Shadow Kiss

I couldn't put this book down. When I first started the series, the first book was kind of hard to get into with all of the information about the different types of vampires. By the second book, I was hooked. I just finished the 3rd book and I can't wait til my fourth book arrives in two weeks.

WWWWWHHHHHHYYYYYY???????? Just why???? The feels are too real! Omg! No!!!! This can't seriously be happening!!! AND A FREAKING CLIFFHANGER???????? NNNNNOOOOO!!!!!! This is NOT ok! I am NOT ok with this!!!

Ok... Now that that's temporarily out of my system I'll start making sense with hopefully no more outbursts. *shifts gaze away because I know that that is a lie*

Shadow Kiss is the third book in the series and it is by far the best and the worst. (THAT FREAKING ENDING!!! WTF?????) Rose definitely has matured and gets hit in the face by adult reality real quick. Lissa is coming into her powers more thanks to Adrian's assistance. Christian kinda blossoms into a likeable person. Dimitri FINALLY gives in to the feels. Eddie gets an active role in the story! You get a more in depth look into the workings of the politics and the distinguishing factors of their cast system. (I Know it's not technically labeled as such but seriously it is.) There is so much expansion for the series in this one book it's fantastic!!! (Then there is the ending that crushes your soul into oblivion as you crawl around trying to glue the pieces back together with no hope of ever being whole again!!!! F THAT ENDING!!!!)

So it's finals time! Rose along with the other dhampirs gets assigned to her vamp but what's this??? a plot twist?! (No spoilers for you!!! Just some agonized ranting comments.) Regardless while Rose is doing her best to keep her teachers, who are mimicking Strigoi, at bay she becomes aware of a rather unnerving occurrence- She's seeing things! Not just any thing but specters. In addition to Adrian's constant referral to her dark aura and her increasingly dark moods something is clearly up. In the meantime Lissa is getting a better grasp and understanding of her abilities. Dimitri and Rose are at a crucial pinnacle of their not relationship. Oh and you get some pretty cool insight into things. (Again no spoilers.)

I'll end this simply by saying Good luck!!!

Rose is still processing the death of a close friend when she and the other Dhampirs start their field exercises. The trials pair a Dhampir with a Moroi for six weeks of practice guardianship. Rose is determined to do well and prove her Strogoi kills aren't a fluke, but she's paired with an unexpected Moroi and not her best friend. The trials become even more painful for Rose when she glimpses an apparition and is convinced she must be losing her mind. She experiences frequent moments of intense rage which cause her to fear for her sanity. But when a new Strogoi attack threatens, Rose needs to protect those around her or face losing what matters most.

This is book 3 in the Vampire Academy series, and I highly recommend it. The final third of this book is one of the best in the series. I keep saying it, but Richelle Mead really writes some heart pounding action scenes. Rose has grown up a bit, and while she still has her explosive moments, she's beginning to deal with adult issues a bit more maturely. A bit. I really love Christian, he's one of my favorite characters. And Dimitri is dreamy as always. The whole book is paced well, full of new information about the Moroi world, and incredibly entertaining.

The narration is solid, but lacks the accents for the characters described in the book. If you're looking for a book for a teen or YA reader, this book contains adult themes, sex, and some gore. I'd highly recommend it for readers 14 and up. Don't miss it!

Wow, wow, wow!! I absolutely love re-experiencing the Vampire Academy series in graphic novel form! It's truly remarkable! Now I've mentioned a few times already that this might be the LAST graphic novel and I really do not want to see that happen, so buy this people, buy it!!

Shadow Kiss the Graphic Novel is the third one written by the ever talented Richelle Mead and illustrated by the fabuloys Emma Vieceli! Together these two bring Vampire Academy to life! Sure, we get a movie next month, but there's something so compelling and beautifully stunning about a graphic novel series. And as I said, Vampire Academy is my favorite graphic novel series ever!

We get a nice condensed version of this story and to all have read the books, know how earth shattering Shadow Kiss was--more reason why we NEED Blood Promise as a graphic novel, so again, BUY, BUY, BUY! In this one, we get more Adrian time, we only got such a small page time with him in Frostbite, now he's on several pages in full colored glory! And if we want to see him in his shiny role in Spirit Bound, we need to BUY the heck out of this one so there can be another three books!

Shadow Kiss has everything its novel companion had. And again, that means we get to see Rose and Dimitri get ever closer with their relationship. We get to relive all those glorious moments, like Rose and Christian taking down Strigoi!

I truly do love this series in its graphic novel form. Emma is without a doubt my favorite illustrator. I don't read many graphic novels, but I always look forward to this series, because I truly love her drawings of all our favorite characters. As I might have mentioned, I always have a hard time picturing concrete images in my head while reading, there's pictures, just not full colored glorious ones with lots of detail. Just more like colorful blobs with some facial features! I am weird I guess! But Emma truly brings life to the Vampire Academy series and I would be absolutely, freaking devastated, ahem, hate to see it end.

For all fans of the Vampire Academy series, I urge you to read these books. Not just because they are in danger of ending, although that is another reason why I implore you all, but because they are remarkable pieces of art! They are meant to be devoured and enjoyed in one sitting--as I read them. They let you revisit the Vampire Academy world in a condensed way, but they're are lots of pretty pictures and they can easily be re-read over and over again!

So be sure to buy a copy asap! ;)

Overall Rating 5/5 stars

Unfortunately, this is the last of the graphic novel versions of this series...this means you're GOING to end on a cliffhanger. It's unavoidable due to where the 3rd book in the original series left off. Hopefully, you're already a fan of the series and have read the novels and know what happens next. If not, be prepared and consider looking into the original novel series.

Again, we start with a lot of "catch up/filling in" stuff. I could have lived without that stuff, but I guess it's necessary to those who don't know the story or might jump in without reading the first two. If you have read the original novels, the story line stays very true to those. A lot of descriptive language is left out, of course, since it's drawn instead. But, basically, if you enjoyed the original novels or if you enjoyed the first two graphic novels, you will enjoy this one.

Yet another great graphic novel adaptation by Leigh Dragoon and Emma Vieceli. In this installment we learn a little bit more about Rose’s shadow kissed condition and what that means for her. Plus, Rose and Dimitri’s relationship picks up and boy is it hot!

I love the work that these two ladies do for Richelle Mead’s VA series. Sure, Leigh Dragoon takes a lot out of each book in order to fit it into one graphic novel, but she keeps the heart of the story intact. Not only that, but she still adds some little quirky parts that are in the story. For instance, she included the scene where Dimitri makes hot cocoa for Rose and as he’s making it, he explains how using two packets is the secret to delicious hot cocoa. That’s something that could have been easily over-looked. I mean, it’s not like Rose uses hot cocoa to save the day or anything. However, that was one of those vulnerable moments from Dimitri that always stuck out for me when reading Shadow Kiss.

Like I’ve said before, you don’t have to read the series in order to read the graphic novels. We get a prologue at the beginning describing the who’s who of players and what’s going on. So, if you are more of a graphic novel person and don’t really want to read the series itself, you don’t have to. I think that’s one thing that I love about this graphic novel series. It’s not dependent on you having read the original series. It can hold it’s own. However, given the fact that the graphic novel is still a series in itself, I would highly recommend that you start with the first book and work your way through the graphic novels.

One of the things that stuck out to me the most was probably the cave scene at the end. I always had such a hard time envisioning it in the novel. I mean, there’s all these tunnels, fighting going on, the strigoi are hiding in hidden pockets and attacking people, it was pretty hard to picture when reading the novel. So, it was great seeing it illustrated. I think with seeing it illustrated it made it that much more suspenseful.

I can not give this graphic novel series more praise. Leigh Dragoon and Emma Vieceli have taken one of my favorite series and turned it into a graphic novel. A successful graphic novel at that. I really hope the publisher decides to publish Blood Promise as a graphic novel. The last I heard they were waiting to see how the sales from this one did before they approved the next one. All I know is that this girl will be crossing her fingers. I kind of want to see how Emma Vieceli pulls off the new Dimitri.

This is the third book in this series and I can honestly say that Richelle Mead has done such an amazing job, whenever I have read any of her work I have instantly fell in love with it. I recommend you give these books a try because of how amazing they are.

Rose is having to take a test for her guardian training and as she missed it as she wasn't exactly at the school, Dimitri is taking her there. However when they arrive at the destination, they are both shocked to learn that the guy who was meant to be testing her has been killed with his family. Whilst they investigate it brings back memories for Rose as it wasn't that long ago Mason was killed by the Strigoi, but Rose knows that in order for her to become the best guardian she can be for Lissa then she needs to put personal thoughts aside and to focus on what's in front of her.

With the recent events of the Strigoi attacks, they send more guardians to the Academy and the last person that Rose expected to see was her mother, which doesn't exactly go down well considering during her one training session her mothers punches her in the face.

With Lissa being a spirit user she has been struggling to control her magic, however with the power starting to overwhelm her she has started to get a darkness starting to grow inside her which is pouring itself slowly into Rose. So one day Lissa starts to slowly lose control and nearly attacks one of the Moroi, Rose makes Lissa stop what she's doing by absorbing the darkness into herself.

What will happen when there's an attack on the Academy, will any of them survive.

My heart you guys! This book further cemented my love for this series and for everyone in the book. Richelle Mead managed to finished me off with the ending of this book and I am completely at her mercy. Shadow Kiss is one of my favorite books of the series and I loved every moment of it. Rose is still one of my favorite heroines and I definitely saw character growth in this book. The way she handled herself during the battle and how her acceptance of Christian and his relationship with Lissa finally came through. I also like how she realizing her true fate of being a guardian will entail. She has definitely grown up since Frostbite.

Rose and Lissa's friendship is still something to be envious of but I feel for both of them. Rose wants to protect Lissa but it's always at a cost to herself; Lissa just wants to do her magic like a normal Moroi but it's also at a cost to herself as well. I enjoy reading a book with such strong female friendship. I also enjoy reading a book with a hot Russian dhampir named Dimitri. Dimitri is and will always be my favorite part of this series. I just absolutely love how he just whole heartedly believes in Rose. Even when all the stacks are against her, Dimitri gives Rose the benefit of the doubt or waits until she is ready to share whatever she may know.

But seriously, my heart you guys! My heart. The ending of this book destroyed me and I was one hot mess when I finished this book. I remember freaking out and crying hysterically as I messaged my friends on a group chat at 3:30 in the morning so I can be comforted and have them answer my questions. I also remember starting book 4, Blood Promise, at 4 am just so could calm down enough to go to sleep. If you haven't already read this series/book, one, why are you reading this review since it for the third book and aren't you afraid of spoilers???, and two, GO READ THIS BOOK. NOW. I'll be here to provide you with hugs, snuggles, and comforting words afterwards.

This series is definitely getting better with each book!

Rose has to step up and is really put to the test in ‘Shadow Kiss’ – both physically and mentally. We already knew she was crazy-cool, but in this novel she gets a heavy dose of the crazies…

I loved seeing Rose embrace her destiny as a dhamphir – though not in the traditional sense of what is expected of her by the Academy (duh, why would you – this is Rose we’re talking about). Lissa takes more of a back seat in the plot too – even though we see her getting stronger and stronger. There is a real sense of building the characters up and bringing the overarching plot towards something… and Rose can sense it too. So we see a more serious side to her. I miss a lot of Rose’s snarky banter – but with the pace rocketing along, with lots of fighting and mystery, it’s not something you particularly notice.

Luckily, there is lots of Rose-Dimitri steamy goodness to keep me squee-ing. I can’t believe that Richelle Mead has been stringing my along for three book already and I’m still eager for more.

As the action is just getting ramped up and up – we get plot twists galore. I was continually surprised. So much happened, yet you can tell there is still so much more to come – really setting up for some amazing things to happen later in this series. I am growing a new found respect for Richelle Mead and her writing abilities.

The ending had me gobsmacked – I wanted to immediately pick up the next book, but I’m savouring it a little longer. I can’t wait for what ‘Blood Promise’ has in store.

I am really not a huge fan of vampire novels, but The Vampire Academy series is surpassing any thoughts I had for the series in boatloads. I have no doubt that I’ll be purchasing the Bloodlines series on completion of this one.

Travel Companion:

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

The Thrill Seeker

She would go to all the places for adrenaline junkies. She would dive from high cliffs into shallow waters. She would be the one who wouldn't hesitate to join in a fight to defend her friends. Rose would be the one to choose the deadly, life-threatening adventures. (Which might result in a broken bone or two.) And she would be great at fighting. She would end up as a martial arts instructor if she wasn't busy protecting her best friend.
We would meet her recklessly jumping off a cliff. Of course, we would chicken out and back off. We would be impressed by Rose's reckless attitude and her fearlessness. We would become her friends after we take our own leap.

Rose was still the awesome girl we all know and love. I will always love Rose's character. No matter what. She was outspoken and brave. She was reckless. She didn't always think before she acted. And the darkness made her even more reckless. (If that's believable.) She didn't think at all in this book. She didn't hesitate. She jumped into a fight because of her boiling blood and the darkness in her soul.
We didn't get too much character development in this book. Rose started to trek down the path of darkness, but it wasn't touched upon a lot. I thought the trek towards darkness and the gates of death were interesting touches to her character. The ghosts appearing and scaring her were interesting. They made her jumpy, and it changed how she reacted to things (aka Stan's 'attacks' during field experience.)
But in the end...she was broken. I felt it. I imagine anyone who read this book felt it. Rose was crushed. Her soul was broken into a million pieces. She wasn't thinking. Everything was just a blur. She could only focus on the pain of losing someone she loved. I can't imagine the pain she was going through. And I hope I never have to experience it first hand.

Read More at http://booksinmysuitcase.blogspot.hk/2015/07/review-shadow-kiss-by-richelle-mead.html

This book was so good. I enjoyed it quite a lot. Rose is different in this book. I’m leaning towards the word “darker.” After all that happened in Frostbite, that isn’t too surprising. I think I would have been more shocked if Rose didn’t have some sort of PTSD.

We get to see more Christian in this book. He is not afraid to do what others are. He is a bit of a rebel but I can totally see why. I mean, his parents when Strigoi and everything. Surprisingly, he is a also a good cook.

Lissa is growing more confident. She isn’t afraid of what she can do magic-wise. She is standing up a bit more for herself. She knows there are certain things expected of her as the last Dragomir but she isn’t letting that run her life.

Dimitri is still the same Dimitri. He takes his responsibilities as Lissa’s guardian and Rose’s tutor very seriously. He is so practical and he would do anything for Rose.They are such a great couple even if they technically can’t be together.

Adrian is interesting. He is crazy at some times and totally level-headed at others. He still has his thing for Rose. Rose isn’t really interested but it does mean that Adrian would do just about anything for Rose. In his own way, he cares.

This story also advances the understanding of spirit and what it means for Rose to be shadow-kissed. That is all very interesting though I had guessed quite a bit of it from Frostbite.

Overall, this was another wonderful book by Richelle Mead.

This review first appeared at Orandi et Legendi(http://catholicamanda.com/review-shadow-kiss).

In "Shadow Kiss", the third novel in the Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead, everything is pain and everything hurts. This novel will lure you into thinking that everything's going to be alright, when it isn't and never will be. Everyone's issues are revealed and you're not going to want to finish this novel, fearing that it will get worse in terms of emotions.

With Mason dying in "Frostbite", the tragedy only just started- seriously. Starting with his death Rose's connection to Lissa as a shadow-kissed is finally proving to be useful, and I actually think that Mead did a great job at incorporating it smoothely into the storyline. "Shadow Kiss" is basically centered around the guardians and fighting off Strigoi. Rose and the other novices are doing the so-called field experience now, which simulates the life they're going to have when they graduate and are assigned to their moroi. The older guardians are pretendending to be attackers and they have to fight them off. Well, unlucky for the novices the real life experience comes right after that.
Initially I got pretty annoyed with the storyline being centered around strigoi again. I vividly remember that time Dimitri put his hair up for the first time and Rose got SO impressed by him having five molnija marks for having killed five strigoi. Funny, how he's considered such a respectable character in the guardian world, yet has only killed five. It's hard to believe that little novice Rose Hathaway killed two Strigoi in "Frostbite" and a bunch of others in "Shadow Kiss" then. While I do love her as a character, I think she really is a Mary Sue. She can do everything, she can fight everyone and when she can't, it's due to her shadow-kiss situation, but not because Rose Hathaway can't manage to do something once. I don't know, it's not like she's becoming a more unlikeable character throughout the series, but I think that the credit she gets and the fights she is involved in, are solved way to easily on her side. She never has sacrifices to make and is almost never really hurt in battle, while experienced guardians die like flies.

I would have wished the novel to dive a little bit deeper into exploring spirit magic and have less action scenes. Mead crammed all the interesting stuff (the big battle) into the end, causing the novel to drag extremely. I found myself putting it aside for days at a time, because I was so bored with everything. The characters didn't really get to me either, because I felt like Mead rushed their relationships. Starting with Dimitri and Rose, I was actually shocked when he said I love you for the first time to her and it wasn't even addressed in the novel. Casual saturday, the dude you've been loving for ages tells you he loves you and you're like "ha, lol, same." Dimitri and Rose are probably the only couple in literature that manage to seem instant-love-y after three books, still. Not that I don't love them together, but, seriously? They went from 0.5 to 100 within fifty pages of "Shadow Kiss" and I didn't even know whether to shake my head or just start lauging.
Mead is truly the master of dragging storylines around and feeding youw ith unimportant, boring stuff as filler material for the middle and then hitting you like a train with a massive cliffhanger ending that leaves you HAVING to continue. I have to give her credit for that.

Overall: Do I Recommend?
As a standalone, it would be a very weak novel. The middle drags extremely, but the resolutions of previous storylines are both smart and logical. It made me want to smack my head on something for not thinking about them myself. I hope that it will remain the only weak novel of the series. So yes, I recommend.

This book was so intense! I loved it! Everything changes Rose starts seeing Masons ghost and she doesn't realize why. Rose also has been assigned to guard Christian instead of Lissa (awesome change) with Eddie guarding Lissa. They all want to go to Victors trial and someone helps them get there...and its someone unexpected..Adrian! The Queen offers Lissa a rare offer..to go to school there and live there at the same time. Then the Queen tells Rose to "stop seeing Adrian" because she has plans of getting him and Lissa together. Once everyone starts to figure that out other things go on. Everyone thinks Rose is going crazy because she's seeing more ghosts and she finally tells Dimitri and asks him to believe in her. She gets her guardian duties cut in half and gets counseling the other times. She proves herself worthy when she takes down 3 guardians in the fake test...one of them is Dimitri!! That's where things really heated up!! After that she can tell through the bond that Lissa is being tortured and she realizes the Mana have been doing it. come to find out Lissa tells her that it was her initiation ritual and that she was in no harm but Rose beats them all up finally beating up Jesse. Dimitri takes her to a cabin to calm down...They finally get together!!!!!!!! What we've all been waiting for!!! Then the suspense builds up because there is an attack on the academy...Dimitri fights back warning Rose to keep running and get help. Strigoi kill and capture many Mori, guardians and dhampirs. Everyone goes into immediate lockdown and Rose realizes everyone is safe except Christian who was at the chapel waiting for Lissa. Rose slips out and goes after him. Soon they end up surrounded by Strigoi and they fight together. Christian saves Rose with his fire power.then they work together killing the rest while the others get away with about 13 hostages. Her mother comes back for the fight and rescue mission. All hell breaks loose. They kill a bunch of Strigoi and rescue most of the hostages and a few Strigoi were hiding and waiting and they attack last minute...causing Dimitri to get captured Rose witnesses him go down fighting..bit in the neck by a Strigoi. And she has to leave him....then they go back the next day to find him. They can't Rose starts to panic and calls Mason 's ghost he confirms that Dimitri is Strigoi. She withdraws from school on her 18 birthday gets Adrian to give her money and goes after Dimitri to kill him!!!!

Since I have been struggling through the second book in the Game of Thrones series, A Clash of Kings, I decided to start another “easy” read to break up the girth of A Clash of Kings. I decided to continue on with the Vampire Academy series reading the third book, Shadow Kiss.

Likes:
The same favorite characters are in the book, Dimitri, Christian, Lissa, Mason (hint hint) are all there. It is nice to get to know these characters and really have their identities build as the series goes on.
Victor comes back into the picture, along with some more information on the history of being shadow kissed, so that was interesting to see what affect the shadow kiss could have, not only on Lissa, but also on Rose.
Oh dream Dimitri. I seriously think he has to have the number one spot on my book boyfriend list right now. He is just so damn dreamy. I think I need to go home and watch the movie tonight just to see more Dimitri!
The end of the book, like the last 150 pages rocked. I switched over to listening to the audiobook and I did not want to stop listening. I even wore my headphones to listen while I was working.

Gripes:
Saying that the last 150 pages were amazing leads to the reason I did not give this book a five star review. I was kinda bored during the beginning of the book. I felt like there was so much build up to the last part of the climax and action that I just kept dragging through reading knowing that it had to get better. That saying, it definitely redeemed itself and now I am really excited to continue with the next part of the series.

Rose returns to St. Vladimir’s Academy with a celebrity-like status due to her Strigoi kills. Her accomplishment is overshadowed by her guilt over Mason’s death.

This is the book that we see Rose change the most. She is learning more about what it means to be shadow kissed and how her role fits in with Lissa’s use of spirit magic. The more Lissa uses spirit, the darker her becomes, but Rose is able to suck that darkness away by absorbing it herself, making her moody, angry and could lead to insanity like the legend of Anna.

While Rose knows absorbing the effects of spirit is detrimental to her health, she has been indoctrinated into the belief that Lissa must always come first in all things, so she is willing to serve in all ways. This means going to college where Lissa wants to go, taking the classes Lissa wants to take and not following her heart with Dimitri. When people start to question Rose about what she wants out of life and how she feels about Lissa’s needs always coming first, it plants a seed of doubt in Rose that she must reconcile. When a series of traumatic events unfurl, Rose finally makes a decision to put Dimitri’s needs first, which could ruin her friendship and her future as a guardian forever.

This is probably my favorite book of the series so far. Rose grows up a lot. Her crush on Dimitri becomes love and the best part is that he finally admits that he loves her too. Just as they commit to a future together, something absolutely horrible happens and Rose faces the impossible choice of whether to fulfill her guardian duties to Lissa or a promise to Dimitri. I rarely cry in books, but this one left me breathless. Word to the wise, make sure you have the next book on hand, because you will want to start it immediately after this one.

Overall, I give Shadow Kiss…

Plot – 5 bookmarks
Character Development – 5 bookmarks (Rose really grows up in this one. We also see Dimitri’s softer side.)
Love Story – 5 bookmarks (!!!!!)
Fight Scenes – 5 bookmarks
Political Intrigue – 4 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), Prince Harry (Mason), Josh Hutcherson (Eddie)

This book was LONG~! and when I say long I just mean longer than book one and two. There were a lot of ups and downs, lot of slow moments and a bit of filler but everything was interrelated as long as you look hard enough – as is with most YA novels. Nothing is done by accident and everything has a purpose.

Just a few months before graduation the dhampirs of St. Vladimir’s Academy are assigned their Moroi for ‘field testing’. After their rescue mission in Spokane, Rose Hathaway believes she’s unstoppable. That is until she starts seeing things – seeing ghosts. Distracted by what this ghost’s presence Rose starts to do poorly during her field examinations. Aside from everything that’s happening Victor Dashkov’s trial finally comes to light and both Rose and Lissa desperately want to be there to testify against him. As Rose’s visions of ghosts continue to haunt her, Dimitri’s concern for her well-being grows deeper and deeper, but when a looming threat decides to break into the school will Rose and Dimitri be able to do what’s right and put the Moroi first?

Not that I’m complaining, but this book dragged on JUST A SMIDGE JUST A TINY BIT. I get why the extra content and all the information was necessary but it seemed….really long. There was just a lot of content to be processed in this book, field testing, Victor’s trial, the attack at the end, there was just A LOT OF CONTENT. I swear the entire series takes place during the course of ten months. It’s surprising there haven’t been THAT MANY CAUSALITIES.

