adrian that she never let him fall for her because it tore at my heart to see him being dragged around while Rose still harbored feelings for Dimitri--it reminded me of what happened with Mason Ashford. One thing that's made clear overall is that Rose Hathaway is a heartbreaker, and she never realizes it until it's too late--relationships with her just blow up.

Richelle Mead's created an unforgettable paranormal world, with a huge and unique band of characters that you'll be captivated by. Adrian Ivashkov is my favorite of the Vampire Academy series and we get to see his personality and charm flourish in Last Sacrifice. He's funny, a total royal rebel, and gorgeous in every sense of the word. I love that he has this dangerous air of insanity because of his unique ability to use spirit. I pretty much smiled at every scene he popped up in, ever since Frostbite I found him endearing, overlooked, and totally worthy of his own story. Mead gives a lot of depth to each individual character and it makes reading about them so entertaining. Although there was about 3 things that were never explained and I wish we had gotten those answers but their is a lot to be happy about in the resolution. It's easy to speculate what should have happened but the loose ends leftover could and will most likely go unnoticed.

Lissa has always been incredibly more mature then Rose, but in Last Sacrifice it really shows. I loved how her storyline wraps up and she takes on a greater responsibility and finally takes action to save Rose. I was a little disappointed that Christian didn't have a huge presence in the final book but I always thought he was a really cool character, and him and Lissa are perfect together. Eddie, Sydney, Abe, and Janine all play a role and I really enjoyed seeing them all again. As I said before there is so much going on and many characters have gotten their chance to do more which I loved. Usually I hate when authors try to cram a million stories, and a lot of previous characters into one book but it all felt natural and unrushed which was amazing. I thought the ending was a great one, and left an opening for more character/story exploration. It had an integral mystery in need of solving, a shocking surprise, action, romance, Rose humor, and plenty of unexpected events that unfold. Overall I loved Last Sacrifice, and anyone who fears series ending badly will reevaluate upon reading this final novel. It has been a hell of journey with Rose and seeing how her and her friend's stories all come together was a lot of fun. I'd highly recommend for young-adults 16+, this entire series will be consumed quickly.

Review originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide

Completed: June 23, 2013
Publishing Info: December 7th 2010 by Razorbill
Source: Hardcover purchased from Goodwill
Genre: Paranormal
POV: First person (Rose)

I FINALLY finished the Vampire Academy series! It only took me…. forever. Anyway, let’s talk about it, shall we? So I started LAST SACRIFICE, and at first I was scared. Because I participated in the “Who Is Marcus Finch” campaign in the beginning of the year, therefore deciding to read ALL of the Bloodlines series (that’s out so far) before finishing VA, I was very nervous that LAST SACRIFICE was going to be anti-climactic. I guess I can say that although BL did have a few spoilers for the last book here, there were still so many things that I was excited to find out and regardless of spoilers, I still needed to see how it wrapped up!

So LAST SACRIFICE starts with Rose in prison for a crime that we know she didn’t commit, but basically everyone else in the vampire world thinks she did. Typical! The beginning was just a tad slow because obviously… Rose is in prison. We can only do so much with that for so long. Thankfully it didn’t take too long for her to get out. LAST SACRIFICE definitely kept me on my toes (once we busted out of the prison part) with the usual chases, escapes, and complete surprises that are so characteristic of the Vampire Academy series.

One thing that I really liked was thinking how Rose has grown as a person/character throughout the series. She will always be a “react first, think later” kind of person, but you can see how much she’s changed and matured to still keep her instincts at the ready, but also to allow herself to use her head and her heart in balance when making her decisions. I think many of the characters have matured nicely throughout the series, an obvious one being Lissa. Lissa has to secure her place on court since she’s part of a royal bloodline, but with no living relatives, has to find a way to do it (because for those of you who don’t know, you need that one extra relative to validate you). It’s obvious for people who have read LAST SACRIFICE and/or The Bloodlines series (since it is a spin-off series) how much Lissa really has changed, grown, and overcome in these last couple books. She’s actually one of my favorite characters from the series and I don’t think I realized that until very recently.

The Rose and Dimitri Story… The romance between Rose & Dimitri has basically been half of why I loved this series so much. I don’t know why but a good forbidden romance just GETS me. They love each other… but no! They can’t be together! Anyway… I actually felt just a tiny bit let down by that forbidden romance aspect in LAST SACRIFICE because as silly as it is to say, it just wasn’t angsty enough for me! Ultimately, okay. (This is not a spoiler because this has been my OPINION the entire series) In my mind, I KNEW they were going to end up together and yes, that’s what I wanted… But there wasn’t enough tug on my heart with the back-and-forth in this book. I will say that I’m glad the book wrapped up this romance the way that it did and it definitely had to happen in the very last book because well… It just wouldn’t be exciting if that carried on in future books! That angsty romance just lost a tiiiiiny bit of its spark for me in the last book, but who am I kidding. I still love it!

The killer twists are always a very, very favorite part of Richelle Mead’s books, but like I mentioned earlier, I kiiiind of spoiled a really big one for myself but reading BLOODLINES. *shrugs* Can’t really do much about that now, but I got to enjoy LAST SACRIFICE in a different way: After reading Bloodlines and getting a very brief idea of what happened in LS, it was actually kind of fun to “go back in time” and see how it really happened. I actually had pieces of the puzzle in Bloodlines so it was actually fun to see how those pieces came together in LAST SACRIFICE. I didn’t quite enjoy the book the way it was intended with the total shockers, but I got to almost see a different side of it and that was kind of cool too.
There were still some things that were able to surprise me that hadn’t gotten spoiled by reading Bloodlines first and then even still, there were some more moments of clarity where I would stop and say, “Ohhhhhh, I get it!” Would I recommend finishing VA before starting Bloodlines? Absolutely. But if you don’t, the rest of the VA series should still be enjoyable, but in a slightly different way.

Man, I feel like I’ve been on an emotional rollercoaster! Reading the Vampire Academy series straight through has been emotional and exhilarating! At times, it broke my heart—others, it made me fall in love. I can’t recommend this series enough for anyone who enjoys YA or Urban Fantasy.

Anyway, Last Sacrifice opens with Rose in jail for treason. True to Abe’s word, she isn’t in there long. Her friends stage a dangerous jail break, which sends her fleeing from the Court with Dimitri. With the aid of the Alchemist, Sydney, Rose sets off on a journey to uncover the secrets of Lissa’s family in order to restore her royal birthright. Along the way, they are aided by some…unlikely people.

Back at the Court, Lissa runs for election for Queen. She doesn’t qualify of course, due to her lack of family support, but a loophole in the system allows her to run, thus buying more time to prove Rose’s innocence.

Adrian continues to walk in Rose’s dreams, but doubts start to surface over her feelings for him. At the same time, Dimitri’s heart begins to thaw from its Strigoi induced guilt. Could there be a happily-ever-after for he and Rose after all, or will Rose’s last—and greatest—sacrifice destroy their future permanently?

I am very satisfied with the conclusion of this series. It tied up all of the loose ends around Rose, while also leaving some strings open for Mead’s new series to tackle. I don’t know much about the new series, only that it will center around Sydney and Jill, the Moroi girl whom Rose befriends and trails thru the periphery of the books. I’m sure we will continue to see a lot of the characters that we have grown to love, especially Lissa.

Overall, I give Last Sacrifice...

Plot – 5 bookmarks
Character Development – 5 bookmarks (Looking over the whole series, the differences from beginning to end for Rose, Dimitri, Adrian & Lissa are dramatic, as is the relationships between the characters.)
Love Story – 5 bookmarks (!!!!!!!)
Fight Scenes – 5 bookmarks (The final showdown between Rose & Victor is pretty cool. Also the fight in the alley with Rose & Dimitri against three Strigoi was great. The aftermath of that one was heartbreaking.)
Political Intrigue – 5 bookmarks

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) - Rose (Sophia Bush), Lissa (Blake Lively), Dimitri (Ben Barnes), Christian (Michael Steger), Jenna Boyd (Mia), Ed Westwick (Adrian), Tinsel Korey (Tasha), Josh Hutcherson (Eddie), Nick Verreos (Abe), Emily Browning (Sydney), Susan Sullivan (Queen Tatiana), John Slattery (Nathan Ivashkov), Diane Lane (Daniella Ivashkov). Not sure yet on Jill. I will have to see what comes to mind when I read the new series.

I read Last Sacrifice the first time immediately after its release in December 2010. Along with Spirit Bound, Last Sacrifice was one of the first books I ever did a post about. Seriously, that post is so embarrassing I didn’t even want to link to it. I didn’t know anything about writing a book review at that point.

I’m not really sure how I feel about the Goodreads description above. In some ways I feel like it gives too much away and yet it’s deceptive at the same time. I’ve been discussing how Richelle Mead is a foreshadowing magician, right? Well it all culminates in Last Sacrifice. Everything that’s been set up and alluded to has come out. But does she stop there? Absolutely not. She goes on to foreshadow and set up her Bloodlines series with Last Sacrifice. I love it.

I only took 3 pages of notes this reading of Last Sacrifice because my 6 pages of notes from Spirit Bound was so overwhelming I had a hard time even using them to write my review. Too much information is just as hard to muddle through as not enough. Either way, just the fact that these books are worthy of note-taking—and they are!—is enough to make them top rated books for me. So let’s dive in. Again….spoilers for Spirit Bound (book 5) and all previous books.

At the end of Spirit Bound, Rose and Adrian have just had a very sensual night together. Having not gone all the way, Rose does let Adrian drink from her which is totally taboo. The evidence is on her neck the next morning when she sneaks out to get breakfast. She stumbles upon Dimitri who acts like he wants nothing to do with her at first. They begin talking about the new dhampir age decree, and then the guardians swoop in and try to arrest Rose. Dimitri fiercely protects Rose from them in a way that can only come from someone who has the history that they have together. Rose is eventually arrested for the murder of Queen Tatitana because she talks Dimitri into backing down. And that’s essentially where we pick up with Last Sacrifice. Rose is still in holding for this crime.

Abe, Rose’s father, has taken on the task of defending her. He’s sworn to her that she won’t be convicted or executed for this crime, but time appears to be running out. I know I’ve been talking about him since he first showed up in Blood Promise, but I just love Abe. He’s snarky, sarcastic, a flirt, a mobster/gangster, dresses like a pimp, and his faith in his daughter is nothing short of endearing. Even though Rose and Abe haven’t had a very long relationship, it doesn’t take years for them to click and to depend upon each other. Rose could easily have that “I didn’t have a dad” victim mentality, but as she discusses at the end of the book, she’s never had a victim mentality at all—and it’s one of the reasons why I love her character so dearly.

Lissa is the strongest in Last Sacrifice that we’ve ever seen her throughout the whole series. She started the series as a character that I struggled connecting to, but has come out on the other side being a character that I can respect. She isn’t going to let Rose go down for this crime she didn’t commit, and instead of letting Rose take care of everything like she normally does, Lissa steps up and takes charge to take care of Rose this time. She executes her plan with poise and grace, even when bumps in the road come. As I said, I’ve come to respect her a lot. Now there is some pieces of her behavior at the very end of the book that had me furrowing my brow in slight confusion but nothing too bad. Also, as I’ve said in every single review of this series, the bond between Lissa and Rose is the perfect way for Richelle Mead to have dual narration without actually having dual narration. So smart.

The biggest thing for me with Last Sacrifice is Rose and Dimitri’s relationship contrasted with Rose and Adrian’s relationship. I’m going to try to be as vague as possible here, but proceed with caution. I don’t condone Rose’s treatment of Adrian. She doesn’t always take him seriously. She uses him even when she’s not fully aware that she’s doing it. Sometimes Rose almost treats Adrian with scorn. This should not be the way you think about the person you’re with—your other half. Rose never intended to be forever with Adrian. She tells his mother as much in Spirit Bound. She cares about him, sure, but she sums it up by saying “I should have said we strengthen each other. He makes me want to be a better person. We understand each other. I didn’t motivate him,” and “We have fun together.” While my heart aches for Adrian, I love how utterly raw he is with Rose about how he’s feeling. He tells her some harsh things in a harsh way, but they’re things she needs to hear. And the same goes for her. While she’s in a position that can’t really defend her actions and he might not want to hear the truth, she is completely right about their relationship.

Obviously in contrast, Rose and Dimitri do better each other. They make a great team. Dimitri is willing to fight for Rose, for her life, even if that means forfeiting any life of his own to go on the run with her. He comes alive with her after having been dead. After feeling the extreme guilt over his actions as a Strigoi. Rose is the only one who knows how bad Dimitri really was as a Strigoi. She’s the only person he can share those feelings with because she’s the only one who saw him at his lowest. When Dimitri kind of goes off the deep end and kills Donovan in a messed up attempt to atone for his Strigoi days, Rose is the only one who can bring him out of it by showing him that he can’t possibly have any Strigoi left in him because he’s able to see the beauty in her—in the world. Seeing how beautiful a second opportunity at life after being Strigoi really is, Dimitri can’t help but want to live his life to the fullest. That includes being with Rose—what he ultimately wants and is scared he’s lost forever. He wants her to be happy, even if that means she’s with Adrian—or someone else. And Rose…well look at every single thing she’s done since Shadow Kiss. Every move she’s made has either been in service to Dimitri and her love for him or in service to Lissa and her love for her. Rose has matched Dimitri moment for moment, sacrifice for sacrifice. Rose and Dimitri match. They fit.

Of course, not everything in Last Sacrifice revolves around the Rose/Dimitri/Adrian love triangle. Lissa, as we found out at the end of Spirit Bound, has a sibling and the sibling must be brought to court so that Lissa can have her family backing and vote on the counsel. Rose, Dimitri, and Sydney are out and about searching for Lissa’s long lost sibling while Lissa, Christian, Adrian, Eddie, and Abe are back at court investigating Tatiana’s murder in order to prove Rose innocent. Politics still infest the Moroi at court as elections begin for a new monarch. And Spirit continues to play a vital role in both sides as spirit dreams, Strigoi healings, aura watching, compulsion, telekinesis, and charming various silver objects abound.

Favorite quotes:
“Of course not. Why do anything without a reason?” – Abe pg 16

“Ah, my daughter," he said. "Eighteen, and already you’ve been accused of murder, aided felons, and acquired a death count higher than most guardians will ever see." He paused. "I couldn’t be prouder.” – Abe pg 64

“You’ve always been my equal, Roza.” – Dimitri pg 72

“Impossible situations are our specialty...” – Rose pg 94

“I don’t need luck, Roza. I’ll always find you.” – Dimitri pg 117

“I've seen you too. Ozera. Crispen, right?” ... “So what brings you and Christopher here?” ... “But you just got here! I was hoping we could get to know each other." It went without saying what he went by that. "Oh. And Kreskin too.”– Blake Lazar pgs 316, 317, & 321-322

“Fighting is easy. It’s why we fight that matters.” (I don't remember who said it and therefore wasn't able to find it searching through the book. If anyone knows, please let me know in the comments, and I'll update this.)

“...it was better to be alone with my self-respect than to be in the wrong relationship.” – Rose pg 486 - amen Rose, amen!

“Ah, Belikov," said Abe, shaking Dimitri's hand. "I'd been hoping we'd run into each other. I'd really like to get to know you better. Maybe we can set aside some time to talk, leran more about life, love, et cetera. Do you like to hunt? You seem like a hunting man. That's what we should do sometime. I know a great spot in the woods. Far, far away. We could make a day of it. I've certainly got a lot of questions I'd like to ask you. A lot of things I'd like to tell you too.” – Abe pg 589

Last Sacrifice is an excellent series ender. Everything wraps up nicely but in a way where it doesn’t feel forced or overly predictable. As a matter of fact, the true killer for Tatiana’s murder was a pretty good surprise the first time reading it. Richelle Mead pulls in pieces from even the very first book and references them again in Last Sacrifice which I love. The characters continue to grow and change, and I love them even more in this book than I did in the beginning. Last Sacrifice is witty as Richelle Mead tends to throw in those one-liners here and there for the right characters at just the right moments. It’s passionate and yet methodical. I love it. Last Sacrifice easily gets 5 Stars from me for an overall 5 Stars for the series. Have you read Last Sacrifice? What did you think? Let me know!

First, I rate this book 4 stars only because the 5 star rating says "it was amazing" and I don't think that's quite right. However, this book is EXCELLENT and I did enjoy it. Last Sacrifice is the final book in the Vampire Academy series and we get to discover what destiny has in store for our favorite shadow-kissed dhamphir, Rose Hathaway and her best friend and bond-mate, the spirit using Moroi princess Lissa. Add in a cast of friends including dhamphirs Dimitri, Eddie, Janine (Rose's mother); living vampires (the Moroi) Tasha, Christian, Adrian, Queen Tatiana, and the mysterious Alchemist Sydney, whom we met in book 5. Toss in a few more interesting folks and you have a mystery salad worthy of Mr. Poirot!

Once more Mead weaves a fabulous original tale, and I really enjoy the way she manages such a large cast of characters with sublime ease. Subplot? No problem! I have to laugh too because despite this being labeled as YA, this is probably more New Adult and yet there are some very well done Adult moments. You might say our little students grow up and graduate with gusto. And there are some eye-popping surprises along the way too. I like that because it doesn't happen much as an adult reading YA.

The Vampire Academy books are about learning acceptance, being self-reliant, learning to trust your friends and family, and remembering that duty almost always require sacrifice. To be willing...this is the key.

There's magic and wonder, lies and betrayal, murder and mystery. And love. Something for everyone!

I heartily applaud this series. I recommend it for anyone looking for older YA and for a rip-roaring good time. Thank you, Ms. Mead for a great ride!
(This shows as 4 stars on Goodreads but that is only a rating and due to the words used to describe the stars).

After the queen is murdered stabbed with Roses own stake it’s no surprise when the guardians arrest her. Unlike her other adventures through the last books Rose isn’t the killer and her friends will have to prove that she’s innocent before it’s too late. With Lissa’s help they broke into prison freeing Victor it’s no wonder her friends were able to free her from the guardian prison. While Lissa, Christian, and Adrian stay behind to figure out who framed Rose she heads off with Dimitri and the help of Sydney to avoid being put to death. After all killing the queen is punishable with death and the evidence was piling up against her.

While her friends are busy at court Rose, Dimitri and Sydney are on their own mission hunting down Lissa’s only living relative who will allow for her to sit on the council. Back in court the nominations for the new leader are being selected Lissa is shocked when her friends nominate her as potential queen. While Lissa does the challenges to be eligible for queen the others are looking to figure out who the real killer is.

Rose and Lissa are a great combo they complement each other though out all the books. I think my only real issue is that Rose used Adrian when he’s such a great guy. I’m glad we will see more of him in the Bloodlines series after all he deserves a happy ending. I like the romance intermingled between the couples. I’m happy that Lissa and Christian were able to work it out they were my favorite couple though the whole series. I also really liked we got to see more of Sydney’s personality.

Last Sacrifice is the conclusion to what has been a whirlwind adventure. While I’m sad to see it end it’s nice to know everything turned out for the best. The whole series has been hard to put down to the point I read them all back to back. I loved the characters in the series I was able to connect with them and found myself on Rose’s emotional roller coaster. The Last Sacrifice does a fantastic job of tying up any loose ends from prior books. I won’t lie I’m sad to see it end because I enjoyed it so much. Vampire Academy has quickly climbed up the list stealing the #1 spot for my favorite vampire series. With its unique concept, memorable characters it’s hard not fall in love with it. A must read for anyone who’s into YA vampire stories. I’m already planning to read it again in the future. Loved it!!!! The movie has big shoes to fill.

At last we reach the end of this strand of the story. I for one cannot wait to go out and get my hand on the Bloodlines series which continues on the story in the perspective of Sydney and Jill/ The only reason I have yet to start reading this new strand is because I cannot the book in the size I want yet. My OCD does not allow me to buy a book that is in/relates to a series unless all the books can be put side by side on a bookshelf and all be the same size. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Considering that this is the last book of the series, I was a bit annoyed with the overall feel of the plot and what not. I did not feel as though I was holding my breath throughout this book, and since its the last one I expected to be put on the edge of my seat. I did get caught up in moment,s but previous books made me feel that way more. Lots of things happen in this book however, from being on the run, people getting brought back from basically death, election of a new ruler, and of course many many many love issues. I enjoyed it all, I just expected more.

We get quite a lot of Sydney in this book but her ending was left up in the air and you don’t really know what happens to her. Though I thought this was a good way to make people want to continue on with the other series to find out what on earth happens, I thought it was a bit lazy for this series if we overlook the new series. This happens with other people as well. Eddie was someone I really wanted to know what happened to, but other than Rose going I think I ruined his life you don’t get anymore information. This annoyed me greatly for two reasons. One because I liked Eddie and want to know what actually happened to him, and two because everything turned out great for Rose and I think its really bitchy that you get to know anything that happens to the lives she wrecked, even though she didn’t mean to. So many characters endings where just left loose and I thought that this was poor writing. I get that SO MUCH happened in this book, and you can only solve so many of the questions that are raised throughout the series, but it was still very annoying. The only person besides Sydney that I can understand why the ending might not have been mentioned is my poor Adrian. He was so crushed since Rose and Dimitri ended up together and he found out she cheated on him, but what more could you say for his ending? You would need much longer than a few words to round off his story. I have heard exciting news about him being a main character in the new series!!! Even Mia, who really doesn’t make much of an appearance once she moves to court, should have had more of an ending because for all this books at least Lissa is living at court and they are supposed to be good friends. Many character loose ends.

Another thing that annoyed me is that in this book, Rose and even more so Dimitri tended to give long boring speeches over and over again. I get that huge things have been happening in their lives, but I did not feel these speeches were needed in the slightest. They probably could have been said better in fewer words or at least happened less often.

But the biggest issue I had was with Rose and Lissa loosing their bond. I don’t get why it happened, and the reason given in the book though kind of makes sense, just wasn’t thought of enough or really satisfactory in the slightest. I feel as though the author got it in her mind that this needed to go away for everything to end perfectly (thought I don’t see why that was needed either, they were pretty used to it and could handle it pretty well by this point in the series) and then just did a rush job at removing it. It was a bit of an easy way out. Not everything needed to end perfectly for Rose and Lissa.

