Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead
Release Date: November 13, 2008
Publisher: Razorbill, Penguin
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 442
Other Titles in Series: Vampire Academy & Frostbite
Rose Hathaway knows it is forbidden to love another guardian. Her best friend, Lissa– the last Dragomir princess– must 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 warn of a terrible evil drawing nearer to the Academy’s iron gates. And not 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 the want vengeance for the lives that Rose has stole. In a heart-stopping battle to rival her worst nightmares. Rose will have to choose between life, love and the two people who matter the most… but will her choice mean that only one can survive?
Incredible! This series continues to get better. This is one of the best vampire themed series’ out there. After my disappointment with other series’ losing there touch, I have to say that it is not the case with these books. Everything that initially drew me in is still there and then some. I’ve been in anticipation for this book for a long time, and when I finally got a copy it trumped everything else!
There were parts of the story that I figured out, and even though I wanted the novel to end one way, I applaud Mead’s unpredictability. Does that sentence totally contradict itself?? Let me see if I can explain. In my quest to keep this spoiler free it may be more difficult, but here it goes. I knew that something big was going to happen to one of the characters in this novel. The clues where there the foreshadowing was set up wonderfully. And even though I had an idea of what was going to happen, Mead was still able to surprise me in the end. Why? Because, I never really thought she would do it. The ending wasn’t what I wanted I’ll admit that, but I don’t think I would have been happy with it being any other way.
One of the reasons I’m such a fan of this novel, besides the extraordinary writing ability of Richelle Mead, is Rose Hathaway. Let me just tell you how much I love Rose. She’s beautiful, smart, confident, she’s a smart ass and she kicks ass. I want to be her. She is one of my all time favorite literary characters.
I absolutely cannot wait to read the rest of this series.
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I haven’t read this series, but I’ve heard so many good things about it that I think I need to add it to my reading pile! (which grows longer and longer each and every day…
I want this one so bad but NO ONE HAS IT. Grrrrrrr.
What are other titles in this series? you usually post those.
I really want to read Shadow Kiss!
there ya go Jessica.
is shadow kiss the last of the series!! it cant be!!! this series must not end its too amazing!! its like the new twilight!!
only in Twilight love survives all. I read to escape. I read to “become a part” of the fantasy I want. but I don’t want my lover and I to be seperated and have to kill him!
I mean, here’s what I’m thinking…I hate that Dimitri is unwillingly changed into Strigoi and that Rose has to hunt him down and kill him. I hate that, unlike Edward and Bella’s love in Twilight, there’s does not conquer all…that they do not remain together. It sucks! And it totally destroys my fantasy. I think I need to go reread the Twilight series so I can be wrapped up in my love fantasy again.
Very good review..I pretty much feel the exact same way. I’ve read and re read shadow kiss to see if the ending would change, but of course to my dismay, it wouldn’t…But I am a fan of richelle’s writing technique and am very excited and looking forward to the books that are continuing this story. So in the end(or i should say at the end of shadow kiss) , I hated and loved it in many ways, but I’m guessing richelle knew that the reaction was going to be strong. so that’s exactly why she did it. I am very impatient when I get my hands on a series I like, and this is no exception! Bravo for shadow kiss!!
Natalie still thought her father was a great man and knew that strigoi were bad after she turned. She remembered and knew the people around her, even if she had no soul; at one point she even said that Victor would help her control it. That said, Dimitri and Rose’s meeting when she’s supposed to kill him should be interesting. Besides i’m going to cry if he really dies for good, Mead just can’t do that, I’ll be so upset.