Aside from all that we get to spend a lot of casual time with Rose, Christian, Eddie, Adrian and Dimitri. Since the first book I feel like we’ve been getting less and less quality Lissa time and that makes me a bit sad. I wanted to like her a lot but all my feels have shifted to liking Rose and Christian. Speaking of Christian….THAT KID IS BADASS! I have to remember these kids are only 17-18, like it’s crazy. I wish I was that badass when I was in my senior year of high school. Seriously, you will have a new fond respect for Christian as well as Eddie in this book.

Adrian and Dimitri are still as hot as ever. No surprise there. We get A LOT more Dimitri in this book, THANK GOD, ugh that man is a God. Seriously. And just a little teeny tiny spoiler, we get a lot of Dimitri and Rose action. My blood was boiling! They are just so perfect together. Adrian and Rose have their moments too and it makes you wonder who she’s going to end up with. Well I of course want her to end up with Dimitri, just so I can have Adrian to myself ;). Adrian’s lifestyle and his past keep Rose from believing his true intensions and feelings towards her, while others are busy either spreading rumours about them being together or trying to keep them apart. It’s very confusing. Nobody wants to be with a playboy, but I think Adrian is serious…

Finally, Adrian looked back at me. For the first time ever, he looked vulnerable. “When you come back, will you give me a fair shot?”
I hid my surprise. “What do you mean?”
“It’s like I said. You’ve never wanted me, never even considered me. The flowers, the flirting…it rolled right off you. You were so gone for him, and nobody noticed. If you go do your thing, will you take me seriously? Will you give me a chance when you return?”

The book ended on such an amazing cliff-hanger, I swear I would die if I had to wait a year for the next book. I can’t wait to see what Mead has planned for Rose, Dimitri, Lissa, Adrian and Christian. How is it all going to end? How is it going to turn out?! I just want to read, read, read and DEVOUR these books!

4.5/5 Hearts of Love
Cause Dimitri was really sexy in this one….;)

If Zoey Deutch and Lucy Fry weren't the Rose and Lissa you expected, the graphic novel is the next best thing - provided you've read the novels already.

The VA graphic novel illustrations are spot on with accurate depictions of the characters as per the novel's description. Rose is curvy, sexy and fiesty, and Lissa is regal, beautiful and demure. Illustrations are delivered in a bright, colourful format with a serious art style that isn't too cartoony.

If you haven't read the series yet, you'd find the graphic novels to be difficult to follow without reading Rose's perspective on the happenings of St Vladimir Academy. The selection of dialogue was more focused on moving the plot along instead of offering the characters' thoughts, so it may seem to jump around quite a bit. Much has been truncated in this graphic novel, which seems to be delivered more as a fan service than attracting new readers to the series.

It's been a few years since I read this series but I remember Shadow Kiss to be the most dramatic of the lot, and the graphic novel bought back the key moments perfectly. Much of what the characters are experiencing is delivered well through their facial expressions, actions and background images, and surprisingly even that hot bedroom scene with our favourite couple is dedicated to a full colour page.

I did have trouble remember who some of the side characters were though, especially when they popped up without an introduction and were only given brief dialogues. It's clear the writer of the novel expects the reader to have followed the graphic novels from the start.

The VA graphic novels are the perfect way to experience an illustrated version of the series with accurate depictions of the characters and their actions. The art style and dialogue captures the mood of VA perfectly, a witty vampire story set in an Academy with a fiesty dhampir at its core. Although slightly difficult to follow, it's worth seeing the scenes and characters come to life in this beautiful format.

Thank you to Penguin Australia for sending me this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review. Check out happyindulgencebooks.com for more reviews!

Shadow Kiss is the third installment in the Vampire Academy series. Rose has survived her first Strigoi kill but it’s still haunting her. The Guardians will spend the next six weeks guarding their own Moroi while their Dhampir instructors will attack them testing them to see how they do against a potential Strigoi attack. When the Dphampir are assigned to their Moroi Rose assumes she will be given Lissa but instead is assigned Christian. However upset with the whole decision she’s determine to prove herself and learns that he’s not a bad guy after all.

When Rose has her first test instead of protecting Christian she’s distracted by the ghost of Mason has been showing up causing her to fail the test. When confronted she claims she panic’s but Dimitri knows she’s hiding something he’s just not sure what. As if Rose doesn’t have enough to deal with because of Mason’s ghost and her current test they also learn that the Queen is going to try Victor Dashkov but being a royal he just may get off. As if that’s not enough they haven’t been invited to court to share their side of the story. Adrian pulls a favor getting them a last minute flight to court so they can share their side of the story. Thus sealing Victor’s fate for the rest of his life. With the return back to school Rose is plagued by more than just Mason’s ghost. Will she be able to figure out what they want before it’s too late?

I’m a huge fan of Rose she’s my favorite type of kick-ass-heroine who never gives up. The bond between Rose and Lissa is unique and I like that they are connected on a whole different level. I’m so happy that Lissa has stopped taking her medicine and is working with Adrian to enhance her abilities. I’m not sure how I feel about Dimitri he frustrates me but it’s clear he loves Rose just isn’t willing to risk it all yet. I think the relationship between Lissa and Christian is sweet they both are head over heels in love.

Shadow Kiss has it all intrigue, mystery, romance, ghosts, vampires and sexy men. The characters are well developed you can’t help connecting with them and cheering them on though the story. The author has done a fantastic job creating a world that they live in with the different types of vampires. The series is one I can’t get enough of it’s just so hard to put down so I stayed up super late reading only to finish this morning. The story while not as action packed as the prior book does provide a captivating story from start to finish leaving me dying for the next one. Vampire Academy is a must read for all vampire fans teens as well as adults. I know it stole my heart as favorite vampire series. Looking forward to starting the next one right away. Love this series!!!

Wow, it's almost really hard to talk about this book without being spoiler-y. I really like how Richelle Mead sets things up so well in the book. We get lots of little hints of foreshadowing in the beginning when Rose and Lissa visit the fortune teller. Lots of little things pop up throughout the book and I was like, "Oh yeah! Oh wait... oh no!!!"

LOVE the development between Rose and Dimitri in this book. We finally get to see them taking baby steps toward actually being together (yay!) which is something that they've been denying themselves (and us. Come on, already!) so that tension is finally starting to break.

Just like FROSTBITE, Mead leaves us with a HUGE surprise. I literally gasped and slapped my hand over my mouth. I really honestly have NO idea where the next book will take us and I'm so tempted just to keep reading straight on to find out! And who's the blonde? That's a really pretty spoiler-y question, but you wouldn't know what I was talking about until you got to that point in the book anyway!

As the third installment in the <i>Vampire Academy</i> series, I did not expect to have so much chaos. It is probably my favorite of the three I've read thus far. Even though it continues from where the previous stories end, there is not a massive recap every few pages of what's happened. When the author refreshes you on what happened before, it's brief, to the point, and not completely random. If there is one thing that bothers me with series is the info dump that happens in the beginning of each one.

Rose really seems to grow in this story. She has to deal with what happened to Mason as well as not stray from her guardian teachings. While she still has selfish moments, they are understandable and within reason. She has gone through a lot, especially trying to help other people. At the end she finally has a moment where she can do what she needs to make herself happy.

Lissa stays basically the same. She is still struggling with her magic and trying to do good things. I wish she had more moments of growth, but being as spoiled (not in a bad way) as she is, it's understandable that she doesn't really change. She doesn't really need to. It was nice seeing more of Christian. We learn more about him and his motives which is nice. It was also nice seeing so much of Eddie. I would say he has gone through much more than Rose has. He definitely grew up as a result. I adore Adrian. He is snarky, funny, and true to himself. It was nice seeing another side of him that was not purely sex driven.

Overall this was a good addition to the series. There were some subplots that seemed rather random and unclear until the very end where they barely fit into the story. Had things been a bit more clear or at least relevant I probably would have enjoyed it even more. The ending was definitely shocking, but I can't wait to see what happens. This will definitely change Rose and Lissa's life and relationship. I certainly plan on reading the next in the series sooner rather than later.

I know this a very popular YA series but I am just not feeling the love. Rose is still annoying and, quite frankly, I couldn't tell much difference in her behavior in this book as compared to the previous two despite the author trying to make it seem as if there were. Dmitri is still boring and I find myself on the verge of just skimming over his interactions with Rose. The author has tried so hard to sell me on this couple that it's actually had the exact opposite effect. Rose can ramble on all she wants about how she and Dmitri are two halves of the same whole (which, gag!) and how only they "get" each other and I'm just left thinking, "Really?!"

Then there is the structure of the story. It seems to be the author's habit to leave the action (and thus the whole point of the story) for the last five or so chapters of the book, leaving the rest of it as the long, mostly uneventful, slog to get there. By that time, I'm just so thrilled to be done that I don't really care what happens. I just want it to be over.

I've committed to finishing this series so I will but it's starting to feel more and more like a chore. My goal is to get to the Bloodlines series but I'm starting to have some real concerns that the author can write a good (IMO) YA series based on what I've seen with the VA series so far.

So Shadow Kiss is the book that takes the Vampire Academy series to the next level. I always tell people thinking about reading this series to at least give it until Shadow Kiss to decide how you feel about the series. Vampire Academy and Frostbite are both good and Frostbite progresses in depth and conflict, but Shadow Kiss blows both of these novels away.

Richelle Mead starts Shadow Kiss off with this opening scene that has you going "wow that's progressing fast," and "is this really happening," to "oh my goodness how embarrassing," and "poor Rose." And then you just end up laughing out loud--or I do anyway. This scene is the perfect way to set the tone for this book. Rose is so in her face, forcefully shown everything she wants, but can't have and I feel so bad for her. Still reeling from Mason's death, Rose is in an emotionally vulnerable place when we start Shadow Kiss.

A large portion of Vampire Academy is centered around Rose's training to become a guardian--Lissa's guardian. So I loved the concept of the field tests that Richelle Mead adds in as part of the novices' school curriculum. It's brilliant. But the setup and execution for the field tests doesn't really go as Rose expects it to. Rose, of course, has no issues in letting the authorities know how she feels about it all, but the guardians have good reason for making the decisions they have and Rose eventually comes to see the logic behind all of that. I just love how typical Rose handles all of this with her snarky, smart mouth.

Richelle Mead cuts this book with plenty of sarcasm and snarky, witty comments. Rose and Adrian continue to banter back and forth as well as Rose and Christian. I just love it. And considering how heavy the ending of this book is, the beginning needed all the lightness it could get from the jokes and laugh out loud moments.

Despite the letdown of hopes from the opening scene, Rose and Dimitri do continue to grow closer throughout Shadow Kiss. Dimitri's ability to predict Rose's behavior with the field experience setup, Dimitri volunteering to help with Rose's community service just to spend time with her, his protectiveness over her with Victor and the trial, telling her to wear her hair up for the trial, I could go on and on. Either way, the moments between them continue to build faith in each other, trust, tension, affection, all of the things that are necessary to make up truly epic love. Can I just say "fight scene" and "the cabin?" Those who have read this series will know what I mean. EEEE! *giggles like a little girl*

The other characters continue to grow as well. Lissa is showing herself to be more confident and comfortable in her abilities, herself, and in her opinions. Christian continues to press for what he believes in--though he does have a stint of jealousy throughout the book. Adrian grows more in his abilities, but his presence and the importance of having him around grows as well. Eddie is an almost completely changed character from where he was in the first two books. Being extremely affected by the death of Mason, his best friend, in Frostbite, Eddie can't help but take life and his job as a guardian seriously since he's seen first hand the hand of the enemy.

As I've said in both of my reviews of Vampire Academy and Frostbite, Richelle Mead continues to astound me with her level of foreshadowing. I've said before that good foreshadowing is a fine line between spelling out what's coming and hinting without the reader even knowing that's what the author is doing. Richelle Mead is a master. I wish I could tell you all of the places that I've found it, but most of them are spoilers for what's to come--obviously. But the fact that Richelle Mead is so good at placing these clues and phrases throughout this series makes Vampire Academy worthy to be read and re-read over and over again in my opinion. I love being able to see all of the pieces that she revealed throughout the series. Mind-blowing. Shoot, there's even one comment in Shadow Kiss that I don't know that Richelle Mead intended, but foreshadows some plot aspects in the Bloodlines series.

We find out more about what it means to be "shadow kissed" which makes sense considering that's essentially the title of this one. This would have been spoilerish for Frostbite, but once you know what's going on between the bond and Lissa and Rose with the shadow kissed business, some of Rose's behavior in Frostbite makes even more sense.

While all of Shadow Kiss is pretty stinking good, the best of the book is found in the last section really. From the "cabin scene" on things progress very quickly. I don't want to give away anything that happens, but be warned that there is quite the cliffhanger. Lucky for those of you who might not have read the Vampire Academy series yet, all of the books in this series are already published and you should be able to move straight from Shadow Kiss into Blood Promise. I will advise that you will probably want to do just that with the cliffhanger ending of Shadow Kiss. Some of us had to wait like 9 months or so after finishing Shadow Kiss before we could read Blood Promise. I still get chills reading the entire last portion of this book. I wish I could do some quotes from this section or even just talk about it, but I just can't spoil anything for you. It's too major.

There's so much more that I want to say, but I've got to cut it off somewhere. Shadow Kiss got 5 stars from me after my very first read. I'm willing to give it the same now. It's still epic. And as I said before, Shadow Kiss completely takes the Vampire Academy series to the next level. I do consider Shadow Kiss and the Vampire Academy series to be a must read. Have you read Shadow Kiss? What did you think? Let me know!

For more reviews, check out Somewhere Only We Know - [...]

This is by far my favourite so far in the series, and they seem to just be getting better and better.

SO much happens in this book. Really, I don't even know how I'm going to talk about any of it without totally ruining the book for everyone....

The theme really starts to happen in this one. Aspects from the first two books come in and start to really show where the story is headed. Huge fight scenes and much drama happens and then you are left on a huge cliff hanger. I would talk about them more, but they really are a large part of the story and if I do I think I would ruin it for everyone. Also, some of the question are answered a little as well, but there are still many things left hanging. But you really get the feeling that everything is about to unravel and snap into place.

We deal with a lot of grief throughout this book. After the events of the last one plus things that come to pass in this book everyone is pretty down throughout the whole thing. Lissa is probably the happiest besides Christian and Adrian though they aren't all totally happy either. They deal with a whole love square thing with Rose that is pretty much just made up in Christian's mind because he is jealous of how much time Adrian spends with Lissa because of their magic, but Adrian loves Rose who is just all about Dimitri and does even realise just how much he likes her until the end when she uses it against him. I mean, i totally feel sorry for Rose, she goes through some serious mind stuffing up stuff, from seeing ghosts and being consumed with black balls of hate and crazy which are not her own, plus more death. I can totally see why she is such a total bitch sometimes, why she is really stupid sometimes, but poor Adrian. Leave him alone, you toyed with poor Mason though you didn't totally mean to and it sent him off into crazy hurtness that did contribute to him dying, so don't do it to my poor Adrian. He knows its kinda a loss cause, don't play with his adorable, sometimes annoying heart.

The only time really that Rose isn't a complete ball of unstableness is when she makes with her relationship with Dimitri which hadn't really progressed at all since the first book until now. They finally just accept that they love each other and that they are going to have to find a way to make it work because they didn't want to keep fighting it anymore by the end of the book. Very cute stuff really. You kind of felt that Rose needed just a touch of joy. She didn't get many of those moments in this book. At the end even her and Lissa have a falling out, and though I can understand where Lissa was coming from I felt it was a huge step back in the personal development of her character. She had become so strong in personality and what not then at the end she is complaining and crying about how Rose isn't thinking she is the centre of the world and not putting her first for the first time ever. Rose hasn't been the centre of Lissa's world for a really long time and really doesn't offer herself up to be there for her (not an easy feet I know since Rose doesn't scream help me, but still) and its not fair to Rose to think that she (Lissa) has to be her whole world. There was even a moment when Rose is accused of letting someone attack Christian because she doesn't like him, and Lissa totally believes it. To me that wasn't something a bestfriend would have thought. I really wanted to slap her then.

There is only one real thing that completely took me out of the story, and it was a writing fail. There was a point where three people were interacting but the writer got the names muddle up and called someone the wrong name even though it made NO sense that it would be referring to that person. I wont say who or where those because maybe if you hadn't read the book before like I have you wont notice. They have probably (hopefully) fixed it in later releases.

Anyway, in conclusion there was a whole mess of plot development and action, there was relationship development both good and bad, and I was more caught up in the story way more than the others. I know im supposed to be reading other books because their authors are actually waiting for a review but I doubt it is going to happen. All I can think about what might happen next, and I would never be able to focus on another story anyway.

Originally posted on my blog: [...]

Shadow Kiss was my favorite one of the series! Is it because we see lots of Dimitri? Hmmm.... perhaps. =)

I loved this one so much, just seeing Dimitri and Rose's forbidden love. They can't be together. And yet, it's the one thing that seems so right in their messed up world! Dimitri made my heart kind of seize and flutter or some kind of arrhythmic activity -- bottom line, he was affecting my heart in a big way. I loved seeing how awesome of a fighter/guardian he was and fierce and badass and then have it flip and you see his tender, emotional side as well. But only with Rose. That was just the best, seeing them fight against the feelings but knowing THEY ARE MEANT TO BE!

Rose is so much more mature in this one. She's trying to deal with a death and it forces her to grow I think. It shows so much that she is Dimitri's student and I love that she respects him so much.

Adrian is just as lovable in this one as the last and Christian is awesome -- as always.

LOTS of action in this one that had me glued to the book and you get to find out more about this shadow kissed business between Rose and Lissa. Very intriguing and I loved how Richelle Mead works everything in! The twists! The turns! The.. everything!

The ending will shatter your heart. Your soul even. I had a mental explosion moment. If I remember correctly I was tweeting like crazy and then had to DM Sheri with ALL my feels. From my notes: "holy eff, how are things going to be ok??"

The ending had me frantic and anxious and I needed the next book like an addict needed their next fix. Seriously, that bad. Instead I had to sleep and go to a volunteer thing bright and early the next day for FIVE hours. It was torture. All I could think about was the book and it was killing me. In fact, I had developed a killer headache, probably due to lack of sleep from reading, and hopefully not related to any... "supernatural" happenings like Rose experienced.

Anyway, needless to say, I headed to B&N ASAP after that volunteer thing and bought the next book. =)

Dimitri and Rose, lust, love and romance are off the board for them. Duty comes first it is the way things are. The Royals are to be protected, the guardians don't get to care about each other. That is all they know, all they believe, and everything that is expected. Not, all are happy with this level of submission. Powers are being questioned, controls be tested and perhaps a new old way to survive even.

Holy crispy tatter tots, What an ending ! I was sniffling many times, loosing my hope and my heart along with these characters. This was a dark time for the gang. Rose had the hardest time of all I think. She was played, mistrusted, misunderstood, and most importantly broken. What a beat down for her in so many ways. Dimitri, oh boy we saw his heart open, we saw the smile and we saw the dark cave good bye. Mason, sad eyes, lost and trying to communicate. The wicked Queen with her manipulations. Dark, dark, dark.
The happiness was brief but so bright it almost made it a happy read.

The connection was finally made, the choice to take a risk so genuine and heartfelt. The development of powers, and knowledge.
I really liked this one it played an evil game with my heart but it played it well. I can;t wait to find out the next step for them and yet I'm taking a rest. I fear for what they might have to do and I'm just not ready. I am a wimpy hearted reader, sensitive to lose and pain.

The Good: I really enjoyed the entirely of Rose questioning her own sanity. The way it was effecting her ability to perform up to her usual standards put her on the same playing field as some of the other students. It also made her more relatable. She's no longer only tough, rule breaking, does what she want girl. She's growing to consider others, and not just Lissa. She's finally getting some real answers with Dimitri and honestly, that's a huge part of my love for this book. We so needed progress in that area.

The Bad: The ending left me annoyed. Yes, it does it's job of making me need to know what will happen. But it just felt wrong. Out of left field, and not in a wow what a shock type of way. Also, this book was really long. Much longer than it needed to be. We rehashed the past over and over when a vague bit and here and there would have done fine.

Minor Spoilers Alert!!!

Rose and the gang go through quite a bit in this installment. Adrian was my favorite character this time around. I liked how he popped up at the
right moments and his wry sense of humor like in the scene below. 

“What’s the point of this secret society exactly?"

He shrugged. “The same as any other. It’s a way to make people feel better about themselves. Everyone likes feeling special. Being part of an
elite group is a way to do that.”

“But you weren’t part of it.”

“No need. I already know I’m special.”
~ from Rose’s convo with Adrian re: mân' (the Romanian word for hand)

A certain scene between Dmitri and Rose really surprised me but I loved it. And that's all I'll say to avoid spoilers. *wink*

And I seriously didn't see that ending coming. AT. ALL. Up next, is Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, #4).

Wow, what a great installment to this series. Vampire Academy is just getting better for me, I like how Rose is growing up and the problems I had with her in the first book are being resolved because of that. All of the characters are growing and we're getting to see so many sides of them, it's always interesting to see your feelings for a character change as the story goes on. I really enjoyed all of the action in this one, it may have started out a bit slow but the build up to see exactly what was going on was great. The plot wasn't completely unpredictable but it was surprising to see everything that happened and the ending was absolutely insane. I was not expecting that at all and it broke my heart. Rose and Dimitri were so close to having a happy ending and then it just didn't happen, it was really bittersweet.

I like how we got to see more of the actual couples, like I said before I liked this series because the love interests haven't been the main point of the story and too focused on but in Shadow Kiss I liked how we got to see more of Dimitri and Rose together and Christian and Lissa. I will always love Christian, he's such a cool guy. I have a crush on him, I won't even lie. (I didn't mean to rhyme, I promise.) Lissa was a bit annoying for me in this book, I feel as if she's gotten really ungrateful of Rose and all she does for her. I'm hoping she snaps out of it. Dimitri was definitely swoon worthy as ever, I just love him so much. I'm so anxious to see what's going to happen in the next installment in the VA Series!! Michelle has definitely thrown in some twists I wasn't expecting.

Again the story continues where the last one stopped. All the same characters are back.

Thankfully, the romance has finally increased a little. I finally felt some real emotion from Dimitri, which was exciting and perfect and worth the wait. There was even a pretty nice, very clean, romantic scene between the two of them!

Mason even showed his pretty, pale face for a shirt time, but who knows if it's because Rose is crazy or what... Adrian was back again, as I had expected. Though she didn't hardly show him the time of day! I still think he is growing on me though.
Basically the story was about the novices going through their field experience training. It was cool to see how they handled it, especially the few who had seen strigoi before. (Rose, Mia, Eddie) It was good to see how they would be expected to live their lives on an everyday basis. Kinda sucked to be a dhympir.

Also, some (moroi and dhympir alike) are starting to fight for the ability to let the Moroi fight (with their magic) alongside the dhympirs. This was a kinda a big thing at the beginning of the book, then it wasn't for a while, then was again. Im hoping in the next book, there will be some change.

Then towards the end, some strigoi attack and all hell breaks loose. Some die... even someone kinda important. And it was sad... but I kinda feel like somehow that person will come back... I don't know.

Also, we got to see the crazxy queen for a little while again. Which was disconcerting, as she doesn like Rose, and has some crazy big plans for Lissa (which don't include Christian) so... I also feel we'll be seeing more of her in the next book.

Overall, more romance and more action make this the best book in the series so far.
review by: theresamjones.com

Shadow Kiss takes place shortly after the death of Mason and Rose killing her first strigoi. Everything is starting to get back to "normal" at the Academy. Then Rose sees Mason's ghost. Rose keeps it to herself that she is seeing Mason but it soon starts to interfere: the Dhamphirs are in Guardian training and Rose freezes during an "attack" and everyone starts questioning her. Victor Dashkov is also going on trial and Adrian helps to get Rose, Lissa, & Christian there to give their witness statements. Then... Strigoi attacks the Academy and everyone is at risk.