Despite all this, I did enjoy the book greatly. I have always liked the characters even though they sometimes annoyed me, and I was happy with what I got from each of them, It was better than nothing. Also, if you include the second series it could be a lot of the things that annoyed me in this book are fixed or explained there, though thats a bit of an annoying way to sell the rest of the books.

Spirit Bound ended with Rose being locked up at Court for the murder of the Queen, which is exactly where Last Sacrifice picks up. Everyone is shocked that Rose is being accused of murder. She's clearly been framed since the murderer so conveniently left her silver stake at the scene of the crime. The evidence is all against her and she is locked back up until her trial which is in two weeks time. Not nearly enough time for Lissa, her father and friends to find the real murdered exonerate her of her charges but they need to come up with something because if Rose is found guilty, she will be executed.

I was so sad to see this series end. I wasn't sure how Mead would end everything but I thought she did a good job. I was a little let down with Dimitri though. I'm so used to him being this kick-ass character that it was a little weird seeing him being all broken and emotional. Although, considering he thinks that Rose is slipping away, I guess I could see him opening up to console her. He doesn't try to win her back though because he knows that he lost his shot when he pushed her away. He's come to terms with the fact that she's moved on and he's trying to be happy for here. However, Rose is still obsessing over Dimitri and it kind of pissed me off. Here she is with Adrian and she's still hung up over Dimitri. I just didn't care too much for that. I mean, sure at first Adrian seemed a bit off his rocker, and let's be honest here, he still is but he cares for Rose. Even during the grief of losing his aunt, he still only thinks of Rose. It's always been about Rose for him, which is why I was really annoyed that she was so quick to drop him like a hot potato just because Dimitri was back in the picture. Otherwise, I loved the story and the fact that the story is split in half. Rose does a lot of bond spying on Lissa as they try to find the murderer. She's still not sure exactly what's going on back home but Rose has come up with an idea of her own. An idea that will change all of their lives

I'm sad to see this series go but loved the ride. I loved it so much that this series has been something that I re-read at least twice a year. Yes, I know, I'm obsessed and I couldn't be happier that they are turning it into a movie. *picture a crying Bieber fan girl clapping excessively, and you have me*. I'm a little happy that there is a spinoff called Bloodlines that will deal with Adrian and I hope to God that poor guy gets his happy ever after. Normally I like a little spin in my romance but by golly that poor guy deserves a happy ending.

I've been waiting for the conclusion to the Vampire Academy series for almost two years now, and Last Sacrifice was definitely worth the wait! This review is spoiler free---I will come back later and write about spoilers upon request.

Richelle Mead has written the perfect end to an excellent series. I think that Vampire Academy is my favorite series of all time. I'm just going to come right out and say it: I was worried we would get a sad, Mockingjay-type book, full of war, death, disillusionment and betrayal. I knew I couldn't take that level of disappointment with the characters I have grown to love so much. Richelle Mead has proved herself a true romantic and Last Sacrifice gave me everything I was hoping for. She answered all the lingering questions I had and wrapped up the story so brilliantly, not with a too-perfect Twilight-esque ending but with a realistic conclusion that left me completely satisfied.

The plot twists, the pacing, the romance, the love triangle, the multi-layered story: Mead took all of these elements and wound them together to make a book that is truly impossible to put down. I read this entire, 594-page book in one sitting and I would not have had it any other way. There was just no stopping me once I started this thrill ride. Mead made me tear up several times and I outright cried twice. I love it when I'm so wrapped up in a story I feel like I'm right there with the characters! If you have not read this series, I would recommend it to anyone. It's just that good!

Just One Gripe:
Usually I love YA for what it is. However, this was the one time I found myself wishing for an adult-level book so that we could get more details on the love triangle. Call me trashy but I wanted more!

The Best Thing About This Book:
All of it. I loved all of it.

Last Sacrifice is a fantastic end to an amazing book series. Reading this book was bittersweet because I am sad that the series finished, but I am happy with how the ending turned out. There were quite a few surprises in this book that shocked me and were unexpected, but made for a stunning book. Throughout the Vampire Academy series, the books just kept on getting better and better. I enjoyed being a part of Rose's journey and the struggles she faced and the relationships she made. Vampire Academy is a riveting book series and has landed a special place in my heart. It has become one of my favorite book series and I just can't say enough about these books. I highly recommend anyone to read this book series. Richelle Mead is a phenomenal writer and has become one of my favorite authors. I can't wait to read the Bloodlines series so that I can continue to be a part of the Vampire Academy world.

Well, I am confused with my feelings. I just feel like so many things were left unsaid and it was a bit anti-climatic. First of all the whole situation with Adrian & Rose pissed me off from the beginning. Of course it had to end on a sour note, and I absolutely hated that. I was a bit disappointed with certain events that took place and the gaps that were still in the story. What happened with Dimitri's family? Did they even tell them he was alive?? They were such a large part of book 4 that it surprised me that they were never mentioned again. I also was hoping for Rose to find a place for herself among the vampires that did not necessarily define dhampir vs Moroi. The entire series talked about policies and cultures being changed but nothing happened, it was all talk. I guess I was just dreaming for more.

Well Holy Smokes. What a freaking ENDING! And sorry in advance, I'm not sure how spoiler free this will be... it's just too hard now because so much has happened. So if you are reading this to find out if the last book is worth it, IT IS... but I'd suggest stopping now with reading this review

One of my favorite things about this series is that main characters, or somewhat important characters that were introduced previously are always brought back into the following books. This held true for the final book. Jill played a huge part, Sonya Kemp(the spirit teacher who turned Strigoi) also was featured quite a bit and all of the old favorites were featured pretty much the entire book. Also Sydney was in almost the entire book which I loved. I adored her sarcastic attitude and I really like how Richelle Mead is building you up for the Bloodlines series with introducing her so heavily in the past couple of books.

I really enjoyed how a large focus was on how Rose started to get a little bit of the spirit insanity. This was such a large focus point the entire series I knew it was going to come into play somewhere but the way it does, WOAH! I was not expecting it.

Obviously, and I'm sure this goes without saying, is that I'm so happy that Rose & Dimitri ended up together. This was absolutely, hands down, one of my favorite YA relationships... It just warmed my heart and I'm so happy it played out well <3 I was somewhat saddened by Adrian though. The last scene with him and Rose, well it kind of broke my heart a little. I really took a liking to Adrian so it was so sad to see him break down.

The ending was a shocker. I honestly thought the entire book that the person who killed the queen was who the characters also thought... when it was revealed who it was, jeez... I almost dropped the book.

This was such a wonderfully satisfying ending to an amazing series. I can't sing enough praises for Vampire Academy. I must admit when I read the first book, I liked it... but I couldn't figure out what was the HUGE appeal. Now after finishing them all... I can't seem to figure out why I thought that

I cannot wait to start Bloodlines... I do not want this lovely world to go away. Love. Serious Love.

This was a great ending to the Vampire Academy series. It was full of action, tension, and twists.

Rose is charged with killing Queen Tatiana is about to stand trial for treason, an offense punishable by death. While she is locked up, the tables turn as it is her friends who have concocted the crazy plan to help her escape.

The story has two aspects: Rose and Dimitri and their life on the run, following leads and getting into their own trouble when they are supposed to be laying low; and Lissa and their friends trying to find the real murderer back at the royal court. Again, the connection between Lissa and Rose proves to be invaluable so that we can see what is going on in both places.

Then there is the development of the relationship between Rose and Dimitri - and how Adrian fits into what is going on between them. I did feel sorry for Adrian, but I thought it was interesting how Mead dealt with the whole thing. There certainly was no nicely wrapped up solution and I liked how Mead didn't pretend there was. She left some things messy.

There are also some great twists in the plot that keep the reader turning the pages. I love how so many threads throughout the whole series come together to make sense in this book. However, there are also some tangles, and though things all make sense in the end, there are still questions about what will happen next.

Overall, I think anyone who has read the Vampire Academy series will really love this book and will completely devour it, eating up every word and savoring the tension between Rose and Dimitri.

So... I kinda fell like this was anticlimactic. Like... Ive read six books now, and this was the ending?? Not quite what I was expecting. I don't know how to write this review without spoilers... so ill just do my best.

The story is about Rose, dimitri and Sydney (the alchemist) on the run- in hiding, while the rest of the gang tries to fine out who REALLY murdered the queen. The ironic thing is that even while Rose was gone and "in hiding" she still managed to save the day in more ways than one. (not only discovering the queen... but something else too)

Of course all the same characters are there- though some are apparently not all they appeared to be in the previous books. For example- some are more twisted than they appeared, and some are WAY more important than you would have thought.

We all know the most important thing here is the love triangle (not the murderer, not who will be queen next, not even the douche Victor- or maybe that's just my own twisted logic) So... I wont spoil it. But I will say I was happy with the way it turned out. Though Rose Definitely could have gone about it a WAY better way. She had some serious douche moments on her part!! (Poor poor guy...)

And on that note, I HATED how that ended. Though, like I said, I liked who she ended up with, the way it happened was SO wrong, and never explained how the other guy turned out!!

The random part about the keepers seemed not important, and I don't know why it was there at all... I just felt like, though it was a great book, it wasn't good enough to be the final book in a six book series...

Review by TheresaMJones.com

This was an amazing book--I could NOT put it down! If you haven't read this series yet, you need to. Richelle Mead is an amazing author and her plots are anything but predictable. Rose's friends and family break her out of jail and ask her to stay out in West Virginia while they figure out who really killed Queen Tatiana. Rose, of course, does not do as she is told and embarks on an amazing adventure with Dimitri and Sydney. Even though Rose is still dating Adrian, the chemistry between Rose and Dimitri is still as strong as it always has been (despite Dimitri's claims to the contrary).

Even though Lissa has played a large role in all of the Vampire Academy novels, her strength as a person really shines through in this book and the end of Spirit Bound. I had no idea that she would be able to accomplish the things that she did in either novel, but she has a strength and determination that we didn't really see in the other novels.

I also loved that Sydney returned in this novel because she added a fresh perspective. It amazes me how the alchemists seem to know more about the moroi world than the guardians do. Sydney also grows a lot in this novel. Her courage and strength really show in the Last Sacrifice and it appears that Rose and Dimitri are able to soften her prejudices against moroi and dhampires.

The most thrilling part of this book was trying to solve all of the mysteries. Who is Lissa's sister? Who actually killed Queen Tatiana? Thanks to the bond between Lissa and Rose we are able to follow both the investigation back at court and Rose's quest to find the lost Dragomir. The excitement of these two events, along with all the plot twists, kept me turning pages all night long.

There were only two things that I did not like about the ending. The first was Adrian. I love Adrian--I think he's great and I was so incredibly sad about how his part of the story ended. The second was a question I had about Lissa that wasn't entirely solved--although, I'm sure it will be in Bloodlines (the first book in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spin-off series). Even though the stories will continue with Bloodlines, I am so sad to be done with this series. Last Sacrifice is a fantastic read and one of the best books I have ever read.

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 :)

The Last Sacrifice is a fitting and satisfying end to Mead's Vampire Academy series. Rose is accused of murdering Queen Tatiana and may shortly be executed. She goes on the run with Dimitri and Sydney in an attempt to find another Dragomir so that Lissa can take her place on the council. Meanwhile, back at court, Lissa and they others try to find the real murderer.
The book may be almost 600 pages long, but it seems to fly by. With fast paced action and revelations at almost every turn, it keeps the reader turning pages until the end, unwilling to put it down. Even though I had guessed all of the major twists and reveals so far in this series, I did not guess who the eventual big villain was, so I was pleasantly surprised. Also, major points for not ending with a big, shiny, perfect, happily-ever-after conclusion. There is still fallout and emotional upheaval, but it's mostly positive, so satisfying without being cloying. I was quite impressed with the whole series. Big kudos for the strong female hero who does not wait around to be rescued, makes her own choices and lives with the consequences, and kicks major ass.

I've remained loyal to this series, and love it from the beginning. I've laughed and cried over these books. However I just can't say I loved this one. I found myself totally hating rose by the end. I think the author tired too hard to make this a happy ending. I would have loved some sadness other than a broken heart. OH maybe a death; or something more interesting like a kidnapped Adrian or maybe he turn stragori on purpose. Those would have made it up to par with the other books. She left the book where she can now take the individual characters like Lissa and Adrian and write spinoffs to make them happy too. : ( I'm not a big fan of the lets have a happy ending so I still have characters to make my spinoff with. Sadly I was greatly Disappointed with pretty much the whole book from start to finish.

May contain spoilers
I love Dimitri and Rose together before he was kidnapped and turned. After Blood Promise I pretty much was finished with them being together. I'd come to like her and Adrian together and I felt they were much healthier. However the author didn't feel the same way no she had to literally break Adrian's heart by making Rose CHEAT on him. I totally feel that Adrian was justified in treating Rose the way he did in the end. Sometimes you just need to be pissed off at someone. I've felt the whole time that she needed to leave Adrian alone if she wasn't serious about him but no even though she said she was serious she was just lying so she had someone to be with.

Oh, wait, I do. It was because of my opinion of Spirit Bound, or book five, that I was very reluctant to engage in the series once again. But, let me tell you, I'm so happy that I let go of that foolishness and finished it because Last Sacrifice is probably THE best installment in the series. Everything I've ever wanted in books--fighting, explosions, extraordinary and memorable characters--and everything I'd hoped would come true once the series was over erupted in this entrancing, action-packed, thrilling finale of one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE series!

Bear in mind that I'm going to, for once, try to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible considering that not everyone can read spoiler-ish reviews and the fact that I want other fans to be excited for this book. It's hard to have such a long-stretching series pan out successfully, and I've had my ups and downs as far as each book, but truthfully overall the series hasn't let me down. It's been one amazing thing after another (except book five) and such an EMOTIONAL ride. Last Sacrifice opens up the way I've come to expect from all books of the series--directly after the last and right in the thick of things. I was easily brought back up to speed and effortlessly thrust right into the story. It hadn't felt like I'd been away long from this series. And Rose, while she lost a few points with me in book five, swiftly resumed her post at the top of my Favorite MCs Ever.

Rose makes such a great heroine not necessarily because she's so tough and kick-ass, but because she's insightful and wise. I'd be drawn to those qualities in anyone, fictional or not. Last Sacrifice really exhibits Rose's development and incredible growth, more so than any ones that followed the first. And throughout the book, with her being so conflicted over so many things, pushed into situations that require her to make controversial choices, her struggle with what was right and wrong added a depth to this latest book that was a glimmer in the previous ones in comparison. And Dimitri! Oh, Dimitri, how I've missed him. If Rose is one of my FMCs, then Dimitri is on my Top Ten Amazing Men list. As a love interest and as an individual, Dimitri has blown me away. His romance with Rose--one of the most perfect I've read in the YA genre. In reading Last Sacrifice I fell so much more in love with his character.

Even though Rose, and Dimitri, has always been my main focus in all the books, I still appreciate the Lissa and Christian moments. Lissa's character growth soared to tremendous heights in this last book, to the point that I got to be a little teary-eyed, openly proud of her and how far she's come. Christian has always been a fun and lovable side character, his sarcasm and snark making him both funny and endearing. Seeing more of him, seeing his strength in spite of all the bad that takes place, especially and predominantly focused in the end, I grew to respect and love him way more than I had before. Adrian now has room to grow and I anticipate that he will be as amazing as Rose thinks he will be once he gets the chance. And Sydney! I can't believe how much I came to like her, which is wonderful for me considering I'm reading the spin-off series that stars her.

I know I said in my review for Spirit Bound that I didn't like the plot wrench in the story that Mead threw in there, but after reading book six I take it back. Majorly. I realized it wasn't a plot device placed in the books to drag the story on, but was instead a well-thought out, planned one that drove the story to new and intriguing heights! That twist on the end, wow! I didn't see that one coming! At. All. The direction Last Sacrifice went in was both unexpected and perfect. The ending even more so. This last installment concluded one of the most impeccable YA VAMPIRE series in existence! And I can only hope that you'll take my advice and finish the series. Non-fans, it is my duty to tell you to READ THIS SERIES ASAP!

Rose's trial is drawing closer each day, and they still haven't found proof of her innocence. They need more time. What can they do? Bust Rose out of jail and send her into hiding with Dimitri as protection! But Rose doesn't play `damsel in distress' very well. She hates the inactivity of it all and decides that she might as well be useful and do something simple as finding Eric Dragomir's illegitimate daughter. Now with a purpose in mind and with the help of some unlikely allies, Rose and Dimitri must race against time to find Lissa's half brother or sister before the other guardians and the evil side of Spirit catches up with Rose.

In this novel we get to fall in love with Dimitri again. We see him at his weakest, and with Rose's help he starts to return to his old self. Rose has been so focused on forgetting him and accepting they can't have anything together, that she doesn't see the change in Dimitri. His love for her never faded, it was only buried beneath all the guilt. When he confesses this to Rose she is ready to having him back in her arms, but Dimitri tells her he doesn't want to get between her and Adrian (like always he wants to do the right thing...silly man). But we all know he can't resist her for long.

The part that got me all teary eyed and stuff, was Adrian. (I guess its spoiler time, but I really want to quote this part!) As I read this last part I felt like I was Rose and every single world was a verbal slap for always cheering for Rose and Dimitri to be reunited. Also, I always imagined Adrian would go `quietly' after he found out about it. But, oh man, was I ever more wrong.

Adrian goes on to remind her that he wasn't the only to come out with a sad ending. He viciously tells Rose that next time when she is in bed with Dimitri, to remember that Jill, Sydney, and Eddie were also collateral damage to her happy ending. The whole part was just heart wrenching, and thank goodness for the sequel to the series.

This book was such an emotional ride for me, and though I thoroughly enjoyed it, I am still a little sad! ;)

I don't want to spoil this for potential readers by saying too much, but in short, Rose escapes prison with the help of Lissa and others, and Dimitri is also freed with her. -He had been locked up, alleging that he may not truly be free of being a Strigio. Rose and Dimitri then set out on a runaway roadtrip, with the additional help of Abe and Rose's Alchemist "friend", Syndney (whom she first met during her trip to Russia, in hopes of finding then Strigio Dimitri). It's a long journey ahead for the three of them from there, with bits of humor, romance/sexual tension, and as always, butt kicking. ;) They eventually split away from Sydney, and meet up with other people we've gotten to know, but I'll leave it at that to spare the risk of spoiling anything. ;)

In the end, I was very happy to see how things turned out for everyone, Rose, Lissa, Dimitri, Adrian, and the actual person responsible for Tatiana's death. I am still sad as to what happened between Rose and one of the main men in her life, but you can sense from reading the story that it was meant to be, even if they do both love each other to an extent. I hope that maybe HE will be included in the spin off series that's due to come out next. I can't imagine the thought of leaving him like that in the last VA book, so heartbroken and sad! I guess we'll have to just hope and wait and see where Ms. Mead plans to go from there with the other series!

Highly recommended read for VA fans!!

In the final book in the Vampire Academy series, author Richelle Mead brought action, drama, suspense and romance to one novel. Why I am sad at this series coming to a close, I am excited by the idea of jumping into the spin-off series that follows this book. I was a little hesitant in reading this book because I knew the series was coming to an end. I wanted happily ever afters for so many characters but I didn't want to take that final journey knowing it will be over.

At the beginning of the book, we are with Rose in the cells. She has been arrested for murdering the Queen and is being held before her trial. Needless to say, the preliminary trial doesn't turn out for the best. It has been found that there is more than enough evidence for her to stand trial as a murderer. Yes, the reader knows she didn't do this horrible crime, but the Royal community does not. When she tried to slip into her bond with Lissa, she finds that she is being blocked. She can't believe Lissa is blocking her and can't figure out what she is up to. Lissa, Christian, Abe, Eddie, Adrian and Dimitri are all planning a way to break Rose out of jail. They know Rose will be a fugitive and will have to hide, but it also buys them some time to try and figure out who really did kill the Queen. In the midst of all of this, Lissa is nominated for Queen and must undergo her own trials and tests. If this is not enough drama for the reader, add in the mystery of a missing Dragomir that is not suppose to be alive and we have another problem that Rose is forced to deal with.

What can I say about this book to convince you that this series is worth the time to read? If you have read my reviews for the previous books in the series, then you know that I am a huge fan of them. I will say though that this book didn't reach the awesome factor as much as the previous ones. Yes, there is a lot going on, but I missed the connection between Dimitri and Rose. I wanted them to connect even more than what was presented. There was quite a bit of page time for these two, but I wanted more for them and wanted Adrian to be more of a presence with them. I felt the way Rose handled the situation with Adrian at the end was a little cruel on her part. I wish she would have stuck with what Dimitri had wanted in the first place and talked to Adrian first before the event happened. My heart broke for Adrian and I do hope that the author has something planned for him.

Overall this was a great conclusion to a great series. Does everyone get their happily ever after? Does Rose become Lissa's Guardian? Does Lissa become Queen? All these can be answered in this book when you start reading it. I can't wait to read the spin-off series next so I can see familiar characters again and hope for another happily ever after!

When I finally got my hands on my copy of Last Sacrifice, I swear my fingers tingled in anticipation. After enduring weeks of waiting, I finally got to crack that cover open, and feast my eyes on...awesomeness!

Before starting the book, I read at least fifty reviews of it (I didn't start it until about three weeks after its release) but, each and every one of them had something in common: A 5/5 star rating and a raving review. Which didn't surprise me, but hell, I was just dying to see what all the hype was about.

Vampire Academy is definitely one of my favorite series, and Mead is one of my favorite authors (I absolutely adore the Georgina Kincaid Series as well!) And I'm so glad to say that the newest, and final, edition to her best selling series is a definite winner. Each page seemed to get better-and-better!

I only have one complaint, and really, it's something that has bothered me throughout the series: I hate how Rose can be in Lissa's head. Sure, in the beginning it was cool and different, but now it seems that the author just puts Rose in Lissa's head to fill momentary lapses in stuff that's going on in the "now". Of course, I read each and every chapter that was `Lissa' and I know how important those pages are, but still. I can't change how I feel about that.