I couldn’t stop crying at the end. I’m so mad. There better be a twist. I really loved these books and he was one of the main reasons. This can’t happen!
i feel horrible but still excited… i hate what happened to Dimitri but i still have some hope that he and Rose will end up with a happily ever after in the next 2 books- its the only way i can ever sleep peacefully again!!! Lissa made me really mad when she refused the IDEA of even TRYING to heal Dimitri! Rose would give up her life for her and she wont even try this? Is she that selfish? I wanted to shout at her” WHAT IF THIS WAS CHRISTIAN???? HUH???? WHAT WOULD YOU DO THEN????”
omg! i loved it so much! i just love Dimitri! if he dies i dont think i will be able to read any new books. Him and Rose are like suppose to be together. i hope Rose comes back i just cried uncontrolably at the end
Mead Can’t kill him off like this! Dimitri and Rose finialy get it across to each other that they love eachother and do the things they did and then kill him off NO!I wonder whats going to happen in the next books
I just got done reading Shadow Kiss today. I really enjoy the book series i just hope the fifth one came out soon because i really want to know what happens to Rose on her quest to find Dimitri, but i do gotta about time Dimitri gave in. I’m also wondering what is going to happen to Lissa when Rose is gone. I truly do believe this will be the new Twilight series.
As soon as Rose went to go see if Dimitri was alive, I knew what happened. I didnt want to believe it. Tears just welled up in my eyes. Thinking about it now is actually making me cry. Man I hate and love this. I’m not really the one to cry. You could as my friends and family, I just dont cry. I dont like it. But this book had me tearing up and I could barely go on. I needed to finish it though. I dont know what’s going to happen. And I seriously didnt expect this. I completely forgot about what Rose and Dimitri had discussed in the previously. I cant wait to read what happens next. I need to know and it’s going to start nagging at me until I do. I guess we just have to wait to see what happens next, right?
I just finished reading Shadow Kiss about literally 5 minutes ago! I love Rose, she is a character all women should look up to. I thought it was was stupid when i seen people read books and react by laughing to it but when i read Richelle Mead's series of VA i was in tears a few minutes ago with the tragedy to Dimitri! I absolutely love this series and extremely excited for Blood Promise<3
I’m excited for Blood Promise too.
I think that’s the good thing about Twilight.
Richelle Mead is not afraid to write what she just wrote.
I could hardly believe the ending myself.
I think that’s what separates Vampire Academy from Twilight, although I must say, I do not want to compare books.
Vampire Academy is more realistic. Good doesn’t always happen. Not all good things happen all the time. Twilight is like a happily ever after ending, but with Vampire Academy (even though It’s not finished yet) – pretty harsh things happen. It hurts more to read (which is exactly why it is amazing) and ended up being the only book I can never reread. And that’s saying something, because I can reread New Moon over and over again and I’m Team Edward.
AMAZING. That’s what Shadow Kiss is.
that’s the good thing about ** Vampire Academy ** not twilight.
I suspect Mead will remain true to her mythos and by the end of Blood Price dimitri will indeed be dead. It sucks, but sometimes life does too.
The only way I can possibly see around this is some heretofore unannounced permutation of Lissa’s healing powers.
As an addendum to my previous post I also suspect the Queen will be killed, most likely by Dimitri and the mysterious blonde strigoi. I suspect Rose will stake them during the fight and Lissa will be be named Queen.
At that point I suspect a war will erupt with the strigoi which will be the subject of the fifth book. In that I really think we will discover Victor has been pulling the strings all along, after all he contenanced his own daughter becoming Strigoi.
Great review, though i did read it after i read the book. As for the book itself… Oh my God! I haven’t been this mad at a book since Harry Potter when Sirius died. I literaly stopped reading for a couple minutes. I knew something bad had to have happened to Dimitri but even when we found out i still couldn’t make myself believe it. i was in deniel. I thought that, for some sick and twisted reason, that Mason was lying or he didn’t know the real truth, but the story just kept going with Dimitri NOT showing up. I probably will anyway cause i’m like that, but i half don’t want to read the next book. I don’t want to know what happens when Rose finally meets up with him again cause i have this nagging feeling that it won’t be a happily-ever-after. Why must this always happen!?!?!?!?!?!
Anyway, as for the writting, it was really good. I aspire to write like Mead and all the others i’ve read. I hope i can make people get lost in my writting the way i always do. Anyway, can’t wait for the next one, even if i will have to force myself to get it.
Great review. I finally read this entire series this week and just loved it. I cannot wait to read Blood Promise!!
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