Oh gosh, I loved this one. Not as much as Frostbite but pretty darn close. Rose keeps getting better and better as a character. She is so strong-willed plus her sarcasm and bitchy demeanor are hilarious. Dimitri is so freakin hot and ... him and Rose get even closer <3 Lissa hardly annoyed me in this one, and Christian was awesome. I wasn't really surprised when Rose was chosen to be his "test" guardian, but I'm glad it happened. I never liked that they were supposed to be enemies so when they start getting along in this book it made my day! Adrian is his usual self in this book, and honestly I don't see the appeal in him the way everyone else does. Maybe I'm biased because I'm so Team Dimitri but I just don't think he is all that special.

I was really happy that this book takes you outside of the Academy again. I love the setting of St. Vladimir's but it's nice to change it up a bit. I loved having a bit of peek into the Palace, and Mia was back The only downside I had to this book was... I cried at the end, and by cry I mean bawled. If you have read this one, you will know exactly what part I meant but my heart just seized up.

The ending of Shadow Kiss was definitely a bigger cliffhanger than the rest of the series, and I actually did have to scurry out to pick up Blood Promise. Richelle Mead is absolutely doing this amazing series justice, book after book. I can't wait to finish this series and see what direction she is going to take... especially after this ending!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9 out of 10

Happy Reading (keep tissues handy)

Allison
[...]

The next stage of guardian training involves test runs guarding Moroi. Rose assumes she'll be with Lissa, but she's thrown for a loop when she's assigned to Christian. Their relationship must improve for her to be able to get good marks on this trial. Also complicating matters: she's been seeing Mason's ghost around the campus and he seems to be trying to tell her something. The gang also makes a visit to the Royal Court, setting up some future events and conflicts. Meanwhile, though Lissa seems less depressed and crazy, Rose is exhibiting those characteristics instead. Rose and Dimitri keep fighting their attraction to each other, and Rose continues to keep her love for him a secret. Finally, Rose and her friends must face their most deadly threat yet, and someone important may not survive.
This series is fascinating and fast paced. So much is packed in to each book, that I'm having trouble remembering which book things happened in! The characters are so genuine and relatable, and really suck you in. I had an extremely hard time putting it down and once I finished I picked up the next one right away!

Okay, I won't continue to obsess with Richelle Mead like I did in the previous post "Storm Born", but I just have to say this.... I freaking love her. Don't tell Charlene Harris that I said that, bc I feel like I am cheating on her when I say that, but it is kind of true. Yeah, Sookie is great, but what has Charlene done for me lately??!!! One Sookie book a year... now Richelle Mead is fabulous and there are three different series that I am reading right now....

With that being said, I love the Vampire Academy Novels! They are a little teenagerish, if you can even say that, but I still like it. I read this book in one day and I looooooove fast reads so this really hits the spot. This was the third of the series and I cannot wait to continue reading. I am thinking that I am more of a series person just because it makes me feel better when I know that I continue reading about the same characters for years.

So, I just loved this and I would recommend this to anyone.

On the Back Cover:

Rose Hathaway knows it is forbidden to love another guardian. Her best friend, Lissa, the last Dragomir princess, ust always come first. Unfortunately, when it comes to gorgeous Dimitri Belikov, some rules are meant to be broken...

But since making her first Strigoi kills, Rose hasn't been feeling right. Something dark has begun to grow in her mind, and ghostly shadows worn of a terible evil drawing nearer to the Academy's iron gates. And now that Lissa and Rose's sworn enemy, Victor Dashkov, is on trial for his freedom, tensions in the Moroi world are higher than ever.

Lying to Lissa about Dimitri is one thing, but suddenly there's way more than friendship at stake. The immortal undead are on the prowl, and they want vengeance for the lives that Rose has stolen. In a heartstopping battle to rival her worst nightmares, Rose will have to choose between life, love, and the two people who matter most...but will her choice mean that only one can survive?

Life's never been simple for dhampir Rose Hathaway. Now, while mourning the loss of her long-time friend, Mason, and contemplating her upcoming graduation, things are more complicated than ever before. And when you add in her undeniable love for fellow guardian and instructor, Dimitri Belikov, Rose's life at St. Vladimir's is just downright insane. And about to get much, much worse...

I wasn't sure I was going to care much for Rose when I first started this series. She's headstrong, she's crabby, and she has the tendency to blow off anyone who doesn't agree with her. Even more so when she knows they're right. However, these are the traits that, if developed and used properly, will make her into an exceptional guardian in the future. I have to admit, although she's still a bit headstrong and inflexible, she's learned a lot and has grown even more over these first three novels. In Shadow Kiss, she's forced to face reality on more than one occasion and learn to deal with - and even accept - the kind of horrible things that happen in her world. Not an easy road for a seventeen-year-old, even if she is half-vampire.

Dimitri, despite himself, really starts to loosen up around Rose and lets more of the real him show. I really enjoyed getting to know Dimitri better and learning just a touch about his non-guardian side. He's the quintessential guardian - he's strong, dedicated, and he's learned to put all else second to his charge, no matter how tempting that distraction might be. To allow Rose into his life like he has, even knowing that it's the last thing any sane guardian would do, takes a lot of courage - and trust in Rose's abilities. I know he's the major reason for her successful progression as a guardian. His belief that she can do and be all they expect of her forces her to focus and prove Dimitri right. They make a great team when they work together.

Shadow Kiss is an excellent follow up to Frostbite, carrying on the story and pulling the reader deeper into the world of the Moroi and dhampir. You learn a little bit about everyone in this third installment and you can definitely find growth across the board with all the major characters. I loved how the author took time to focus some on Lissa's use and development of her spirit magic as well. I am very excited to move on to the next book in the series, especially after the shocking ending of this one!

Originally posted at LAS YA Reviews

My summary:

Rose is trying to recover from the death she feels responsible for while receiving recognition for the two Strigoi she did kill. Hard to do when she's seeing ghosts. Afraid of everyone thinking she's crazy, she tries to figure it out on her own, typical Rose thinking. But when things all fall apart, Dimitri learns her secret and the bond between them grows. Rose loves him. His feeling seem to be the same. But they can't be together and guard Lissa. Lissa who is growing stronger in Spirit magic even as Rose is falling more apart. Then the worst happens and Rose faces challenges that she's not sure she strong enough to handle. Dimitri thinks she is.

My thoughts:

5 stars - a must read

Since I listened to this book, let me start with the narrator. Khristine Hvam reads Frost Bite and Shadow Kiss. Her voices were very different from those of Stephanie Wolf in the first book in this series, Vampire Academy. I sometimes get frustrated when they change narrators mid-series. Even if I don't love the first narrator, I have associated their voices with the characters and it's hard to change. Dimitri's voice has no Russian accent but Lissa also sounds more like a teenager instead of a child like she did in book one. I adjusted and can say that Khristine made the listening experience pleasant.

Determined to finish this series, I have started a VA marathon. I read book one last year. You can check out my review here. It wasn't my favorite and that may be why it took me so long to get to this point. I did love Frostbite and you can read my review for that one here. I could have done this marathon right then, but I got busy and put it on hold. I do that a lot with books. Now, I'm trying to check up with some books on my TBR pile, so it seemed the perfect time to read all of them.

I love so much about this book. I love the time Rose got to spend with Dimitri in this book. I love how their relationship grew in unexpected and surprising ways. I love how Rose faced some pretty difficult challenges and while she struggled and was overwhelmed at times, she stayed strong. I was proud of Rose. Not ever perfect, she just does what's right.

I love how clues were left around the pages about Spirit and what was really going on with Lissa and Rose. I love Christian and his snarky personality. He's perfect for Lissa. (Oh and can I kick the queen's behind? That girl bugs me.)

I love Adrian. He's so cute with his crush on Rose. Did anyone notice he was so not hanging on every pretty girl in sight? Think he's serious about Rose. She may need some back-up with the way things are going for her too.

The plot was action packed and shocked me a couple of times. One of those shocks was very difficult to get over. Not sure I'm there yet. I get so very emotionally attached to the characters in books. It makes it hard when their live falls apart. Since this is only book three of a six book series, I may have some stress while trying to finish it.

If you are a YA paranormal vampire reader, YOU MUST READ this series. So good.

Final year at St. Vladimir's Academy means novice guardians get their field trials, and for the next six weeks they'll dedicate themselves to protecting a fellow Moroi student. But for Rose Hathaway this is only one of the many troubles she has to deal with. Under lots of stress from the trials sudden fits of anger don't seem that rare for hot headed rose, but when she starts seeing things, Rose thinks the stress is really making her crazy.

Keeping secrets to protect her best friend Lissa is also taking a toll on Rose (not that she'd ever admit it). But deep down, Rose knows she'll have to deal with that sooner or later, just as she needs to deal with her feelings for Dimitri. In the end, they can no longer deny what is true, and for once they stop thinking about what is right.

I loved Rose in this book. She really is a tough girl! Having just recently lost her best friend has put a new perspective in her. Having her deal with all her issues, plus the on-going guardian trials at the same time I could see how Rose as a character had grown. This book also shows how deeply ingrained is the belief that guardians are expendable, and only the Moroi matter. It was really frustrating having Rose come back to that principle over and over again. At least she accepts that Moroi should fight along guardians, and we get to see some of that in action. I'll just say that Moroi + Guardian = badassness of epic proportions.

The end was really heartbreaking. I won't say unexpected for me because idiotically I had gone searching for fanfics and read a spoiler that I didn't know was a spoiler until I finished the book. But if I hadn't read anything I would have been shocked at how things turned out. I think it's for the best though; it makes it all the more exciting for the next book.

This series is getting better and better with each book I read. I liked the first book, loved the second book, but I am head over heals IN LOVE with Shadow Kiss. This one had the action, the romance, and of course more heartbreak and angst.

Rose has matured a bit for me in this book. I especially love how she stood up for her own needs over what Lissa wants near the end. I love how she finally has realized that there are things she needs to have in her life at this moment in her life she is going to finally use her courage and strength to do it. Every time Rose thought she was having a 'crazy episode', my heart started to crack with sadness. When she starts seeing Mason, I wanted comfort Rose and make her believe that she is not seeing things. I really wish she would have told Dimitri sooner though so that they could have figured out what was really going on sooner.

I also feel that Rose needs to take the advice that others have given her and accept that Lissa is stronger than Rose realizes. She should have also confided in Lissa about being in love with Dimitri. They are suppose to be best friends, but it seems Rose never uses her as a best friend should in sharing secrets.

When the puzzle starts piecing together and the action really kicks into full gear, the author again wreaked havoc on my emotions. How could she do this to our beloved Dimitri? After Rose and Dimitri finally figure a possible way of making a relationship work, she pulls the rug out from underneath us and does the worst.

Then we have Adrian. Oh playful and flirtatious Adrian. I have fallen for him as well. I love his witty humor and laid back personality. I enjoyed it when he was trying to capture the magic of Spirit and bring the plants back to life with Lissa. I loved his actions with Rose and how he would do anything he could for her. The final scenes with Rose and Adrian were so sweet and tender that I found myself crying with his words.

Overall, these books are just getting better and I keep having to change my favorite book in the series as I go. If you haven't read this series yet, you are definitely missing out on not only a great story but amazing writing as well.

This book had more action to it than the others. The school has paired Dhampirs with Moroi as if they are in the real world. The administators are acting as the Strigoi and are randomly attacking the students to test their reflex skills. So with the mock fights there is a lot of action going on through out the book. On top of that Rose has started to see ghosts. She has no idea why she's seeing ghosts and what it means but something doesn't seem right. Add in a trip to the Royal Court, two real Strigoi attacks and two huge surprises at the end and you have got yourself one hell of a story.

I don't know where to begin. After the way Frostbite ended I didn't know what to expect between Dimitri and Rose. He has certainly lowered his defenses a bit and he has been around her a lot more. For instance when she gets in trouble during a mock fight and is given community service at the church, Dimitri shows up to help her with it. You could see that he was opening up a little bit more to her.

The only thing I cannot get out of my head is the ending though. Boy does Mead know how to leave you hanging. First you're like "OMG I cannot believe that just happened!" and then BAM "WHAT?! How did that happen?"... "Oh no, that's not good.".... "Yes kill those Strigoi!"... "No! No! No! Are you f*&'ing kidding me?! No!"... The end. I mean talk about emotional ending. Out of the entire book I think that the ending took the cake for me. I got goosebumps reading the highs and lows all in a matter of chapters. I cheered, I got nervous, I cheered again, then got sad, then things were looking up and then Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am I was thrown off my a** and didn't know what the hell happened.

All I can say is WOW!!! This 3rd installment was amazing :D What I wanted from this story was more action, more romance, more secrets and boy did I get it. I know the book was 400+ pages but I wanted it to keep going. I really enjoyed the dark side of Rose and Lissa in this book. The author gives us just a little peak of evil that Lissa and Rose go through. You also get to find out more of the Moroi powers.

Like I said this book had all the fighting action between the Guardians and Strigoi (Does scenes where my favorite ;D). More killing and more deaths. All the characters in this book were flawless. I really enjoyed getting to know them more. Mason shows up more in this book in ways that only Rose can see. Adrian is one character that is said to be a royal flirt, which at first I thought was true, but then you get to know what his intuitions are and so does Rose. I'm thinking that we are still going to keep reading about Adrian.

And finally of course you read more and more about Rose and Dimitri. I just love how the author makes their relationship so hard and unique that leaves you wanting more of them. They finally show and share how much they love each other in this book and the ending just breaks your heart. Such a great and intense ending and that just makes it worth it.

Read this review and more at classycatbooks.wordpress.com

Man, I was not prepared for that when I started this book. I need to stop reading Richelle Mead at certain times of the month, if you catch my drift. She always manages a hell of an emotional roller coaster. Though not as intense as the Georgina Kincaid series was (for me at least), I'm still always impressed. Whenever I pick up one of Mead's books, I walk away from it feeling like I've just accomplished something--that warm, fuzzy feeling that comes from finishing a good book. But it's also tinged with a heavy dose of melancholy because I feel so deeply for the characters in the novel.

Even more impressive is the fact that I don't like Rose, and I still feel this deep of an emotional connection with her. And for some reason, even though I dislike her for most of the novel, I still always end up loving her by the end. This is officially becoming a trend in this series.

That emotion is something that makes being a good writer so hard. How do you elicit such a strong reaction from your reader simply by the words you put on the paper? A lot of it has to do with strength of character, but as I mentioned, I don't actually like Rose, not yet anyway. This is evidence that it's much more about believability. You have to make your readers believe in the characters, believe in the world they live in, and believe in the motivations of the entire plot. Without belief in all of those aspects, a tragic scene isn't really all that moving. Tragedy alone does not an emotional scene make. Otherwise the world would be full of phenomenal writers.

I do think that this book will be a turning point in the series for me. I've been on the edge before with this series -- I didn't like the first book much at all, the second left me feeling, well, like there was potential but it hadn't been realized yet. But not only is a turning point in Rose's life, but the macro plot of the series has taken us deeper, and the world now has more definition than ever before. The tension between the Strigoi and Moroi seems more real now, and the concepts of these kinds of vampires is growing on me. Some of the supporting characters have gained new depths for me, and some of the characters that had been mentioned in the background but never really presented are finally real. I had a similar trend with the Georgina Kincaid series, which I now rank as one of my favorite overall series ever. Needless to say, I have high hopes for the rest of these books.

Review updated June 4th, 2015.

I didn't think there was an author out there who could make me feel every emotion under the sun with just one sentence, but Richelle Mead managed it and blew my mind completely in the process. The last sentence of this novel broke me in a way that nothing else ever could, and while I can't go into detail because of obvious spoilers, know that this entire series thus far has been leading up to what is coming next. I knew things wouldn't be easy for Rose, but what Mead did was beyond unexpected. There was a much darker tone to this novel that what we've experienced thus far and it definitely added to the plot in a positive way. Following the events of this novel, however, it's clear that it's just going to get darker and more serious from here on out.

But enough of that, it's time to start talking about the plot of this novel - the darkness that has started taking over Rose's mind. I think we've all been so worried about Lissa's mental health that none of us have thought about the effect the bond could have on Rose. I can't go into detail because spoilers, but I actually was quite worried about Rose throughout this entire book, and when she sees someone known to be dead, everything we thought we knew about the world Mead has created was changed in an instant. Following Mason's death and her first two Strigoi kills, Rose's mind becomes fragile and her moods unpredictable. There were hints towards what was happening but it took Adrian Ivashkov of all people to finally uncover one of the few remaining pieces of the puzzle.

Speaking of Adrian, my gosh do I love him. He tries so hard to act as though nothing in the world phases him, but it's easy to see through the façade and glimpse the vulnerability behind the mask. The last conversation he had with Rose in this book nearly brought a tear to my eye. His genuine words and actions hadn't been witnessed before that moment, and I can't wait to see what comes next for the Ivashkov playboy. He's just such a fascinating character, and it's strange how much he connects with both Lissa and Rose though on very different levels. I imagine he and Lissa are going to be spending much more time together after graduation as they train with their spirit magic. As for Rose... well, who can ever really know what Rose is going to do?

The romance in this novel hit a turning point and while I do think that Rose and Dimitri are made for each other, I did find myself hoping that she and Adrian would give it a shot. Though the whole Mason-Rose-Dimitri fiasco could have been classed as a love triangle, I was actually hoping that Adrian would take control of the situation and become a solid corner of the triangle. Yes, you read that right, I was actually hoping for a love triangle. I just think Mead has done a fantastic job with everything else she's created, and if anyone could make the dreaded love triangle work, it's her. I have no idea what's coming in the following novels, however, so we'll just have to see if a love triangle is remotely within the realms of possibility.

As I said before, Mead has nailed every element of this series, so it was no surprise to me that she could write epic fight scenes. The magnitude of the battle at the end of this novel was much larger than anything that Mead has attempted thus far and I was completely enthralled by her writing. Definitely some of the best action I've ever read.

Overall, Shadow Kiss is an absolutely fantastic turning point of this series. I have no idea what to expect from the next novel but I'm definitely excited to find out what happens. Believe me when I say that this is fast becoming one of my all time favourite series of books!

I think Shadow Kiss might be my favourite of the Vampire Academy books. I don't know! It's so hard to decide, honestly. So good! But this book definitely had my favourite story line action sequence bit. And the tension/feelings between Rose and Dimitri seriously escalated in this book which rocked.

After the tragedy in the last book, I was really upset. I liked Mason a lot and I was really sad he died. So the new development in Rose's life because of her being shadow-kissed kind of blew my mind. I loved the idea, and I love Rose's reactions to the new development. Seriously, it's pretty freaky.

This book contained one of the things I was looking forward to most - the field experience test. It'd been mentioned briefly in the previous books, and I was always really excited for it because I knew it'd be interesting to read about, and Richelle Mead did not let me down with it. I loved how the new development affected her field experience test. It would have been boring and easy other wise, but Richelle Mead really knows how to shake things up.

Oh, and the tension and escalation of things between Dimitri and Rose! I won't spoil anything, but I loved how things went with them and the discussions they had and the resolutions they made. It made me so happy and it was just so perfect.

And then, you know, the build up to the main event stopped being build up and really happened and WHAAAT. Blew my mind. And broke my heart. So heart broken.

After finishing Shadow Kiss, I bought Blood Promise, Spirit Bound, and Last Sacrifice right way. No more ridiculous "I should really read something else during winter break" - I had to read them all right away.

Rose cant be with Dimitri, and her best friend Mason, who also loved her, died (I miss him!) Things cant possibly get any worse...only they do.

After all the craziness that happened during winter break, its finally spring and Rose is that much closer to graduation and being Lissa's guardian alongside Dimitri. But weird things have been going on, like, IDK, Rose seeing Mason's ghost on campus. Actually, she's been having all these weird flashback/vision type things that may be related to her bond with Lissa. Rose is trying to deal with this, her attraction to Dimitri, and Adrian's persistent flirting when BAM!!! Strigoi attack the Academy! It was all very intense and quite actiony...which I like in a book. I think Rose is just an amazing heroine! And can I just say that even though Christian and Rose dislike each other, they make a great team! The things they do when they work together are just awesome!

I love books that can provoke great emotions in me. For example, I was awwwwwing and grinning like a crazy person *cough* Dimitri and Rose *cough* in some parts, and Adrian was always making me laugh...I really do like him ;) Though those emotions aren't always happy ones: during other parts I was crying like there was no tomorrow. [spoiler]

The ending...man, it was just depressing! I really hope things between Rose and Dimitri get fixed somehow because I really think she deserves a happily ever after.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spoiler Alert!

[spoiler]--The mother trucking Strigoi who attacked the school turned Dimitri in one of them! I swear, I think my jaw hit the floor with surprise while i had a river of tears running down my face! And the tears kept coming when Mason (or his ghost, I should say) left for good :(

This book started kind of slow for me, but like the others, once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. I like Rose a lot better in this book. I think she might actually be growing up a little, or maybe just growing on me. After seeing one of her best friends die, she changed. She's still smart-mouthed and tough as usual, but she's grown up after facing the real world.

While the book was action-packed, it was really predictable. I understood what was happening to Rose basically immediately (why she could see ghost and all that), but it was annoying that no one else did, and everyone refused to listen to her, so I just wanted to hit someone until they did. It was a good plot device, otherwise the book would be so much shorter, but it was so blatant and frustrating that everyone was so stupid that I just couldn't stand it!

I can't say it's not a teenager drama fest, because it is, but the good thing was that it didn't overwhelm the plot of the book. Yes, the book ended on a huge cliffhanger, but at least the book is self-contained. After reading books that didn't even have a climax and all the first book does is building up the story for later books, I have a new appreciation for these series books where the author actually gives each book a self-contained story without sacrificing the overall series plot!

Oh, and I'm finally getting to the epic romance between Rose and Dimitri, right? Well, don't tell me. I'll read the next one to find out!

Rating: 4/5

Shadow Kiss is the 3rd book in the "Vampire Academy" series.
I enjoyed this novel immensely. Each novel in this series continues the story and gets better and better.

This book is set right before Lissa and Rose are due to graduate, they are in their last semester at St. Vladimir's Academy. Both have a lot of things going on.

Rose is still trying to deal with her forbidden love for. She is starting to feel resentment towards Lissa after watching her being so happy and in love with Christian while knowing that she and Dimitri will never be able to be together. But that isn't the only thing going on with Rose; she is getting increasingly angry over the smallest of things and can't understand why her temper is so out of control. When she starts seeing ghosts she really does start to think that she is losing her mind.

If you're a fan of the last 2 books in the series then you're going to love Shadow Kiss.

This book will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride like no other you've been on before. I won't give any spoilers so I'm just going to say the ending will leave you gasping - the twist at the end is heartbreaking and I have no idea how she is going to be able to fix things to my satisfaction.

This series just keeps getting better and better with each passing page! It is hard to believe that I am already halfway through the entire series....Vampire Academy set the stage for the whole series, Frostbite delved into the many relationships in Rose's life, and Shadow Kiss explores these relationships a bit more while at the same time revealing more about what it really means to be "Shadow Kissed".

A Changed Rose ~ Rose changes in this novel drastically. After seeing her friend murdered by a Strigoi, Rose struggles with being who she was before, which in turn affects other aspects of her life. One most important is that she sees ghosts now, in particular Mason. She also has a new "power" in which she can sense when Strigoi are near - this comes into play in a very exciting and surprising way! However, Despite this change in Rose she becomes more secretive from everyone, including Lissa and Dimitri. It is not that she doesn't want to talk to anyone she just doesn't want to burden others and at times even wonders who would support her completely.