Moving on, I really, really, really loved this book! It took less time to finish then I originally planned, but heck, it's to be expected to devour the pages (*small spoiler!* and I was so happy to see that Dimitri was almost always with Rose in the book; it made it more fun to read).

Also with reading reviews, I've been following all the speculation sites--places where VA fans chatted about who they thought killed Tatiana; and I was happy to find out that I was right (not to brag or anything, but it's kinda obvious...I think).

The ending requires a review in itself, but I don't want to spoil the book by saying anything. ;) 5++/5 stars!

Sixth and last in the Vampire Academy urban fantasy series for young adults revolving around Rose Hathaway and her friends.

My Take
Someone is trying to frame Rose for killing Queen Tatiana and Rose and her friends and family are racing to find proof as to the real killer.

True to form, Rose doesn't think, she simply acts on the first thought out of her head with no thought for consequences, screwing up their ability to move.

It's rather funny how prejudiced Rose is about the Keepers; Sydney is certainly disgusted by them. I did love how democratic the Moroi culture became with the monarch elections, especially when Lady Badica tries to kick people around.

It's a tale of revelations. Dimitri faces his time as a Strigoi. Of course, it helps that Sonya Karp is also brought back. By helping her face her return to life, Dimitri gets a better handle on his own return. Lissa must understand the ramifications of ruling over the Moroi. Rosa must face her actions against Victor. She must also learn to slow down and think!

Snicker...Sonya gives a whole new meaning to weeding. Whoa, some pretty interesting tests they put the monarchial candidates through. Well, you can definitely see how young Rose is that she doesn't see that Dimitri still loves her.

And that's what it all comes down to...love.

The Story
Against the pile of evidence against Rose and the speed with which the Court is racing to a verdict, the only chance Rose and her friends and family have of finding the real killer is more time. Rose's escape from her jail cell will buy that time for those left behind to track down witnesses and uncover evidence that will prove her innocence.

Luckily, Lissa, Christian, Adrian, Eddie, and Abe planned the breakout beautifully. The Guardians may be suspicious, but nothing can be proved.

Dimitri's defense of Rose in the cafe has undone some of the good they had managed in convincing the Moroi that Dimitri truly was no longer Strigoi. Still he has some freedom of movement, a freedom he uses to break out of the compound with Rose before joining up with Sydney. All part of Abe's plan. A plan that has Rose crawling the walls almost before she hears it. Her lack of forethought comes to the fore when her actions force the trio to abandon her father's plan and run. Another escape that reveals yet another secret.

The message Tatiana had gotten to Rose through Ambrose. A way to help Lissa. Now if they can just survive Victor Dashkov with his power-hungry plans. Find the true killer. Prove Rose's innocence. Survive Dimitri's Strigoi contacts. Give Lissa a chance at the voting. Find Lissa's sibling. Survive the Tests.

All they have to do is slow the process down with nominations. Track down a supposedly non-existent child of Eric Dragomir. Escapes. Revisit Strigoi nightmares. Kidnappings. The false trails. Truth.

The Characters
Newly-graduated Guardian and dhamphir, Rose Hathaway, is jailed for killing Queen Tatiana and the court is racing to convict. When Lissa brought Rose back from the dead, a bond was formed between them. Rose is always aware of Lissa's emotions and can use Lissa's eyes to see what occurs around her. Dimitri Belikov is one of the best of the Guardians and he's abjured Rose. After Lissa brought him back from being Strigoi, he feels such intense guilt that he doesn't feel he deserves her love. Ibrahim "Abe" Mazur is Moroi, gangster enough that he can accomplish just about anything, and Rose's father. He steps up to defend Rose from the regicide charges. Janine Hathaway is one of the elite Guardians. And Rose's mother.

Princess Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir is a Moroi and the last of the Dragomirs. She is also a Spirit user and her bond with Rose has allowed them to understand this long-lost ability and how it affects Lissa. Christian Ozera is back with Lissa. A royal Moroi, he uses Fire. Tasha Ozera is Christian's aunt and a proponent for teaching Moroi how to defend themselves.

Eddie Castile is a fellow Guardian and former schoolmate of Rose, Lissa, and Christian's. He's been putting his honor on the line for Rose for some time now. Mikhail Tanner is an older Guardian who has been helping Rose in the hopes that the miracle Lissa wrought with Dimitri can save his love, Sonya Karp. Mia Rinaldi is a classmate and former enemy. Jill Mastrano is a younger Moroi classmate who has been learning defensive magic from Christian; her parents are Emily and John.

Adrian Ivashkov is a royal Moroi who uses Spirit and can dream-walk; he's also in love with Rose. Tatiana was his aunt and he is grieving. Daniella and Nathan Ivashkov are Adrian's parents; his mother is accepting of Adrian's affair with Rose while his father is a typical jerk Moroi. Candidates for queen include: Rufus Tarus, Daniella's cousin; Ariana Szelsky; Ronald Ozera; Marie Conta; Marcus Lazar; ...and, Lissa. Ekaterina Zeklos was the Moroi Queen before Tatiana.

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, part of a human organization which cleans up dead Strigoi and prevents the rest of the world from learning about the Moroi world. She and Rose met in Russia when Rose was hunting Dimitri (seeBlood Promise (Vampire Academy, 4)). The Alchemists hate and fear all vampires whatever their origin or status. Ian is an Alchemist with a possible inside on the Moroi who attacked Lissa.

Victor Dashkov is still free and with his brother Robert Doru, another Spirit user. The one who told Rose how to bring a Strigoi back from the dead. Joe is a janitor paid off by two different mysterious Moroi to provide an alibi on one hand and destroy another's. Ambrose, a dhamphir, was one of Tatiana's lovers. Blake Lazar was one of Tatiana's narcissitic lovers. Serena was one of Lissa's Guardians in the Strigoi attack on her in Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy, 5).

Hans Croft is the head of the Guardians at Court. Alberta Petrov was in charge of the Guardians at school. Ethan Moore is another Guardian fascinated by Tasha.

The Keepers are Moroi who have kept with the old ways: human, Moroi, and dhamphir having equal status. Raymond is the Moroi leader of the group to whom Sydney takes Rose and Dimitri for refuge; Sarah is his human wife while Paulette is his Moroi mistress. Their children are Phil; Molly; Joshua who wants to marry Rose; and, Angeline with the biggest chip I've ever seen on her shoulder --I wonder if Mead is setting us up for the next series??

The Cover
The cover is consistent with the others: a dark background with the bust of a full-lipped Rose, her hair blown by an unseen breeze, as she gazes out at us from behind the wrought iron VA gate.

The title indicates both the end of the series and the Last Sacrifice made to ensure Lissa lives.

The cover:

I LOVE this cover. It says a lot about Rose and what she goes thru in this book.

The storyline (Small spoilers):

This sequel is completely amazingly beautifully unique. No book in the series competes with Last Sacrifice, it was filled with so many emotions and mysteries it hurt to read because all the time while reading it, I was trying to be a smart girl and anticipate what was going to happen. I failed miserably.

The story continues where Spirit Bound ended up, with Rose still in jail for the murder of Queen Tatiana. However, her friends get her out of it with the help of Dimitri, of course .

Anyways, things got crazy like they always do with Rose, and she was caught in the middle of a huge mess, in the mean time, Lisa was nominated as Queen but they wouldn't be able to vote for her because there's no other member of her family left, says the Quorum.

So, as always, despite being on the run for her life from Court, Rose tries to find the missing sibling Lissa has. Obviously, she got in a lot of trouble and Victor and his brother joined her.

I'm going to jump to the end of this book before I spoil this review more than this.

The end was the special treat. I was holding my breath and tears while reading it and I couldn't put the book down until I was done with it. It is full of shock, mystery, dreams come true and surprising twists.

Also, Dimitri and Rose's relationship had a weird turn and I was having a lot of fun seeing them argue, and her calling him comrade like old times :').

The characters:

Rose, the main protagonist, got on my nerves for the first time. She was acting like a stupid girl who was dumped, she couldn't see the truth when it was right in front of her!!! But also, to be fair, she's the best friend anyone would dream about, and the ending of the book is proof of that.

Adrian, well, he's Adrian!! lol I adore how cool he is and how he doesn't care about anyone at all. I felt sorry for him at the end and how he got mad, I've never seen him shout like that! He was really hurt. Let's hope things get better for him in Bloodlines .

Dimitri is the old Dimitri, finally. It was so cool and nice to see him act like his old self (in Vampire Academy and Frostbite mainly). I love this mysterious teacher <3.

Lissa is the protective nice friend who loves Rose a lot!

Sydney is hilarious. I'm definitely sure that she's Rose's friend now. I can't wait to find her in Bloodlines, it's going to be fun to read the spinoff of my favorite Vampire series from her point of view.

Other characters you'll encounter while reading and are worth mentioning: Victor (who later get's killed XD << I'm evil), Sonia Karp, Jill Mostrano, Daniella Ivashkov and Tasha.

My favorite quotes:

I have so freaking many favorite quotes!! And to be honest, I would like to put the whole book in here, but of course to not spoil this anymore than I already did, I'll share just a few to push you into reading the series if you haven't already!!

I don't like cages.

I don't even like going to zoos. The first time I went to one, I almost had a claustrophobic attack looking at those poor animals. I couldn't imagine any creature living that way. Sometimes I even felt a little bad for criminals, condemned to life in a cell. I'd certainly never expected to spend my life in one.

But lately, life seemed to be throwing me a lot of things I'd never expected, because here I was, locked away. - Chapter 1

I ignored the barb and crossed my arms. "So what are you doing here? I know it's not just a fatherly visit. You never do anything without a reason." "Of course not. Why do anything without a reason?" "Don't start up with your circular logic." He winked. "No need to be jealous. If you work hard and put your mind to it, you might just inherit my brilliant logic skills someday." - Chapter 1

My friends were staging a prison break. Unbelievable. Crazy was usually my specialty. - Chapter 4

And I'd fulfilled my purpose, right? To protect? I'd done it. I'd saved Lissa, just like I'd sworn I'd always do. I was dying in battle. No appointment books for me.

Lissa's face shone with tears, and I hoped that mine conveyed how much I loved her. With the last spark of life I had left, I tried to speak, tried to let Dimitri know I loved him too and that he had to protect her now. I don't think he understood, but the words of the guardian mantra were my last conscious thought.

They come first. - Chapter 33

"Sorry," she said, her face shining with joy when she saw me. "Should have put a sock on the door. Didn't realize things were getting hot and heavy."

"No avoiding it," I said lightly, clasping Dimitri's hand.

"Things are always hot with him around."

Dimitri looked scandalized. He'd never held back when we were in bed together, but his private nature wouldn't let him even hint about such matters to others. It was mean, but I laughed and kissed his cheek.

"Oh, this is going to be fun," I said. "Now that everything's out in the open."

"Yeah," he said. "I got a pretty `fun' look from your father the other day." - Chapter 34

"This," he said, moving toward the door, "was the last thing I expected. You destroy my life and then feed me inspirational philosophy." I felt horrible, and it was one of those moments where I wished my mouth wouldn't just blurt out the first thing on my mind. I'd learned a lot of control--but not quite enough. - Chapter 35

"What's so funny?" asked Dimitri, looking down at me with amusement.

"I'm just thinking about what Lissa would say if we still had the bond."

In a very bad breach of guardian protocol, he caught a hold of my hand and pulled me toward him. "And?" he asked, wrapping me in an embrace.

"I think she'd ask, `What have we gotten ourselves into?'" - Chapter 36

The conclusion:

This is the sweetest end ever, I wish the series continued but I guess it's a good idea to keep it like this and leave the rest to our imagination. Besides, I heard there's a bit of Rose and Dimitri in Bloodlines .

I wanted to thank Richelle Mead for writing such a wonderful series. This is my favorite Vampire series ever!!

I definitely recommend it to everyone who's into fun, mysterious twisted books .

I have the audiobook version of the series. I listen to it during long trips, doing chores at home, or when working out. I knew I should have stopped in Book 4 when she set out to find Dimitri...by herself. It's just like watching a stereotypical horror movie where (of course) the girl runs towards instead of away from the perpetrator. And she does it all ALONE. BY HERSELF. The only reason I kept on going was I was intrigued at what would eventually happen in the end. I have read the spoilers and would really love to get to the part when they found out that Jill was the other Dragomir and what everyone's reactions would be. But I could not handle Rose's character any longer. Like other reviews, she is definitely selfish and thinks only of herself. She is definitely immature; to think she's had her Guardian training and she's supposed to be the BEST of the BEST. Since book 4, I constantly find myself screaming in space, with my headphones on (the people at the gym are starting to think I'm crazy LOL). I know it's fiction, but a well-trained Guardian wouldn't have acted like she did. Reading the reviews and spoilers, I think it would have been nice if she's ended up with Adrian. But as usual, a stereotypical fairy tale ending. And no, I am not reading/listening to the spin-off.
UPDATE: By chapter 8, I called Audible and asked for a return and refund which they readily worked on. Sorry, just couldn't handle a dragging storyline with a totally immature, "I won't stop till I get what I want (including Dimitri)" heroine. Its just not right. For those who wrote the review and spoilers, thank you for filling me in. I just don't feel like its worth my time.

SPOILER ALERT: If you have not read the previous books in this series, do not read this review!

Last Sacrifice is the perfect end to the Vampire Academy series. I'm not happy that there are no more books in the series but I am very satisfied with the way things ended. Richelle Mead pretty much tied everything up, leaving just a few loose ends that I am sure will be addressed in the Bloodlines series.

It's really hard to explain how I felt about this book without going into spoilery things. As far as the Rose-Dimitri-Adrian love triangle, I think we all knew how that was going to end. I didn't really like how long it took to reach that ending but the end was very sweet and romantic.

Another thing I liked about this book was Lissa. She finally stopped relying on Rose and grew some semblance of a backbone. Don't get me wrong, I liked her in previous books but she has never really done anything. She definitely did something in this book and I loved her for it.

The plot of Last Sacrifice was fabulous! There was so much going on at all times. It was hard to put this book down. It seemed like one problem would be resolved only to have another one pop up. It was very gripping.

Overall, Last Sacrifice is the perfect end to the Vampire Academy series and I can't wait to read Bloodlines now. I am so glad that there will be more books set in the VA world and hopefully more Rose, Dimitri, Lissa, Christian, Adrian, and the rest.

What can I say about this book, except, WOW! This review might be a tad long. Bear with me. This series is rather special to me and there's a short story behind it. The Twilight series was my first foray into YA/Teen stories. I liked those so much, I decided to go troll through the YA/Teen section to see if, perhaps, there might be other great series out there I liked just as much. My first YA book I picked up was The Vampire Academy. From that moment on, I was enthralled with the series, in love with Richelle Mead, and hooked on YA. I've been a fan of the series and YA ever since. This series made me a fan. This last book in this phenomenal series met all of my expectations and then some. First, let's talk characters:

Every character in this series is so well-rounded and 3 dimensional you can't help but fall in love with them. Although Lissa tended to get on my nerves a little in the first couple books, she grew up and became a really strong character. And that is one of the things I love most about this series and this book. All of the characters have come through such a wonderful and vivid emotional growth that by the time you reach this final book, you are cheering them on even more and are so proud of the moves they make in their journey.

Rose was my favorite heroine for all 2010 books I read, and the reason is all because of her 3 dimensional, raw, and honest characterization. She has flaws, she has strengths, she has weaknessses, but that's what you love about her. So much of the time, you see a strong heroine in a story but that's all she is...strong. You're not given any of her weaknesses. You're not always given an opportunity to see them make mistakes, almost like the author wants to keep them out of trouble. But this girl made mistakes. She did things that were wrong. But you love her all the more for it, especially since you can see, throughout the books, how much she grows and changes on her journey. She earns the ending she receives in this book.

Dimitri. What can I say? This is one of the hottest guys in YA fiction. Not just for his looks and that awesome Russian accent. (Don't laugh...I can hear it in my head.) He's also an honorable, tough, amazing character that you adore. He goes through such hard times but battles it out in his head and heart. Love him!

Adrian, again with the character growth. He changes on so many levels throughout the story. Richelle Mead is awesome at character journey, and it really shows with Adrian. When I was first introduced to him, I wasn't sure I liked him, but he progresses so much as a character throughout the series that I found myself falling in love with him. At one time, I had thought I could never see Rose with anyone but Dimitri, but Adrian changed my mind to the point that I would have been happy had she ended up with either of them. I'm not saying what happens, though!

All in all, this was my one of my favorite 2010 books. It was bittersweet to read it, only because I was sad it had to be over. But it was a fitting, perfect conclusion to an exceptional series. If you haven't read these books, run, don't walk, to the bookstore and get them. They are amazing...and Richelle Mead deserves accolades for being a fabulous author. My highest praise goes to this book.

This final installment reunites us with characters with whom we have fallen hopelessly in love through prior books, their heartbreak and loss a keening pain we feel every moment during their absence in between novels, and one that refuses to dissipate the entire six month wait until we are together again. Ms. Mead's shining strength is her stunning characterization, creating individuals to whom we are irreversibly bound, our emotional connection to them a live wire pulsing with our shared joy, turmoil, and overwhelming anguish, cementing a relationship that will forever be remembered, cherished, and returned to experience again and again. Because our thoughts and opinions of characters and events are filtered through Rose's observations and musings, we find ourselves slipping easily into her role, the boundary between her fictional existence and our reality blurring to such a degree that for the duration of hundreds of pages, and sometimes long after, the outside world simply ceases to exist as our attachment to Rose and the other characters becomes a permanent link powerfully reinforced with every word, every page, and every chapter we read.

Rose is, and always has been, a remarkable blend of maturity and naivete, possessing an enviable fortitude and surety of purpose combined with a tempestuous nature that often lands her in a variety of difficult situations. To watch as she's progressed from an able, independent, but also very young girl to a resilient, impassioned, and unbelievably dedicated woman has been and absolute privilege. The battle between selfishness and selflessness has been a prominent one, and Rose has struggled with finding a balance between the value of protecting Lissa's life and the desire to live her own. Finally, in this last book we get to see that epic battle come full circle as the events leading up to the finale produce a Rose who exceeds our expectations and our fondest imaginings. A warrior, a leader, and a woman we would be proud to call friend emerges from the chaos to become someone who we saw fleeting glimpses of previously, but now stands before us fully embracing both the flaws and strengths of a woman that has known unfathomable loss and pain, and has not only survived, but excelled, when others would have surely succumbed.

The journey for Rose and Dimitri has been not just a long and winding one, but one so dominated by obstacles it often seemed they would never escape the darkness and get to experience the light. Part of the enjoyment of Last Sacrifice is the return of the Rose and Dimitri we knew so long ago, and though both have been fundamentally changed by their individual battles, we have the pleasure of watching as a flare alights in the blackness, the tiniest of beacons existing to usher them into the future we want most for these two people who mean so much to us. Even more interesting, we get to see a role reversal in their relationship-where Dimitri has always been the calm to Rose's storm and the voice of reason to her youthful zeal, we now find Rose to be the leader, the optimist, and the lifeline holding Dimitri to sanity when the force of his guilt might otherwise consume him. Where previously they were student to teacher, adolescent enthusiasm to learned control, and inexperienced Dhampir to battle-ravaged Guardian, we now find two equals; both whose worlds have been altered seemingly beyond repair but are rebuilding together, partners in a relationship that brings a smile to our faces, butterflies to our stomachs, and tears to our eyes.

Last Sacrifice is a brilliant end to a beautiful series, one that never shies away from pain and isn't afraid to allow misery to temporarily eclipse hope. It is a story that leaves us more satisfied and complete for having experienced the trials of it's characters and more involved than perhaps we ever thought we could be in a piece of fiction. For anyone who loves to be completely connected with those about whom their reading, this series is for you. For those who like it when their emotions are tested, taunted, and tormented, this series is for you. And for anyone who loves when the joy is ultimately worth the suffering, I say this series is for you.

Rating: 4.5/5

I know that at this point a lot of people think Richelle sucks and that VA has just become YA crap, but honestly, I don't think it has at all. This book had great plot, lots of character development and even though it didn't feel like Richelle was over and done with the Moroi/ Dhampir universe (because she isn't, I know, I know, but I haven't read Bloodlines yet, so...), the ending was a very fitting conclusion to Rose's story.

Plot wise, it was great. The book starts with Rose in jail, accused of the murder of Queen Tatiana as her friends try to prove her innocence - even though it involves busting her out of jail in a very stylish way, which makes her look even more guilty, but ok.
Rose and her entourage then proceed to try and find Eric Dragomir's illegitimate child so Lissa can have a spot on the Moroi Council while Lissa herself becomes a candidate to the Moroi crown (even though the law says she can't win, since she has no family) in a attempt to stall the coronation - and Rose's trial.

There's a lot of action, some exciting chases and tons of secrets uncovered in this book, and even though it may not be as awesomely perfect as books 1,2,3 and 5 were, Last Sacrifice is still an excellent character driven YA book.

Many characters grew and changed, and even though some of those changes weren't for the best, it at least gave the book a realistic feel - because, honestly, people aren't always becoming better persons as life screws them over, regardless of what Stephenie Meyer might think.

Rose Hathaway is known for getting herself into trouble, but never anything quite like being locked up for a murder she didn't commit--the assassination of Queen Tatiana. Lissa and her friends are determined to find the real killer and bring him to justice, but when they begin to run out of time, they must orchestrate Rose's escape--with Dimitri. The plan is for the pair to lie low until the assassin is caught, but Rose isn't one to sit out on the action. She begins following the clues in a note left to her by Tatiana before her death in the hopes of helping Lissa, and fighting Dimitri nearly every step of the way. Their plans and what they discover not only change Rose's life, but alters Lissa's fate forever.

It's hard to say goodbye to Rose in this final book, but Richelle Mead gives readers one lengthy read and a final dose of everyone's favorite characters in Last Sacrifice. Rose's commentary is sharp and witty as always, and she's a fun narrator, even during the more serious moments. Despite her power and humor, she can be a little dense, a fault that makes her all the more likable. The escape plan at the beginning was full of surprises, and it really kicks off the action, which hardly slows down at all as Rose, Dimitri, and the others go racing all over the country. Mead sneaks in some new characters and groups of people, showing readers another interesting facet of the Moroi/dhamphir world not previously seen before, which just continues to solidify Rose's world in readers' imaginations.

