Customer Rating: 

I think I have to assume that something devastating will happen in every book that Mead writes. With this one I was pretty much crying from the last 40 pages until the end. Talk about heartbreaking! I sort of saw what was going to happen coming but it didn't make it any less horrible. I'm actually still feeling the effects of this novel and I had to quickly order the next two books to find out what happens.

On the heels of the death of her friend, Rose finds out that she's going to start six weeks of field exercise along with the other senior novices. The problem is though, Rose is seeing ghosts and feeling a terrible rage whenever angered or cornered. Rose had her temper before but something is different about these feelings. And being visited by the dead isn't helping her in going back to living any sort of normal life. Rose has grown up since the incident from the previous book and the people around her take notice. Rose isn't the only one changing though and she has to deal with these circumstances as a new threat from the Strigoi looms.

I FLEW through this book. I think I could read about Rose and her friends all day every day and not get bored. Honestly though, I think I feel this way about all of Mead's heroines so I could be biased. I love the characters, the story, the way the world is crafted, and Mead's simple yet effective writing style. This series is miles above any teen series I've come across and it rivals some adult series I've read as well and it's quickly become one of my top favorite series ever

Customer Rating: 

Although I don't give spoilers for Shadow Kiss in this book I wouldn't recommend reading further if you are new to this series. I strongly recommend reading the series in order starting with Vampire Academy and then Frostbite. If you're a fan of the series already then read Shadow Kiss now - but make sure you have Blood Promise to hand so you can read it straight afterwards! If you haven't discovered the series yet what are you waiting for? This is seriously a must read for urban fantasy fans both young and old.

Rose is still trying to deal with her forbidden love for Dimitri - for her whole life she has been taught that protecting the Moroi is more important than anything and that, as a Dhampir, her needs should come last. 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 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 loosing her mind.

Meanwhile the novice guardians are in the middle of their practical assignment where they must guard one of the Moroi from surprise attacks made my the teachers on campus. Of course Rose knows she will be guarding Lissa - just like she will be after graduation - so it comes as quite a shock when she finds she has been assigned to someone else. Avoiding Adrian's advances, juggling her temper and trying to ignore the ghostly figures she keeps seeing isn't going to make it easy to protect the Moroi she has been assigned to. Much worse is to come though when she figures out that the ghosts are trying to warn her of great danger and she finds herself in the middle of a war fighting for survival.

If you're a fan of the last 2 books in the series then you're going to love Shadow Kiss. It is by far my favorite in the series and I am desperate to get my hands on the next book, Blood Promise. I love Rose in this book, she is dealing with so many things and her emotions are all over the place but she has grown an incredible amount since book 1. Her feelings towards Lissa and her duty clash with her love of Dimitri and watching her try to work through everything really pulls at your heartstrings. We also get to see more of Lissa and Christian who I love as a couple, spend time with the swoon worthy Dimitri who I adore, learn more about Adrian who I have to say is growing on me and spend time with Eddie who is such a sweetheart.

This book will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride like no other you've been on before. I don't want to give any spoilers so I'm just going to say that this book will leave you spinning - the twist Richelle put in at the end was utterly heartbreaking and I have no idea how she is going to be able to fix things to my satisfaction. Having gone through similar things in her adult succubus series I have confidence that she'll be able to work things out eventually but I just can't see how at the moment. Shadow Kiss was truly an addictive read & I was unable to put it down, reading the entire book in just 1 sitting. It left me wanting to scream with frustration & I have to admit to shedding a few tears. Richelle is a queen of cliffhangers and has left me itching to start the next book, I'm just relieved to know that it's already in print so I can go out and get a copy immediately!

Customer Rating: 

As a fan of Richelle's Succubus series I quite enjoyed the first offering in her Vampire Academy series however I did feel that the emotional context and way in which the protagonista is acting in her relationships is inappropriate for her age group. Whilst a number of her fans may feel that the relationship is fine I wasn't happy and as such felt that it ruined the title for me as the character felt more like a person acting on the spoilt brat emotional level and really didn't allow myself as a reader to fully engage or like her.

The series has its merits, for example its well planned, it has great dialogue but with emotional immaturity alongside a character I really couldn't get a fix upon, I really felt that it's a title best missed.

Customer Rating: 

The book itself is very good and i love the other books in the series. However i do not know how this book ends. why? Because i have ordered, recieved and returned numerous copies of this book as pages are missing and in the wrong order. Very poor customer service. Needless to say i will order from somewhere else in the future.

Customer Rating: 

I cannot wait for the next one. Perfect all the series of vampire academy. i loved it...........