Rose's Duty as a Guardian ~ Rose has always known that by being a Guardian her best friend and bond-mate, Lisa, is always supposed to come first. In Shadow Kiss, Rose realizes this even more. However, Rose's and Lissa's friendship changes a little too. It is put to the test - the question is will it endure.....

Rose and Dimitri ~ well.... what can be said about these two. As always, their relationship is a roller coaster and when I enjoyed fully. Rose has to find a way to trust in Dimitri with her newfound "powers" while at the same time they both try to accept the fact that it is best to not be together because of their promised roles as Lissa's Guardians (she must come first, ALWAYS).

An End and a New Beginning ~ by the end of the book, the plot twists around completely. Without giving too much away, all that can be said is that readers will be surprised. Their dreams about the characters will come true but will also be shattered and surprised.

Richelle Mead as the Writer ~ Richelle Mead has yet again created a success. Her writing style is flawless! The plot is clearly well thought out and pulls at the heart strings and emotions, setting it apart from other Vampire novels. Each character is redeveloped in each succeeding installment, shinning new light on their role in Rose's life (as this is about Rose) and their affect in her future. My goals and dreams for this book were met and well surpassed. I cannot wait to read the next installment Blood Promise.

As Shadow Kiss is the third book in the Vampire Academy series, I was expecting a lot from this book. And boy did it deliver!

Richelle Mead brings you deeper into the society of Morio and Dhampirs, after the attack during winter break in Frostbite. Rose continues to be our heroine, the story being told in the first person. I honestly don't think these books could have been written any other way.

While Vampire Academy and Frostbite start out fairly light & airy, Shadow Kiss tends to dip deeper into the societal moors of this vampire species (and its sub-species, the Moroi, Dhampirs and Strigoi). It's definitely a darker novel, something I tend to enjoy in books such as these.
Mead tells the most intense story yet with Shadow Kiss; Rose is continuing on her path to graduation, so she can be the best Guardian possible to Lissa, also her BFF, but with a great deal of introspection.
She is forced to explore her mental stamina and determine whether or not she really wants to be a Guardian over being with Dimitri, the man she loves. Dimitri, the biggest, baddest-ass Guardian finally lets down his guard and accepts that sometimes life isn't as simple as he'd like it to be. And I think that's one of the messages here: Life throws curve balls at you. It is up to you to decide how you want to swing.

In past novels, Mead only touched briefly on the Vampire monarchy and politics. In Shadow Kiss, she dives deep and lets us examine Queen Tatiana and her own desires and motives for Princess Lissa, who, I think, will be a pawn in future political maneuverings. She gives us more of Adrian and his exploration of Spirit, which brings him to the Academy, even though he's a little older. She allows us to grieve with her characters for Mason, a kind-hearted, brave novice Guardian who was tragically murdered in Frostbite.

Most of all, she invests us in her characters and makes us want to read more. And that, my friends, makes a good book.

My Thoughts: Shadow Kiss is the 3rd book in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, and even though Richelle Mead gives a quick summary of everything that has taken place in the first two books, you just have to read those to fully appreciate Shadow Kiss.

The choice of title is perfect: once you have finished reading the 3rd book you'll understand exactly why this title fits perfectly and how it describes the story.

Shadow Kiss is the most intense novel of the series so far: the emotional intensity and depth Richelle Mead makes Rose explore are extraordinary.

In my opinion Shadow Kiss was the best book in the series (so far): the plot was layered and I enjoyed that there were several storylines, the characters who got "screentime" really made the most of it (Adrian is a fantastic new, funny and original character) though I would have liked to see even more Christian/Rose scenes (I have a feeling these two are so similar they should become great friends). The relationship between Dimitri and Rose evolves and I loved the intensity of Dimitri's feelings, something we got more and more glimpses of all through this 3rd book.

One of the major concepts aside (that Rose is becoming crazy and that's why she's seeing ghosts), it was nice to see Rose so grounded and maturely trying to process her hardships. Rose has come a long way since the 1st book, she has matured and grown emotionally so much, and seeing how Shadow Kiss ended, I bet she still has a long way to go...

I very much enjoyed how in Shadow Kiss Richelle Mead spent some time on vampire politics and exploring different ideas about reform. Rose did some (self) examination of guardians and dhampirs and her own role and life within the system she has known, and was good to see her question some of the things/facts she grew up with. And finally Lissa managed to redeem herself after the big disappointment and anger she caused to me in Frostbite. :-) Even though she wasn't a character I was particularly interested in, in Shadow Kiss Richelle Mead spent more time developing Lissa's character and showing us tidbits of her personality, thoughts and feelings, and I have to say, I found her interesting!

When trying to choose which character I particularly liked, I discovered that I have many favourite characters: I loved reading every scene Christian was in, especially his bantering with Rose, that was a high of the novel; then there is Adrian, another extremely entertaining character, whose flirting with Rose I was always looking forward to, just loved reading Rose's sarcastic dry comments to his chivalrous, charming ones :-D Even though I'm all for Dimitri, I would like to see more of Adrian as I think he is a very exciting and complex character, and I would love if Richelle Mead explored him in more deatil.

Then there is of course Dimitri. Strong, powerful, solid rock to Rose Dimitri, who is opening up more and accepting his love for Rose. The conclusion of Rose and Dimitri's love was beautiful. At the end of Shadow Kiss I had the exact same feeling I had when seeing the last episodes of Season 2 of Buffy. The heartache, the sorrow and the resignation to surmount the pain just for a little more. My heart broke to see Rose having to go through another devastating grief so soon after *he who shall not be named for spoiler reasons*!

What I enjoyed the most in Shadow Kiss was the emotional intensity: Rose's fears about not being able to handle the side effects of Lissa's magic, her guilt over Mason, her growing love for Dimitri and then the ultimate heartbreak and devastation (which I'm sure Richelle Mead will still be able to up in the next book) were wonderfully done, it took the reader on an overwhelming emotional journey.

Shadow Kiss was an addictive read, not only I gobbled it up in 2 days, but I lived and breathed with the characters.

Plot: 8/10
Characters: 9/10
Ending: 9/10
Writing: 8/10
Cover: 8/10

Richelle Mead tells a wicked and emotional story about vampires-- but not just any vampires. The Vampire Academy Series, especially Shadow Kiss, is filled with action, mystery, suspense, and yes, even love. It has the perfect mixture of light humor and dark angst, which I think can appeal to almost anyone, both the teenage crowd it was printed for and adults too.

Rose's story has been constantly developing and evolving since the very beginning-- every time you think you know what's going to happen, Mead does a complete 180, catching you by surprise and throwing you right back into a new situation that you never, in your wildest dreams, could have imagined. She knows how to tell the story in a way that it keeps you interested and wondering AND doesn't confuse you at the same time, something that not all authors can do.

Besides the amazing storyline, the characters are also great. Rose and Lissa are very vivid and you can tell that they are good friends. Christian and Adrian, while slightly 'darker' in personality, are both interesting and funny in their own way, and also deep, not just a couple of characters brought in to fill up space.

And Dimitri... Oh My! Not only is he described as a total hotty, but he's also very intense, strong, brave, and STILL sweet and loving with Rose. Their love is forbidden, not only because of the slight age difference but also because of the duties they have that will always come first. And yet, despite these hardships, they've managed to still make do, even if it's been very rough. Because of this, their emotions seem that much more intense and true, and there's not doubt that besides loving each other in the physical sense, they also love each other, in the true emotional sense of the word. Their passion jumps right off the page, burning everything it touches, but Mead writes it in such a way that you realize that it's not just sex, but something deeper, and it's not written to look cheap or overly graphic. A mature teenage could read it just as easily as an adult can, and probably relate to their relationship too.

I've been following the series from the very beginning, and devoured each book, and even I never saw the twist Shadow Kiss would take-- especially the ending! I will admit that I was pretty dang close to tears during a certain part at the end, and when I realized that Mead was leaving us at a cliff hanger until the next book, I screamed out my frustration, because the story is just that good, that captivating and interesting, that I HAVE to know what happens next! All I can say is she had better not ruin the series in the next book *If you read it and get to the end, you'll know what I mean. I don't wish to spoil it for anyone.* and book four had better come out soon! Until then, I'll definitely be spending my time re-reading the first three, obsessing over them and waiting, impatiently, for the next one.

5/5 STARS! An amazing book about vampires, suspense, action, and love. The pages fly by, and any reader, teen or adult, will find Rose's world to be intriguing and delicious. A must read for any one who wants to be blown away by a fantasy novel that grabs you by the shirt and pulls you right in!

from Murphy's Library

On the third book of the Vampire Academy series Rose is dealing with her grief about Mason's death. She can't help herself but feeling reponsible for what happened--although she knows there's nothing she can do about it anymore, she keeps thinking about the what ifs situations. Meanwhile, the St. Vladimir's novices are facing their first field experience: they're suppose to spend 6 weeks as real guardians of Moroi students, and while all her colleagues are anxious to find out who they're gonna protect, Rose's pretty confident Lissa will be the one she'll be assigned with. However, when Eddie is assigned to protect the last Dragomir, she ends up with Christian.

When Rose starts to see what she believes is Mason's ghost, things get complicated. And she also finds out that Victor Dashkov's trial is coming soon--but neither her or Lissa are going to be there to testify about what happened. She begs Dimitri to help bring them in, but when they're called to go with Dimitri having nothing to do with it, Rose knows who did it: Adrian. And it's when she's on the Court that Rose speaks with Queen Tatiana for the first time--and learns some shocking news about the Queen's intentions.

On Shadow Kiss, Rose realizes an important aspect of her bond with Lissa. There's a lot of Rose/Dimitri action, and a lot of tension too. The ending left me speechless--and I got Blood Promise right away, I couldn't wait any other second to start reading it. Who am I kidding? I've been reading this series no stopping for days now, every book is the same way: I finish one and start the next one without even blinking.

So third installment in the Vampire Academy series, we are back at the Academy a couple of weeks after Rose has killed her first Strigoi and things are not quite right. Rose has been forever changed by the events that lead up to Mason's death and so has everyone else that was there with her. This definitely increases the dark undertone that these books have had because Rose has a darker outlook on life. She is no longer thinking about what outfit she should wear tomorrow or how cute her hair looks, as her birthday approaches she really only wants one thing

"Freedom, I thought. That was the only gift I longed for. Freedom to make my own choices. Freedom to love who I wanted"

That line really sums it up the best I think. Rose is struggling with who she is and what the priorities in her life should be. She is also quickly becoming one of my favorite characters, I love her sarcastic attitude mixed with her ability to kick anyone's butt who attempts to take a swing at her or her friends. Which now that she has entered the field training portion of her senior year, she gets to take a swing at quite a few people and get out some of that aggression.

I also have a confession to make, I am starting to like Adrian, I know...I still don't think he belongs with Rose, but he really is growing on me. He is funny, and even though he might not want other people to know about it he really does care about people around him and try to help out when he can. Which he does demonstrate big time towards the beginning of this book. And all that joking aside, I really think he does care for Rose and wants a chance to date her, not that she is going to give into that right now. Why is that? Well Dimitri is still around and he is still the one I am rooting for. Although getting some alone time between him and Rose is very difficult and it is definitely starting to weigh on them both.

Okay, the next part I might get people throwing things at me for but here goes. While reading, I got up to get something to drink and I noticed on the back cover of this book it says "The obvious heir to the Twilight throne..." Really? Don't get me wrong, I love Twilight, I really do! It has a great story and I read all 4 books in one week, no seriously, I did. I did not sleep very much, it was bad. Anyways, that being said I don't think these two books can really be put in the same category. Just because they both have vampires in them doesn't mean they are the same book. Rose is a much stronger character and I like the view from her seat much better than Bella's. Rose is much more complex and her life is just more interesting to me. Vampire Academy also has a lot of layers to it and I like getting to peal them back book by book. I also like all the character development we are getting in these books and the fact that things aren't always pretty, there are causalities when you live in these worlds and Richelle Mead is not afraid to rip at your heart strings and kill off characters. I know that sounds morbid, but I feel like a book that takes place in a world where there is constant fighting and paranormal creatures, you are going to lose some people. That doesn't mean I like it, I was horrified when Mason died. I had to put the book down and walk away for a minute, but it made sense and it made the book more realistic. Is all this making sense?

Along those realistic lines, towards the end I was getting a little more than annoyed with Lissa, which I will not say why because I do not want to spoil it but if anyone else has read this I think you know what I am talking about right? She needs to step back and look at the bigger picture here because she is getting on my nerves. I am hoping to be back on her side when I read the next book.

To sum up, I am loving these books! I am also trying to read them slowly because I know I have to wait until D-e-c-e-m-b-e-r for the last one and I am not a very patient person. But Richelle Mead has me hooked on these books. She paints a dark picture of a world that I get lost in when I pick these books up. So if you have not started the series yet, what are you waiting for?

Language Love:

"Leafless tree branches swayed in that wind, clawing at the sides of the stone dorm like fingernails."

How could I not love this one? I picture that scene in my head perfectly and I love the idea of branches clawing, great description.

Ordinarily, I wouldn't recommend skipping books in a series. Especially by the third book, there may be too much background info to catch up on. However, this book has enough exposition in it, the author seems determined to bring everyone up to speed and rope in new readers with this later addition if necessary. I think readers will enjoy the first two books of Vampire Academy, but if you are looking for some resolution to the romantic conflict and a dramatic cliffhanger ending, you'd do fine to go directly to this book without reading the others first.

There are three kinds of vampires: Moroi, dhampir, and Strigoi. Moroi are wealthy magic-wielders. Dhampirs are half-human, half-vampire, possessed of unusual strength. They can only bear children by Moroi, and their offspring will always be dhampir. Most male dhampirs swear fealty to a particular Morai and protect them as bodyguards. Many female dhampirs take on work as "blood whores" trading sexual services, and donating blood to Moroi for the high that it gives them. Dhampirs are treated by their Moroi counterparts as trusted servants as best, and second class citizens at worst. (I think it's quite telling that dhampir is not capitalized, but the other two are.) Finally, the Strigoi are former Moroi who have gone to the dark side. They are immortal, they enjoy killing humans, harassing Moroi, and are recognizable by their pale skin and red-rimmed eyes. Moroi and dhampir attend prep school St. Vladimir's to learn how to defend themselves against Strigoi.

The class tensions inherent in vampire society are finally beginning to bust apart at the seams. Once again, dhampir Rose is torn between love and duty as she struggles to keep her growing feelings for her tutor Dimitri under wraps as she protects her Moroi friend Lissa from Moroi attacks. Rose has already earned two molnija marks (the Russian word for lightning) on the back of her neck for killing Strigoi. This book includes a huge battle scene, which earns her a molnija star tattoo meaning she's killed too many Strigoi to count.

The end of the book brings plenty of tension and excitement. As graduation nears, Rose has begun seeing ghosts. She does have a love scene with Dimitri but almost immediately loses him to a Strigoi attack brought on by some foolish underclassmen, intent on hazing new members of their secret club. Christian, Lissa's boyfriend, uses his fire magic so successfully in the attack, that many are forced to re-evaluate the Moroi's 'helplessness' and the necessity of such harsh lives for the dhampir. Rose's friend Lissa who's been cavorting about, oblivious to the near-slavery that Rose has been facing as her protector, finally gets a long-overdue wake-up call about how selfish she's been when Rose ultimately abandons Lissa to drop out of school, mere days before graduation, to hunt down and confront the now-Strigoi Dimitri.

When I first read the first three books of the Vampire Academy series approximately two and a half years ago I did not feel book withdrawals. Instead I experienced a disappointing anxiety that I would have to wait for the fourth book to find out what happens to Rose and Dmitri. When the fourth book came out, I had the pleasure of experiencing my first author event signing when Richelle Mead had a book tour in California and Books, Inc. in Palo Alto was one of her stops. It was incredible! I purchased two books for her to sign and I brought my previous three which she also gladly autographed! I could have succumb to my eagerness to read the fourth book, but I did not want the same anxious feeling to come back. I decided to wait for the fifth and final books to come out, and only then will I come back to the world of St. Vladimir's.

Unfortunately it did take a couple of years. The friends I have introduced this series to were ahead of me, and bless them for not mentioning their impressions or stating any spoilers. On my part, it also took a lot of control to avoid Richelle Mead's website in case I might get a hint of what happens next. Even the books I preordered would immediately find its way in the corner shelf of my library where I kept my other favorite Young Adult novels. I hesitated to even glance at the covers or read the synopsis. But finally at the end of the year 2010, the sixth and final book of the Vampire Academy series was released on December 7.

Because of the lapse in time, it was only fitting to begin the story again. I had to reacquaint myself with the characters, the surroundings, the plot, and build the momentum. Doing this did not disappoint.

I love this series! This was the best Vampire Academy book yet. It has more depth, emotion, and action than Vampire Academy or Frostbite. It is also much longer than the first two books, at 443 pages.

In Shadow Kiss, the novice dhampir guardians are undergoing their field experience, where they are assigned to a Moroi student to guard for six weeks. The novices will undergo surprise "attacks" from their guardian teachers to evaluate how effectively they can guard their Moroi.

Rose is still dealing with the aftermath of the attack in Frostbite and as a result of that trip, has started seeing ghosts. Her performance in the field experience suffers because she is so distracted. She is afraid that she's going crazy but finally figures out what's going on. As soon as she does; however, things get really bad at the academy.

Just One Gripe:
I had to read about the darkness inside of Rose just one too many times.

The Best Thing About This Book:
The development of the love story.

Another EXCELLENT book in the series! I'm so glad that now we have grasp on what "shadowkiss" really means...

I am just going to do this as a quick rant without really giving out anything major but something that will get those who are not convinced that this should be a tbr priority.

Complications are piling up. Rose seems to be getting a lot of it. This series contains angst beyond ordinary teenager (in fiction). Mason came back, only not as what we all hoped for. The Guradian field experience is up and there was an unexpected pairing. Lissa can use her powers again only there are consequences and our bada$$ best guardian in the making plays a role that is so huge it questions the Dhampir to Moroi code of conduct or motto or whatever you wanted to call it. Victor was ushered away, for now. The Queen is a total b!tch and has a long term goal that got me mad ( I know it's only a book and I should calm down, but no. I am passionate and this is what I feel). We also still have Adrian and I think he's going to stay, I actually like his role but I am still suspicious. Christian's insecurity about that his family reputation and Adrian-Lissa training with their magic is getting the best out of him. The moment that I was waiting for finally happened, what now?! how will this change them? I am so EXCITED!!! I think most of the fans that read that part actually jumped up and down, coz I did and some people I know did too. Only they aren't at lunch sitting inside their office with an open door when they did that. (uh-huh I embaraased myself again). Finally an unexpected, never been imagined, never benn questioned and action pack "awesomeness" happened and a part that screams "this is an outrage! really is this happening?" How? What? I am not telling, you have to read it NOW people, you don't know what you're missing.

Wow! I just finished reading Shadow Kiss, and I can't believe how good it was. When this book begins, the novices are being assigned Moroi royalty to guard for their field experience. Rose cannot believe it when she isn't assigned to guard Lissa, but ----- instead! (I can't reveal that to you; you'll have to read to find out.) Meanwhile, Lissa seems unaware of the extent that her magic is affecting Rose. Not only is Rose experiencing irrational anger, but she even starts seeing ghosts. The only good thing in Rose's life at this point is Dimitri, and things are going very well for the two of them. Until the school is attacked by a large group of Strigoi, that is. Now, it's up to the guardians and a few select novices to defend Vampire Academy. In this game of life and death, Rose's loyalties have more consequences than she'd ever imagined.

This book was a page-turner. There is so much going on in every chapter that you'll never want to put it down. I love the character development in this book as well. Rose continues to become more and more likable. She's behaving more like a grown-up, and that's what makes this series appeal to older teens and adults alike. There's a wide appeal to these books--romance, action, adventure, and the paranormal element. This book was my favorite in the series so far. I wouldn't advise reading it on its own. It's absolutely necessary to read the first two in order to understand the choices Rose is facing and why she thinks as she does. I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment!

Gold Star Award Winner!

Thank you, Richelle Mead! You have given fans of the VAMPIRE ACADEMY series a wonderful third novel. SHADOW KISS is probably the best out of the three. Reading VAMPIRE ACADEMY and FROSTBITE first is a must in order to really understand what is going on in the series.

Rose Hathaway is training to be a Guardian. Once she graduates from St. Vladimir's Academy, she will be assigned to guard her best friend, Lissa, for the rest of her life. Even though everything is going along as planned, she feels waves of jealously and anger. A lot of these feelings come from the fact that she can never have what she truly wants - love.

Dimitri, her mentor and teacher, is set to be her partner after graduation. He and Rose will be the team that guards Lissa on a daily basis. The problem is, Rose and Dimitri are in love. Knowing their love isn't allowed, they make sure to keep their relationship professional - when they can.

Rose has started seeing ghosts and she feels sure they are trying to tell her something. Soon she begins to understand they are telling her that danger is on the way. Danger that will involve everyone at St. Vladimir's. Rose is no stranger to fighting, but this time it is going to be war.

Not everyone survives, and Rose ends up having to make the hardest decision of her life - one that will effect both her and Lissa.

SHADOW KISS left me breathless and in tears. I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out. The way the story ends leads me to believe that the next book will be even better. There are so many possibilities that it makes my head spin.

Reviewed by: Karin Librarian

SHADOW KISS
RICHELLE MEAD
YA Paranormal
Razorbill

Rating: 5 Enchantments

Rose Hathaway is in her final year at St. Vladimir's academy for Dhampirs and Moroi. As soon as she and Lissa graduate she will be officially Lissa's guardian. All she has to do is get through the trials. She thinks it is going to be a piece of cake considering she took care of Lissa while they were away from the Academy. But something goes wrong and she is given Christian as her trial charge. Oh well, at least she will be with Lissa a lot since Lissa is always with Christian. And it is not like she will not be assigned to Lissa once they graduate.

The only thing standing between Rose and graduation is her trials. If Rose can pass trials she will become Lissa's guardian. The only problem is that once she is Lissa's guardian that means Dimitri will be too. There is no way the two of them can be together if they are protecting Lissa. Rose knows that Dimitri care for her the same way that she cares for him but neither of them are willing to risk Lissa's life. On top of this worry Rose has been seeing Mason's ghost. Is it guilt eating at her or is she really being haunted by her ex-non boyfriend? When tragedy strikes St. Vladimirs Rose must jump into action and show that she is capable of doing her job. But when faced with the ultimate decision, who will Rose choose, Lissa or Dimitri?

I love and hate this book. The story progressed wonderfully. The characters were great. The romance was perfect. The only thing I hated was the ending. It left me openly crying. With that said I actually love the ending. It was the perfect ending to the perfect story. I love how Rose's character matures quite a bit and she really wants to take responsibility for herself. The only thing I did not like was how she was unwilling to get help from other people when she really needed it. I love Dimitri. I think the way he handled his relationship with Rose was just beautiful! I absolutely cannot wait for the fourth Vampire academy story. I have to see what will happen. Thank you Richelle Mead for creating a truly wonderful read!

Richelle Mead writes three fantastic genres. Her paranormal romance series has started with Storm Born, her YA series is Vampire Academy and her Urban Fantasy is her Succubus series. To find out more about her very popular books please visit her website at [...]

Jennifer
Enchanting Reviews
December 2008

Folks, I am absolutely not going to post the synopsis for Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead, as it will spoil Frostbite for you. Let me tell you right now up front, if you want to read these books and be surprised by what happens and not spoiled absolutely do not read the synopsis for the books past Frostbite on the store. They will give away crucial plot points, which is pretty messed up for a synopsis.

Anyways, Shadow Kiss picks up exactly where Frostbite left off. Holy hell. This book was an emotional roller coaster for me. We've got way more Rose plus Dimitri. We learn much more about Rose's ability. We see more of Adrian. There's more about Lissa's specialty.