We also see a lot of Lissa, who is definitely not a passive character in need of constant protection, and witness a lot of her struggles and triumphs as she deals with court drama and the mystery surrounding Tatiana's death. It's great to see Lissa become a more prominent part of the series, despite the fact that she and Rose are apart, but the transitions between the two are occasionally rough, and a few of Lissa's passages stretch a little too long. Another excellent aspect to this novel is the relationship between Dimitri and Rose. As much as readers want to see them pick up where they left off in Shadow Kiss, their relationship isn't an easy fix. It's complicated and it needs time, dealing realistically with courage, honesty, and trust. In the end, Mead brings nearly every character readers have grown to love throughout the series back in this satisfying finale, but she does leave a few loose ends, which will leave readers wondering and whet their appetite for the spin-off series, Bloodlines.

Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy, Book 6), as I understand it is the last book in the series. I have to say that after reading this one I was truly looking for more. If you haven't read the previous books in the series, don't start here. Go back to the beginning and start with book one, Vampire Academy. For those of you who are wondering should you read this one? I liked it so much more than the last. It picks right up where the last one, Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy, Book 5), left off. Rose is in a cell being held for murdering the queen. She knows she didn't do it and her friends believe her when she says so, but how can she prove it when she stuck in a cell. We all know from previous stories that it is not in Rose's DNA to sit and wait for everyone else to take care of things. If she wants things done, who better than herself to do them?

I really enjoyed this installment to the series. I read it in two days and it only took me that long because I had to sleep at some point. There were explosions, and of course fighting. Characters not seen since early in the series brought back. A murder mystery with such a twist you would never guess who the murderer really is. And of course everyone wants to know what will the future of Rose's love life hold. I can promise you will get your answer here. I personally couldn't have been more happy with the answer.

I have read other stories where the author was suppose to end and decided to continue I do hope Ms. Mead has a change of heart and does the same. Enjoy your read!!!

4.5 out of 5 stars
I know I'm well behind in this review, but I had a few reasons why I didn't read this book as soon as it came out. 1. I didn't want the series to end. I love Rose, Dimitri, and especially Adrian. 2. I found out some spoilers before I had a chance to get the book and was really disappointed, so I decided not to pick up he book. (By the way this is why I try very, very hard not to include spoilers in my reviews)
So why did I finally pick up the book? Because a friend is lending me Bloodlines. I figured if I was going to read that book I needed to sit down and finish this series. Honestly, knowing that Bloodlines gives us a little more of Rose, Dimitri, and the illustrious Adrian I was okay reading the ending of Vampire Academy. :)
Now onto what I thought. Very simply: I loved the book. Richelle Mead managed to keep the mystery going all the way until the last chapter. Just when you thought you figured things out she threw another wrench in the story. One of the things I loved most about this book was that each and every character we've grown to love played a vital role at some point. Even those characters that were minor in earlier books had a chance to step up and play hero/heroine for a minute. What a way to end a series!
I could go on about this book all day. I will tell you that was happy with the decision on who Rose ends up with. I was surprised by the reveal of who committed the murder. That was one of the spoilers I found out before I had a chance to read the book, and even knowing that as I read the book I was still surprised. In fact, knowing that while reading the book impressed me all the more with the way Richelle Mead slowly reveals all the details.
The only reason this book didn't get a 5 star review is because I felt like it wrapped up too quickly at the end. In the last chapter we get a very quick wrap up for each character. Other than that this was a fantastic finale and I recommend everyone read the entire series. If you've already read it once...well go read it again!

ast Sacrifice was easily my most anticipated book of 2010! The Vampire Academy Series has been my favourite series since I, on a whim, first picked up the first three books of the series about two years ago. Let me just say right now, the conclusion to this series did not disappoint!

Rose was just as kick ass as ever! I've always loved Rose because she is such a strong heroine, always wanting to fight her own battles and never letting herself get defeated. Even when all the odd are stacked against her, as they were in Last Sacrifice, she still manages to fight to the very end. Although Rose is so strong and brave, her composure does crack a little when she realizes, when it really sinks in, that she has been sentenced to death, that it could really be over for her. Although she's frightened by the fact that she could be executed after being wrongly accused of murdering the Queen, what worries Rose the most is the fact that, if she were executed, she would no longer be there to protect and defend her best friend, Lissa. Rose is so protective of Lissa and the thought that she could no longer be there to protect Lissa from the people who wish to harm her is devestating to Rose. She is so selfless when it comes to Lissa, she would do anything for her, and that is another one of the many things that I love about Rose.

Lissa is a very interesting character. In the first few books, she seemed rather helpless, like she always needed someone to protect her, but in the previous book (Spirit Bound) and especially in Last Sacrifice, she really showed how much she has grown. She has really developped from a young helpless girl into a strong woman over the course of the series. In Last Sacrifice, she really showed how strong she had become and I was very impressed with the ways that she acted and the ways in which she carried herself. So many of the characters have grown so much over the course of this series, but Lissa is definitly one of the characters grew and developped so much throughout the series.

Ok. Now it's Dimitri time. Ahhh... Dimitri. Dimitri is undoubtedly my biggest literary crush EVER. I seriously love him. He is so kind, tender and loving, but at the same time he is so fierce and strong and will, without a moment of hesitation, defend those who he loves if they are in danger. I could go on and on and on about all of the things that I love about Dimitri, but this is a review and not an I Love Dimitri post, so I shall get back on track with the reviewing :) Anyway, in Last Sacrifice, one of the many things that I really enjoyed was the fact that we got to see another side of Dimitri. In the previous books, he has always been so composed and in control, but in this book he really opened up and we really got a glimpse at what was going on inside him, of the suffering that he was going through after his time as a Strigoi. It was heart breaking to see the way that he was suffering, but as the book went on, we saw him deal with what was going on inside of him, come to terms with the terrible things that he had done as a Strigoi and forgive himself. I really liked being able to see him in a different light, seeing him struggle with and over come his issues. The fact that he was able to do that, to over come his issues, only made me love him more.

I love pretty much all of the characters in this series. I've always loved Adrian, ever since we first met him in Frostbite. Although he is one of my favourite charcters in the series (and one of my top 10 literary crushes, might I add), I found that he didn't have the same strength as the other characters had, he struggled with some issues, but was unable to overcome them on his own. He seemed very dependent on Rose and even said something along the lines of "Rose gives me all my strength". Although I love him, I really wish that he could have developped and grown the same way that Lissa had, I wish that he could have found his own strength instead of always leaning on others. Chrisitian was the same old Christian. Snarky, as always, but also so, so supportive of Lissa. Lissa and Christian are definitly one of my fovourite couples because their relationship is (relatively) uncomplicated. They love eachother and don't care if anyone else doesn't like that they're together. It's just nice to have a stable couple in the books amidst all of the other things going on!

Speaking of couples and relationships, the love triangle between Rose, Dimitri and Adrian intensified quite alot in Last Sacrifice. After Dimitri was turned back into a Dhampir from a Strigoi, he rejected Rose and she moved on with Adrian, but as Dimitri begins to forgive himself, he realizes how much he still loves Rose. The chemistry between Rose and Dimitri is undeniable and I found myself getting butterflies whenever there was a romantic moment between Rose and Dimitri. I seriously adore them as a couple and they caused my heart to melt quite a few times while I was reading the book.

Overall, the plot of this book was pretty good. Having read all of the other books in the series, I was able to predict a large number of the things that happened in Last Sacrifice, although not all. The conclusion of this series pleased me, although there were quite a few strings left untied that I'm hoping will be sorted out in the Vampire Academy spin-off series, Bloodlines. I've been obsessed with these books for so long now and I'm so unbelievably sad to see my favourite series come to an end. The final installment of this series was everything that I hoped it would be!

I hope that you guys enjoyed reading my review of Last Sacrifice! If you haven't read this series yet, you better head on over to your book store or local library and pick it up right now! It's too good for words! I adore this series!

THESE BOOKS ARE FREAKING AMAZING!! LIKE BREATH-TAKING GORGEOUS!! AND FANTASTIC!! I just read them Honestly, I cant be glad or thankful enough that I have read them. They changed my life. They added a whole different world into mine. They made my imagination and perspective bigger. They made me believe more. They made me excited, and happy, and sad and so many another emotions. If you haven't already read them, I'll tell you this; you're missing out A LOT. So hurry and read them. You wont regret it ;) I'm fifteen and I think these books are good for anyone and everyone. Rose's character is a whole another story,m she is amazing. Sometimes, I wish I was like her, she is so badass!! She is like a goddess, she's completely amazing!! And she is definitely one of the best narrators I have ever read!! I DO DARE SAY IT WAS PRETTY MESSED UP AT THE END! I WAS REALLY ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED AND GOT QUITE ANXIOUS! I EVEN THREW THE BOOK AT THE WALL, BUT LET ME TELL YOU THIS RICHELLE MEAD NEVER FAILS TO SURPRISE SO IT GETS BETTER, MUCH MUCH BETTER;) AND THE ENDING IS HOW DO I SAY IT? HMM QUITE THRILLING :D

I think I have sufficiently made my love of Richelle Mead and the Vampire Academy series well known, but now that this epic series is over, how can I possibly write a review to do it justice?? I have been speculating what would happen for months. It wouldn't get off my brain, so I was glad at the way everything turned out. This book had it all! The answers I was dying to find out, action, romance, politics and also some set up for the spinoff series, Bloodlines. Thank god there will be more Moroi and Dhampirs. Even though I'm sad that Rose's story is over, I'm glad that there will be more of this world that Richelle has created.

Last Sacrifice was nothing short of fabulous. I laughed, I cried, I was shocked, and I was amazed. I'm going to attempt not to be spoilery but here is what you should already know if you have read the other books... Obviously Rose doesn't stay in jail because she has an adventure to go on. Things get complicated because Rose is still dating Adrian but of course, Dimitri had to come along on this adventure so she is stuck with him and there is all this sexually charged tension. Plus, she needs to find Lissa's mysterious sibling and figure out who the hell actually murdered the queen. But remember, this is Rose we are talking about. She believes and accomplishes the impossible. The only thing that was entirely impossible was leaving one of her boys behind. We all knew she would either have her heart broken or break some one else's and it was waaaaaaay sad.

Then there is all this drama back at court with Lissa in the running to become queen. She has to attempt to be a public figure while trying to help Rose figure out who killed queen Tatiana. While Lissa is definitely a great candidate and totally politically smart and entertaining to read about, it's Rose's street smarts and attitude that drive the whole book. She's got brains and she's lethal which are good qualities to have when on the run for your life. She meets new people and sees some old faces.... And did I mention that Victor Dashkov and his Brother Robert Doru make an appearance in the book. Drama!

I wasn't disappointed with this book. If I was disappointed in anything it would be that this is the end of the series and this book wasn't twice as long because I think I could have continued reading way more. I stayed up all night and read this book in one sitting because I didn't want to put it down. I was shocked at who the real murder was. Lissa's sibling turned out to be another shocker.

So then I was really excited because Richelle Mead was supposed to come to Minnesota for an author signing but then Minnesota did what it does best and dumped the worst blizzard in 20 years on us. Figures. She had to cancel but I'm hoping she comes here soon cause I need to shake her hand and tell her how awesome she is. Bloodlines will be released sometime around August, 2011 and I'm told that Rose, our favorite badass heroine, will be making cameos in the series. Can't wait!

from Murphy's Library

And I finally got at the last book of the Vampire Academy series. I was left devastated with the end of Spirit Bound, but I knew nothing would get even closer to the end of Last Sacrifice.

Rose is in trouble--but for the first time in her life, she's innocent. She was with Adrian when Queen Tatiana was murdered, but that's nothing when people keep pointing to all the proves they have she was the one who killed the Queen--not even when she says she wouldn't be so stupid to leave her own stake on the crime scene. Abe comes to help her, and he assures Rose she won't stay in prison for longer.

When Dimitri comes to rescue her, she's in shock. He's said he doesn't love her anymore--breaking her heart and ours--, so why bother trying to save her? When he tells her Lissa asked him to do it, she gets pissed. She doesn't want to wait and see what happens, like Dimitri and Sydney tells her to do. She wasn't to act, to do something, she doesn't know how to wait with her hands tied up.

Meanwhile, Lissa tries to clean Rose's name at the Court--and Rose gets some help from a totally doubtful source, but it seems is her only chance to buy her some time to try to solve the murder of the Queen. Her best friend may never forget her, but there's nothing much left she can do: Lissa isn't the last Dragomir, apparently her father had another child, and this child may be the only chance to buy them some time--and to try make Lissa the new Queen.

I need to say I didn't see it coming when I found out who has murdered the Queen, either who's Lissa's half-sibiling. Just like all the other books of this series, I read it really fast, because I couldn't help myself: I needed to know how Rose's story ends. Now I'm looking forward to reading Bloodlines, the first Vampire Academy spin-off--and hoping Rose will show up there a lot, even knowing she probably won't LOL For Dimitri/Rose shippers, what can I say? Read it, and read it soon. You're gonna want to kill yourself for not doing it earlier.

I waited a long time to read this book, but it was still well worth the wait. In typical Rose fashion, she disregards the practical advice of her friends and family to try and help those she cares about most. Embarking on a road trip around the eastern United States, she searches for the clues to the missing Dragomir heir, all the while growing closer to the newly-Moroi Demitri. All the while, Lissa navigates the intricacies of the Royal Court and deals with being thrust into the running for the new Queen.
All the recognizable faces from throughout the series make an appearance in the final book, as any good series finale would do. All but one of the loose ends were resolved decently, such as dealing with the problem of the Dashkov brothers.
The trials that Lissa goes through to be declared a valid candidate for Queen were interesting in that they forced her to rely on only herself and tested her inner strength and resolve. They showed a maturity in her that goes far beyond her young 18 years.
Of course, the biggest anticipation for me was the final outcome of who would end up with Rose - Dimitri or Adrian. While at first I disliked Adrian, he seemed to prove his worthiness to me throughout the series. The road trip, though, forces Dimitri to heal from his memories as Strigoi and face some things about himself. Without giving away Rose's choice, I am happy with it, though I feel sorry for the man that got left behind. The promise of the spin-off series, Bloodlines, centered around the Alchemist Sydney, gives me hope that he will find someone who matches him better than Rose did.
The ending answers my own question of what the title was referring to, though it was a bit predictable. I am thrilled about the outcome of the Queen's replacement, and I really hope that the spin-off series will also show some of the new Queen's life. What was not predictable for me was the revelation of who murdered the previous queen - I made the same assumption early on as most of Rose's allies did, and I was just as surprised as they were over who really did it - and I'm still kind of disappointed, since I liked the character responsible and I feel as betrayed as many of the others did by the news. When the characters can feel that real, I know it's good writing.

Rose steckt wegen Mordes an Tatiana im Gefängnis, und ihre Aussichten aus diesem Schlamassel mit heiler Haut davonzukommen, gehen gegen Null. Außer ihren Freunden glaubt niemand an ihre Unschuld, denn die Beweise sind erdrückend. Das Ganze spitzt sich zu, als sich herauskristallisiert, dass der Hof ein schnelles Urteil wünscht, das unmittelbar nach der bevorstehenden Wahl des neuen Monarchen gefällt werden soll. Damit bleibt Rose und ihren Freunden keine Zeit Fakten zu sammeln, um den wahren Mörder zu finden. Man will Rose aus dem Weg haben, um mit der Vergangenheit abzuschließen und einer neuen Zeit entgegenzusehen.
Da helfen nur drastische Maßnahmen, Roses Spezialgebiet: Mit Hilfe ihrer Freunde bricht sie aus dem Gefängnis aus, um den wahren Mörder zu finden. Außerdem möchte sie Lissas Stellung bei Hofe stärken, denn wenn ihre beste Freunden über Macht im Rat verfügt, kann sie Rose zu einem fairen Prozess verhelfen. Dazu muss Rose allerdings Eric Dragomirs illegitimes Kind auftreiben, denn nur mit seiner Hilfe bekommt Lissa eine Stimme im Rat.
Doch mit ihrem Ausbruch macht sich Rose zu Freiwild. Die vermeintliche Königsmörderin wird von jedem verfügbaren Wächter gejagt, die gar nicht erst vorhaben, Rose wieder einzusperren. Sie wollen sie töten, denn Roses Flucht wird ihr als Schuldeingeständnis ausgelegt.
Es beginnt eine Hetzjagd durch die Staaten, die nicht nur Rose atemlos zurücklässt, sondern auch den Leser.

Nachdem ich den 5. Teil dieser Serie als den bisher Schwächsten der ganzen Reihe empfunden habe, war ich sehr gespannt auf den letzten Band, das Finale zwischen Rose, Dimitri, Victor und Lissa. Und gespannt darf man auch sein. Wer ein Problem mit Augenringen und abgeknabberten Nägeln hat, sollte die Finger von diesem Buch lassen. Obwohl man zugegebenermaßen gar keine Zeit zum knabbern hat, denn das Tempo, das die Autorin vorgibt, ist mörderisch.

Wie schon auf Roses Reise durch Sibirien teilt sich diese Geschichte in zwei Stränge auf: Zum einen werden die Vorgänge um Lissa und Roses Freunde bei Hofe beschrieben, die versuchen Roses Namen reinzuwaschen. Im zweiten Strang geht es um Rose, die sich mit Dimitri auf eine atemberaubende Reise quer durch die USA begibt.
Im Gegensatz zu seinem Vorgänger ist das Tempo diesmal unglaublich hoch, und nimmt im letzten Viertel noch einmal kräftig an Fahrt zu, während der Spannungsbogen bis zum Schluss aufrecht gehalten wird. Zudem vermischen sich in diesem Band die Elemente eines Kriminalromans mit denen einer Liebesgeschichte, beide mitreissend und humorvoll erzählt. Die letzen hundert Seiten habe ich zwischen Lachen und Kichern praktisch nur noch nach Luft geschnappt ' und konnte nicht glauben, dass es immer noch spannender wird. Wer der Mörder ist, bleibt bis zum grandiosen Finale geheim. Dafür werden jede Menge falsche Spuren gestreut, auf die ich allesamt reingefallen bin.

Für mich ist dies ist der beste Teil der ganzen Serie, und wenn man bedenkt, wie gut die Vorgänger waren, ist das schon eine Leistung. Die Dialoge waren gewohnt witzig, wobei die schönsten natürlich zwischen Abe Mazur und Rose stattgefunden haben.
Ich bin restlos begeistert vom sechsten und letzten Teil der Vampire-Academy-Reihe, den ich mir nicht besser hätte vorstellen können.

Fazit:
Volle Punktzahl für einen genialen Abschluss dieser Serie, bei dem kein Auge trocken bleibt.

Zur Übersicht:
1. Vampire Academy 1: Blutsschwestern
2. Vampire Academy 2: Blaues Blut
3. Vampire Academy 3: Schattenträume
4. Vampire Academy 4: Blutschwur
5. Vampire Academy 5: Seelenruf
6. Vampire Academy 6: Schicksalsbande

Every now and then, I love a book or series so much, I’m compelled to review it critically. Truly, the following comes from a place of love and adoration. I breezed through all six Vampire Academy novels and then immediately started rereading them

What makes this series compelling and worth your time…
…in general:
1. Strong heroines who rescue each other.
2. Mutual respect between the heroines and their male counterparts.
3. Snarky dialogue almost worthy of Veronica Mars or Joss Whedon.
4. A twist on (or rather, the use of certain pieces of) the vampire myth that haven’t appeared in other vampire fiction.

…specifically:
1. Awesome, vividly drawn, intriguing characters, particularly in the form of Rose, Dimitri, Christian, Adrian, Sydney, and Abe, but even secondary characters like Mia, Dimitri’s family, Mason, Eddie and Jill earn their time on the page.
2. Equally awesome relationship dynamics, again particularly in Rose’s interactions with Dimitri, Christian, Adrian, Sydney and Abe.
3. Possibly the best unexpected-death plot twist ever, followed by the best star-crossed love plot ever.

STOP HERE IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOKS

However, I have three big problems that unfortunately marred my enjoyment of the series, particularly on re-reading, as these issues become more and more glaring with close scrutiny. They overlap, but can be loosely classified as “villain development”, “Lissa”, and “(lack of) justice in the Moroi universe.”

1. Villain development - except for Dimitri’s arc - is lacking. Partly because, despite the fairly mature plot lines, the tone of the series (and I don’t mean the snark) is not quite as mature as its content. Partly because everything else pales in comparison to Rose’s truly epic physical and mental battle with Dimitri.

Victor Dashkov is never quite as terrifying as he should be. When he is finally killed, I mostly just felt sorry for his brother. It was completely unclear how he intended to manipulate or threaten Lissa. Avery was an even sorrier antagonist, particularly because she didn’t seem tied to the rest of the plot in anyway.

The Strigoi list in Frostbite, the Strigoi attack on the school on Shadow Kiss, and the Strigoi Nathan’s desire to kill the last Dragomir in Blood Promise really should have all been tied together. As is often the case with books that I adore, but that never quite reach their potential, I wonder if the author even realized how she let us on. For instance, in Spirit Bound, Rose (or Lissa?) suggests that Dimitri might be able to use his knowledge of the Strigoi world to help the guardians target specific Strigoi. From the second book on, the idea of the Moroi and dhampirs going on the offensive is discussed, and the list of royal families in the Strigoi tunnels in Frostbite seems to imply that the Strigoi have a bigger plan. But we never see that play out… (I am hoping beyond reason that the last two books of Bloodlines might pull all of this together.)

