Review: Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy #3) by Richelle Mead

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS:

It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since making her first Strigoi kills, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She's having dark thoughts, behaving erratically, and worst of all... might be seeing ghosts.
As Rose questions her sanity, new complications arise. Lissa has begun experimenting with her magic once more, their enemy Victor Dashkov might be set free, and Rose's forbidden relationship with Dimitri is starting to heat up again. But when a deadly threat no one saw coming changes their entire world, Rose must put her own life on the line - and choose between the two people she loves most.

MY TAKE:
So far, this is my favorite book in the series.

In Shadow Kiss, Adrian is at St. Vladimir's Academy so that he and Lissa can work on their powers together. As Lissa uses her powers, however, it affects her thoughts and emotions. Rose tries to ease Lissa's pain, but this affects Rose in an unexpected way. Meanwhile, another threat is coming and this one may be too big for even the guardians at St. Vladimir's to handle.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. A chunk of the book was dedicated to field work experience for the novices, so it was interesting to see how Rose worked and how she was tested. I was also quite pleased with the introduction of ghosts, the questions about her sanity, and how it all plays into her being shadow-kissed. As usual, I enjoyed her breakdowns and rages, especially when it brought out the protective side of Dimitri.

There was a subplot there for awhile that I thought was strange and unnecessary, until I saw how it connected to the major battle at the end. I thought the connection between it and the battle was a little flimsy, maybe even forced, but otherwise, everything else here was quite solid.

The whole Rose-Adrian-Lissa-Christian dynamic was actually entertaining, if only because I don't really take Adrian seriously. As with the other books, the real highlight here is Rose and Dimitri's relationship. I just love a good forbidden romance story, and this one is one of the best I've read in awhile. Given the ending and the fact that there are still three books left in the series, I'm not feeling too optimistic about seeing a lot of Dimitri and Rose action for awhile, but I'm still raring to read the next book.

THE GOOD:

1. There's plenty of action.
2. We learn more about the effect being shadow kissed has on Rose.
3. Dimitri and Rose's relationship is still sizzling hot. 

THE BAD:

1. This isn't the kind of book you should read without having the next book close by. 

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

“What's up?" I asked.
You tell me," he said. "You were the one about ready to start making out with Adrian."
It was an experiment," I said. "It was part of my therapy."
What the hell kind of therapy are you in?” 

READ IT IF:

1. You liked the first books in the series.
2. You like forbidden romances.
3. You like action-packed novels. 

RATING:


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