Let me say this book devastated me. It took my heart and ripped it to pieces. I just felt so much sorrow after reading this. I guess I really empathized with the character. It was so easy to slip into Rose, and feel the way that she feels. I will say that being in a committed long-term relationship really lent to my emotional heartache while reading this, because I know what it's like to be so deeply in love and can imagine how much it would suck to have someone ripped from me.

Oh my god though, after finishing this, I wasn't sure if I wanted to move onto Blood Promise, as this book really did trample me and I'm nervous about the direction Richelle Mead is moving in. Also, that being said, there are certain scenes in Shadow Kiss which are pitch perfect, one of these scenes may contribute to this book being challenged by schools. Whatever. It's awesome. I would say Shadow Kiss is my favorite out of all of the VA books so far and absolutely worth a read if you want to go on the emo-coaster!

Before I really start my review; I have to say something. I finally figured out why it is that I hadn't read these books until recently! I judge my books by their cover. If I don't like that cover? I probably won't read it, not unless it is highly recommended by someone. And these covers? I do NOT like. They in now way do this story justice.
**WARNING** May Contain Spoilers for Previous books, NOT within spoiler codes!

Now as for the actual book? This was my favorite in the series so far! Although I'm not sure where tos tart because there really was so much I loved about this book!

So far we've seen Rose and Lissa as pretty much inseperable, but for a school assignment Rose gets stuck with Christian - which I love! I love that she gets to know him better (so we do too!) and that she (we) grow(s) to really like him.

I also liked the interaction with Rose and Dimitri this book - every scene between them made me love them a little bit more. It was GREAT!

Another thing I loved was Rose seeing the Ghost of Mason. I LOVED this! I loved the whole storyline revolving around Rose and the ghost of Mason.

And of course? Without a spoiler? The ending! Well, I cannot wait to pick up Blood Promise!!

I still cannot manage to give this series more than three stars even with all the crazy action packed story just riddled with Dimitri and Rose moments. Not stellar but once again just entertaining enough to keep me interested. On to the next book in the series.
*spoiler alert*
If I were little damphir I would just get turned strigoi too and see if I could gain enough control to reenter the Moroi world with Lissa because it's not like Rose is going to be useful after she kills Dimitri anyway. She's essentially going out to kill herself and hope to get Dimitri so they can be together in death, she has no plans of returning to life as Lissa's keeper. There both spoiled brats when you think about it.

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 should say the ending was pretty messed up, and left me quite miserable, but it gets better at the end of the series, don't worry ;)

Rose is almost 18 and just about to graduate. Soon, she and her best friend Lissa will be free to live their lives. All she has to do is finish a few more months of her training as a dhamphir guardian and do her field test.

Yet, when she's faced with her field test, Rose freezes, seeing the ghost of Mason who died in Spokane fighting strigoi with her.

She doesn't tell anyone. While Rose knows that vampires exist, she does not believe in ghosts. She does believe in ill effects from being shadow kissed and is concerned about this.

Matters get worse when she learns that Victor Dashkov, the Moroi who'd taken Lissa and even convinced his own daughter to turn Strigoi to save his life, is going on trial. She believes she and the others who fought Victor should attend, but it seems at first only full guardians will be accorded that honor.

Oddly, the presence of ghosts does not bother her when she and Lissa are finally allowed to go to Court and the trial. Just as she realizes why ghosts are plaguing her at school, strigoi attack the school and many of her friends are taken.

This is the hardest read of any of the Vampire Academy series so far and the most emotionally powerful. One thing I can say about Richelle Mead is that her stories just keep getting better.

You can read this book without having read the first two in the series, but you might want to invest in all three. The stories are good and well worth the time if you enjoy supernatural fantasy.

Rebecca Kyle, March 2009

Well, all the frustration I went through with Rose in Frostbite was totally worth it to be able to get to this book. Everything feel into place and Shadow Kiss is easily the best of the first three Vampire Academy books, even as good as the first two were. Now I even understand WHY Rose can be so frustratingly hot-headed and overreact about so many things. And all the same, I love her character, which is perhaps why I had a tendency to get frustrated when she wouldn't behave the way I wanted her to.

In addition to all of that, this book was action-packed, almost from the beginning. Mead has written a breathtaking story that will keep you turning the pages until you reach the end. And in the middle of all the action, we see that Rose's romance with Dimitri may finally be heading somewhere, for a change. Lissa also works with Adrian as the two of them try to develop their "spirit" powers, causing Christian (Lissa's boyfriend) some angst, but also bringing them to new levels of importance. In fact, we see more Moroi, in general, begin developing and using their powers more, and by the end it certainly comes in handy.

But above all, the culminating battle against the Strigoi is heart-pounding and completely gripping. And while I had already realized what part of the outcome would be, it was another thing altogether to actually see it unfold. Part of me wished it could have turned out differently, but if it had, the story just wouldn't be the same. All I can say is that I cannot wait to read Blood Promise when it is out in August. Thank goodness I have so many other books to keep me occupied until then!

This book, the third in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, ended very sadly...

Rose has been feeling more and more dark and depressed ever since her friend Mason died while he, Rose, Eddie, Christian and Mia were trying to escape their kidnappers. Rose had managed to get them all out and was facing the two Strigoi herself but Mason came back for her and got killed in the fight.

Rose managed to slay the Strigoi captors and now bears the molnija tattoos, but nothing can take away the pain of his death. Worse, Rose fears she's going crazy when she begins to see Mason's ghost around campus.

Rose had a theory or two about why that was happening. And Adrian and Christian seem to have a few theories about her many violent outbursts lately. They surmise that with her bond to Lissa and being shadow kissed that she is able to pull the darkness away from Lissa.

More trouble comes when the Strigoi attack the school leaving several Moroi and dhampir dead and many more captured. Rose helps the other guardians (including Dimitri) come up with a plan of offense to get the kidnapped back.

I can't tell you how it ends; I don't want to spoil it. But it is well worth reading even if it did make me terribly depressed. I have a theory about what will (hopefully!) happen in the fourth book that will put things to rights and I can't wait until it comes out to see if I'm right.

This book took a much more central focus of the relationship between Rose and Dimitri, as well as Rose's own unique abilities, thanks to her bond with Lissa. This book delved more into what harnessing the elements could do in practical terms, which I have been very curious about. In some ways, I feel like Mead is holding back in terms of telling the reader all the ways that Spirit can be used, but that is writer's privilege. My favorite part of the books is always Rose's relationship with Dimitri, so much so that I feel everything that she feels, laugh when she laughs, etc. Without spoiling the ending, I can definitely say I felt just as much as she did at the end.
It is interesting to see the effect that Rose and Lissa are collectively having on the political and social structures of this world that Mead has constructed. Unwritten rules that previously were unquestioned are now being broken repeatedly - and not just by Rose. Other Moroi are trying to wield compulsion, male Dhampirs are refusing to become guardians, Moroi are learning to wield their abilities offensively and train under guardians, and so on. Lissa falls under many exceptions, being the only Dragomir, which ironically puts Rose even more in the spotlight of society and allows her to be a catalyst for change.

This was for sure the best book so far! The great thing about Richelle Mead's books is that she always makes sure that the characters grow throughout her series. Rose grows up a lot in this book from her massacre of the Strigoi to her relationship with Dimitri and I for one loved being able to see it happen. That's another great thing about this book. It was so easy to visualize what was going on. That really makes a book go from good to great for me. There was one part though that really fell flat for me. When Dimitri and Rose are finally together physically... my mind went blank. There was all of 4 lines dedicated to something that had been in the making for 3 books and all it gets is 4 lines???? WTH? Mead writes something to the effect of "there are no words to describe....". Seriously? That almost made me give 4 stars instead of 5 but the rest of the book was just so good.... Lastly, this book doesn't end well for some of our favorite characters. Richelle has this habit/talent for writing these fantastic stories with devastating events and then at the end leaves you with a haunting last line that makes your stomach ache and leaves you begging for info on what happens next. How on earth are we supposed to wait for the next book? I guess it's not like we really have a choice... Can't wait!

Shadow Kiss, the third and best book in the Vampire Academy Series starts and ends with a bang. Though the entire series (so far) has taken place within the span of only a few months, I feel as if the characters have advanced and progressed so much during that time.

The tone of Shadow Kiss is a bit more somber than the prior 2. It also crosses into the supernatural, if you disregard the fact that it deals with vampires...

Rose keeps seeing things she knows shouldn't be there. Is she really going crazy? Is someone seeking revenge on her? She must unravel the mystery, all the while trying to deal with her friend Lissa's strange powers, her growing desire for her mentor, and her own instability. On top of that, her graduation from the Academy looms, as does the major Guardian Test which she must pass in order to officially be able to Guard Lissa, the last Royal in her bloodline.

I loved this book because the plot was more intricate and suspenseful than in the other two books, and even though I should have predicted it, the ending took me slightly by surprise. It sort of made me angry, not at the book, but how some things just happen, and you have no control over them. Now, all I can think about is reading the next book. I will certainly pick it up and devour every page when it comes out, and hopefully, there will be some sort of satisfactory conclusion.

I think out of all four of the Vampire Academy series right now, Shadow Kiss is the one that will make you wanting more. Well all of them will make you wanting more. In shadow kiss it has everything from strigoi to Rose and Dimitri's love. Its just a wonderful book to read and you won't regret reading it! I loved this book and found myself reading it all in less then a day. I just couldn't let go off this book. My mom calls me crazy nowadays for reading too much of these Vamp books, because every time I get to a part that I think is funny, I would start smiling or laugh out loud and my family would just look at me like I'm going insane. There isn't really a good way of reviewing a book, because sometimes to one person what is good can be bad or horrible for someone else. Different people have their own opinions on what they think is good or not. And for me I just loved this book. I mean series. If whoever of you out there are asking yourself if you should pick this book up and read it, then I say heck go for it. Because thats what I did and I enjoyed it a lot. I should say screw the reviews and read the synopsis of the book and see if you have that vibe that it might be interesting to you. Thats all I can say haha xD But anyways, its a great book! =]

The first book in the series was okay but I didn't feel any rush to read the rest. Since i already had them I kept reading and I'm glad I did. These books just keep getting better. The world keeps developing and more of the troubles outside the school keep leaking in. Rose keeps working on her guardian training and exploring what it means to be Shadow Kissed. Rose and Dimitri are also trying to figure out their relationship. It's bothered me since the first book that the dhampirs so willingly give up their lives from a young age to the protection of the Moroi. As the books go on its nice to see that this may change as some Moroi decide they have to start protecting themselves. This book wound up being a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. Looking forward to starting book 4.

I became engrossed in this book, this being the 1st I read in the series. While it has a Romeo and Juliet type plot, it is also plagued with something akin to the Bard's ending. Only, this novel fails to unite two houses divided, or anything at all. I was horrified by what happens to Demitri and Rose. There is nothing good that comes from the sacrifices made. In fact, only bad things wrap it all up in an untidy bow. I still give this book 3 stars for its originality, good writing skills and engaging characters. However, with an ending like this, I almost wish I did not find the quite so engaging. Perhaps then I would not have found the ending to be such strain wreck. It was a good read, but beware if you expect a tidy ending and any good outcome. This is obviously not a stand alone novel.

Shadow Kiss is the third book in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. It picks up shortly after returning to St. Vladimir's post kidnapping and Mason's death. Rose is preparing for graduation, doing her field experience and trying to recover mentally from what happened during the kidnapping. During a field experience exercise Rose freezes when she believes she see Masons ghost. As per usual, Rose doesn't tell anyone what she thinks she saw fearing everyone will think she is crazy.

Shadow Kiss started a little slow for me. Parts of the field experience could have been a little more exciting. Lissa is annoying and needy. She claims to be Rose's BFF but she really knows nothing about what is going on in Rose's life.

Shadow Kiss really redeems itself a little more than half way through. All of Rose's beans are spilled and there is a lot of action and Strigoi slaying going on. Not to mention the huge game changer at the end.

I will definitely read the next book in this series. There was a huge cliffhanger and I HAVE to find out what happened.

Let me quote myself: "Does 'Oh, my, gosh' cover it?"

This novel was truly fantastic. The plot was so much better in this novel than the last, and we really got some more insight on what it truly means to be Shadow Kissed. I thought Rose really grew up in the last book, and I was so wrong. She grew in this one. First, she doesn't get Lissa as a part of her field experience, then she starts seeing ghosts. Can life suck any worse? The end fight scene was entertaining, and kept me on my toes. This series is a definite must read.

Highlights: Dimitri + Rose = Awesomeness. Seriously, how long was I waiting for that? I also loved how Mead wrapped together all of these events, and had me going "it makes sense..."

Without a doubt, my favorite part was the very end, with Rose and Lissa. Weird, I know, but it was. I was thrilled that Rose finally thought of herself, and not everyone else.

Lowlights: The part that bugged me the most? Towards the end, one of the casualties in the fight. If you read it, then you know what I'm talking about. WHY?!? Now I'm dying to read Blood Promise...

I stumbled upon the "Vampire Academy" series by accident, when I spotted the first volume on the "new teen fiction" shelf in a local public library. I picked it up and from the very first chapter, I was hooked: the characters are life-like and their problems are convincing, and the world-building is so intricate, you swear it's got to be based on something happening just under our noses. This is the kind of teen vampire series that young adults and adults who are young at heart can enjoy, and it just keeps getting more intense and intricate from book to book.

Dhampir Rose Hathaway is undergoing a fieldwork analysis before she graduates from St. Vladimir's Acadamy and takes up serving as a guardian to her best friend, Moroi vampire princess Lissa Dragomir. But the strain of recent events may have taken their toll on her, and the bond of the "shadow kiss" which she shares with Lissa may be the last blow to her indomitable spirit. But it is that indomitable spirit that keeps her fighting to protect her friend... and yet, will it remain unshaken when circumstances force Rose to seek out and kill the one she loves the most?

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.

This is by far the best book in the series yet!
I spent most of the time either laughing or crying!
I don't know what it is about the way Richelle writes
but I felt like I was in the story.
Things take a big twist in this book and the outcome isn't
what you want or expect.
I'm not going to give you loads of details because I want you to read the book for yourself.
Hubby couldn't stop laughing at my sobbing as I read this book.
The books are centered around 2 main characters (Rose & Lissa)
& their life at the Vampire Academy.
Rose is Dhampir (a bodyguard) &
Lissa is a Moroi (Vampire Princess)
There are many characters but you never feel that you don't know each one.
Richelle lets you get to know each one without it affecting the story.
Please if you love a Vampire book read this series.
I couldn't wait to read the next one.
I give this book 5 out of 5

This book is more emotionally charged than Frostbite. Just when it seems like things are back to normal, and Rose and Dimitri can finally be together, albeit in secret, the school is attacked. Some are killed, some are missing. I love the portrayal of the fight scenes, how Rose and Christian work together. All of the characters have grown up a little bit, and are starting to think about what happens after life at the Academy. I saw a lot of character changes in Rose, all for the better. She is more mature in regards to her feelings for Dimitri, and is growing a little bit apart from Lissa. She is becoming her own person and starting to think about what she wants in life - maybe it's not all about protecting Lissa. I feel that Shadow Kiss sort of changes the series, because now Rose has made a decision that will change her career and her future. I won't reveal exactly what it is, but make sure you have Blood Promise ready because you will want to keep reading! I highly recommend this series for both teens and adults!

This is my favorite book so far in the Vampire Academy series. The writing seems to get better with each book and so many things come to a boiling point in this one between Rose and Dimitri and Rose and Lissa. This is the most action packed book to date. These books are like brain candy. I can't stop reading them. I care so much about Rose and Dimitri and Lissa and Christian. That's one of the best things about a series, you get to invest in the characters and take multiple journeys with them. The way she writes Rose, you can't help but feel everything she's feeling. The tension and pacing are excellent. The subplots are well executed and all tie together beautifully in the end. Great job Ms. Mead! I can't wait to start book 4.

After what happened at the end of frostbite Rose will never be the same again. Mason's death is really hard on her and reality of guardian's life has hit her like a wall. She's having a hard time focus at school, having a hard time with her guardian ultimate evaluation and she's feeling stalked by dark things. She's wondering if she's becoming crazy and she feels like she can't tell anyone. She's attracted more then ever to Dimitri and can't deny it anymore, but what will she do about it? Problems with the strogois aren't over and more intense action is to come!

Shadow kiss is the best novel of the three, I couldn't put it down! The suspense is so intense I had issues containing myself, I couldn't believe my own eyes. You feel like you're on the edge the entiere time and the relation ship between Rose and Dimitri is awesome, Rose and Adrian have that special bound as well that leaves you hanging for more. The novel is over-the-top-awesome, it's really hard to find words to describe how good it was.

4.5 stars

The Strigoi attacks aren't the only thing complicating roses life, she also has to deal with the impeding trial of victor. As her feeling for Dimitri simmer on the surface rose has to learn how to cope with taking care of a guardian she can't feel, none other than Christian himself.

I liked this book even more than the last two. The relationships of the characters come together more and I loved all of the arguments. I was sad about mason but was surprised about how that turned out. As for rose and Dimitri, I just love them together and this book certainly did a good job of showing how much tension they had between them resulting from their feelings. I have to say I was completely thrown by the ending though and I can't wait to get started on the fourth book!

Rose still hasn't recovered from her last adventure outside school grounds. She's seeing the ghost of Mason. But she's not stupid enough to tell anyone -hallucinations are never a good sign. Plus with the guardian test happened, Rose needs to focus on her job. She's shocked to realize that she's not guarding Lissa for the assignment. Instead, she'll be guarding Christian - and she's not happy about it. Moments before they're attacked, Rose "sees" Mason, she freezes. Rumors about her are flying around campus from her freeze, to her unwillingness to guard Lissa's boyfriend to her mental health. What no one hits upon is her growing love for Dimitri. Why does life have to be so confusing and why does it seem she'll have to choose between the two people she loves most?

The third book in the Vampire Academy series is as addicting as the other books and will leaving you hanging, anxiously awaiting the next installment

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.

It's a big day at St. Vladimir's Academy. It's the start of the field experience where each Dhampir will be paired up with a Moroi in a six week training exercise. Novice guardians will act as actual Guardians out in the real world protecting their charges from "Strigoi" attacks conducted by the teachers. Everyone is excited. Especially seventeen-year-old Rose Hathaway. Six weeks of hanging out with her best Moroi friend, Lissa Dragomir, not having to attend classes other than Lissa's. Doing what she's been doing her whole life: protecting Lissa.

However, when a fellow novice and friend, Eddie Castle, receives Lissa as his charge, Rose thinks that it's some sort of mistake and is perplexed. But it gets worse when she learns that her charge will be Lissa's boyfriend, Christian Ozera.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Rose finds out that Victor Dashkov, a royal Moroi who previously kidnapped and tortured Lissa for his own personal gain, has yet to be sentenced and is awaiting trail that will happen soon. Outraged, Rose demands to be taken to testify upon learning that neither she, Lissa, nor Christian will be allowed to go.

Add seeing your dead friend on campus and you've got a whole lot of crazy. But crazy doesn't even begin to describe things as Rose's temper soon starts getting out of control.

The next six weeks are certainly bound to be interesting for everyone.

Wow. That's one word to describe Shadow Kiss. So much happens, that it becomes impossible to put the book down for a break! Let's start with the three major parts of Shadow Kiss before diving into other things.

The Field Experience.

As said, for six weeks novices will be in the acting role of Guardians for the Moroi. Rose is assigned to Christian. This is something that I found interesting. The reader basically assumes that Rose will be given Lissa as a charge due to the bond that the pair share. So when it's given that she would be assigned Christian, I couldn't stop smiling. It's not surprise that these two are my favorite duo. They may not get along all the time or fully care about each other, but their chemistry works completely.

The fierceness and loyalty both share towards Lissa helps this duo get along. But when Rose begins spending more and more time with Christian, it's clear that she really doesn't hate him. (Something she actually admits when he asks) I just wish that they would get along semi-better than they normally do, because they really do make an amazing team. But I do love the snarkiness between them both. There's also a part towards the end where something happens. Rose does a quick check in on Lissa through their bond and "see's" that she's alright, but Christian isn't with her.

And since Rose doesn't have the same ability with Christian, she begins to worry. What she does proves that she obviously does care for Christian as a friend. Honestly, if the entire book was just about these two, I would be a happy camper.

Seeing A Dead Friend.

It's obvious who the friend is. Mason. The poor guy was killed by a Strigoi in Frostbite, and Rose has felt guilty about the whole thing ever since. And because of this, she thinks that she's hallucinating, but it could also be caused by the exhaustion she feels from the field experience. We don't see Mason all that much throughout the book, but when we do, we see that Rose hasn't really gotten over the whole thing.

It's a saddening thing to read since Rose is described as someone who doesn't let anything get to her. But even the death of a friend is enough to make someone hurt. There is something wrong and this is why Mason is appearing, but I can't get into that without spoiling the entire book.

Victor Dashkov.

Early on we learn that Victor has yet to stand trial for his crimes against Lissa. There's even a possibility that he may be set free. Rose, Lissa, and Christian, however, are not allowed to testify against Dashkov due to the fact that the Queen, Tatiana Ivashkov, doesn't want the public to get ahold of his crimes. But since he's related to the Queen, Adrian is the one who gets the three to the Royal Court to testify.

On the flight to and from the Court, Rose starts to experience something. (This will be gotten to later) The world building with the Royal Court falls somewhat flat. There's the outline as to what the place would look like, but it's almost hard to imagine everything aside from it being the same size as St. Vladimir's. To me, the whole trial seemed to be a filler of sorts, but the way it was handled appears to be setting something up for later on. It's still not clear, but actions speak louder than words so to say.

I feel like the trip was for us to see Rose have a complete freak out away from the Academy. She begins seeing things that she shouldn't on the way to the Court. Dead things. Pressure begins pressure up against her skull causing the pain she experiences to be massive. But it's on the way back to the Academy that things get weirder for Rose. Reasons for this are made clear towards the end of the novel, and I'll leave it at that.

And, of course, a Vampire Academy wouldn't be complete without its romance. Things begin to heat up between Rose and Dimitri once again. This along with other events puts their relationship to the test more than ever. I'll be completely honest here: I'm not a big fan of this relationship. The whole things feels sort of forced and awkward. To me it feels to be an almost insta-love, but not completely, and this is speaking from their very first encounter back in the first book.

The chemistry feels kind of … bland as well. I'm still not too clear on my exact reasoning for not caring about this particular romance, but hopefully it'll become clear as I continue to read on in the series.

One of my favorite things that happen in Shadow Kiss is that Rose is made to go to therapy. Here is where she questions certain aspects of her life. Such as being Lissa's Guardian, her relationship with Dimitri, Mason's death, her mother, and what she really wants in life. I'm extremely sad that we hardly got anytime with her sessions. Maybe two-three of them at the most, and that seemed to be it.

There is a part after something major happens at the very end of the book. The scene with Rose and Adrian. Honestly, it made me upset. It, to me, mirrored something else that Rose asked him to do as a test to herself prior to the major plot events. It made me disappointed, and she dropped down a notch or two in my book.

Regardless, Shadow Kiss is a heart pounding follow up to Frostbite, and one book you won't want to put down until it's over.

Wow the drama is really unfolding now.... In book 3 of the Vampire Academy series Shadow Kissed picks up where we left off in Frostbite.

Rose is battling some personal demons, her love life is a mess and to top it off she just might be going crazy.

Lissa is learning new magic tricks and is falling in love with Christian. But nothing is as it seems. The battle is still raging....
With characters that continue to evolve and a story that keeps you mesmerized .
This series just keeps getting better and better. With epic twists and turns. Mead will keep you turning page after page....

This series continues to not disappoint. No. That's an understatment. It continues to amaze me. The characters, the plot, the twists... it's perfect. I love it so much. I promise you, if you're like me and one of the only people out there that hasn't read this series yet, you'll be SHOCKED by the way this one goes.