Similarly, Lissa speculates that Avery is a sort of keeper assigned to her by Tatiana, part of a plan to get her in line. Whether this is true or not is never revealed. Tatiana herself is an extremely inconsistent character – most likely, I think the author either wasn’t capable of fully developing her as a complex character, or simply ran out of time within the constraints of the series. I fully support and appreciate the idea of revealing Tatiana’s depth through Adrian’s love for his aunt (which is further depicted in Bloodlines); however, she is does a lot of blatantly antagonistic things that are not sufficiently explained/can’t be explained away by what we do know. Why mock Lissa publicly in Vampire Academy? Why replace Kirova with Lazar? Why bother calling Rose in to tell her to stay away from Adrian? (That one I find particularly hard to reconcile with her apparent acceptance of Adrian for being who he is.) Finally, the excuse about passing the age law to avoid forcible dhampir service made no sense – the age law barely passed, so it seems unlikely that “worse” laws would.

Tasha Ozera, though somewhat underdeveloped in books 2-5, is a great idea of a character who is basically thrown under a bus for the sake of wrapping up the plot efficiently. She is depicted as a strong, honorable, beautiful-despite-her-scars woman who has been through hell and back. She should be a force for change in the author’s universe. Sure, she would be jealous when her ex-flame (I am going to assume that Dimitri was an ex, because I just don’t believe that someone who wants to shake up the social order would suggest what sounds like male concubinage, or at best an arranged marriage, just because otherwise a dhampir male would have little chance of having children) chooses a teenage girl over her. But making her so petty and bitter than she wouldn’t care about condemning an innocent person (Rose) to death (execution)? A good author shouldn’t rewrite a character like that at the last minute without having dropped some clues along the way. Also, it seems like no consideration was given to how incredibly awful it would be for Christian to lose his only close relative, and how much more that would estrange him from the Moroi community. Now, he’s the son of Strigoi parents and the nephew of the queen’s murderer? That’s a bit much. At the very least, now that we, the readers, have been persuaded to genuinely care about Christian’s story, it needed to be addressed.

2. Lissa is the worst developed major character by far – when she needed to be the best. The broad plot of the book – and much of Rose’s character development – rests on there being two central love stories – Rose and Dimitri, and Rose and Lissa. The problem is that Rose has the least chemistry with Lissa of any character in the book (and Rose is so vivid and charismatic, that she has chemistry with basically everyone, from Victor Dashkov in prison in Frostbite to the Keepers in Last Sacrifice)…Lissa just is that poorly developed. And she really shouldn’t be, because the author has that great storytelling device available to her in the form of Rose “flipping” into Lissa’s mind. (Try Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone series for Karou and Zuzana’s relationship, or Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series for Celaena and Nehemia’s relationship, for examples of powerful female-female friendships that coexist with powerful romantic love stories.)

Lissa has a theoretically decent character development arc sketched out – supposedly, she goes from the fragile victim of spirit and pawn in royal games to a queen in her own right; from a girl dependent on her best friend for everything to a young woman who fights to save Rose herself. The problem seems rooted in Mark Twain’s classic writing advice - “Don’t say the old lady screamed. Bring her on and let her scream.” So much of what happens to Lissa is told in a flattened version of Rose’s voice, rather than in Lissa’s voice, that it almost seems like Lissa doesn’t have a voice.

Yes, Lissa is supposed to be a quieter, more thoughtful, less impulsive character than Rose is – but we need to believe that there is something extraordinary about her, some reservoir of strength and wisdom that entitles her to rule at such a young age. As it is, she is convincingly depicted to be beautiful and kind, nothing more. While more open-minded and humble than the other royals, she is largely rule-abiding and seldom seems willing to question the pillars of her society in the way of, say, Tasha Ozera. Her election as queen seems based mostly on her being a pretty young woman who is the last of her family line, and slightly on the undesirability of the other candidates. I never saw her as a force for change except as she would be influenced by Rose and Christian.

3. Justice, or lack thereof, in the Moroi universe: This is closely tied to the problems in villain development and in Lissa’s character development. First, let’s just call it out – the author has created a world with a continental-sized class divide. And while the setting of St. Vladimir’s Academy is richly drawn, the Royal Court is never fully imagined and, even more so, the worlds inhabited by non-royal Moroi and dhampirs outside the academies and the Court are very fuzzy. In the first book, Rose states or implies that female dhampirs who don’t become guardians are all blood whores. She clearly knows little about them, and yet if there are as few female guardians as implied, there must be a large number of non-guardian female dhampirs, and many of her classmates should have mothers who are not guardians. I think a plausible explanation for the gaps in Rose’s knowledge could be generated – it’s just not presented in the books, and it makes some of the plot hard to reason out.

Rose is such a believable character on so many levels, and yet it’s hard for me to believe that, rebel she is, she doesn’t start to question the sacrifices she has been asked to make on Lissa’s behalf (and for Moroi in general) until she falls in love with Dimitri. She obviously resents her mother from a very early age, and yet she never questions a system in which dhampirs are denied the right to form loving, intact families? Again, I think this can all be plausibly explained by Rose’s youth and her personal investment in her identity as part of what is really a warrior subculture, but it needed to be more overtly addressed in the plot earlier on. I also think that if Lissa were a better character, I’d be much more willing to accept Rose’s lack of rebellion against the system as part of her devotion to Lissa.

Maybe the real challenge was just that there was so much ground to cover in just six books (and don’t get me wrong, I still think Rose and Dimitri’s story from the second half of book 3 through the first half of book 6 was spectacular), but it really bothered me that the author introduced a Hunger Games worthy sociopolitical nightmare – with injustices happening that deserved a civil war or at least some significant civil disobedience – and then didn’t resolve. Again, it goes back to Lissa, in that if I believed in her character as a revolutionary queen, maybe it wouldn’t seem so unresolved. (And…still hoping for some resolution in the last two books of Bloodlines!)

A few quibbles with Rose and Dimitri, mainly from Last Sacrifice…I love them! I really do! But…
• They needed to talk to each other about what happened when Dimitri was Strigoi. Not vaguely about his guilt…about what actually happened. Okay, I think we are supposed to think that Rose opened up and discussed her experiences with Lissa and probably Adrian to some extent, and that she has made peace with them (being held prisoner, coerced and then drugged into a sexual relationship seems like kind of a big deal, psychologically) but she and Dimitri still need to talk to each other. She noticed how even the word Strigoi could cause him to tense up, but he didn’t notice how his “playing Strigoi” affected her? Observant Dimitri? I don’t believe it. I was disappointed that the short story where they return to Siberia didn’t address it, because I liked the idea that Rose is mature enough at the end of Last Sacrifice to tell Dimitri that they can’t be together if he still hasn’t forgiven himself…and at the same time, I think discussing this surreal experience that they share and that was traumatic to both of them in different ways would be a really important part of that.
• The part at the end where Dimitri doesn’t know if he was trying to save Lissa or Rose? Bulls***. He needs to get over the “Lissa saved me” thing and realize it was really mostly Rose’s doing, with a side of Lissa’s love for Rose. Possibly we needed to see Rose spell out for him what she went through (an expanded version of the “You. Owe. Me.” conversation when he was still in prison). I could have accepted Dimitri being so awesome that he was going to knock them both out of the way at once and take the bullet himself, or more likely, that when it came down to it, Rose is the one who matters (because that’s what he admits in Frostbite and Shadow Kiss), but “I don’t know”? That was a romance killer.

Last Sacrifice exemplifies just why Vampire Academy is a fabulous series. I'll list my reasons:

1. Rose - Richelle created a unique protagonist in Rose. She is not the type of person that many of us would like if she was real. She's abrasive, outspoken, jumps to conclusions, etc. Yet as a reader, we all love her. We understand her. We know that she often acts and then thinks later. We know that she is fiercely loyal toward her friends, yet sometimes doesn't seem to understand them at all. Similarly as much as she loves her friends, she often does really stupid things that hurt them. She can't trust in other people. I love how Rose grew in Last Sacrifice. She had to step back and let people do things for her. Being Rose, she wasn't able to do this completely, but she still learned how to trust...even if those people weren't always trustworthy.

2. The narration - Rose has a one-way portal to Lissa'a mind. What a genius plot device! Rose is hidden away for much of Last Sacrifice - doing important things on her end but still away from the action. The happenings at court are crucial to solve who killed Queen Tatiana. With Rose's mind-reading ability, we know everything that's going on. Adrian's ability to travel in dreams also serves this same function. Richelle did a fabulous job of telling the story in first-person narrative yet spending page after page with Lissa, Christian, and Adrian. It never feels disjointed or confusing.

3. The romance - Vampire Academy is one of the best romances I've ever read. The passion between Rose and Dimitri and Rose and Adrian is palpable and heart-pounding. Richelle manages to convey such feeling in things as simple as a strand of hair. I love how Last Sacrifice (and other VA books) straddle YA and adult. It's more mature than many YA yet never goes overboard. The romance in Last Sacrifice does not disappoint. I'll get to that more in #4.

4. The love triangle - Will it be Dimitri and Rose or Adrian and Rose? The first few books I was staunchly Team Dimitri. Coming into Last Sacrifice, I wasn't so sure. Dimitri starts out so perfect, but develops flaws as the series goes on. Adrian starts out looking like a big jerk, but grows more relatable and loveable as the series goes on. Both, in their own ways, are good for Rose and she for them. Rose makes a choice in Last Sacrifice. I thought this was one of the best conclusions to a love triangle I've ever scene. Let's just say that it doesn't end perfectly clean with the loser hopping off thrilled for Rose and her new lover's happiness. Much more realistic than most books. And I love that Rose was forced to understand the consequences of her choices - the sacrifices people made for her.

5. The mythology - By this point, we think we know everything about the VA mythology. And we do know most things. But Richelle introduces another element into the story: Rogue vampires. It's actually my one complaint about this book - the rogue vampires' story is left incomplete. I feel like there was so much more there that we never learned. I'm hoping the spin-off will explore this angle. Overall, I love how rich the mythology is - the different types of vampires, the magical abilities, the dhampir/guardians, the feudal culture. It's fascinating.

6. The plot - Wow...Last Sacrifice really has it all. Political intrigue. Romance. Mystery. Suspense. Action. Heartache. Anger. The book starts out with Rose stuck in prison. Up till the very end, Rose is on the run, away from the main action at Court. But the plot never drags. Trouble, of course, comes to Rose - she invites it. Moments of action are evenly spread throughout the book. Interspersed with that are different character explorations and of course, heart-stopping romance.
There are really two different plots occurring. On Rose's end, she is searching for secrets about Lissa's family that can secure Lissa's place on court and hopefully help understand why Queen Tatiana was murdered. Lissa, Christian, and Adrian are stalling for time to solve the Queen's murder. They do this by having Lissa run for queen. I loved how Lissa shined in this book. She started out the series as a quivering blond who hid behind Rose. Now she is a strong, independent girl that people can trust, can depend upon. Stronger, in many ways, than Rose.

All in all, Last Sacrifice is a terrific end to a terrific series. It's a fun ride with ups and downs all throughout. Best of all, it ends appropriately - not saccharine sweet, yet you feel satisfied. I can't wait for Bloodlines!

Rating: 4.5 / 5

*** This reviews contains spoilers from previous book in the series***

Okay, to start off... People are obviously going to be heartbroken by this book- it is just inevitable. If you are Team Adrian and Rose chooses Dimitri, you will be hurt (and obviously she has to choose one of the guys), or vice versa, if you are Team Dimitri and she chooses Adrian, you will also be heartbroken. Sorry, but there just isn't any way around it. That being said, I will not tell you who she chooses, this being a spoiler-free review...

I was kinda worried with this book that a lot would be rushed, I seemed to think that "Spirit Bound" was a bit rushed, but I find that to not have occurred at all (well thank gosh, considering it is a 600 page book). And I am not going to lie; a lot of this book took me by surprise... For instance, I knew that they were obviously going to look for/ find Lissa's illegitimate sibling that she was unaware of, but I never would have guessed who that person was. Or who murdered the Queen? In my opinion all the evidence pointed in one person's direction irrefutably, and then BAM! That all goes out the window when another is revealed to be the killer.

A lot of old characters are reintroduced in this book and after reading it, it becomes evident that Richelle put a lot of thought behind everything, as everything from the first to last book is woven so well together and flows perfectly. What I loved most about this book (besides for the ending), is that it allowed us to learn so much more about the characters and really see sides of them we had never seen before. For instance, how carefree Dimitri can really be, or how serious Adrian can be, and how truly caring Christian is. Shockingly, I also found myself feeling sorry for a lot of characters I never imagined I would, like Robert and Victor for instance.

One concern that I do have though, is about Lissa, specifically her relationship with Rose... A few major things happen towards the end that can completely alter the outcome of the... (oh yes, in case you didn't know about this) SPIN-OFF SERIES COMING OUT NEXT AUGUST (The 23rd I believe)!!! The spin-off, called "Bloodlines", is not going to be told from Rose's point of view, though she will make an appearance. It is going to be told by someone in the Moroi court. Prior to reading this book I thought that hands-down it was going to be told from Lissa's point of view, but after reading this, I just don't think it is... I am more leaning towards that *hush, hush* illegitimate sibling's point of view- though I really don't want it to- give me my darn ROSE! Anyways, back to my original point. I think that the outcome of this book is obviously going to change Lissa and dare I say it? I am worried that it will not be a change for the good. And the guy that Rose doesn't choose? Well, I think we really need to keep our eye on him too, because I can totally see him in the future being an evil guy like Victor, plotting against Rose and Lissa.

Anyways, great book- you will love it... It vastly exceeds a rating of 5/5.

I've been eagerly awaiting the grand finale to this series for a while. Here, we get the final wrap-up for the fates of vampire bodyguard Rose Hathaway and her charge Lissa, the last of the royal Dragomir family. Rose is preparing to stand trial for the murder of the Moroi vampire Queen Tatiana. Naturally, her friends, aided by her somewhat underhanded lawyer father, are willing to break her out of prison, where she is being set up for a certain execution via a kangaroo court.

I will say, I was able to suss out very quickly where exactly the story was going, and that meant, for me, the middle portion of this book really dragged. Rose is working on borrowed time to discover who the real killer is, and to uncover Lissa's illegitimate sibling, which will give her friend the quorum she needs to be politically active on the vampire council.

Rose's adventures lead her to rural West Virginia, where she uncovers an unconventional group of vampires and a maze of secrets and conspiracy. I was not expecting the sibling to be who it turned out to be, and I liked that finding this person does not turn out to be the easy and pat solution to all their problems as they had hoped.

I have been rooting for some kind of dhampir rebellion from the very start of this series. The way the Moroi treat the dhampir as cannon-fodder against the Strigoi seems inexcusable! And yet, despite their shoddy treatment, the dhampir live by the code, "They come first," and willingly take on second-class citizen status. While Lissa is able to advocate for better and more equal consideration of the dhampir, this building block of vampire civilization didn't change much by the story's end, which really disappointed me.

Another thing that really struck me was that for a book about vampires, there is actually very little blood-drinking in this volume. Anyone remember the first book in the series, where Rose must volunteer to give Lissa blood on a fairly regular basis? It's a constant problem, and the vampires typically must rely on drug-addled human "feeders" to keep up with their appetites. There's nothing like that in this volume... if you hadn't read the earlier books in the series, you might not even realize that they needed to drink blood at all.

Rose has been torn between two possible guys for a while; cocky but funny, struggling alcoholic and royal family member Adrian, versus her former instructor, the sexy and brooding Dimitri. By the end of the book, she does make a choice. I liked that it was not a clean or easy break with the guy that she didn't choose to be with... her spurned suitor is angry and rightfully so!

I know a lot of readers are eager to get going on the new spin-off series, Bloodlines, but as for me, this book provided enough closure, and I don't feel the need to return to the world that Mead created. Even though every detail wasn't resolved the way that I had hoped, I was very happy with who Rose chose to be with romantically, and I was happy to see her gain a greater measure of independence from Lissa as well. To her credit, Lissa does display a lot of selflessness, courage and political savvy in this book and I was not surprised by how things worked out for her in the end, either. Fans of the series will appreciate that this book offers a hefty 594 pages of story, and that it answers so many important questions.

After several years and five books, the end of Rose's story has arrived. To begin, I opened this book feeling a slight twinge of sadness that was almost over--but at the same time, a huge feeling of excitement that we were finally going to get all the answers we were waiting for.

"Last Sacrifice" certainly does not disappoint. It picks off with Rose in jail being framed for murder. Not only does she have to prove her innocence by finding out who really killed the Queen, but also find out who the lost Dragomir is in an epic race against time.

Unsurprisingly, Rose manages to break out of jail thanks to her loyal group of friends, but is now a fugitive. To make matters more complicated, she is now on the run with Dimitri--an unlikely accomplice given his recent admonitions of not wanting to be with her. Yet this gives us plenty of time to enjoy the banter and various exchanges between Rose and Dimitri which we haven't seen since "Shadow Kiss," and is a much welcome relief. It is a pleasant reminder of what the earlier Vampire Academy books were like, which was missing in the last book. The crux of the series has always been Rose's guardian duties to Lissa and her complicated relationship with Dimitri, and this book had plenty of both. Although she is not at Court, Rose is able to habitually slip into Lissa's head through the bond and can see what's going on with her, Christian, Adrian and the gang, which is especially essentially now that the election of the next monarch is approaching and the tension between the Royal families is greater than ever, making Lissa's need for her place on the Council more dire than ever.

The novel had a constant supply of surprise characters, twists, unpredictable moments, and astonishing outcomes. Careful readers of the previous books will feel both triumph as their theories were proven correct and shock at unexpected developments. The novel ends this particular adventure of Rose and Lissa's excellently, as they get ready to take on whatever happens next. Which knowing Rose, is probably going to be good.

This is the sixth and final installment in Ms. Mead's Vampire Academy Series. I have been anticipating this book for months. I have to say that, while I enjoyed it, I was a little disappointed.

The plot was interesting: Rose is in jail, falsely accused of murdering the Queen. The Moroi are anxious for a quick trial, which means they think Rose is guilty. Her friends bust her out of prison and she's on the run with Dimitri - they're supposed to stay at a safe location, but nothing works out like it should when Rose is involved. They end up chasing clues about a possible sibling for Lissa while running from the Guardians, finding an unusual colony of vampires and humans together, and searching for the real killer. Meanwhile, Rose's friends are trying to find the killer and distracting the Court from searching for Rose and Dimitri.

The storyline was full of action and stuff was happening left and right. My complaint is that kick-ass Rose seemed almost passive in this book. I felt like she spent most of the story out of it - watching Lissa through their spirit bond. I don't particularly care for Lissa, never have, and for that reason I had a hard time with Last Sacrifice. I also wanted more of Rose/Adrian or Rose/Dimitri. The interaction wasn't there - she only saw Adrian through her Spirit Dreams, and she and Dimitri spent most of their time trying not to notice each other. I was pleased that Rose did make a choice, it wasn't done for her, and her reasons were solid.

The ending was good, but quick. It felt like the book was go!go!go! and then wrapped up in the last 10 pages or so. I'm ultimately giving Last Sacrifice 3 1/2 stars.

Ms. Mead says on her site that there will be a spin-off series that takes place in the VA world; I'm looking forward to it.

I've gotten really attached to these characters, and I was apprehensive about reading the conclusion. Spirit Bound, however, left off with such a cliffhanger that I had to read Last Sacrifice, and Richelle Mead did not let down her fans.

Rose is in jail for the murder of Tatiana, the queen. Even though Rose's friends know she is innocent, the evidence against her is outstanding. She realizes the Court is not so concerned with finding the real killer, but on swift justice to maintain order. Her friends manage a jail bust, and she embarks on a journey (with Dimitri as her guard) to find Lissa's long-lost sibling--the only person who can help Lissa earn the right to be a candidate for queen. Along the way, she gets help from Sydney, Mikhail, Victor, Robert, and Adrian. There are lots of plot twists and complex fighting and action scenes, but the main story all along has been the love triangle (Rose-Dimitri-Adrian). Spending time alone with Dimitri allows Rose to explore her feelings for him and consider her budding relationship with Adrian. Rose makes her choice, and it's the one fans of the series have been waiting for all along. It does not disappoint, but do not expect the jilted lover to fade quietly into the background. He's upset, and rightly so. Loose ends are tied at the end, and we're given as much of a fairy-tale ending as we can expect from Richelle Mead. However, it's not a shallow ending, as Rose is forced to accept the long-term consequences her choices carry and learns that making the right choice is not always easy.

The pacing was perfect. I couldn't put it down; every time I thought it was winding down, there was another twist. Richelle Mead's writing just keeps getting better. I'm anxious to see some of our beloved VA characters in her new Bloodlines series!

Okay. Last Sacrifice was a totally epic way to end this amazing roller coaster of a series. Looking back, it wasn't entirely perfect and there were a few things I wish had been more resolved. But when I reached the end, it really was a perfect ending.

So much happened in this book that I just was not expecting. Every single character not only grew so much throughout the entire series, but even within just this book itself. Rose was an an amazing character throughout the whole series, but what was even more amazing was how much she'd grown by the end. All of the secondary characters - Dimitri, Lissa, Christian, Aiden and etc - all really grew into their own characters as well and I can easily see myself reading a book about any of them in the future (which is great, because yay spin-off series).

But back to the storyline - so much happens. So many twists and turns and unexpected events. Richelle Mead loves to throw stuff at you, that is for sure, but somehow it all still works. I was pleased where the story went throughout the book, but like I said, there were definitely a few things wrong when looking back at the ending. I won't give away anything, but I just felt like some of the characters (one in particular) deserved a much better ending than they got. Rose wasn't the only character I was attached to, so while I liked her ending a lot, I still wanted a happy ending for a few other particular characters.

Overall, I loved this series so much, and Last Sacrifice was a wonderful end to the series, although I wish it could keep going. Luckily Richelle Mead is doing a spin-off series, Bloodlines, and I'm very excited for that. So keep your eye out!

REVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED [...]

When I read the first Vampire Academy novel, I thought that the series would progress like the Hunger Games, where the obstacles the protagonist faced would get bigger and bigger until, by the end, the flaws and injustices in the wider society were resolved. In this case, I thought that would be the whole poisonous dhampir dogma of "They Come First". The Moroi have alawys been protrayed as selfish, weak and self-absorbed, with few exceptions. The few times they're worth anything is when they partner with the dhampirs. I thought that is where this series was going- that the dhampirs would realize that their lives were just as valuable as the Morori, and demand equal treatment. While the ending hinted that thats where things were headed, I didn't get the sense that the most unjust aspects of vampire life would be changed.