I have so many feels and I don't know how to say them all in a non-spoilery way. But if you're wondering if this series will go downhill because so many other series do -- don't worry, as a person who hates series and never reads past book 1, I'm planning on seeing this the whole way through. I love every direction this series goes in and I love all the feels it gives me. I haven't loved a series like this in a long, long time!

Vampire Academy should probably be suffering from some kind of mid-series slump by its third book, Shadow Kiss. However, I guess someone failed to tell author Richelle Mead. Because there is nothing "filler" about this incredible, fast-paced continuation.

In Shadow Kiss, Mead does answer many of the questions readers have puzzled over throughout the series. She provides some satisfying progress in the central romantic relationships in the novel, and gives her characters lots of opportunities for (painful) growth. If anything, I think Vampire Academy is ramping up -- this is by far my favorite book in the series thus far.

Rose and her friends are still recovering from the loss they were dealt at the end of Frostbite, and Rose, especially is having a hard time recovering. She feels guilt and regret over her choices and their consequences, and some of those feelings seem to be playing out in hallucinations. Either that, or Rose really is seeing ghosts.

She doesn't have much time to ponder the issue, though, because Rose and her fellow senior dhampirs have just begun their in-field training exercise. For the next six weeks, they will shadow their assigned Moroi and gain a glimpse of what their lives will be like in the future, protecting and guarding the lives of others at all times. However, Rose is most looking forward to the excuse to hang out with her best friend, Dragomir princess, Lissa, in the name of the exercise.

However, nothings is as easy as it could be at Vampire Academy. Rose is assigned another Moroi to guard - not one of her favorite classmates. Royals on campus are showing up in classes with strange signs of violence that none will talk about. And Adrian, the older, royal Spirit-user that's set his sights on Rose, is making life complicated for both her and Lissa.

The book's plot covers a lot of territory, but Mead makes each section of the story significant and interesting to readers. Every time I thought, "Wow, this has to be the high point," Ms. Mead would take the story in a new (devastating) direction. To say the end was unexpected would be an understatement -- I absolutely didn't see it coming, and wouldn't dream of spoiling the twist here. However, it's a good thing I have Blood Promise sitting on my shelf waiting for me. I don't think I can stand the suspense much longer.

As I stated in the previous book reviews for the 1st & 2nd books in this series ... we got this on a recommendation of my then 13 year old daughter's BFF. We tore through the first book in a few days time (the both of us) & so it was off to the bookstore where we got this book (Book 2) & book 3. It took us about the same amount of time about 3 days total for both of us to read this book and the about 3 days for us to read the 3rd. The books catch your attention early & keep it with action & suspense. Good pick for you tween/teen & even yourself ... Give it a try!

You really start to get into the Character's of Rose & Lissa ... there are other characters that are moving but these two are so dynamic that they get you and you start to wonder ... what will happen with these two? This book has some shockers ... the end especially so be ready to be rocked to the core!

This book was fantastic and devastating at the same time. The story is wonderful. Rose has matured immensely since the first book. She is also going through many disturbing things between being Lissa's shadow-kissed guardian, seeing ghosts and experiencing feelings that are not typically hers. This book is packed with intense action and romance. The love story between Rose and Dimitri takes a new turn and you really get to know Dimitri in this book. It was good to see him drop all his boundaries and finally start to really embrace the bond he and Rose have. This book ends in a huge cliffhanger. It was devastating to read but I think that Richelle Mead has some things up her sleeve. For the first time Rose puts herself first and I think it was a step she needed to take, for her and for her friendship with Lissa. I'm hoping to see some changes in Lissa as well in the next book. I like Lissa but found her to be a bit self-centered at times. I wonder what Richelle Mead has in store for us and how she will let this next book play out. I think this next book will send Rose on an adventure that will change many things. Rose may be a dhampir and have no "magical" powers but she is special and unlike any dhampir. Her connection to the world of the dead may prove to be stronger and more powerful then she thought. I also think her connection to dimitri, the love and bond they share may prove to be more powerful then either one of them realized. It is a magical world that Richelle Mead has created and I think anything could happen.

It's Rose Hathaway's third year at the Vampire Academy where she is attempting to be normal dhampir. She is in training to become a Guardian for her best friend, Lissa - the last Dragomir princess. But along her training trouble arrises. She is seeing glimpses of people and things that should not be there. She is uncovering lost stories and is finally realizing what it truly means to be "Shadow Kissed". All the answers she recieved could make her world as she knows it end fatally.

Dimitri is her teacher, her mentor and...the love of her life. She'd do anything for him but he is a guardian while she is only a student - their love is forbidden. Rose will have to decide between three people she loves: Lissa, Dimitri or herself.

Many people interested in this series have probably read other Vampire novels in the past. Especially since the new "Twilight" movie came out in theaters there has been a huge Vampire fad going around for adults and teenagers alike. Although "Shadow Kiss" and the other Vampire Academy novels may remind you of the "Twilight" series they are very different. Of course you should still enjoy them if you liked the others.

The differnces in these books arise in the characterization of Vampires. Richelle Mead has truly changed the definition wonderfully. I'll always love the old, evil blood-sucking ones that kill 24/7 but Ms. Mead's characters will always have a place in my heart. You'll see that they are not all "bad guys". They are just like ordinary people with differnt thoughts and outlooks on lives. I hope that you enjoy the new Vampires!

Personally, I find Richelle Mead to be a very interesting and exciting writer. I honestly have no clue how she gets some of her ideas. The main plot and smaller plots are all quite complex, making you puzzled at what's really happening. Along with her highs in writing, Mead also has her lows. For example: many of her smaller problems were solved much too quickly for my taste. If two of the characters were to get in a fight somebody would say, "Please stop." and they'd just say, "Okay." I love her writing style but sometimes I believe that those parts were a tad unrealistic.

Despite that I believe that "Shadow Kiss" and all the other Vampire Academy novels are great books to try. I'm sure that you'll be surprised by the ending of this book and I truly hope you like it. The author did it wonderfully!

The third book in the Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead continues the story of Dhampir Guardian (in training), Rose Hathaway. Rose is shadow-kissed. When the car accident that took Princess Vasilissa Dragomir's family also killed her best friend and guardian, Rose, Lissa unknowingly used her ability to wield spirit magic to bring her back. Lissa is learning more and more about spirit, and Rose is discovering the not-so-awesome side effects of being shadow-kissed.
Since Mason's tragic death at the hands of a Strigoi, Rose has been having dark flashbacks. She can't concentrate at practice and her temper is hotter than usual. Being so close to the man she loves and not being able to have him doesn't help her. Then the school is victim to one of the worst Strigoi attacks in history, and everything is at stake.

This book is, so far, my favorite. It's action packed, the romance between Rose and Dimitri thickens and Lissa takes on a whole new level of awesome (and scary). I am amazed and inspired by Mead's ability to weave so much into her books. There is always something going on, even when there isn't.

I have been pleasantly surprised that so far I found each book in this series better than the previous one. We are definitely seeing Rose mature in this book and starting to learn how to exert at least some level of control on her impulsive manner. Lissa's character seems to vacillate between appearing to mature and realizing the good she can do in Moroi society and back to the child who always needs to be comforted and protected by others. We also get a hint of what Lissa's part in the Moroi royal court may be in the coming book.

Adrian, the prince Rose met on the ski vacation, is at the Academy working with Lissa to try to teach her his spirit skills and to try and learn her healing skills. While Christian is afraid that Adrian is putting the moves on Lissa, Adrian definitely seems more interested in Rose and possibly in more than just a passing, I want to get in your pants way. The best part to me was to see some interaction between Rose and Dmitri that went beyond the "we are guardians and we can't be together" stuff. It was also interesting to see that there is a start of people questioning Rose about the belief that was instilled in her that the Moroi always come first and what Lissa wants to do must always trump what Rose wants.

Stop here if you do not want any spoilers.

First of all I have to say I cannot believe Dmitri is now a Strigoi. I am soooo bummed out about that and I'm hoping Mead has a twist in mind that has Dmitri either not a Strigoi or some how overcoming the evilness and need to kill that the other Strigoi have. I really hope it's not going to be one of those lessons that Rose is going to have to face that you can't hesitate to kill Strigoi even when it's someone you once knew because that can endanger the Moroi you are protecting. It just seems wrong to me to have an unhappy ending in a YA series.

I'm also curious to see what will come of the secret club lead by Jesse and Ralf. I wonder if their part was to be what weakened the wards on the Academy or if in the next book they will take a bigger part in the coming confrontation between the Strigoi and Moroi and the Moroi's that want to learn to fight and those that do not.

I know I already said so but I still can't get over the ending. I am on pins and needles waiting for the next book to come out later this year. I really hope book 4 is it. I need closure soon :)

Shadow Kiss is the third in the Vampire Academy series that focuses on Rose Hathaway, future guardian to Lissa, the last in a line of Dragomir royalty. Rose is dhampir, the offspring of a human and vampire. Lissa is Moroi, a mortal vampire with magical powers (the Strigoi are evil immortal vampires that kill to survive). Rose is Lissa's Guardian, sworn to protect her at any cost. Her wants and needs come second to Lissa's. Rose and Lissa have been best friends since childhood, and she'd never questioned the cost of giving up her personal life to protect Lissa, but now she's haunted by a growing sense of resentment. After the death of a friend, Rose is troubled by dark thoughts and impulses and her crush on the handsome teacher Dimitri spirals out of control.

I hadn't read any of the previous novels in the series before picking up Shadow Kiss, but even so, Mead makes the backstory accessible to new readers. Rose is a captivating narrator, strong-willed and impulsive. Her blossoming relationship with Dimitri is handled tactfully, and provides a sweet counterpoint to the violence that is unleashed upon St. Vladimir's. In many ways, St. Vladimir's presents all of the typical high school drama: cliques, catty remarks, annoying teachers, drunken parties, but with the element of magic and vampiric royalty. It's much more three-dimensional than some other recent vampire young adult fiction. The story is gripping and kept me reading until the last heart-wrenching page, and I rushed out to discover the continuing story in Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, Book 4).

Really more like 4.5 stars.
Pulled an all-nighter to finish this one. It was kinda hard to watch Rose fall apart in this book. I admit I wish Lissa had reached out more while it was happening and confronted her about it..I also wish rose would've trusted her best friend with her issues, not all of them, I get that, but some of them.

I'm officially hooked on this series. With each book I get more and more invested. I doubt I'll be waiting much longer before I start the next one.

Still so many tears after I read this. Even with this being the 4th time I read it. It's just breaking my heart all over again. And yet this book has some of my favorite scenes. Absolutely love this series

Rose Hathaway has been diligent when it comes to catching up on her studies--even when she disagrees with what she's being taught--because of her obligation towards her best friend and Moroi princess, Lissa, to become her guardian once they both graduate. Now the time has come for Rose to prove herself in the last stage of her training, and she's more than ready. But a fresh encounter with an old enemy and strange appearances on the St. Vladimir's campus keep tripping her up. All of these are pointing to impending danger, and only Rose can save them if she can make sense of the clues in time.

Richelle Mead's third book in the Vampire Academy series is full of the same pulse-pounding, breathless, and smart action and excitement that made the first two popular. Rose continues to be her sarcastically witty, clever, and hot-headed self, and these self assured qualities are what really continue to make the series appealing. Mead's innovative vampire world continues to be intriguing as she offers a few more glimpses into the background and politics of the Moroi's government and their royal court.

Mead skillfully builds up sense of foreboding and some electrifying anticipation as Rose discovers many things about herself--from magical abilities to emotions she's buried deep down--which culminates in a terrifying and suspenseful battle in which readers will be satisfied to find that Rose manages perfectly. But Mead isn't soft and refuses to leave readers with a happy conclusion, instead finishing off with a major twist (that is maybe slightly predictable) that will leave readers breathlessly demanding a sequel.

THIS IS FOR ALL PEOPLE WHO HAVE READ THE BOOK AND WANT TO DISCUSS THE ENDING: REPEAT PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK YET.

SPOILERS!!

For those of you who have read Shadow Kiss, I knew there was a strong possibility that this ending could happen while reading the book, it seemed too dangerous to not lose one of the main characters in Rose's life. However, that did not soften the blow when it actually happened. I do have to give Mead major props for making Dimitri a Strigoi rather than killing him and thus all hope I might have had for the next book. Still, it has never been mentioned if there is any other way for a Strigoi to go back to the way he way was. I mean just to know if there was or wasn't a possibility would be a big help...does anyone remember her writing about this? Also, I have to say, I know that it would be extremely hard for Lissa to have brought him back from the dead but I couldn't believe that she wouldn't do that for Rose who had more of less given most of her life up for Lissa's. Granted she is "supposed to" but it seems odd that Lissa would save a bird and a dove but not be willing to save Dimitri. I got false hope during that moment thinking she would bring him back...of course that was dashed again whne I finished. I did love the book (even though I can't bring myself to re-read the end), but this review isn't really saying the book was good or bad just comments I wanted to toss out there.

I loved the first two books. Between the three, though, this is my favorite. The entire series is fabulous and is just so well written...once you get past the grammatical and spelling mistakes. The language is definitely a little over the top particularly with the use of the "f" word. But, that word only occurs once in this book. At least, not five or six times like in the first.

one spoiler:

Um, yeah, I ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, HATED that Dimitri Belikov (who is almost as cool Edward Cullen, and from me, THAT is saying something), became a Strigoi!!!!! I cried and threw the book at the wall. Then, wanting to finish it, I picked it up and finished. When I read the last sentence, it brought on a whole new round of crying hysteria, and I threw the book at the wall again.

This is what I think will happen the next book, Blood Promise. This is how I think Rose can still save Dimitri. Since Rose is shadow-kissed, she has an unbreakable tie to the Realm of the Dead. She's seeing ghosts, which, technically are people's souls. Perhaps, if she can find Dimitri's soul by either looking or having to cross back into the Realm of the Dead to retrieve it, she can re-unite the body with the soul.

Possibility #2: Strigoi are uncapable to love since they have no soul anymore. But Dimitri and Rose's love for each other wasn't just in their souls. It was in every fiber of their beings. If they can find each other, perhaps the love will be so overwhelming that Dimitri's sould will naturally come back to him and he will no longer be a Strigoi.

Give my theories as much scrutiny as you want, but THESE ARE JUST IDEAS! Neither one of them is probably correct. But, I'm just saying.....

What do you think will happen?

These books just keep getting better and better. I can't bear the way this book ended. In most series, the first book is the best one, and then it just goes downhill. This series keeps building up tension, there are constant twists and turns and the characters keep developing more and more. The Vampire Academy is a serie that everyone should read!

5 Stars. Lissa and Rose thought that the dark times were over for them. Finding out that Victor has just been sitting pretty behind bars awaiting his trial, brings back thoughts of torment for Lissa. When they find out that they aren't being asked to testify, they try everything to change the mind of the queen. Darkness begins to surround Rose as her secrets build and Lissa begins to tap into her magic. By the time all truths are in the open, people will be changed and lost forever.

"Rose Hathaway?"
Someone elbowed me, like maybe I didn't recognise my one name. Swallowing, I stood and walked down the bleachers, robotlike. There was a mistake. There had to be a mistake.

Better and better as they go, Richelle Mead's Shadow Kiss really hit my expectations of this hyped series. Filled with heart wrenching twists and unexpected sacrifices, and an astonishing cliffhanger tops it off, ruining my 'meh-ness' to this series. Shadow Kiss left me with a full page of notes for my review, yet I still don't think words can fathom my love.

They come first. Rose Hathaway comprehends that she must not fall in love with another dhampir guardian, in order to keep her friend, Lisa safe. But sometimes, rules must be broken, and sacrifices must be enforced. Especially when Rose started to see ghosts...

"You have the patience of a saint," I grumbled, slouching into a chair. "And besides, you don't hang out with him 24/7."
"Neither do you. It's only 24/6."
"Same difference. It might as well be 24/10."
She frowned. "That doesn't make any sense."

In each book, I'm becoming more in love with each and everyone one of these characters- well with the exception of a few. Rose is another one of those humorous yet kick-ass protagonists that don't stretch out what becomes unbelievable but borders the realism and epic-ness in evenly. I admire how Rose can switch her moods, adjusting to situations, however there are times where I still find her as the 'whiny little girl' I once described.

Lisa is as annoying and helpless as can be, I really feel like grabbing her out of the book and torturing her. In comparison to Rose- to the other supporting characters even, she fails harshly at staying brave and focused. While I understand this can be the typical Moroi Princess characteristics, Lissa always came to my mind as a original vampire, different and admirable. Well I guess not.
Adrian and Dimitri are awesome as ever. Both are just as kick as and perfect matches for Rose. Though I'm sure I'm still Team Dimitri. And a bonus- we get to know more about Christian. Honestly, I hated his guts in VA and Frostbite, but we get to see another side of Christian, and if can be irritating at times but somehow manages to be an admirable aspect.

"Rose is in red
But never in blue
Sharp as a thorn
Fights like one too."

Like always, Richelle Mead accomplishes something I rarely see done successfully- recapping the previous books. Here are what other authors do as alternatives:
- Recaps, failing by info dumping instead
- Recaps things that never happened in the previous books
- Doesn't recap
Mead recaps alright, with style. She doesn't bombard if all in one shot, hoping we don't feel like it's killing our brains, but slowly and smoothly unravels previous events as they are reissued in the book. Even near the end, she was still reminding us of past events.

Shadow Kiss had an excellent plot. I don't think I can even outline the story without ruining some aspect with the grand amount of ugly twists. But lemme assure you, fellow readers. There is plenty of gushy romance, glaring twists and turns that will wreck your souls. Be prepared.

It cannot be pushed enough that I marvel this book to pieces. I don't now how better this series can get but Richelle seems to promise so. Filled with everything a YA book needs, Vampire Academy series is a big stand out among those other sleazy vamp books. Recommended to anyone who wants there heart broken.

I purchased this series along with several other teen vampire series for my 12 year old daughter. She loved the Twilight series and any other paranormal book she can get her hands on. Since she is not quite a young adult I read all her books, and then I let her read the books I approve of and the others go in our library for a few more years. This series is definitely not appropriate for girls under 17 (maybe a mature 16 year old). Although I am not a young adult(anymore), I loved the series and look forward to my daughter being able to read it as well. I think the author was extremely creative in writing this new vampire world. All the books have been great so far, and hard to put down. I would already be reading the 4th book, but unfortunately doesn't arrive until tomorrow.

Okay, so I jumped on the bandwagon with this series, being that the movie has just come out. But I became hooked, both by Rose Hathaway and Mead's writing. Now, because of Twilight, I never considered reading this series, even though it looked hella interesting. And Twilight essentially ruined all teenage, vampire romance novels because it was a horrible love story, pretty much ALL YA novels, and this is coming from a college student! But I really liked how Mead didn't slather us with Dimitri and Rose's love, even though it was evident. Or how Rose a "shy, whiny virgin who was so inexperienced and never said a curse word before in her life"; ugh, can't STAND those. I loved this book because Rose started thinking about "What am I really doing with my life?" and we were able to experience her grow from a rebellious teen to almost a mature adult. Now, what caused me to deduct a star was the ending. I freaking cried and I've only done that one other time while I read a book. It was when I read The Book Thief and the ending literally wrenched my soul. No spoilers, because someone had done that for me before I purchased this book, but I was really hoping that they were wrong. Anywho, I did love how Rose matured and figured out that she didn't want to put Lissa first, who can be quite annoying at times because she's too sweet IMO, instead choosing to focus on herself. And I applaud her for putting her foot down. I will continue on with this series and hope that Rose can recover from this tragedy and hopefully I can too.

Is an excellent read that will keep you on the edge of your seat with your face in this book from start to finish. This book is just...wow
The book was imposible to put down and creepy as hell. It's like eating scary candy -you just can't stop. If they ever do a comic book on this I'll order extra copies for my store. It's that good.

Along simlilar titles I`ve had a hell of a time with these:
 VARNISS THE VAMPIRE: A ROMANCE OF BLOOD
The House of the Vampire
Dracula: The Original Bloody Masterpiece
Frankenstein
Famous Modern Ghost Stories: Selected by Dr. Dorothy Scarborough of Columbia University

I love this series! I love the fact that this book was longer, and allowed me to be immersed in Rose's thoughts and world for more pages. I enjoy the fact it is told from her POV. Her tone is totally honest yet sometimes snarky and sarcastic.

There is a lot going on in this book. The nature of Rose and Lissa's shadowkissed relationship is explored. Also Rose and Dmitri's relationship progesses. IMHO there is less smoldering tension, and more openess towards the fact they love each other. Dmitri was tender, emotional and loving in his behaviour to Rose. I love him!

The other characters- Eddie, Christian, and Adrian are fleshed out and provide a nice supporting cast.

As other readers mentioned the cliff hanger ending leaves me panting for more. Richelle is such a prolific writer hopefully we will get another installment of this wonderful series soon! Blood Promise is listed as being out in Sept 2009 but Richelle's blog says it may come out in July. Blood Promise: Vampire Academy 4

Eeeeekkkksss!!!!! Dimitri & Rose finally get together!!!!!! Love their relationship how it has built over their first initial spark!!!! Way to go rose---what to be her!!!! Strong & kick butt personality & weapons skills!!!!!!

Ahhhh!!!!!!! Had to stay wake to finish!!!!!!! OMG Dimitri!!!!!! Roza will find you & somehow/somewhere turn you back to a dhampirs instead of an evil Strigoi!! True love will triumph!!!!!!!

Starting Blood Promise NOW....have to know! Highly recommend series!!!!! ❤️

This book has got me tounge-tied. I don't know exactly what to say, without giving away any spoilers. WOW! is basically what comes to mind. I think this is the best book in the series, so far. (they get better with each additional book, it seems) There is so much more going on: drama, suspense, action, and surprises. I love reading it because well, it was amazing. Great writing, a gripping plot, and fantastic characters. But then again I'm not sure what think about the ending. I was SO not expecting that (if you have already read it then you know what I mean) Overall, it was incredible. And now I can not wait until the next book, Blood Promise, comes out so I can find out what happens next.

Grrrr! It is so frustrating to be in the middle of such an absolutely amazing series and have to wait for the next book to come out. Hat's off to Richelle Mead because she does a fantastic job of making her worlds and characters so realistic that I feel torn apart when I am removed from them. This story is filled with adrenaline pumping action. It was literally not possible to put the book down. I stayed up till 2:00 in the morning so that I could finish it. On a work night. Even so the next morning I woke up and all I could think about was the book. I reread certain parts over and over, trying to suck the marrow out of the story. Rose is really growing up, becoming more of a woman and less of a teen in each and every book. I love to try to predict where stories are headed, and I am usually right, but Richelle Mead always seems to throw me for a loop. Please read this book, and well, this series if you are at all a fan of adventure, romance, fantasy and fun.

I read the three books in this series back to back, literally only stopping to sleep for a couple of hours.
AMAZING. I love this series. And it just kept getting better and better as it progressed.
Worst part? Reaching the end of this book and realising I'll have to wait till August for the next! Nooooooooooooo!

I loved the development in this book. Especially between Lissa and Rose. I love how in the first book I was feeling sorry for Lissa and who she is, but now its Rose and her duty that I'm feeling for. I almost jumped up from my seat clapping in the final scene when Rose leaves to go after Dimitri. Yay!

Can't wait for the next installment!

Okay..DO NOT read this book if you havent read the first two which are great..If you do you really wont catch the right emotions..I loved the portrayal of Rose, and the "issues" she was having being shadow kissed.She grew up in the last book with what happened at the end, and if shows.I love the relationship between Demetri and her.Also in my mind the only person who comes before Demetri is Edward Cullen from Twilight and thats a huge compliment compared to how much i love Edward..Demetri stole a peice of my heart and Richelle wrote him beautifully..The relationship between Lissa and Rose took an serious turn,also Roses relationship with her mother improved,and bascically loved this book!!!!Oh and to add more drama Victor is back( the morori who is Lissa's family and trys to kidnap her to abuse her spirit power)and he's on trial, this leads to some serious Demetri&Rose time..Blood Promise should be great, maybe it can give me hope for what happened at the end of Shadow Kiss...