I love the character of Rose- impulsive, passionate, strong, reckless. I thought the trangle with her, Adrian and Dimitri was bittersweet and sad. After Dimitri decides in Spirit Bound that they can't be in each others lives, Rose struggles to put her feelings for him aside and move on with Adrian while circumstance keeps bringing her and Dimitri together.

The plot is all over. So many things happen both for Rose and for Lissa, which which we see through the bond that's its hard to focus on any one thing. I think it would have been better to dial the plot points way back, and explore them more in depth. As it is, the whole novel is like a whirlwind. While that sounds exciting, its really more chaotic than anything. I think the first 3 books in this series were stronger because they covered less events in greater detail. While its great that the book's main characters get their happy ending, Adrian makes some great points about all the people Rose and Lissa leave behind as collateral damage, without a second thought. That said, it seems pretty clear what direction the spin off series is going in.

Mead has done it yet again. Last Sacrifice was everything that I was expecting to complete this series and more. Rose's surprising charges that concluded Spirit Bound has had readers on the edge of their seats for months. This novel will pick up right where Spirit Bound left off, and not only is Rose needing to find a way to clear her name. Now, she is on a mission to find the Lisa's sibling that has been hidden for years. This mission will change what we have come to know about the Moroi world, and what the future will hold for all of our beloved characters. While this novel does not hold the traditional battle that we have come to expect in VA books; it is actioned packed and full of mystery. Readers will learn quickly that nothing can be taken for granted this time, and becareful whom you trust. While, I anxiously anticipated a happily ever after the end results were far better. Richelle Mead has been enlightening us for years with this amazing series. With the constant thrill of love, lies, and mystery this has been a hell of a ride. This is one that I am devastated to see end, but as the saying goes all good thing must come to an end. I believe that this conclusion to the VA Series was perfect. I look forward to seeing what is in store for Mead and her spin offs from this amazing journey. I have read many

From beginning to end, I was unable to put these books down, and now having them finally come to a close is, in a way, bittersweet. However, I'm glad the way they turned out in more ways than one, including how Richelle Mead leaves a few things hanging. I think I loved this most of all. Books that have endings tied up in a perfect little bow are so unrealistic, and Mead did an excellent job at providing the closure the readers needed as well as leaving us wondering: What will happen to Eddie? Will Adrian recover from Rose's 'betrayal' or will he succumb to Spirit? How about Lissa and Christian, now that she's queen?

The list goes on and on, and that's what I like about it. There's always going to be multiple questions, but let us remember that this is Rose's story.

The character development was amazing. Whether you loved or hated them, they were all written with the same depth and imagination. Even minor characters (the Belikov's in Siberia, for example) left a strong impact on the rest of the story. No character was just thrown into the mix for no reason, and therefore made the story more engaging.

The dialogue was great, and it was easy to get into Rose's snippy, hot-tempered personality. The story was made better by the character flaws, and it only endeared her to me more. Rose wasn't perfect, and that made her so much more realistic.

Humor, heartbreak, and the occasional turn of events--combined with an outstanding writing style--makes this series one I've recommended many, many times.

I look forward to reading Bloodlines in August.

This book, or accurately, this series, is just absolutely amazing! I was very apprehensive to pick up the first one because I didn't like the cover, and I'm somewhat shallow like that, and the girl on the cover reminded me a lot of Angelina Jolie. Starting the first book has taking me on this amazing journey and it has quickly become one of my favorite series.

This is also the first book that I have listened to instead of read. The narrator is very talented and did the voices of all the characters, male and female alike. Abe's voice was absolutely hilarious and I had a hard time listening to it seriously without laughing. I was very disappointed by Dimitri's voice because he is by far my favorite character. It sounded a little bit too old, like a middle aged man instead of a young man in his mid-twenties.

Nevertheless, this book was a well written close to an amazing series. Although I am sad to see it end and I could literally read 10 more books if they had Rose and Dimirti in it, but I understand the series can't last forever. If you haven't read this series, then you should have bought the first one like yesterday. I also hear that Vampire Academy is being made into a movie and all I can say is, "don't mess it up, pretty, pretty please!"

Mead is a great writer, she decribes everything as if I am the character. From the beginning of the series she knows how to suck me right in and she happens to do it yet again in Last Sacrifice.

Rose is in jail facing trial for the Queen's murder with nothing other than a note that the Queen had left for her about another Dragomir. She goes on a quest (not going to say how) to find the lost Dragomir to help Lisa and to find a way to clear her name. Best thing is Dimitri is along for the quest but it's kept in Guardian fashion. Every obstacle they encounter is relevant to putting the pieces together as a reader but still not able to tell where the stories going to lead you. You can still feel the tension and the confusion between her and dimitri's unresolved relationship. You can also pick up on how much Rose has matured, still reckless but with good cause but a little more thought out, probably because of Dimitri. But they aren't alone, they've got an alchemist to help as well. She still gets visits in her dream (spirit dreams) but it's not just by Adrian, people mentioned in previous books.

Mean time, Lissa is still at court piecing what clues they can get to help Rose at the same time creating a diversion to buy more time, only to find out the diversion is actually going to become a great reality. Lissa, however, is clueless as to what Rose has been up to the whole time, thinking she's just somewhere safe. All of them thinking she's somewhere safe.

As for the ending, well BITTERSWEET sums it up. Who does she end up with? Adrian, Dimitri or DEAD.

i'm sad that its over but glad that its going to become a Movie. Also, bloodline to come in August 2011.

First off, I loved the prior books in the series, Shadow Kiss, book #3; Blood Promise, book #4; and Spirit Bound, book #5; were all 4 or 5 star books in my opinion. I loved all of the characters in these books, Rose seemed too much like a teenager in the first two books but I really felt like she seemed adult like until this book. Rose was terrible, she was continuously obsessing about Dimitri, how much she still loved him and what a God he was when it came to his fighting skills, I had had enough by the end. ******Spoiler Ahead ****** What really did it in for me was that Rose cheated on Adrian, I just thought Rose and Demitri were both better than that. She just seemed like her juvenile self from the first two books after that. She seemed like she only liked Adrian when she was using him. I forgave her for taking his money in the previous book but now she just seems like a person who would do anything to get what she needed. I guess I have read too many YA novels with silly love triangles, but the standby guy getting dumped all of the time is really starting to irk me.

I was sad to see this series end, but I thought that this final installment was a satisfying finale. I was honestly not happy with the way one of the major relationships in the book ended - but, after thinking about it, I realized that it was probably a more realistic end than having all of the characters move on to an easy happily ever after. This book, like the others in the series, had many twists and turns - some of which I saw coming and others that I didn't (at least not until just before they happened). I felt like Mead stayed true to her characters (even to some of their less desirable characteristics that I would have preferred to see go away) and I also felt that she wrapped up most of the storylines in a satisfying way, so I was happy. I sometimes end up feeling let down at the end of a series, so I was glad to end this series on a positive note!

Wow! This book had so many surprises! It kept me guessing to the very end. This series will be going down as one of my favorites. I didn't want it to end.
It's going to be sad to say goodbye to Rose and Dimitri. They were an awesome couple. Badasssquared! ;)I can't wait to start reading Bloodlines. It'll have to wait a little bit since I have others in line to read first.
Rose will always be one of the best heroines in my book. She's compassionate, caring, loving and she kicks a**.
Dimitri....Dimitri....Dimitri....words cannot express how much I loved him. He was such a complicated honorable man and I didn't want to see his story end. He will definately be one of my favorite leading men.
The only bad thing I have to say is that I didn't like how Rose and Dimitri's story ended. Yes they get to be together but not all the time. They deserved to be let free after all that they went through together. There were so many favorite parts of mine in this book.
One of them is near the very end when Rose and Dimitri are laying in bed together just looking at each other. It was so sweet and pure.
Everything came together in this book and I mean EVERYTHING. This was a wild ride and I enjoyed every minute of it. To the extreme.

I don't often write reviews. But I will say this if you want to have a love hate relationship with a character and follow her through a crazy journey and in the end hope the best happens; The vampire Academy series is for you.

This is an excellent conclusions to a story that has a lot of twists a turns. It makes you want to rip your hair out and smack Rose a few time's, makes you want to cry, and also wants to make you shout with joy.

Not to give much a way but the murderer and the illegitimate child of Eric Dragamir are people who never really came to my mind. It absolutely stunned me. Richelle Mead did an excellent job keeping everyone in the dark about the murderer up until the of the big reveal. I had no idea and usually I can do a good job guessing these kinds of things after you read books after books and they all start to be the same endings and the typical people you suspect. But not this series. I recommend this series to everyone. I cant wait till the spin off. But I will miss Rose but its for the best time to learn about some new characters.

The book is phenomenal. I read it in one very long sitting. The plot picks up right from the place we ended in the last book and it is a constant adrenaline rush the whole time. The road trip is epic and gives the reader a lot of time to see the dynamics of Rose and Dimitri working together again. The settings are also really beautiful. I absolutely adored the scenes where Dimitri finds himself again. I loved the moment in the library where they share the ease of each others company, flipping through a travel books knees touching and of course, I enjoyed the more...ahem..exciting scenes later on. This book and series stand out for it's completely convincing universe and characters. The dialogue between Rose, Lissa and Dimitri are always spot on and engaging. I also commend the author for writing a true strong female lead. Rose is inspiring to girls and women at any age. In this book, she is true to herself and seems to be maturing and growing up while attempting to control the blackness of the spirit she pulls from Rose.

The ending was absolutely perfect. I know there are some characters left hanging, but if it were too neat, it wouldn't be true to life. Nothing is ever 100% perfect and it would be unbelievable to just say everyone was completely wrapped up. I think we are left to believe that Lissa and Christian will stand the tests of time and stay together, that Adrian will find himself and find someone who is truly right for him, Jill will struggle but will come into her own and that Rose and Dimitri will struggle with what life throws at them, but in the end they are perfect for each other.

So yes, perfect perfect perfect book. I am actually thinking about when is the right time to re-read the whole series. Hmmm.. tomorrow?

I'm not sure I'll read the spin off series simply because I was so in love with our two main characters in this one, Rose and Dimitri. The intensity of both of them was always electrifying and exciting. I cared about Jill, Adrian, etc, but never nearly as much as Rose and Dimitri. Sigh, "Roza" is also the best nick name I've ever heard.

I'm not going to write a review for all 6 books; instead, I'll write one here at the last of the series to sum it all up...

These books are GREAT. I'll admit, the first book did not intrigue me that much. I already had the second book (picked both up at a used book store) so I read it anyway. By the end of that one, I was in tears when Rose staked her first Striogi (sp). Then I was hooked. I promptly went on the store and ordered the rest and now I'm finished. These books, written from main character dhampir, Rose's perspective is a fun, emotional, and sometimes frightening supernatural thrill ride. This last book tied up all the loose ends and wrapped it in a pretty bow. But now we have Bloodlines, the lastest spinoff to this series...which of course I will be getting. My heart is breaking for Adrian and I hope he finds happiness :)

Richelle Mead is an incredible author who gives us perfect character development and description and did not leave anything unanswered. You can tell she truly loves these characters she's created.

Ok, first off - how the HECK am I supposed to write a review without including HUGE spoilers?? I tempted Fate the day LAST SACRIFICE was released and ended up having emergency surgery. I hear you say "Well that sucks!" and believe me, you don't know the half of it. It took a good 5-6 days before I was able to read it, meanwhile each day I would cautiously use the Internet, avoiding the mere mention of the book like the very PLAGUE. I didn't want ANY hint/clue/suggestion/teaser/OMGSH rants to take away the full experience of reading it so that's my gift to you - dear review reader. I will now try to attempt the impossible and GUSH about how much I LOVED/ADORED/RELISHED/LOST MY HEART/TREASURED/WENT CRAZY OVER this book. Hmmm... maybe I should stop right there because doesn't that say it all? *taps finger on chin while thinking* You know what? Keep reading, I want to rant a little about the storyline and characters and honestly, what VA review wouldn't be complete if I didn't fall completely over myself about my LUST CRUSH Dimitri? Okay, let's proceed.

If you're like me, you've followed this amazing series from the very beginning, getting to know Rose, Lissa, Dimitri, Christian and Adrian as they come against some pretty steep challenges. Each of the books has been filled with new love, friendship, loyalty, triumph, heartache and betrayal that leaves each reader with a whole mess of emotion. *backspaces about five sentences - "sorry spoilers about previous books"* One thing that stands out LOUD and CLEAR throughout the series is that Rose defines what being a friend means. She moves Heaven and Earth for each of the ones she loves, sometimes desperately fighting the odds in an attempt to save them. So what better way to end this AMAZING series but for Rose to be the one who needs saving. LAST SACRIFICE finds Rose in jail, charged with the murder of Queen Tatiana. She's obviously innocent but with piles of damning evidence, it doesn't look good for our beloved heroine. Okay - I'll give you one spoiler - through a well coordinated jail break, Rose finds herself whisked into hiding with *sigh* Dimitri and others. Rose wouldn't be Rose if she didn't have some other plan up her sleeves and for the rest of the story, I watched as she went about finding KEY evidence for her defense and a shocking truth that when revealed would set the Moroi Court on its EAR!! Loads of adventure, drama and action, all the while Rose and Dimitri navigate their feelings about each other.

I think this is about the time where I need to stand up and applaud Richelle Mead because this storyline was by FAR the best of all six! I was totally engrossed in the story, fighting tired eyes for hours so I could finish it all in one sitting. I forgot the world, forgot my family (big kisses to my patient hubby) and even forgot I hurt. The author added so many wonderful touches and insights to the story, special glimpses that left me feeling COMPLETELY satisfied at the end. I felt like I sat down to dinner and was served a succulent 10 course meal that FAR SURPASSED my wildest expectations. I knew I was going to love the book but once I was done, I was still floored.

Rose will always be one of my favorite heroines because for me she has always been so incredibly real. She is far from perfect, with her own set of flaws but what she has that sets her apart is an amazing amount of PASSION. She has a lot of heart for a character and a constant desire to protect the ones she loves. She may not think things completely through at times but whatever she does, she gives herself 100% and watching the journey she's been on through series has made for an amazing read. She really showed a level of maturity in this book, faced a lot of hard truths and showed a great willingness to listen to her heart and not be swayed by guilt. She spent A LOT of time with Dimitri *cheers* and I loved watching how she dealt with the redefining of their relationship. She had a lot to lose, ultimately her life and I loved how she defined herself as a survivor - she was able to motivate herself to change and act and didn't rely on someone else to be her savior. She is very strong woman and can I just say - like always, she kicked some serious ass!

This book proves that the book Gods heard my plea because my BELOVED Dimitri is all through this final book and I was able to completely gorge myself on him. Here's another strong character that has been through Hell and is now trying to sort himself out so he can move on. I have always LOVED/LUSTED/OBSESSED/PANTED/SWOONED/HUNGERED after Dimitri and I want to give a huge thank you to the author because I have desperately missed him. I hurt for him throughout the story because I knew there was so much he wanted to say to Rose but he didn't believe he could. I was giddy for him when I saw him become the strong Guardian I've always known him to be when danger struck and he needed to step up and dominate. I held my breath it seemed the entire book, waiting like the hopeless romantic I am to see whether he'd get back with Rose because no offense to Adrian but I'm a Team Dimitri girl. I think that was one of the biggest questions I had with the book - who would Rose choose - Dimitri or Adrian. Both sexy men in their own rights, both men who loved her deeply. How about you lean in REAL close to your computer screen and I'll type in who she chooses... you have your eyes up close to the screen yet? *pauses* Okay here it is... she chooses...... *DELETES THE NAME* Mwahahahaha. I told you - no spoilers!

Just a little side comment that I loved and really appreciated about the book was the author having Rose spend a lot of time in Lissa's mind. It makes a lot of sense since everyone was back at Court trying to find out who the murderer was and with Lissa taking part in royal business, I got to see things that we normally wouldn't have had access to in the other books. It showed a wonderful side to Lissa, showed her developing into this strong woman who had a more confident, take charge attitude. It gave me the relieved feeling that she was able to stand on her own feet and if need be, could take care of herself. To me it showed a real balancing out in her relationship with Rose, leading them to a place where things could be shouldered more evenly. I'm hoping that as the author begins working on the branch off series, that we'll get to see more of this independent Lissa.

Although it's completely depressing that the series has officially finished, the author wrote this final book in such a way that I can sit back, smile and feel content. There were A LOT of shocks throughout the book and there were times where my heart hurt for the characters but ultimately, it was a PERFECT way to end the series. For those who haven't read LAST SACRIFICE or any of the books, here's the deal - drop everything you're doing and START reading! Seriously, this is THE series to read and I can totally see myself pulling out my cherished MUCH read copies out in the future for my grandchildren and great grand children to read. A breathtaking finish and for one last time - I LOVE YOU DIMITRI. Happy reading!!!

One of my all time favorite series. I have honestly probably reread this entire series at a minimum of 20 times. I recommend this series to any reader especially if you love vampires . I didnt put anything really in the book on this review as I had spoilers but you will love the main characters and their love lives. I was truly invested the entire series through.

What can I say that hasn't already been said? That this series is the best? This is one series that is not only memorable but that all can enjoy? That it is nothing like Twilight and in fact it is better?

This book left nothing out. It was a great and awesome read and I was sad that it finally came to an end. The book was full of action, drama, characters that are brought to life buy the great writing that Ms. Mead wrote. Everything in it was perfect and enjoyable.

I do have one gripe. That is that I hope that Rose would get a better ending. I was hoping that she would get her happily every after. In a sense she did, but I wanted more for her. Like not having to put her life on the line all of the time. To have some more freedom. I know that Rose is strong and capable. I guess I was just looking for more. Though the ending was satisfying enough, I am now anxiously waiting for the spin-off.

This was a decent series as far as story lines went, but there was absolutely no character development. This was a huge problem considering the personalities of the main character Rose and her male love interest Dimitri. I was so terribly exhausted by the antics of Rose that I was glad to have it end. I loved the character of Dimitri as he was mature, level headed, smart, and strong. If I were him, I would not have given Rose the time of day. She was, and continued to be, a young, self-absorbed, teenage brat who knew everything, and caused more problems because of her impulsive decisions, but yet came out smelling like a rose!!! These two people did not belong together at all. Just do not see it happening in the real world or the land of make believe. Big mistake as far as these two characters are concerned. Had Rose grown up along the way and matured, as she should have through the series, it might have been easier to believe. There were just too many times that I wanted to slap her and say wake up, what the heck are you doing? I think the author missed the chance to let readers watch Rose grow and become a person more suitable for Dimitri because of the events that she had experienced along the way. I understand that she was eighteen, but things you experience in life change people. That is with the exception of Rose. Her character was exactly the same from beginning to end.

I loved this series (and I love vampire/paranormal books in general). It’s not completely out there from an originality perspective, but it is different enough from the seemingly thousands of vampire books publishing she’s around the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was BLOWN AWAY!!!!!!!!! Wow what a PERFECT finale to an incredible series. My thoughts are just replaying certain scenes over & over in my head. This one will stay with me for a very long time. I just wish we would have found out what happened to Sydney and why she really helps Abe. But I guess maybe hopefully we will find out when the new series Bloodlines comes out. That said I am really happy with the ending, how everything came together & who Rose choose in the end. The last sacrifice & who killed the queen shocked me, didn't see them coming at all. Sad to see the series end but I can always pull them from my shelf & reread them. I'm also super excited for Bloodlines to come out. Vampire Academy is in the #1 spot along with the Twilight Saga of my favorite series of all time. I think it deserves more than 5 stars! LOVED IT, LOVED IT, LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was the last book for the serie and I understand the author have a spin off book coming up, so there were questions left at the end of the book(fine!)but...I was not happy with Rose's story and how it ended.

*Spoiler Alert*

I agree with another review: Rose's adventures/hardship in finding Dimitri never came up or her meeting his family or their time together when he was a Strigoi even their first time together, we know he hates himself for what he did, but it should and needed to be brought up.

Rose talk with Adrian at the end was not enought for me, it seems like she could have said much more(she's usually good with words). I was really upset for Adrian(heck I wanted to cried!) but when it comes to Dimka, Rose becomes very selfish. I knew it was going to be Dimitri(he was my first choice), I believe he's a good/better match for her but still I was hoping for Adrian.

The part about the Keepers, why bring them up with no purpose? an unnecessary adventure or in the hotel room when she punch Dimka after kissing him to escape to realize that she needed to find Lisa's sibling? To make the book thicker?

I didn't like the flash back between Rose and Lisa for some reason, I understand the importance of Lisa becoming Queen but I think it could have been shorter.

I love this serie and mad at this last book. I hope the spin off "Bloodline" will somehow bring me closure!

Oh boy, where to begin. To be fair, there is only two reasons read this book. One is that it is physically impossible for me to not finish a series, and second I kept reading in reviews that Adrian basically bit Rose's head off at some point in this book. So I said, oh well, I'll read it. Alsoo, I should preface this review by saying that I'm not Team Adrian or Team Dimitri. In fact, the triangle in this series is very unimpressive. There is no reason for it at all, except Rose milkshake bring all the boys to her okay never mind let's move on to the review.

The first half of the book is actually very entertaining, very much like the first couple of books in the series which I actually liked. There's a lot of action, so in that regard the fans won't be disappointed. I always thought Mead did an excellent job narrating from Rose's point of view while including Lissa's, so that you don't miss on a lot of details. I think she took it to a whole new level with Last Sacrifice. There was all these connections with Lissa, Adrian, Victor, and Sonya so the plot never really stalls. The problem is that by the second half of the book it becomes a little too much and a little too messy.

Let's start with Lissa, I wasn't surprise by how Lissa turns up by the end of the book, and I enjoyed reading how she gets there. The test she had to endure, had a Hunger Games feeling to it, that were fun to read. I honestly have to ask: does anyone think Rose and Dimitri won't end up together after reading the previous book? I mean the author goes to great lengths such as bringing people back from Strigoi just so Rose can stop whining (after Rose lies and manipulates all her friends). I figured a happy ending is in stored for the series since I read Spirit Bound. And I wasn't disappointed, pretty much everyone is happy by the end. Except for everyone that got manipulated by Rose, being Adrian, Sydney, Eddie etc. Contrived? Yes. Disappointing? I honestly don't think anyone should have expected anything else from this series, so I'll say no. Oh and Adrian biting Rose's head off was epic.

One thing that just NEEDS to be said is this: this book could have been a lot shorter and good, hell this whole series could have been a lot shorter and better, but the author is trying really, really hard to introduce her spin off series. And yeah, I'll read the spin off.

Regarding the audio book format. Loved it. I hope there's a way I can find out what other books does Emily narrates because her voice is lovely, and she is great at voicing other characters. She had quite a challenge too, since there is an overflow of characters in Last Sacrifice.

What a brilliant ending to the Vampire Academy series. The entire novel kept me on the edge of my seat, gripping my armrests. It was intense and awesome. Action packed and heart-stopping. Everything I've come to expect from Ms. Mead and more. Incredibly smooth. Super fast read. I could not part with the book. I took it on the treadmill. I read into the wee hours until my eyes lost focus. And then I read a bit more. Such a great payoff. I'll definitely be rereading this series. A truly fun, fantastic read. And I loved the idea that loving someone makes you both better and stronger for it. Such a great message to sneak into the end.

The trials and tribulations of Rose Hathaway never seem to end. Rather it's her love life or just life in general she is always pulling out all the stops and breaking all the rules. No matter how much I read I can never get enough.

To say that Dimitri pissed me off in the last book would be an understatement. I mean come on it's Rose! How could you not love her? Need less to say I finally was able to take him out of 'time out' in Last Sacrifice and I couldn't have been more happy about that. Oh Dimitri * swoons* how I missed your sexy hot god like self I heart so much. Nice to have you back.
Anyway this book was amazing and a great way to wrap up the series. It was everything I hoped it would be. I am really sad to see the end however. Oh Rose Hathaway you will be truly and deeply missed!

I ADORED this series from the get go. **SPOILERS PROCEED WITH CAUTION***

I KNEW Dimitri was meant to be her man. They were too perfect for each other. Sad as I was for Adrian I felt he was spinning his wheels with a chick obviously pining for Belikov (how sexy is a former Strigoi? VERY!) That they ended up together was foreseeable.

I gotta say I did NOT see that coming ( Rose's bond with Lissa being broken) & that kinda made me sad cuz it meant it truly was the end of this leg of the journey & there was no going back.
I guess it had to be though, how co dependent were they? HELLOOOOOO.. It made both of them grow up & fast & helped them hone their skills as far as self intuition went & self reliance. Still sad. Didn't have to go down like that. I guess u cant have the spin off minus Rose if they r still bonded. Makes sense. AH HA.

Anywho, I was glad to see Christian start to heal from the black shadow over his family name despite what Auntie dearest did *ahem* He will make a strong mate for Lissa (future King..Hmmmm?????)

Who saw Auntie Dearest as the Queen Staker?! HOLY SHEEEIIIIIIII.......That DID toss me for a loop! This book DID keep the suspense going on that aspect cuz I was up LATE drinkin "5 hour Energies" to find out who the killah was!

Jilly Willy is the half sissy, thats cool. I can't wait to see how they bond & how she takes to her new role.

I HOPE we see more ABE! He rocks! Abe has STYLE.

I was PUMPED they (Viktors bro) were able to save Sonya from Strigoi hell..

The Keepers camp & Joshua & Angeline were cool. I'd LOVE to see them in future stories. Since our homeboy Adrian is so Dhampire luv struck maybe Angeline & him can make a luv match!

I like Viktor & his bro, I know Vik has done some truly rotten stuff but they ass zip to the storyline.

I am reading AWAKENED (HON 6) now and it is a let DOOOWWWWWNNNNN.. I am SHOCKED they wanna drag it out to book 12!

VA was ended right where it shoulda been.

I would love to see the spin off focus on Lissa as Queen & of course delve into the characters Rosie gurl friend overshadowed (she STILL has to make an appearance w/Dimitri)

Without rehashing it was not a bad ending to a SAGA. If they dragged out the story ppl woulda gotten sick of Rose. She grew up (finally) & the ppl around her did too. It was truly about time. Her antics were off the charts, I mean seriously she pulled crap & got away with breaking every freaking rule and then sum & barely had a consequence. It got to be a tad old. She did not seem to be learning life lessons cuz no one was really holding her accountable. Sad that she was accused of killing the Queen but that whole incident & the bond breaking gave her pause & made her grow up FINALLY. Even Dimitri put her in her place. She needed it. I foresaw a death if they kept her & Lissa runnin like Thelma and Louise!

Lookin forward to the spin off.

Rose Hathaway's friends break her out of jail. While her friends try to clear her name as Queen Tatiana's killer, Rose along with Dimitri and Sydney are on a mission too. To find the last Dragomir. The one person who could help Lissa secure the throne.

Last Sacrifice is a great ending to this part of the series. I loved it, definitely one of my favorite books in the series. An emotionally driven and epic tale. Fast paced with lots of action. Shocking revelations are revealed and for the most part story lines are concluded. I'm eager to find out what the spin off series will be like. Fans of the series won't be disappointed. If you haven't given Vampire Academy a try I recommend that you do.

It took me a while to stop smiling like an idiot at the last page of the book. One word: INCREDIBLE.

The characters:
You love some and you hate some but sometimes you can't help but feel a little of both towards others. Adrian is endearing because he is so dedicated to Rose even though she puts him through the gauntlet of a love triangle, but there is only one person that Rose will ever really love - and that's Dimitri. Lissa becomes an unbelievably strong character and her boyfriend Christian takes the snarkiness down many, many notches and becomes Lissa's rock, especially when Rose is up to no good. There are many other supporting characters that I cannot say enough positive things about. But if there's one thing for sure, it's the camaraderie that these young adults feel towards each other. The all-entrusting love that they offer truly rivals the crew from Harry Potter. [Yeah, I said it.]

The Setting:
Everywhere the characters went, there was never a lack of detail in the description of the scenes on the author's part. I could easily see the images of their surroundings play through my head like I was watching a movie in high-definition. Whether it was Russia, Alaska, Montana, or Las Vegas, the details and beautiful descriptions were not something I was at a loss for.

The Plot:
From start to finish--the author SERIOUSLY had an ingenious and creative way for our lovably adventurous troublemakers [insert: rebels] to get into and out of trouble. The love of Dimitri and Rose was too strong to be stopped by spirit, death, or worse, un-death. Setting out to kill the love of your life that was unwillingly turned Strigoi is no small feat, but finding a way to bring him back to you--regardless of the consequences, is truly amazing. With the support and help of many friends, Rose attempts the unthinkable...the impossible. But how is she supposed to win when Dimitri's demons and guilt for what he did while he was Strigoi threatens to destroy their relationship? The only thing she CAN do...love him unconditionally.

The Ending:
Wow - just..*sigh*. I could NOT have been happier about the way that Mead decided to wrap up the series. I will try not to spoil it but pretty much everyone ends up happy and the Moroi-dhampir world will never be the same - for the better. I could have not hoped for a better way to sum up all of the trials and hardships that the characters endured, but when I asked - at what cost? Well the cost was great, but the result was far greater than anyone [except the author, of course] could have imagined.

I know a lot of people that read YA love the teen angst [I am among them], but to see a YA series that shows the meaning of true, unconditional, unstoppable love is something that I find to be the main reason that I enjoyed this series so much. So to any of you that are tired of the campy, angsty, shallow tales of starcrossed vampire/non-vampire lovers make sure you pick up this series so you can experience a whole new world of vampires, love, and traditions that will redefine the vampiric society we have all become too accustomed to.

I was very pleased with this book, which was the last in the series Vampire Academy. Maybe not the deepest or best written read you could find, but for a YA vampire fiction novel, I thought it was quite well done. The characters were lovable but not perfect. They had faults and that made them more realistic and easier to relate with. The plot was fun and kept you guessing (I honestly could never have guessed who the culprit was in this book.) and the constant romantic tension between two of the main characters, Rose and Dimitri, completely satisfies the girly side of me. I thought this book ended the series very well, not rushed but fast paced all the same. I loved this series and I'll definitely read them again.

I have loved every book in the Vampire Academy series. When I finally received the sixth book as a gift, I couldn't wait to read it. I started reading it the other night when I grew tired of cleaning, and I found it nearly impossible to put down. I think I started to read it at around 9pm, and only stopped for a few short moments so I could clean just a little more. By 11pm, I decided to read only one more chapter, then I would do something more productive. The next thing I knew, I was over half way through the book and it was near 2am. I was only slightly surprised at this, and I continued to read. After another hour I turned off my bedroom light and started to use my cell phone as a light source, hoping that would cause me to put the book down. At 5:20am I read the last few words of the book. After approximately 8 hours, I finished this book, and was so incredibly happy I had a difficult time falling asleep. I was tired the next day, but it was definitely worth it. This is, in my opinion, one of the best in the series. I think the only bad thing about the book is that it's the last in the series, which means there will be no more Vampire Academy. But it definitely ended really well, and still leaves a bit of mystery at the end, which I love.
If you have read the other Vampire Academy books and choose not to get this one for reasons other then lack of money or time or something similar, then I think you must be just a bit, I don't know, crazy?

Fabulous ending to a fantastic series. I'm so sad to see it end but I could not have asked for a better final book in a series. You will laugh, cry and scream out in frustration through out the entire book. Rose has to free herself of being falsely accused of murdering the queen. With the help of her friends she goes on a journey filled with danger, mystery, pain and love. Ms Mead wrapped up everything I could have possibly needed wrapped up. I have enjoyed watching Rose and her friends grow from kids to adults and deal with what life has thrown at them. I'm excited to see what Richelle Mead does with her spin-off series. If you have not read the Vampire Academy series you are seriously missing out.

Yet another riveting book by Richelle Mead. Just when you think she couldn't add any more twists she does. Every time I thought that the book was over it took another turn which I loved. Richelle Mead really knows how to write to keep you on the edge of your seat and always leaves you wanting more. This series has become one of my favorites and I'm wanting more of Rose's crazy adventures.
We follow Rose through her murder trial and Lissa through her fight to become queen, even if she never did intend on taking the throne. Everyone's world is turned upside down by what Rose uncovers. An illegitimate child that will give Lissa a voice at court, finding out who really killed the queen, and a run in with some old foes. Along with that we get a good look at how Rose's and Dimitri's relationship is going to be. Though there are always complications and I would love if she wrote another volume for this series following Rose to see how well their relationship holds up.
At the end everything turns out good, for most, which is good but there are still a lot of questions hanging in the air such as, what happens to Sydney? And what punishment did the Alchemists put out for her? I'd also like to know what Abe had on Sdyney because Rose made big hits and stated that Abe did more for her then just get her out of Russia. Though that should be explained in the spinoff series which follows Sydney instead of rose but rumor has it we will see some old faces who we love.
Many more questions come to mind when I finished reading like what happens with Jill at court. How Lissa handles the throne and how Adrian deals with Rose's betrayal. I hope she cover these questions along with others in the spinoff.
Once again I have fallen in love with the characters that Mead has created. She brings such depth and personality to them that by the time you're done reading the series you'll feel like you really know them.

Did you know that Vampire Academy was the first YA book I read? It's true. I really loved that series and it opened many more pages for me, spurred me on to my deep passion for YA. I'm so glad the last book of the series came out this year. Why? Because 2011 starts a new round of entrancing YA series. (And believe it or not, sometimes there can be too many to keep track of.) Anyway, I've been so excited for Last Sacrifice.

I was distraught at the end of Spirit Bound because nothing was working out for Rose. I loved Dimitri, and admittedly Adrian, and everything was one mess and struggle after another. Rose deserved a good ending, which she didn't get. Of course, with one more book how could she get that? That girl was a hard-working heroine. So, for months we wait and wait and wonder, "What will happen at the end?"

That excitement and the wondering was so worth it. I couldn't have been any more pleased with this book. Wow.

Last Sacrifice is nearly 600 pages--it's wonderfully massive and hard to hold. Every page is filled with action, anticipation and lots of "what just happened?" At least for me. The book opens with Rose in jail for the murder of Queen Tatiana. Abe is there and tells her two things. One, her trial will be moved up to happen in two weeks. Two, he promised her in the courtroom that she will not be executed--or even go to trial. He plans to stick to that promise.

I don't want to give anything away because this is an epic title and a great conclusion to the series. Let's just say that after the visit with Abe things get interesting--and stay interesting--for the next 590 pages. If you've been waiting for this title, you'll be thrilled to read it.

All of our questions are answered. The truth of the illegitimate Dragomir is explored. Victor Dashkov returns. Snarky lines are exchanged. The question of Moroi being trained to fight is resolved. The queen's murderer is revealed. Some people are saved. Some people die. A lot of asses are kicked. A new queen is selected. A last sacrifice is made.

And of course, the burning question gets answered: Rose and...Dimitri or Adrian?

Oh man, oh man. It's so good. And do not fear, the spin-off series will be in our hands sooner or later. Crap. There goes that theory about a series ending...*adds new one to tentative calendar.*

This was definitely my favorite of the series! You will not be disappointed by this series finale!

As a huge fan of the series overall, this last book was an amazing way to end it. Throughout the books, I couldn't help but fall in love with Rose's character and wish her the best. I was ecstatic that she finally got some peace and happiness and the book ends with just enough of a cliffhanger to keep you guessing. I highly recommend this book and the series in its entirety. I liked that the author ended this series where she did and began with the spin-off, because I think her timing was just right. Some author's in the past have continued a series too far in my opinion. The characters continue to be loveable, endearing, heartbreaking and relateable.

Gold Star Award Winner!

Rose is in jail, awaiting her trial for the murder of Queen Tatiana. Rose isn't good at being patient and away from the action. She can't stand being locked up. It's driving her crazy.

Then her father lawyer comes for a visit, telling her the trial date has been moved up. Instead of having a month, they might have two weeks. Rose knows that's not going to be enough time to uncover the real murderer.

She doesn't have much time to worry, though, because on the date of the funeral, her friends break her out of prison. Now, she's on the run and supposed to go into hiding.

But Rose never does anything the easy way. She also has a secret to uncover from the late Queen. Can she clear her name and put the kingdom back to rights - or will she be forever on the outside?

LAST SACRIFICE is a perfect ending for an amazing series. I love Rose for her feisty behavior, for her loyalty, and for her moral compass. I'm going to miss reading about her adventures: the danger, the friendship bond, and the romance.

VAMPIRE ACADEMY is simply a marvelous series.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

In Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy, Book 6), the final installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, the stakes for Rose and her friends have reached their breaking point. Rose has been accused of the Queen's murder and awaits trial and possible death, Dimitri is still struggling with his restored dhampir state and people's distrust about his transformation, and Lissa has been thrust into court life as the last living Dragomir. While wrestling with her feelings for both Adrian and Dimitri, Rose must find a way to free herself, clear her name, and find the missing Dragomir heir to ensure Lissa's rightful place on the Council.

LAST SACRIFICE will please most fans due to its ending and the wrap-up of the most significant storylines. Resolution occurs regarding the missing Dragomir heir, the queen's murderer, and the love triangle between Rose, Adrian, and Dimitri. While much of the plot is predictable, the twist regarding the identity of the Queen's murderer was a nice surprise. For the main characters, the story ends in a conclusive place where the reader can imagine their futures (or lack thereof) without needing to know more detail. In this book, Lissa and Rose also become more of their own characters as they are forced to face challenges apart from one another, and Dimitri and Lissa show significant growth and resilience. In addition, I finally felt some of the connection between Rose and Dimitri, which I hadn't in prior books.

On the downside, the many dropped or unresolved plot points about secondary characters seemed obvious as set-ups for the forthcoming spin-off series, Bloodlines. The writing remained decent but not overwhelming, and the repeated use of ellipses (...), em dashes (-), and empty phrases like "so, so" became noticeable. Pacing also lagged significantly during the first 400 pages, and the book felt like it could have been much shorter, especially given the predictable outcomes of many plot points. Rose's first-person narration also failed at times because of the unbelievable lack of self-awareness on her part; and similar to Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, Book 4), Rose's ability to "see" Lissa's experiences became too convenient and repetitive as a plot device. As a character, Rose remained impulsive and abrasive, so when she did have moments of growth in this book, they felt manufactured. Finally, while I liked that Mead depicted a romantic relationship based on equality and trust, its presentation sometimes felt forced, like a teaching moment.

Even with these faults, Mead's Vampire Academy is, by far, the best and most engaging young adult vampire series out there. Fans will undoubtedly find this final installment satisfying, and certain loose ends promise readers more action and intrigue in BLOODLINES next summer. Though I was never able to fall in love completely with these characters or their stories, I'm sure I'll pick up BLOODLINES to see what happens next.

The book was good, I will say that. But the ending left so many questions that I am only giving it 3 stars because for some reason Mead is not continuing Rose's story and the end of the book left SO many unanswered questions about Rose's life. Why Mead or the publishers would not continue this story is a HUGE mistake. So many other authors have sequels that go on for more than 10 books.

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In the end, Rose is now a guardian, her bound is broken, she will guard Lisa at Lehigh and Dimitri will guard Christian. Nothing was said that Dimitri's family was contacted that we was no longer a Strogi, yet an entire book in the series, was about Lisa being in Siberia and falling in love with his family. How will the Royals deal with their queen dating Christian, after what his parents did and what his Aunt did? Lisa only has ONE relative, and this relative must live to keep her as the queen, what will happen to Jill, what will Lisa do with Jill? Rose's bound to Lisa is broken, how will this affect Rose? How will it affect Lissa? How will being the best friend of the Queen affect Rose and will she have any input into how dhampers are treated or trained? Will Rose attend classes? What about Victors brother, another spirit user and what about Adrien?
I could go on forever, but I have read other reviews and know I am not alone with these ideas. I will not be running out to the book store for the spin off series.

With the queen dead and Rose the primary suspect things don't seem to be going their way. Before her trial comes up rose has to escape to be able to have the time to solve her own problem and to keep herself alive.

I feel that this was the perfect conclusion the the series. All of the struggles that Dimitri and Rose have between them come full force at them. Everyone bands together and people's true natures are able to surface. I am excited to read the next series and find out more about Sydney.

As you can see I gave Last Sacrafice 5 stars, but I also give the entire series 5 stars.

Last Sacrafice was a great ending to the Vampire Academy series. It answered any open-ended questions from the previous book and leaves you with a happy and satisfying feeling overall. While I wish there was more interaction between Rose and Dimitri, I was happy with the way the author sealed their realtionship. I don't want to give anything away that would ruin the book for someone else, but just know it is deffinitely worth purchasing.

As a series overall, there is no way you could go wrong in purchasing it. I fell in love with this series a few years ago by pure luck, and I promise that you will fall in love with the characters and the story the same way I did. Never are you left bored or feeling as if you wasetd your time. This series gives you romance, action, mystery, humor, and so much more. With each book you are taken further and further into the world of Rose Hathaway and her friends. Each book was better than the next, but no book was a disappointment. This is not a typical vampire series revolving around blood lust, fangs, and violence. If you are looking for a book series that keeps you hooked from beginning to end through all books, look no farther.

***THE FIRST HALF OF THIS REVIEW IS SPOILER-FREE (because people who spoil books and rehash plots in reviews without fair warning should be staked)***

Before I start this gripe-fest, let me just say that I LUB Richele Mead's books - all of them. I read all 3 of her series. I think she's a brilliant storyteller and she skillfully drags me into the emotional web of all of her characters and their worlds. That being said, on with the griping.

I kinda want to give this book 2 stars as a series finale, but the book is actually good and deserves 5 stars for the story, so I settled on 4. I can only speak for myself, but I'm very emotionally invested in this series and it pains me that I might have to guess at what will happen next, but, seemingly, that's what I'll have to do. Don't get me wrong, this book is really good. Although it strays from the norm in this series, there's a lot of action and a LOT of interaction between Rose & Dimitri. The pacing of the story is good, too, except for a few parts. There are plot twists & surprises that you don't see coming. Overall, it's good - it's just NOT a series finale. I've had some time to really ponder & I think Mead coulda knocked out another book to give us all real closure. I've been dragged (willingly) through this highly emotional & vivid saga and I don't want it all wrapped up neatly in a bow. Not only do I not want to guess what will happen next, I also don't want to hear it from any other character's point-of-view in a future book. I'm hoping & praying that someway, somehow the new series will feature point's-of-view from multiple characters, namely Rose and/or Dimka.
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***SPOILERS*****
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MY GRIPES:

First and foremost, the Keepers were a colossal waste of time. They added nothing to the story except a couple of random laughs. Dimka should have heard everything Rose did in Siberia & after to save him. She went through hell for and with him. They kept alluding to a talk about what happened, but it never really came. I also wanted a firsthand look at Dimka's reunion with the Belikov clan. You come back from the undead and you don't immediately call your mother?! I also would have liked to see Rose & his kid sister patch things up. Most importantly, Rose should NOT have cheated on Adrian!! I'm not a prude, but per the series, Rose has grown & she should have broken things off with Adrian the honorable way - especially after the way she berated herself for killing Victor. Dimitri's all, "No. I can't steal another man's girlfriend. There's no honor in that," but then Rose gives him the "eye" and they just fall into bed and have sex. Ok... There goes honor right out of the window. I guess I just expected more from these two. I expected their legitimate reunion to not be so cheap and at the sake of Adrian.
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END OF SPOILERS
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I still liked the book overall, but again, looking back, it's more like another installment. A good installment, because there was some good stuff there, but NOT a series finale. So sad now.

I totally fell in love with this series from book #1. Im emotionally involved witch my husband thinks Im crazy for but I cant help it. I have never been a book worm and up until about 2yrs ago if you would have told me that I would be curled up on my coach reading until 2 in the morning I would have called you crazy! I cant put these books down. I am truly devastated to see the story end but it ended the way I prayed it would! If you are looking for a twilight fix than this is your series.
Love it and wish she would have made more book for the series....I will miss it but that just means another go round with the series...lol enjoy

I just want to start by saying that I am a huge fan of The Vampire Academy series. I really loved the relationship with Rose and Dimitri, and I was so glad they managed to find their way back to each other. However,like many other reviewer's I hated the way Adrian was treated and it was for that reason alone that I only gave four stars instead of five. I hope that Adrain will be involved in the spin off series that I've heard about and I hope he gets his happy ending. I would highly recommend this book and the entire series to anyone who enjoys YA paranormal fiction. Keep up the good work Ms. Mead.