The Vampire Academy series is addicting, & "Shadow Kiss" is the best yet. As usual, the plot movies quickly, so I read the book in 2 days. There are so many developments, one being that Adrian looks like he will be around to stay. I'm very glad about that; Adrian adds a lot of humor to these books, & he is a little shady. Who knows what could happen with him later?

I can't give away the biggest change because I don't want to ruin the the surprise for anyone. Rose & Dimitri's relationship is forever changed, but I enjoyed the way that it played out. I think it's a good thing to irrevocably shake things up in a book. Otherwise, the plot gets too predictable. "Shadow Kiss" is anything but predictable. In the last chapter, Rose makes a huge decision, which leads the series into a direction I would have never anticipated, but I know that Richelle Mead will make the next book even better than "Shadow Kiss."

I couldn't find this book from the library for the borrowing on kindle books. The only one the series that they didn't have. I was so outraged and frustrated. I looked on the store and was gonna buy the actual book as I've noticed it isn't on here for the kindle either. So I decided to get on the VA's website and found out there was an app. So I looked the app up and sure enough there was and the best part it had all 6 books from beginning to end. I clicked on "shadow kissed" and started reading it on my phone a little harder but I read threw the entire book in one day. Despite laundry and kids and life, I manged to read the whole thing. I couldn't put it down. I craved to know what was happening. I thought Christine over reacts over Adrian, but I do see his point. Adrian can offer more than he can by family means and money means. But Lissas heart is with Christine. Rose gets what she's wanted for so long, that her body has ached for. When they first menationed Mason as a ghost I put two and two together. I knew he would be the one to warn Rose. I wish she would of understood long ago but I was so shocked when she figured it out and then turns around the "living dead" is right in front of her. When she gets back to the dorms she shows how brave she is, she goes after Christine. Rose maybe a lot of things but she did the right thing. Her and Christine team up and take down many. His fire ability comes in handy after all. When it got to the rescue mission I was so mad at what happened to D, that I felt overwhelemed, my heart ached. I felt Roses pain. I was breathless and so stunned. But I knew at the end she would go afte him and keep her promise. I am now on the 4th and halfway through. This series is amazing and I just got Bloodlines to start reading the next series even though I haven't finished this one yet!

I LOVED this novel. This series is great, my husband bought me the first book because I needed a new series, I was unsure from the information on the novel, but with reading it fell in love.
You slip into Rose's life, and with that you live out each novel. I was so engrossed in this novel, I was happy when Rose was, upset when she was, her joy was my joy and her pain was my pain.
After finishing this book I couldn't stop thinking about the events that took place. Rose grows so much in this book. She has been growing in the past books, but Shadow Kiss marks a real change in Rose. She begins to question everything she has believed her whole life, and everything she has been taught.
Best in series so far!!

It was not great but I liked it better than the first 2 books. I think Rose has grown a little. She's still ckinda childish but atleast she's not so slutty anymore...
At first I was little annoyed about the useless drama she created because she wouldn't say what was going on. And it's irritating how she thinks Dimitri is perfect and can't do anything wrong. I'm still icky about their age difference, or more like of their mental age difference. Dimitri is too mature for his age and Rose too childish for hers. But I've started to like Adrian more.

The third book in the Vampire Academy series has everything and more that a reader expects in a Paranormal Young Adult series. In Shadow Kiss, characters develop, relationships are tested, and the plot is fleshed-out and brings out the brilliancy of Mead's careful planning from the previous two novels, and we also see clues and foreshadowing for whatever's next in the series. I can truthfully say that this is perhaps the most developed and well-structured book of the series.

To begin, the protagonist Rose is dealing with the events that happened only a few weeks back with the Strigoi. Though time has helped heal some of the wounds, she is clearly still affected by events of the past, which leads to a darker change in her personality that we have never seen before, along with new features that seem to come with her being "shadow-kissed". As usual, she is snarky and portrays some immature qualities of a teen, but has already grasped some important aspects of adulthood.

Her relationship with Lissa begins to change slightly as well, and we see less of her in this book as Rose is not guarding her for her field training. We get to see more development and rise of Christian and Adrian as main characters, as well as Eddie and the queen as secondary ones. Lissa's bond with Rose is beginning to show more negative aspects, and Rose carries an even larger weight with being Lissa's guardian, something that she is beginning to resent. And of course, there is Rose's relationship with Dimitri, which expands even further in this novel after steadily increasing in the first two books. Whether they can resist each other and stay on the `right' path will be determined in this book.

The plot builds up quietly, steadily gaining speed until the climax, which will leave readers clutching their books with tension and speed through the pages with eagerness to see what happens next. The ending is heart wrenching and emotionally draining, yet the emotions of the scene are so powerful that it will leave everyone feeling Rose's loss and impatient to get their hands on the next book.

After the tragedy of Frostbite, Rose and her friends are coping as best they can. Bearing her first molnija marks might be a bit of a status symbol but their earning was bittersweet. As her final months at St. Vladimir's begin winding down the guardians are facing their field experience testing. They'll be facing weeks of practice guarding their Moroi classmates from their instructors pretending to be Strigoi. Expecting to be paired with Lissa, Rose's field experience should be easy. But when she sees the ghostly image of Mason and freezes at her first attack everything goes downhill.

For the first time in her life Rose is beginning to question the life of a Dhampir. Becoming Lissa's guardian means she will never choose what classes to attend or where she will live. The guardian standard "They come first." suddenly doesn't have such a great ring to it. Meanwhile, Lissa continues to practice her spirit magic with Adrian causing turmoil with Christian. When Adrian begins to see how Lissa's magic use is affecting Rose the mystery of St. Vladimir and shadow kissed Anna holds answers Rose isn't ready to face. She's always known she may one day have to give her life to protect Lissa but can she? When an unexpected threat breaks over the academy the students' lives are forever changed but none moreso than Rose who has to choose whether to protect her best friend or fulfill a promise to the man she loves.

As with the first two books, I very much enjoyed being emersed in the world of St. Vlad's. In just three short books Rose has gone from mouthy runaway to seasoned guardian. It was great to see her beginning to question whether she really wants to live her life for Lissa. That aspect of the Dhampir/Moroi relationship has always bugged me. It was also enjoyable seeing Rose put into a position she didn't expect no matter how upset she got.

I will say that I struggled with the pacing this time around. I also felt that the events of Frostbite seemed as if they were being overlooked almost as if they had happened a very long time ago instead of just a couple of weeks. I've always looked forward to Rose's interactions with Christian and Adrian but both characters seemed different this time around, not bad just... as if they weren't being written with their usual stronger personalities. The focus was definitely more on Dimitri and I know many readers of the series adore him but I've always found him boring. I had hoped that the extra focus would make me like him more and approve of his relationship with Rose but I was again unable to find a spark for him. Without spoiling anything I feel it is safe to say that the next book, Blood Promise, will be mostly Rose and Dimitri again.

Shadow Kiss is the third book of the Vampire Academy series. It is the only one that I had to read until I finished it. The other books I could put down and go back to them. That was not the case with this one. The same characters are there with a few new ones introduced. But be prepared for a heart wrenching ending. I did not cry but it definitely makes you very curious about book four and the surprises it has for us. So be prepared for a very interesting read!

Rose is experiencing what shadow kissed really means... since she has tangoed with death itself, she now has access to get world and theirs. When the ghost of her friend comes to her, she thinks she's going crazy, but it's part of who she is. Another 'perk' to being shadow kissed, is taking all the dark from her charge... slowly the lunacy is eating away at her. When her love is turned, she snaps, and goes against everything she's been raised to believe in.

This book deserves MAD props. I mean, seriously. To read it was draining and at times so disheartening so to write it must've taken a great deal of strength. You have to dig deep, really connect with those sort of emotions or they WILL NOT come across. Believe me, I know. I will admit to skimming here and there, but only on the parts that had to do with her actually finding out about being Shadow Kissed. It was dull for me and I was so much more consumed with everything else that was happening that I just couldn't bring myself to invest in it, ya know. In the end, I'm glad I didn't but those reasons are spoilers that I refuse to post. At any rate, I loved this book. It's the only book, ever, to actually bring me to tears at the end. I've been hooked from the beginning and will remain devoted to this series. Well worth the time, readers, well worth the time.

I absolutely love this book series. I went out yesterday, and the local B&N didn't have it in stock! I was so upset, so I went to the closest Borders, and they had ONE COPY. I bought it at 12:30, and by 4:30, I was closing the book. This so far is my favorite, because Rose starts questioning her role as a Dhampir guardian, and there's more of Andre, who is one of my favorite characters. I have an immense dislike for the queen, but the character for Christian is becoming more defined. I wish more had happened with regard to Mana and the tard kids who caused so much trouble, but I suppose that will be in the next book! I can't wait! I was also happy that this book was a bit larger than the others ;) As a fast reader, it's always a happy sight to see the book you want is bigger than expected!

This book was much darker then the previous two. The changes in Rose were almost scary, even though I liked it that she started seeing some new options in her life. And I loved the way she and Dimitri got together and started making plans for their future. But all the time, I had that feeling that something bad is going to happen. And it did. So bad. :(((( I just can't believe it :( I want things to go back to the way they were and have a happily ever after!!! Wishful thinking :( Can't wait to read the next book though, and see if things can be patched up.

I think this is my favorite book of the Vampire Academy Series so far.
Yes, Rose still is a difficult character to like but I have to admit that by the end of the book she grew a little on me.
And we finally got to see a bit of Rose and Dimitri's relationship, because on the previous books it were only telling and not showing. So, I never quite understood why this couple have so many hardcore fans till this point.

I think I said it after reading the second book, but it was reinforced in this one. Getting attached to ANY character in this series is a very bad idea. I had a feeling something bad was going to happen to someone, but it turned out to be neither of the two male characters I expected....I'm still reeling a bit over what happened. Three more books left in the series, and I can't wait to read them!!!!

Wow...this book was the best in the series. I recommend you read the first two books in the series - But this book would also be a good stand alone. Most books in a series do not have a good enough story to stand alone, this book is an exception. It has the strongest story, and the character growth is outstanding. This book pulled me through the story - and when it was over I reread the last 4 chapters. I can't wait until August 25, when the next installment is released. I would even recommend this book to people who don't normally read the vampire genre.

Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, Book 3) This was one of the best books I ever read. I could not put it down. I have a tendency to feel what the characters are feeling... and this book makes you feel. By the end I had felt happy, angry, full of love, and full of sorrow. The story captures you in and doesn't let go.

I do believe the author had a tendency to repeat alot. For example, being as this is the third book the reader already know what a Strigoi, a Moroi, and a Dhampir is. Other then that, it was a really well written book.

This again was amazing! I love this series!! I felt really bad for Rose through most of the book. Its been drilled in Guardians that Moroi come first. And its taking its toll on Rose. She can't be with the person she loves most. She even is pretty much going crazy because of her and Lissa's bond. You get to learn more about her being Shadow Kissed and what it means for Rose. But nothing can compare to the tragic ending in this book! I felt for her the whole book but at the end it was just so bad!! I can't wait to read the next one.

i seriously love mrs.meads writting! I couldnt stop reading this book or the other two! I have never been so much into the book that i stayed up all night and got up with my kids with no sleep. I read through each of them in one day and never have i done that! The ending in this book broke my heart and I am still hurtting it!! I wish she didnt end it the way she did. I just hope the next one things get better for rose!! I would seriously love seeing this made into a movie!!! If ur into the twilight series then u will love this series too!!!

along with the rest of the series, is hard to put down, I think I read all the books in the series in less than a day. Everything got put on hold while reading of these novels the love between Rose, Demetri, and the loyalty to Lissa her best friend. The last blood heir to the dragomir line. The altercations and situations in this book test Rose to her limits. Very suspenseful I highly suggest this book.

Shadow kiss is definitely the best installment of Richelle Mead's work. At times the book kept repeating itself but the ending made up for it. Great way to continue for the 4th installment. I love the protagonist because she is not perfect as these other vampire series makes their protagonist. She's like any other teenage girl. Act first, think later. She gets into fights, talks back to authority and is very flirtatious. But as she enters the life of becoming an adult we get to see her change into someone responsible and think first, act later person. We even get to see her fall in love and have to make some very hard decisions. This book has it all;action,love,death,comedy,suspense,thriller..... A definitely must read.

This book carries the story forward very well. Things are changing for everyone. As Rose is reeling from Mason's death she begins seeing ghosts and developing other "symptoms" which may be related to being Shadow Kissed. Rose and Christian are becoming friends and allies. The relationship between Rose and Dimitri heats up. The young Moroi want to explore their magic as a defense against the strigoi as the threat grows. Rose and Lissa are close to graduation and the future they always anticipated may be changing. Shadow Kiss has intrigue, danger, tension and a cliff hanger ending. Can't wait to read the next one.

Once again, could be read standalone and author weaves essential backstory in more effortlessly this time. There are some definite surprises and ups and downs. Rose fully comes into her own and grapples with demons. Time spent at royal court was fun and the speculation of many potential twists was interesting.

I was really excited to read the third installment of Vampire Academy and I wasn't at all disappointed. I have to say the ending was a bit hard to swallow but not all books end on a happy note and who knows what's in store for us in the 4th book. I don't want to give anything away but I really hope that things can work out for Rose in a happy way but that might just be impossible now. How long do I have to wait for the next book? However long it is will be too long I can say for sure. If you haven't read any of these books I suggest you read books one and two first. Those of you who have read them - don't wait to go out and get Shadow Kiss - you won't be sorry.

Wow. Double wow. These VAMPIRE ACADEMY books just keep getting better and better. The actions, the romantic tension, the friendship, the mystery--all of it's just doubled since the last book! Rachelle Mead is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I can't wait to get my hands on book 4 and I doubt I will ever get tired of reading these novels. Good thing there are 6 in the series and all of them already published!! :)

I just finished this book last night.
All I can say is...Whoa!
I loved this book. I thought book 2 was better then the first and this book was better than the first two!
This story was gripping and kept me up into the wee hours of the morning because I could NOT put it down, and I cannot wait for the next one. It's just too far away.
I can't really say a whole lot, as everything I want to say would probably spoil the book. But this book had me smiling, laughing, sad, tense and I just loved it.
You won't be disappointed with this book. Just make sure you read the first two first. You won't be disappointed!

In a sea of vampire novels out there, I have to say the Vampire Academy series is one of the best I've read. Once I started reading Shadow Kiss I was hooked and couldn't put it down until I'd finished it all in one sitting. After finishing it, I was lost in a daze and couldn't stop thinking about this story. Rose is a gread leading character (and when I read I picture her as the girl who played Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and the tension between her and Dimitri is incredible. I am not a typical teenager and am actually in my twenties and a language teacher. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance and I think I can say I enjoyed it even better than the Twilight series! All I can say is that I cannot wait until August to go out and get the next book!!

Shadow Kiss is a great addition to the Vampire Academy series, after the lackluster previous one in the series, Frostbite. It is a fun, new and interesting take on vampires in general, and the writing and environment really work well together. It could be said that this series (along with the Casts' House of Night series) are essentially 'Harry Potter/Hogwarts for Vampires', which is true to a certain degree, but both of these series have a decidedly more mature and horror-based (lots of blood) underpinnings, though they still have their humorous moments.

Anyway, you can't go wrong with this one!

I didn't want the book to end. But by the time I got to the end I was so drained, emotionally and physically (pacing around reading) I collapsed in a heap.

First of all is a change in Rose. Not only does she view her relationship with Lissa differently, she starts to question her purpose in life and the choices that have been thrust upon her. The life of a dhampir is one of duty and hardship. She'd always thought the only other choice was to be be a blood whore, so of course, being a guardian for her best friend, the Dragomir Princess was a better life.

But all that is turned on it's head when she discovers the true meaning of what it means to be Shadow Kissed. That it wasn't just a name given to St. Vladimir's friend and help mate, Shadow Kissed Anna, there was a more relevant meaning behind it.

With this knowledge and the disturbing presence of a lost friend, her life is in turmoil when it should have been smooth sailing with Victor Dashkov in prison and the trials going swimmingly for her.

Then comes tragedy. I can't write about it. I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, I will say this though, I spent over half the book cringing at each page I turned, hoping that I was wrong, that Ms. Mead wouldn't do what I was terrified she would do in the end. So by the time it happened I was a mess; weepy and depressed.

I hate and love this book.

I can't wait for the next one, so addicted.

I loved this book!! It was different from the other books. The action in the first book started at the end, in the second book it started in the middle which made it better than the first, and in this book it started right in the beginning and this made it the best of the three!

Richelle Mead has a fan in me.

I fell for the Vampire Academy series very recently (as in two weeks ago). Although I can't say fairly that Shadow Kiss is my favorite book in the series - I love all of them! - I CAN say that I LOVED it.

There are a lot of things I loved about this book. What I love the most are Rose and Dimitri. You see their relationship take a new route. Where they had been avoiding each other before, suddenly they have lost their so-called "control" and learn that they can't deny that which makes them who they are.

I also loved Rose and Christian taking on Strigoi together.

Even though the ending of Shadow Kiss hurt so much to read, it was still an awesome addition to an awesome series. It left me sad and needing more. I am eagerly awaiting Blood Promise's debut!

I absolutely love Vampire Academy main reason Rose and Dimitri. Rose is a strong, beautiful, smart, loyal and at the same time knows she still has a lot to learn. Dimitri is simply great. He is intense, strong, brave, hot and still the sweets and loving when it comes to Rose.
Oh their love; this is one of the best love story written. Their emotion are so intense and true and leaves not doubts that their love is not just physical but spiritual and goes deep into their souls; they really are two half of a whole.

Shadow Kiss was so good but of so sad; I could not stop crying at the end but I think Dimitri will be back and we will see just how strong their love is. I have a feeling Rose will do what ever it takes to get Dimitri's soul back.
I think Rose leaving Lissa is going to be turning point for Lissa; she was unintentionally selfish when it comes to Rose. Rose leaving will force Lissa to look at life for all dhampir and this will change Lissa into the leader she was born to be.
I do not full trust Adrian, I think he is hiding something. Christian is right, Adrian is after both Rose and Lissa. Ralf said Adrian and the Queen wanted to brake up Lissa and Christian. Also why does the Nazar Bead (the gift Rose's mom gave her) kept showing up in the dream, what does she need protection from in the dream.

Why is no one talking the big picture?
1. Did the Strigio simply decide to join together and hunt down Morio or is someone else behind this all? If someone is behind this who is it?
2. Magic is often described as life but is being used to kill Strigio. I often wonder, what would happen if spirit was added to the stake. Would it bring back life, as in would Strigio get their souls back????? Not only savings Dimitri but all strigio therefore magic can be used for life again and not death.

First off... I thought the first book was a little boring, but found the second to be really good. The third one is extremely entertaining all the way through and I was excited that this had turned out to be a really great series. I couldn't put the book down, it was that good.

Then it happened. BAM! One of the main characters is gone????

How do you spend three books drilling it into our heads that there is no other person for her except :bleep:...

That there is no light at the end of the tunnel without :bleep:...

That her life is not worth living without :bleep:...

That she would go CRAZY without :bleep:...

And then you do the worst thing you could possibly do to :bleep:??? Gahhhhhh! Richelle Mead, I hate to say this, but shame on you. Bad author, badddd *shakes finger*... Why would you take :bleep: away from us? :P

I really, really loved this series but the ending of this book was so sad and disappointing that I don't know if I can get through the next one... I dread sitting through what Rose is going off to do in the 4th book. I imagine curiosity will get the best of me and I will have to read it. But if this next book is even more depressing than the end of Book 3, I don't think I will be able to handle anymore. :(

I finished reading book two yesterday morning and took Shadow Kiss with me to work to start during my lunch hour. Needless to say, I ended-up running a little over on my lunch because I could not put this book down. After work, I picked it back up and finished it at 3:30am. Crazy, right!!

This book has so far been my favorite in the series. I'm not going to spend time summing up the plot since the other reviewers have done such a nice job, but this is a page turner with a ton of plot development.

I really, really Loved this book and still have a little lump in my throat from the last several chapters. I can't wait to see what happens in Blood Promise, which I started this morning!

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead is the third book to the Vampire Academy series. Rose Hathaway still struggles with her friend Mason’s death, knowing it was partially her fault. All she wants to do is pass her guardian test but to add to her troubles, she starts seeing Mason’s ghost. He starts showing up out if the blue and Rose feels like she is completely insane. He holds some important information, if Rose only knew what. She knows one thing for sure. Lives are at risk.

I have never felt the need to write a review on any of the hundreds of books i've ordered on the store.com, but this one merited it. I am an avid reader, and movie collector and have been a little annoyed lately that nothing suprises me anymore. I can always see what's coming next. But the ending of this book had me shouting out loud. I was so loud the echo came back and scared me! I laughed, i cried, i could almost feel my heart break. What a fantastic book! The entire series is great! I of course won't give away anything, but just trust me you need to get this book. I finished it and logged right on to pre-order the fourth book that comes out in August. I love the original story line, the characters, however different, were very easy to relate to, and this series was so well written i was lost in the book and thought i was there! I absolutely recommend this book to anyone. But i would recommend reading the series in order. Wow, great series, i can't wait for the fourth one, hurry up please!!! :)

I loved it, it kept getting better and better. Rose gets more information on what it really means to be shadow kissed, only to find out it isnt that great.
All the character we love are there even the ones we love to hate.
The first 2 were very well writen and this one follows behind.
what i want to give my opinion on is the ending and i cant because i dont want to spoil anything, so i wont.

but the book is great, i totally recommend it (yes i did just say totally)
so either click on "add to cart" or go get it in stores.

OMG! I absolutely LOVED this book! It's just as interesting and complex as the first two and I couldn't put it down!
Richelle Mead, you are an excellent author and these books are up in my top three favourite series (Along with Twilight and Harry Potter).

SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I didn't really enjoy the ending of the book though. I couldn't believe Demitri was changed into a strigoi! I'm so sad...
And then Rose left the academy and left Lissa there!
Just horrible...
I hated the ending, and I hope the next book will make things right again in the world of Vampire Academy!

I loved the sex between Rose and Demitri though. It was so great for them to fully stop denying how they felt.

Anyway, it was a great book! The ending was really sad though. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE!!!

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.

This is now by far my favorite world of vampires. Richelle Mead created a complex world with its worth characters. This book will make you think - it will make you contemplate about a society where one is expected to serve another with dedication and passion, a world where there are boundaries for love, a world where nothing is really normal and there isn't even an option of being normal.

It took me a little bit to realize just how well this book was pulled together. The 1st two in the series were ok. Nothing to get nutty over. The 3rd book just had a great plot twist - totally have no idea what the heck is gonna happen in the next book. Cant wait to read it. (This series is fun for non-vamp readers too - it has a plot and real characters and everything!) Totally read it!

This is an excellent read that I finished in one day. I literally could not put it down. For the last 70 pages or so- I used a half box of Kleenex- so sad yet written so well. I highly recommend this series- it's really surpasses my love for the Sookie Stackhouse novels.

Richelle Mead has a way of making her readers feel every emotion (happiness, anger, sadness) that her characters go through. It is such a fulfilling journey reading one of her books. Usually when some stories are told we as readers have a safety net. We feel certain things will not happen to the main character because they are the main characters. Richelle is not afraid to make her stories compeling and take away our safety net to logically move the story along. We have no choice but to come back and see how it all unfolds. I'm lucky that I discovered her and I hope other people will take a chance on her.

With that being said, Shadow Kiss was the best book in this series. This series just keeps getting better and better. I do not want to ruin the book for anyone so I'll just say that this book is a game changer. Nothing will be the same and it was heartbreaking to read. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book. I hope we don't have to wait too long :)

PS - if you haven't done this already look up what each of the Tarot cards meant for Rose and Dimitri....especially Rose....it was interesting...