If I could give this book 10 stars I would! It was by far the best book in the series. I could not put it down! 594 pages of continuous action and suspense! Just when I thought I had it all figured out, an amazing twist in the story line! She definitely keeps you on your toes, or should I say fingertips, in this book! It was GREAT! I will recommend this series to everyone if for no other reason then for people to read this particular book!

I was sad and excited to read the last book of the series.

All in all I think it was an excellent book. Rose finally gets the man she deserves and wants. And not everyone is just happy gibby at the end. I must say I did not see coming the big twist in the beginning and at the end. So that's one more star for Richelle Mead!

I think not all is perfect either which is good and makes it even more enjoyable. You know the characters will still face challenges even if they have, for once, a good start!

I would definetily recommend the book to a friend, this is a great conclusion to the series!

I've enjoyed the previous books in this series, despite the fact that I felt like the main character complained like a child A LOT. However, starting with the last book, I was highly disappointed by the direction of the story.

For someone as bitter and acidic as Rose has always been, she sure seems to have everything turn out peachy keene and never takes the time to appreciate or reflect on it. She doesn't experience personal growth.

In fact, I think the smartest thing she ever said was "I suck" to a friend after screwing up royally (yet again). She's exactly the same character she started out as, flaws and all.

She also doesn't experience any repercussions from her irrational, childish, and impulsive behaviors. Instead, she is rewarded for them. This could make impressionable readers think life actually works like this. It doesn't.

Also, in real life if your lover emotionally and physically abuses you, the scars don't go away in a month. They cripple you for years. This is just one example of the unrealistic character development in this series.

However, the books have always been quick, exciting reads despite slips in character logic. Rarely does the author bore with details. Fans of the reformed Dimitri will enjoy this book. Fans of Lissa will no doubt have seen her ending coming since the first book, and rejoice.

Personally, I'm exhausted by Rose and am grateful she's finally giving it a rest. I've enjoyed the ride, but this series needed to end.

Die-hard fans will most likely be squirming with impatience for the next story of this world, and I wish them good luck with it.

This book tied everything up greatly. I'm gladed Rose got her happily ever after, she has been through so much. Throughout her struggle I always agreed with her heart. I am also glad for the queen position to be filled with the right person! And that she choose who she did to be right by her side. As I said this series was just great! I was glad to hear there was a spin off series even if it doesn't have the main characters, I am willing to read it. I want to see just how life treated the rest of the characters in this series.

I am not going to spoil this book, because I like not being killed by fangirl and plus spoiling is for jerks. This book was epic. The plot was really engaging and I found myself to be engrossed into every detail of this book. I just loved how it slowly revealed details about the plot and not everything was shown at once. I obviously feel very attached to every character in these books. I mean I have been reading it for six books. I love Rose and while it is sad to see her go, I was happy with her ending, along with other people. I also can't wait for the new series that is coming from this world and will luckily have some of the character who didn't get a real ending in Last Sacrifice. This is the end of a stunning series and it is definitely bittersweet. I can't wait for more from Richelle Mead. She is such a clever and gifted writer that brings something amazing to each book.

(WARNING: There are SPOILERS in this review)
This was by far the best vampire based series I have read in a long long time. So it is difficult for me to write this review because I am not sure how I feel about the final book. If I have to describe it, I would say it is a crowd-pleaser. It ends with everything all of us probably wanted for Rose. There was only one negative point and it was inevitable since if you choose one guy over the other, "unchosen" one is gonna get pissed at you. So what was my problem? Well I guess when I was done reading the chapter before the last one, I thought "wow that's a good ending". I felt sad, shocked, intrigued, excited about a difficult decision a writer has to do to end her series with a bang like that. I thought what a perfect name for a book that ends like this. But oh well... It did not end there. Everything got fixed in the last chapter and happily ever after ending followed. Also that whole "he likes her, she likes him, they can't be together, then they are together, then he dies, then he comes back, but he doesn't want her anymore and then he wants her again" drama that has been going on for a while started to get old in this book. The conversations between the two characters were a bit off. The logic did not hold up. May be I am expecting too much from this series. What can I say. It was/is a good read. I recommend it. But I can't give more then 3 stars. May be 3 1/2... I am not sure if I will get the spin offs. I am not feeling attached to any other character and I will be looking for Rose/Dimitri stuff to see how everything is going on with them rather then reading the book independently. It will be like "friending" someone you don't care in a social media site in order to hear about one of your common friends. But who knows, may be spin offs will turn out to be better then these originals...

Just finished reading it. It's completely amazing. A great finale to the series.
SPOILERS FROM NOW ON--

2 things I didn't like: first, Christian, one of my favorite characters wasn't really present as I wished for in this book. And it broke my heart that his only relative betrayed him like that. Another thing I didn't like was that in the end they didn't tell us what happens to Sydney and what was it she owed Abe(maybe I missed it, I guess I will go back to reread it).

Then of course all the things I did like: Demitri to start with. His journey in this book was credible and heartbreaking. Then, Angelina, Joshua and all the new characters were really intriguing and well presented into the series. Furthermore, Lissa's character development from the first book was remarcable and the tests she had to endure were unexpected and original. When I was reading I sometimes wanted to go back to Rose's head, cause this book featured too much of Lissa in comparison to the others. For all Mead fans, her wit and humor are always present to amuse you and you wont be disappointed by the changes of scenery either.

The ending: I liked it was a happy ending but Rose did have to sacrifice many things to get where she ended. The Adrian part was really sad and I wanted to cry the whole time, but I understand it was necessary for the story. When i finished it, I was satisfied with things but I'm not ready to say goodbye to the characters yet, especially Rose. I can't say enough things to pray this character and only those who read it can see what I mean.

Hope to continue discussing the book with all of you!

This book definitely brought the series to a close. There were some great things about the book and some things that I wished could have been changed. This book starts off right where the last one left off with Rose in prison for the murder of the Queen of the Moroi. All Rose's family and friends believe she is innocent so they break her out by using Dimitri as the scapegoat so no one else will get caught. Rose, Dimitri, and Sydney who joins them and help them stay safe and hidden are on their own mission to find the missing Dragomir. While Lissa, Adrian, Abe, and Christian are trying to find out who killed the Queen why, and why was Rose the one framed.

For me this book was bittersweet. I felt Rose's character really did involve and she did some extraordinary things while being hunted. She never gave up, and was determined for everyone to figure this out and get the happy ending they deserved. What I didn't like was when she made the choice of who she wanted to be with Dimitri or Adrian I felt she was a bit condescending to the person she ended it with. I didn't like the break-up scene at all, and was frustrated at how Rose treated this character. I loved Lissa's journey throughout this story I felt she grew more confident in herself and her abilities. She realized she could do things on her own and she was strong enough to face these emotional challenges by herself. Overall I thought that this book had a satisfactory ending, though I do with we got to see more at the end, it felt a tad abrupt for me especially since this is the last book for Rose. I would have like an epilogue of a few years or months ahead to see how things were doing. But i guess I will just have to wait for the spin-off though I do wish their was one more book from Rose's perspective because a lot of big things went down and I would like to see how everyone's relationships with each other have changed.

Omg i cant believe its over. This series was to good. I want all the books so i can read it over and over again. I absolutely love this series. Thank you Richelle Mead for have writen this story. It maked me want to write and i do just not good enough as you. I havent even finished one of the 13 stories i started so i give you props for being able to do a whole series that addicting and captivating.

Where to begin? There are some things I loved about this book and some things I hated. May as well get the hate out of the way.

SPOILERS

- I fell in love with Dimitri in the first three books and even the fifth book when he ignored Rose. Liked Adrian, but I loved Dimitri; however, in this last installment, the situations flipped. Dimitri and Rose just didn't give me that spark that I usually feel when reading interactions between them. Yes, it was sweet and loving and well-written, but it didn't make me go WOW. Perhaps it was the fact that Rose so quickly accepted that Dimitri was no longer in love with her even though there were multiple signs. Perhaps it was Dimitri's quick jump from not talking to Rose in the fifth book to breaking her out of jail and kissing her back within the first few days of the last book. I don't know...whatever usually gets me going just wasn't in this book. Usually I devour these books, but about 3/4 of the way through, I gave up to do other things. It almost reminded me of the way Blood Promise affected me--very little feeling about everything.

- Adrian was both pathetic and strong. What really bothered me was Rose's blatant disregard for him; like another reader commented, it felt like she used him the entire time. Obviously he is being set up for finding love in the spin-off; I am guessing a love triangle with Sydney and...Jill perhaps? Now that she is royalty, even bastard royalty, she will become much more attractive. Regardless, I hated Rose for the way she treated him, and perhaps that is what the author wanted.

- Victor felt totally wasted. The guy who has been there since the beginning was taken out by being pushed?! Obviously he may come back in future books, but at the moment I am feeling extremely robbed.

- Abe and Mia got very little page time. I felt a little sad about Abe...I really like his character, but he seemed to be there more as a plot device than as a character.

- Overall, the book felt very rushed and this created unbelievable situations.

Loved

- I loved how Rose grew throughout the book. Though she and her "comrade" still had some of their witty give-and-take, she still seemed like she really grew up.

- I loved that Lissa became queen. I will make a much more interesting story than simply going to college.

- I love that the bad guys stopped in Sturgis, MI...my hometown. However, there is no Sunshine Motel.

Overall, this book wasn't any worse than Blood Promise but it was definitely not as well thought out as the first three books.

The series was well-written, captivating and indulging.

However, the ending was quite deflating, and some questions were left unanswered. There was also no closure on some characters.
The twist was quite unexpected but did not suit with the earlier events that occurred between characters in the book. Rose's betrayal to Adrian was antagonist and caused a slight dislike to her character. The romance between Dimitri and Rose was frustratingly slow and there seemed to be a "sudden epiphany" that caused the two to elope once more. This epiphany was unrealistic and did not line up with characters we were made known to throughout books 1-5.

Overall, a good series but the conclusion was deflating. Not everyone lived 'happily ever after' as we have come to expect in modern-day fiction, but the characters we'd come to love were wronged by the main protagonist; I literally thought as I read the last page: "Wow....is that it?

I was both happy and sad to see this series end. There were still some questions that needed to be answered, but as any writer of fiction knows, you can't tie up all of the loose ends. Also I think that a lot of what readers are still craving will be in the spin-off series. At least I hope they will. I hope the guy that Rose doesn't end up with, makes an appearance in the spin off series, because I really want to see how that pans out, and I also would like to see more of what happens to Mia, which who I think that the next series will focus around in some respects. Like I said, I'm really sad that this was the last book about Rose Hathaway since she is by far one of my favorite heroines in teen lit. I find her go-get-em attitude empowering as a young women and I also appreciate the fact that this whole series wasn't completely about her problems in love. It was also about her unselfish need to protect everyone that she cared about, and even some that she didn't. I think that character's like Rose should be more present in YA novels because, even though this series had some more adult themes, the overarching messages that I found in the books were far more inspiring than in most of the teen lit that I've read. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under the age 13, but I would HIGHLY recomend this book to every teen girl out there who is tired of passive, love-struck heroines who can't do a whole lot for themselves.

After several books and many adventures, I was both happy and sad to finish this series. The author did a wonderful job of wrapping up most of the story lines without making the book feel forced. Rose really deserved her happily ever after, but we were reminded of those who were hurt or died to get her there.

Very well done. I'm looking forward to the Bloodlines series and finding out what happens to Sydney!

I grew up reading Anne Rice and for years I've been filling in my reading void (as I've read all of her books) with books I've picked up here and there. I was excited when the Twilight series came out and I read and enjoyed those books; but they could not compare to what Anne Rice brought in her books. This series however could; it was amazing! I fell in love from the start with Rose and then with Dimitri. Richelle Mead has such a talent and I hope to read more of her books in the future!

I cannot believe that the series is over! I ran out and bought it right away and read the book in a matter of hours. I got sucked right in to the story. Richelle Mead sweeps you right into the story and it is non-stop action whirl-wind from beginning to end. Many questions get answered and even more raised. I'm sure there are people out there who will not be happy with how the story ends, where Rose's heart leads her, the answers to who killed Tatiana, and many other parts of the story, but I thought it was a great wrap up to the series. There were quite a few "OMG" moments through the story that totally shocked me and I just could not put this book down!

This is it. The final chapter. The one in which all secrets are revealed, all the cards are laid out on the table. To put it simply, the last installment in this series is riddled with heart-wrenching plot twists, completely shocking turnabouts, passion, betrayal, and, as is always the way with our beloved Rose, some laughs along the way. You'll devour every page and still want more. But be strong, folks, because soon enough, more is to come in the spin-off series. The ending is satisfying enough that readers will not be desperate to know what happens next, but still open enough that one is left to wonder what's to come. I think fans of the series will be delighted, dismayed, devastated and captivated. And they'll love it.

At first I was a little skeptical about this series since the first book wasn't one of my favorites. I am extremely grateful for sticking it out, because by the third book, I was absolutely hooked!! The storyline is so intriguing and by the end of the series, I was a little sad there would be no more books. But the sadness of it all coming to an end is worth it because Rose finally gets her man and her happy ending after the struggles she and Dimitri faced throughout the series. All in all, VERY good series, with the last book being by far the best!

this was such a great ending But if you want more there another one starting with her telling Syndey Story

If your looking for more about Rose you wont find it in these books

But these books rOCK iM NOT A TEEN AND i LOVED THEM SO MUCH

BETTER THEN TWIGHTLIGHT yES I SAID IT BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I adore this series. It had me torn between two characters whom I both love and wanted to see both of them happy, yet it was not meant to be -- this time. It did end the way I had expected, but at the same time I was caught off guard. There are still a lot of unanswered questions, and I was more than excited to see the next series, "Bloodlines" coming out August 2011. If you like drama, action, romance, and comedy all in one, the Vampire Academy books are for you! I hate that 5 stars was as high as I could go.

Our heroine, the dhampir and guardian, Rose is in jail for committing the highest crime anyone can commit--killing the Queen. She's innocent, but she can hardly prove that where she is. Worse, Queen Tatiana left her with a message before she died that will help her best friend and charge, Lissa. She can't act on this message from jail, either.

The beginning of this book has readers literally pacing with excitement. You know there's more to come and it's going to be good. You just don't know what. That's the power of Mead's work and that's what keeps us reading.

Oh yes, faithful readers, Ms. Mead's got surprises. While I loved the initial offering in this series, I think that she saved the best for last. Just reserve yourself a few hours to read "Last Sacrifice" because believe me, you will not want to put it down.

It is possible to read this book as a stand-alone, but if I wouldn't. The whole series is very worthwhile for readers of all ages.

Rebecca Kyle, December 2010

I loooooove The Vampire Academy series! This book went beyond my expectations! I loved it, I tried to slow down when I read it only because I didn't want it to end! I was so sad when it was over but I hear that Richelle Mead will be releasing other Vampire Academy novels but from someone else's point of view and not Rose's.. I can't wait for that!!! I loved Rose Hathway's character, this book has the right touch of humor as well,, and ooh Dimitri.. I've always cheered on for Rose and Dimitri's love. I don't wanna give away too much but anybody who loves reading Vampire Novels, will defintely fall in love with all The Vampire Academy books.. I really feel like they should make these books into a TV series or something.. Its that great :) I will be reading this book a 2nd time around just to re-live it all over again. I strongly recommend this book and all The Vampire Academy Novels! Richelle Mead is the greatest!

I love this series and (though I can tell she may have been trying to please her readers with how things turned out whats wrong with that?) I am sad to see it end! The only thing that bothered me with the whole series were the spelling errors but other than that great great great series! I highly recommend! All of my cousins (guys and girls) and sisters and friends and even my mother loved this series!

This book was wonderful. The series was so entertaing and such a great read! I was dissappointed that all of my questions weren't answered by the end of the book. I would have liked to have more closure regarding some issues but I guess that might be reason enough to check out her spinoff series when it comes out. I just hope the cover art is improved :)

First of all I'm extremely sad it's over. But this was such a great ending to this book and I'm so happy for everyone, except I do feel bad for Adrian. I can't wait to read the spin-off from this series to find out more. Thank you Richelle Mead for a great series that got better with every book and took us on a journey. LOVED It!

As someone dramatically caught up in the series from the beginning, I was so very sad to see it end. However, I did love the adventure it gave me. Rochelle Mead is a wonderful author and I' m to say she penned a jewel in the Vampire Academy series. I loved Rose' s quirky attitude and personality.

im so sad that this series is at an end! i have been enraptured since book one. rose is an amazing heroine the love between her and dimitri is so.... real. every book has just captivated not one took me more than two days to finish. this one took less then twelve hours. but it left me.... with so much. it wrapped up to cleanly of all the books.... this is my least favorite but still a good read.

This book stays true to the character development of the other books, which is why I loved it. The relationships held as much power in the end as they did in book1. Only a slight gripe with the ending, but that is so minuscule that this has to get a 5/5.

I would say as a thought:

I would love to see even a shorter book that follows Dimitri and Rose going back to Baia to see his family. Do they know he is alive? I think that would have been great to read about! Just the little stuff that was so great about book 4. I love Dimitri's family.

I am happy with this book. Satisfied with how the story-lines played out. Grateful for imperfect characters. Just left wishing Rose and Dimitri would have confronted more of what has taken place over the past year.. or at least in more detail. That was a little disappointing as it feels like things were left unresolved.

**SPOILER**
THANK YOU, Richelle, that Adrian didn't turn out to accept everything with perfect poise and grace, and just go off into the sunset, head down, having just sacrificed himself for her happiness!! His reaction was a breath of fresh air and, well, human! (Okay, vampire)
That's okay, Adrian, I'll make it better.... *wink*

The book continues this vampire series which is honored, written well, very thrilling and ends the story here.

At the end of the last book the queen was murdered, the suspected is Rose, is in the little prison cell and desperately waits for the death sentence. Help of her parents, her friends and together with Dimitri she can flee. During the flight Dimitri recovers from his emotional injuries, and he and Rose get closer to each other again. During this difficult time, Rose learns of a community of vampires who are built up differently from the feudal company known to her. Also, Rose's friend Lissa applies for the vacant throne meanwhile so that she can prove her innocence.

It is a difficult decision to determine whether Adrian or Dimitri will win Rose's heart. The pleasant loser will hopefully appear again in the follow-up series.

I love this series. I'll always love this series. Every few years I find myself rereading these books. If only she would have kept going. Not even a whole book but maybe a short addition that wrapped up all the loose ends.

I loved this book! I wont go over all the details because that has already been done, but I will say I is one of my favorites in this series! I don't think it should be read as a stand alone because there is so much that would be missing if you haven't read the previous five books.. I highly recommend this series! But start with book one. :)

Well, I can honestly say that his book is now one of my favorites of the series. There were some slow points but overall it was good. I love how Rose is always able to defeat whatever obstacle that is in her way. I had very high expectations for this book. I was really worried. I have read many series when the author decides that this will be the last book in the series where lots of main characters tend to die off. As I read, I kept saying "Please dont kill anyone!!!!" But seeing that that Victor was the only one to die I was happy with that. Victor was not and will never be one of my favorite characters of the series. I was extremely happy that he was killed but I really didn't think that he was going to die like that. I am really concerned with his brother. He knows that Rose killed his brother and he is going to want revenge for it. Somehow I think he is going to come after either Rose or Lissa.

I am glad that Rose and Dimitri were finally able to be together. It took forever for them just to admit that they still love each other. But I seriously enjoyed it.

There were some points were I was confused with the plot. How was Rose able to summon the ghost while in the prison? She was still on the Court grounds and they are protected by magic. I know that she was able to have contact with Mason but she had a personal relationship with him. With the queen, they weren't as close. The beginning with the whole escape plan, I am curious about how Lissa was able to block her thoughts away from Rose. In the past she was able to do this so how was she able to do this? Was this something she had been practicing or was helped by Adrian. Speaking of Adrian, he can now change people appearances and hide himself. With all of he improvement, how come Lissa didn't have the whole spirit dreams with Lissa?

The other problem was those crazy people in the woods. The whole marriage thing with Rose and Joshua was funny. I really could not see her living in the caves with them for a long period of time. Seriously what was the whole point of bring this set of characters into the story. Are they going to be apart of the next book? That would be interesting.

The vampire academy series was by far the best books I've ever read and I read a lot! I am in love with Rose and I think she's such a strong individual! She kicks butt in these books and I love her and Dimitri together! I loved all the characters in this book. Lissa was also very interesting. I'm sad that this is going to be the last book about Rose, but I'm excited to read more on the other characters as well! These books excite me and I love the story behind it. I just want to keep reading them over and over again! :)

After feeling hot and cold about this series as I have read it over the past several years, I was surprised and pleased at how much I enjoyed this final installment. The author drew me into the story so that I was thoroughly engaged throughout the entire book. It did not feel like I was reading over 600 pages! It makes me wonder if I should go back and re-read the entire series. Perhaps I was too distracted at the time of my first reading to be able to get into the story. I'm sure it also made a huge difference that I spread it out over such a lengthy period of time. Now, I'm going to check out the author's Bloodlines Series set in the same world.

As Usual Mead does a great job at giving you a rollercoaster of emotions! She ended the book in the way it should have been ended but left enough room for questions and plot lines to be addressed in the spin-off series Bloodlines.

Full Proper Review on My Blog The Lost Book Reports

This book was amazing! I rushed out to get it on the day it was released and have been non-stop reading ever since. I don't want to give away any spoilers but I couldn't be happier with the ending of this series. I can't wait for the spin off and hope to see a little more of Lissa, Rose & Dimitri in the new books. Now the wait is on for the ending of Richelle's Succubus series. I hope she is as kind to Georgina in Succubus Revealed as she was to Rose in this book!