...so I have tried to read a couple of series to put a stop to my twilight craziness/yearning and I finally found one! Vampire Academy is a great series, and the 3rd book is the best out of the three. I can't wait for the 4th and 5th to come out. what a great storyline, I can really see this book being made into a good movie(s) with sequels; the plot and characters are interesting and innovative. Reminds me of buffy the vampire slayer a bit, a show i loved it's first season. twilight fans-start reading this series!

I will keep this brief...This book was fantastic! I caught myself wanting to leave work early and going to bed late just to get as much in as I could.(with all three books mind you) I'd definately recommend this book/series to anyone who is or isnt into vampire/fantacy style writing. The writing was captivating. The characters and relationships were easy to identify with and grow to understand. You'll find yourself cheering and crying for Dimitri and Rose. And in the end you'll be literally crying for more, and to just know...(I dont want to spoil) but Dimitri?!
Needless to say I have already ordered Book 4...But I gotta wait 4 months...UGH!

Wow, this series gets better and better. I enjoyed learning more about the characters' gifts and seeing the group mature and team up for a purpose greater than social status. I loved all the action in this book even though I was very saddened by the outcome. I could not put it down!!

I have to say that I really loved this series. I bought this series for my daughter to read--we are huge Twilight Fans--and decided to read it on my own because I was out of 'adult' books. But I read all three of these books in less than a week and was really impressed!!! I am anxious for the next book! I have to say that, like everyone else, I was really saddened by the ending and really hoped until the very last sentence that what happened was wrong, but it seems to me that Rose is going on a mission and it's going to eventually lead her to someone else. Great book!

Never before have I had such an emotional connection to literary figures. I have never cried before while reading a book until this one, my heart even broke a little bit, but I could not suppress the emotions the author could convey.

Richelle Mead has an uncharacteristic writing style that entices the reader into bonding with the characters in this story and leaves us wanting more. The character development over the course of the series is phenomenal.

I started the series and read all 4 books that have been published within a week, I am completely, 100%, no questions asked, absolutely hooked and in love with this series (especially Dimitri). I cannot wait until the 5th book comes out next year, and hope that the anticipation does not kill me.

Hands down the best series I have ever read.

A little background... I am in my mid 20's and a high school teacher who loves to read when I can but doesn't get much time to do it in. I picked up the twilight series a year ago at a students request and was pleasantly surprised. Once the series was finished I needed another one! Before Twilight I had not been into teen romance/ fantasy books especially with vampires and such. I saw a book-list of recommendations by Twilight followers and picked up the "House of Night" series by PC Cast. This was worth reading and I am waiting for the next book to come. My husband now calls me addicted to Vamps since I started looking for a new series to pick up. I was strongly recommended to pick up the Vampire Academy series by my 20 year old sister who has always been a fan of this genre of books.
Wow! I loved this series, I know I might get some backlash on this from serious twilighters out there but I would say this is a close second to twilight though it has a very different storyline/plot. I love the background Richelle Mead gives her characters even ones that don't seem to significant at first. Rose is an amazing self conflicted character to read about. A young but amazing heroine conflicted between her life duty/purpose to protect her best friend Lissa, a last in her family royal, or choose another "alluring" path. Rose is a woman coming into her own through the series having to deal with self conflictions while those around her often idolize her more than she likes. Oh, and the fact that there is a gorgeous & lethal male "mentor" named Dimitri in it doesn't hurt! In this latest installment things heat up between a few characters and hard decisions are made that will touch everyone in the long run.
I have enjoyed each of the books but "Shadow Kiss" is what I would call the best in series so far. It is longer, which is great for how fast I read, and for those of you who like a little adult content this book alludes to some in a tasteful way. This is the most "mature" book and has lots of action and some new characters who I find very interesting. I couldn't put this book down. I bought it the day it was released and finished it one day (reading in between classes and my lunch break). I love it when a book can grab me and by the end of the book make the story seem complete but at the same time still agonizing that the next book doesn't come out until late next year!

I hope this helps anyone looking into the series and if you already have read the first two there is no way you should pass this one up (as I said it's the best so far). Anyone out there who enjoyed the The Twilight Saga: Slipcased or Untamed (House of Night, Book 4) then I would highly recommend picking up the Vampire Academy series. I am not guaranteeing anything because as I tell my students "everyone has and is entitled to there own opinion", however I have run across students and adults alike who liked this genre and were not to impressed with Twilight but still found this series a great read. As I said before great for the teen as well as the adult in the family.
Best of Luck Book Hunting!

It's one roller coaster ride reading all these Vampire Academy books back to back like this. I'm actually starting to have trouble keeping the events separate and compartmentalized in my head. It all feels like one headlong rush to me. I maintain that the world itself is the real draw. I like how cold it feels, how dangerous and yet limned with the hint of hope and possibilities. The characters are full of potential and somehow keep their hooks in me despite the fact that I still feel parched in the depth department. SHADOW KISS is the third installment in Richelle Mead's very popular Vampire Academy series and, though it's taken me awhile to get around to reading them, I have blown through them without a backward glance.

Rose isn't the same girl anymore. Having bagged her first Strigoi and watched her friend die at their hands, she endures the ceremonial tattooing process with an almost detached stoicism. The moment was in no way, shape, or form the way she imagined it would be. Dogged as ever, she presses forward with her studies, her training, and her dedication to her friend and charge Lissa. Despite the fact that she's now regularly encountering the shade of her dead friend around every corner. And having trouble controlling unusual mood swings. And not assigned to Lissa for her Guardian practical training. Instead she gets Christian and her friend Eddie gets Lissa. Having bonded with Eddie (and Christian to a degree) through the events at the end of Frostbite, Rose manages to keep her lashing out to a barely contained level and directs her rapidly disintegrating attention to keeping Christian safe. As her anger rises, her last shreds of composure are shot to hell by regular contact with both doomed flame Dimitri and new St. Vlad's resident Adrian Ivashkov.

This is the thickest Vampire Academy book yet, and I was pleased with that fact initially. I've been wanting "more" and hoped this third volume with come through for me. In some respects it does. I like how Rose finally turns her attention inward and, when pressed, pays some attention to what's going on inside. I'm also glad she's making a few friends other than limpid Lissa and dour Dimitri. Though I never really bought the whole Mason thing, I thoroughly enjoyed watching her interact with Christian, Mia, Adrian, and particularly Eddie. The mutual respect and willingness to work together to protect their assigned Moroi lent a nice maturity to their actions and the calling and burden of the Guardians. I've enjoyed the history of St. Vladimir and his shadow kissed partner Anna from the very beginning and I liked how that played out in this more modern story as well. However, I have to say it was mostly a slog getting through SHADOW KISS. Those interesting bits were overshadowed by so much telling, so little showing, and a healthy dose of predictability. These drawbacks kept me from fully engaging. I kept wishing book two had been the longer one and that there were more scenes with Adrian in them. I saw the end coming a mile away and, as it mirrors a certain event in a certain TV series I followed religiously, I threw back my head and groaned when the fateful moment finally came. I was so not okay with it. So. I know this was everyone's favorite, but for me that spot is still held by book two. Will I be picking up the fourth book? Yes. Why? Because I am an Adrian junkie. And, yeah, I want to find out what happens to Rose. You'll be hearing from me soon.

I really didn't expect most of what happened! I started guessing that something was going to go wrong towards the end, but I really hoped it wouldn't end like that :( can't wait to read the next book and find out how their world will start changing!

I think this might be the best of the 3 so far! i dont really like the very ending but it makes me want to read the 4th book that much more! the forrbidden love is getting harder and harder to control as the magic is effecting Rose more and more. Exciting, sweet, funny, dark, sexy, surprising! all around great book!!!

I can't tell you how much I loved and hated this book. This series has been the best when it comes to connectivity to the characters. I can easily connect to Rose and the loyalty she has to her best friend. But, I agree with the others when saying it is such a sad book. I hated the ending, but I believe it was for the best. It will change the direction of the whole series and its about time Rose gets the limelight, but I hate that she has to hurt people in the process. I couldn't believe my eyes when the tragedy happened. I thought this couldn't be true. And I felt the same when Rose said a little part of her soul died that day. Thats how I felt. After reading I was soooo emotionally and physically drained, by a book no less. It's such a good turn for the series and is well worth the read. I just wish the next one would hurry up because I need some kind of closure, it's making me go insane having to wait. Richelle Mead is such a great writer; I really hope her next book comes out soon!

In the third book of the Vampire Academy series, Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, Book 3), the students of St. Vlad's have returned to campus after the harrowing events of holiday break. Rose, fresh from her first Strigoi kill and the loss of a good friend, is feeling distracted and volatile. As trials for the novice guardians are underway, Rose starts seeing a possible ghost and Lissa begins experimenting more and more with her spirit magic. As her relationship with Dimitri intensifies, the actions of a rogue student group put everyone in danger and Rose must decide what to do.

Compared to the first two books, SHADOW KISS does better with developing the nuances of the relationship between Rose and Lissa; the expansion of the shadow-kissed mythology adds dimension to their connection. Lissa also grows in her leadership position and confidence, and the story directly addresses the aftermath of the Strigoi attack and Mason's death on Rose. The continued presence of Adrian adds humor and guile to the story, and I finally felt a connection between Rose and Dimitri near the end. The second half of the book has a very quick and tension-filled plot; I felt genuinely concerned for the characters and the outcome, even if it was predictable. The book also had less repetition than FROSTBITE, and the dated references found in the second book were absent.

On the downside, the overall pacing was off, with the first half very slow before the action of the second half. Though there was some character development, the story was driven by the plot, not the development of its characters. Rose's character came across as very immature and irritating in the first half of the book (even though the reason was explained later), and again, it was difficult to understand Dimitri's attraction to Rose, especially after her behavior. The outcome at the end of the book was very sad, but it was also very predictable. Mead continued her trend of telling, instead of showing, and there was at least one significant continuity error in Rose's narration.

With all of these combined, I did not enjoy SHADOW KISS as much as the first two books in the series. Nonetheless, with the fascinating world that Mead has built for her characters, I know I will keep reading each new book. However, I hope that Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, Book 4) and the books to come will have less predictability and more character development.

I began reading this series after a friend told me about it. At first I was like what ever another vamp book. I gave the 1st book a try and wow by this third book I was reading in record time! I kept going to the library (until I got a kindle)

I recently started this series- like 3 days ago- and was instantly hooked. instead of doing homework or required reading i read these books-- for hours. And although the others are amazing this one is by far my absolute favorite. i really cannot wait to get the 4th book tomorrow!

Through all the twists and turns i often found myself pacing, with a goofy smile slapped across my face, or on the verge of tears. The characters are just so gripping and the writing absolutly impeccable, you can't help but fall in love with each and everyone of the characters (some a bit more than others ;])

One the the BEST books i have EVER read (i've read quite a few =])

a MUST buy!

I couldn't wait to get into the third book of the series after reading the first two back to back a few months ago. I was not dissapointed. This one is just as good as the others if not better. I was afraid the series would end with this one. I am glad there will be another one and I am just as excited to read the next book as I was all the others. I have to wait almost another year though?!

I have really been enthralled by this series. I couldn't put it down and I am frustrated I didn't plan ahead and get the next book ready...now I have to be patient until I can get it! I am so impressed by Rose and the growth she has gone through in this series.

This is not the future for Rose and Dimitri I was hoping for. Unfortunately I will have to continue reading the series in hopes that a loophole can be discovered. I think Rose and Dimitri have had too difficult of a life to have this book be the beginning of their end.

You definitely get caught up in the action of this one! This is a very sad book as well. I was very sad to see a character I knew become Strigoi. Get caught up in the action of this one and all the rest and read this book!!!

I am a 23-year old young adult librarian, and all the teenagers these days are loving vampires, so I've found myself reading several of the different YA vampire series, and this is by far one of the best ones. They just keep getting better too. Shadow Kiss was wonderful---as in it was engrossing and emotionally exhausting. Rose really begins to question her relationship with Lissa, and her purpose in life and place in the world. Her relationship with Demitri deepens. I love Rose, I really do, she's tough and ballsy, qualities I wish I had more of, but she's a really good person too. Plus, Rose and Christian become better friends and do some serious damage to some Strigoi, which I loved. And at the end of the book, something horrific happens, that leaves me anxious and eager to find out what's going to happen next!

Don't get me wrong... this is one of the best books I've read in a while... but It left me feeling utterly depressed and a little bitter. I loved how Rose really evolved and kind of "grew up" in this book. I also loved how she and dimitri evolved. About half way through I had a feeling for what was going to happen, but I read through to the end in hopes that I would be wrong. I finished the book happy that Rose is finally doing something for herself instead of being constantly in Lissa's shadow... but at the same time depressed and kind of mad about the rest of the things that happened in the end. Rose deserves to be happy and I really hope Ms. Mead will step up with the next book(s) and throw her a bone, I am excited to read the next one, I just hope she's able to fix some of the depressing emptiness I'm feeling (Must be a really good book to make you feel so much)

I choose this rating because this whole series was a lovely story with some high school drama, and with some serious issues. The love and romances were both lovely and epic. I've read the whole series but I think this one is my favourite. The friendship is endearing. And these books are beautifully written.

3rd installment of the series goes dark and depressing. Recommended for romance and action lovers. I definately wouldn't want to be Rose when she figured out the true meaning of being shadow kissed. She starts to question whether or not life would be better as a blood whore. She starts to wonder whether Lissa needs her specificaly. That's when the tragedy happens. Read this entrancing book to find out what happens to Rose, her forbidden love, and Lissa by reading this book. Most will not want to put this book down.

I just finished the entire series over an hour ago. Honestly, I thought the first book was okay. The second one was kind of boring for me. I was mostly annoyed throughout Frostbite because Rose was always on edge. Shadow Kiss is, by far, the best out of the three. I really enjoyed this one. Mead did a good job of making me feel what Rose feels. My eyes were watering by the end, but I admit, I kind of anticipated what happened to Dimka. I am extremely excited for the next book. The end was kind of a cliffie. I have a feeling the next book will surely surpass the current books.

If you read the first two books in the series Vampire Acedemy and Frost Bite then Shadow Kiss is the book you have been waiting for as Rose and Dimitri finally get together. The Striogis break into the school and start killing off teachers, students and guardians. Lissa and Rose find out more about their great bond.

Shadow Kiss has the best cliff hanger so far in the vampire acedemy series, where one of the main characters will become a striogi, put I will let you find that out for yourself. If you liked the first two then your going to love Shadow Kiss.

Darcy Kath, Author Of Tyson Stone And The Legend Of All Legends

Since reading the twilight series, I have been on a huge kick of vampire books. I am in my late 20's and I can honestly say, in about a months time, I've read between 15-20 books, and this comes in as my 3rd favorite. I enjoyed the characters and I couldn't put the book down. I was up to 2am because I didn't want to put the book down. It's a great read, I love the characters and the way you can just imagine everything in your head. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

This is one of the few writers who can continue a vampire series and NOT lose the characters or the emotions. Rose and Demetri are my favorite book couple after Bella and Edward.

Shadow Kissed was so good, I'm dying to find out what happens.
You will not be disappointed, buy and enjoy this guilty pleasure :)

Wow. This book had me at the edge of my seat, made me laugh, made me cry, had great plots and romance, everything was just perfect. If the next 3 books are this good, this series will definitely take the number one spot on my favorite series list, topping Harry Potter lol.

Spoilers**

OMG, how can Mead just rip out my heart like that and run it over a trillion times. I finished reading the book 4 days ago and I'm still driving myself crazyyyyy and crying over Dimitri lol. I need them back together!!!Im going crazy over here till August!

This whole series is one of the best reads I have found!!! I has everything I look for in a great book. It has love, romance, friendships, lies, secrets, betrayl, death, fights, ins and outs ups and downs, loss, redemption, passion, paranormal situations, good and bad guys, mystery and suspence! I would most definetly read it again and recomend it to anyone who asked!!!!!!!!!

In my opinion, out of all three books, this was the best. I was so excited to see it was longer than both the first two books and I wasn't disappointed at all with what I was reading. I did not want it to end and when it did, it left such a cliffhanger. I am anxious to read the next volume of this series when it comes out!

I read the first book and thought it was okay. I read the reviews of the second and third and there were such good reviews I decided to finish the series. I absolutely loved this book. This was by far the best of the 3 and I cannot wait until August for the 4th! I felt it was well written and the relationship between Rose and Dimitri was incredible. I loved it.

Well well well, I thought I would NEVER say this, but I think this series gives TWILIGHT a run for it's money. There is so much more to the characters, the plot, the climax and the endings. I never thought I would end up reading the 3rd book and be thirsting for more.

As for Richelle Mead, hats off to you. You are an incredible writer and a genius fantasy novelist.

As for fans of fantasy, whether it be Harry Potter or Twilight or Steven King or Anne Rice, this series is one for the shelf!

Being a big fan of Vampire Academy, I was very eager for Shadow Kiss to be released, and it did not disappoint! The novel cranked out fresh plots and the beloved characters continued to intrigue me. The ending was so sad, it had me in tears. I'm anxious to find out what happens in the next VA installment!! I can't get enough of this series!

Shadow Kiss is another great read in the Vampire Academy series. Once you begin the book, I promise it will be hard to stop. I disliked the ending, but if you like bittersweet conclusions, you will definitely enjoy this one. Even if you hate sad endings, this book is too engrossing to skip!

this is the best book in the vampire academy series. by far!!! there's suspense throughout the entire story. You really get to know the characters and start to feel a connection as all of the relationships become more complex.

Read the other two just to reach Shadow Kiss. I cant wait for Blood Promise to be released.

I love the Vampire Academy series and Shadow Kiss is by far my least favorite and my favorite. I liked it all the way up to the ending. I don't want to spoil it for anyone but I just want to say REALLY? Seriously? It was a complete let down and I think that it was the wrong place/path to go with Dimitri. Seriously after everything she has been through you do this?

Now getting that out. It was good, but I doubt I will read the next because of this book. It just sucks to much.

Sometimes at the third book in the series, the author starts to lost steam and not do as well with the plot. This one is very good and keeps you wanting to find out what is going on with the characters.

I have mixed feelings about this book. As a fan of Mead's previous two books in this series, I was excited to see that this one was thicker...yay, more story! Well, it didn't take long to figure out why the book was thicker. It was filled with an excess of telling rather than showing. I also had a problem with the over use of the word 'had'. It really made for a lot of passive sentences...and passive sentences make for a slow moving book.

I got frustrated with the over-explainations of everything. I know this is a series so sometimes we need to be reminded of things that happened in previous books, but this is the third, we didn't need a recap on why Strigoi are bad and how some Moroi use spirit OR what Spirit actually is. Those are just two of many examples of where the story goes into
"telling" right in the middle of "showing". The action was often broken up with Rose's thoughts or memory or something else that didn't move the action along.

I found myself skimming through chunks of rehashing and I didn't miss anything important. I didn't find any of this in the first two books, or if I did, it wasn't in the excess that it was in Shadow Kiss.

Mild Spoiler below*****

The love scene between Rose and Dimitri was kinda disapointing. On one hand, I was very happy that they got together, but it was all very bland. I didn't feel any passion, despite being told it was passionate and loving and wonderful...but that's just it, we were TOLD that it was passionate instead of describing how Rose was unable to control herself, how she may have moaned or how Dimitri may have goaned. Things like that let us understand the passion. It's like this line sums it up perfectly: "I wish I had the words to describe sex, but nothing I can say would really capture how amazing it was."
Well, I wish she would have found the words. I didn't want it to be erotica. I understand that this is YA, but it could have had more passion. Maybe Mead isn't comfortable writing that kind of stuff and that's fine, it just left me wanting more.

I did like the book, despite what it sounds like. I just felt like Mead got in her own way of telling a tight story. I loved the end, even though it was sad. I get the feeling that Rose is on her way to an awesome adventure and I'll surely be there for it. I just hope that before Mead sends her manuscript off to her editor, she takes an axe to all the, 'he had, she had, we had, I'd had, and had been's' that took over Shadow Kiss.

This book was by far the best in the series! I found that the previous two books were just okay - a good read, but a bit slow and boring - but the third, Shadow Kiss blew my mind! I loved it. I literally felt like I was inside the book. I fell completely in love with Dimitri, and at the end (I won't tell you what happens, because that would be sucky of me, but I will tell you that its not really a happy ending)I sat in my room and just bawled my eyes out for about thirty minutes straight. I loved the book, but hated it because it left me wanting so much more. Like a drug. I need another fix, and I don't think I can wait until september 2009 :(

I love the VA series and Shadow Kiss is even better and bigger than the first two! Also sadder, as Rose grows up and is faced with difficult decisions and tragedy. Sometimes I miss the old, fun Rose, but the character development is well-written and logical. After this book, I think the VAseries will go into an entirely different direction and I can't wait!! Please write really fast, Richelle!

Shadow Kiss was my favorite book in the series. This book was so absorbing. I could not stop reading. The tension between Rose and Dimitri was off the charts. Wonderful series. The Vangeretta Curse ~Elementris~

OHMYGOSH. By far the best out of the Vampire Academy Novels. Richelle did such a good job and this book will make you go crazy and want more!!I cried, laughed, screamed, and was so anxious. Rose has grown up so much and I really love the Dimitri and Rose thing going on but hopefully she gives Adrian a chance! he's a cutie :-) I'm so excited for the next book, hopefully it comes out soon! These novels are gonna be a hit and hopefully better than Twilight :-) Totally worth the money guys! don't judge these books by it's cover.

I loved reading this book. I pretty much couldn't put it. When I noticed that I was more than halfway through, I wasn't too happy. I didn't want the book to end, but when it did I was left craving the next book.

I loved the book, it made me cry. I love this series. Makes you laugh and cry. Can't wait to find out what happens to Rose and Lissa. This was the saddest of the three books. I guess we all can't get the happy ending.

Richelle Mead surpassed any other work she did with this book. Be sure to have the 4th one by your side waiting by the time you finish this, because you'll be breathless and desperate to know what happens to Rose next. A paranormal YA masterpiece.

Amazing: there is no better word to describe this series of books, let alone this one particular book. I really enjoyed reading this and couldn't wait to get my hand on the next book. This book for sure is a must read.

If you liked the first 2 books, im sure you would like this one...i did not.
Main character is a teenage complainer
If you are a teenage girl, i think you could identify with the main character and would really like this book.
The main character Rose is a 17yr girl who gets frustrated at everything. I found this tiresome.
The story has an interesting twist on traditional vampire lore.
The action is good but few and far between.
I tried to like this book...but i dont. I do not recommend it, unless your a teenage girl.

Unfortunately I bought the 1st 3 books in the set.
I finally stopped reading 1/2 way into the 3rd book.

This series is great. I think it is right up there with Twilight. This book is even better then the others. It is a must read...the whole series is a must read. I couldnt put it down. I read all 3 that are currently out in just a few days.

This is the best book. I was enthralled and couldn't put it down, which was bad during finals week. The relationships that were developed were done with such intensity. An ending that I didn't see coming and had me crying. I had to re-read it just to make sure what I had read actually happened. I suggest that everyone read this series. It really makes you think about life and connections with other people.

I am a definite fan of Twilight saga but Richelle Mead is a much better writer. She goes into detail with everything. They start to get repetitive but I started reading the 3rd book first not knowing there were other books. Even though I started with the 3rd book I still understood what happened so the backgroun information was good. I just wish she would've numbered the series! Other than that I love the book and can't wait for the next one.

I really liked this book, i was reading a different vampire trilogy and got completely bored...found this one and really liked it! Obviously not as good as Stephenie Meyer's Twilight, but that book just can't be compared too! She has a great style of writing that attracts the reader to keep reading! enjoyed.

This is my favorite Vampire Academy novel. I love how it starts and how it wraps up. The ending will leave you waiting and ANXIOUS to read the next book.

Richelle Mead is a freaking genius. Her writing takes you to a whole new world away from reality. She's that good! Do not miss!