Frostbite (Vampire Academy, #2) by Richelle Mead

Final Rating: 5/5 Stars

Pages: 327

Edition: Paperback

Time Read: 12.6.14 - 12.7.14

Summary:
"Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose...

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price.."
 
Review:

Frostbite is the second book in the Vampire Academy series, and the first book to get a 5 star rating from me.  If you liked Rose in the last book, you are going to love her in this one. I know I did. To watch her grow from the end of Vampire Academy to the end of Frostbite is just amazing. 

I think the biggest improvement from the first book to this one is the villain.  The previous book seemed to lack in the whole villain aspect and seemed like a distant memory in favor of high school drama. Frostbite makes these villains become real.  They’re not mystery characters who hide until the end; they’re strigoi.  The things Moroi and Dhampirs have nightmares of. They have an actual fear factor.

In this book, Rose begins to truly understand what being a guardian entails.  As Lissa enjoys her open relationship with Christian, Rose is forced to keep her relationship with Dimitri strictly business despite the passion brewing between the two. There are a few slipups throughout the story but until the end it remains closed and tense.  Throw in a beautiful, powerful Moroi who wants Dimitri for herself and it makes Rose’s relationship with Dimitri stretch to its breaking point.  

Rose’s cockiness and confidence from the first novel is knocked down a few pegs as she is faced with reality: Strigoi are powerful and dangerous.  After taking out well known guardians and entire households, it becomes apparent to her that they’re not easy prey. Strigoi are not to be played around with.  She begins to get more down to Earth and humbles.

She also has to deal with her relationship with her mother, Janine.  Having resented her mother for all of her life, she finds it difficult to even have a normal conversation with her.  The first time she sees her in a classroom, she starts a fight with her in front of everyone and gets sent out. Conversations remain tense until the end of the story, where she really starts to learn about her mother.

I refuse to give the end away because it is obviously a game changer for the entire story.  Rose’s relationships with everyone change dramatically and she learns about herself and her enemy in ways she wishes she never had to.  Let me just put it this way: I read the story before and I still cried at the end.  

Richelle Mead has a beautiful writing style that makes Rose a standout character.  She seems like the perfect character, but still retains flaws and quirks that make her, well, her.  While I can’t necessarily relate to a half vampire, I still find it easy to see where Rose is coming from, and I find everything that goes through her mind easy to believe. She seems like a real person.

Overall, even if you were iffy on the first book, I highly recommend diving into this book right away.  It’s interesting and is one of the only books I can give a 100% full recommendation to almost everyone. As with Vampire Academy, there is some swearing and adult situations, so if that makes you uncomfortable it may be better for you to avoid these. Other than that, read on my friends!

Down the Aisle with Bridezilla by Carli Palmer

Final Rating: 3/5 Stars

Pages: 288

Edition: Kindle

Time Read: 12.19.14 - 12.21.14

Summary:

"In the golden land of Malibu the sun is hot, the ocean breeze is crisp, and the brides are deranged! Dealing with four demanding clients, Megan Waters thought her job as a wedding planner would involve romance and eternal bliss. Instead her profession has been causing drama, outrageousness, and has made Megan reach for the aspirin bottle in her top drawer more than once. Along with her business partner Sasha, Megan runs Happily Ever After – a company that helps brides create the most amazing weddings that their gold card toting selves could dream up and pay for. With a small but devoted staff Megan runs into contact with everything from poison ivy covered bridesmaids to exploding wedding cakes. At this rate Megan is going to need a tranquilizer shot…"

Review:

Down the Aisle with Bridezilla is a book that really shows how crazy and spoiled some of the richer brides can be.  It’s quirky and involves a lot of caffeine and showers throughout the story.  I just wish I could drink that many lattes a day and look like a size 6.

There are some things I really liked about this book, such as the detail given for the weddings and the fact that the majority of this story actually focuses on her job and not her awkward romance.  It was super enjoyable reading about these various weddings as they came and the problems and quick fixes that popped up.  Each bride had a unique twist, and while their personalities felt very over the top, it helped individualize them and worked well in this book. Each wedding was different and had its own share of difficulties and problems. The botanical theme will forever remain my favorite.

I also had a few problems with this book, the biggest one being the main character. Megan was just so wishy washy throughout the entire novel, it was hard for me to get a feel for what she really wanted. Food is my biggest example.  She complains about her weight, then eats chocolate muffins and buys multiple lattes and cappuccinos a day.  Girl, make up your mind.  She’s the same way with men: she finds a great guy, hears something off about him, and stops talking to him.  Completely. For weeks without even giving him a reason why.

It just felt like this novel was missing… something.  It was averagely written; it had a different plot but nothing that really drew me in. The romance is very light and is not the forefront of the plot.  I think the problem was that it lacked humor for me.  I find myself comparing this to Twitter Girl, a book I reviewed recently.  While this book won in the plot department with focusing on her job, it lacked the humor that drew me in to Twitter Girl.  It just felt a little bland to me.

Overall, it was an average read.  Nothing really took my interest but I didn’t force myself to finish it. It was semi enjoyable but I couldn’t brag about the experience. I’d recommend this to anyone who would be interested in a very light beach read.

The Meeting (Vampire Academy, #1.1) by Richelle Mead

Final Rating: 3/5 Stars

Pages: 3

Edition: eBook

Time Read: 12.6.14 - 12.6.14

Summary:
"A scene from the first book of the Vampire Academy series, as told from Dimitri's point of view."

Review:

Richelle Mead had blessed all of the Vampire Academy lover’s souls when she wrote through Dimitri’s perspective.  She knew precisely what we wanted and so she gave it to us.

Unfortunately, she didn’t give it as well as I had hoped. What we got was absolutely tiny; 3 pages of the first time Dimitri saw Rose.  In those three pages it was very hard to get a feel for Dimitri’s personality.  That is the exact opposite of what we wanted.

On top of that, she didn’t even write the scene correctly. In the first book it specifically says a tall man (Dimitri’s size) sees Lissa and Rose while Lissa is feeding.  In Dimitri’s point of view, he doesn’t see Rose until she’s on the street.  So what’s going on? Is there another guardian the exact same size as Dimitri who saw them? Does Dimitri have short term memory loss? Or did Mead just not care while writing this?

It’s really hard to give this a full review because there’s just not much to it.  It’s an anecdote versus an entire story.  She can’t be blamed for that, as it really is just one scene from an entire book.

I had originally given this short story 4 stars, but once I got over the whole OMG Dimitri’s point of view I’m gonna die!!!, I saw this as a bit of a cop out. While it was nice to read from Dimitri I feel like she’s dangling the treat in front of us just out of reach with this story. In the end it teased but left me unsatisfied.

 

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, #1) by Richelle Mead

Final Rating: 4/5 Stars

Pages: 332

Edition: Paperback

Time Read: 12.4.14 - 12.5.14

Summary:
"St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . .

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever. "

Review:

Oh Vampire Academy, the nostalgia you give me. I read these books sans the last one in high school and loved them, and when I saw that Walmart had the last three books in the series, I was hooked.  Of course I had to buy the first three, because you can’t read the end before the beginning.  So I sat and waited for a long time to get them (ordered off of Amazon), and when they came I dove right in.

I was a little apprehensive about reading at first. What if I spoiled the fond memories by rereading and not liking them the second time around? Turns out I had nothing to worry about!  The books are as wonderful as I remember them.

Let’s start with Rose. If you’re an avid follower of my reviews you know that I have a thing for strong, kickass heroines.  Rosemarie Hathaway is the definition of a strong, kickass woman.  She thinks only of protecting her best friend throughout the entire book and does a pretty good job at it.    She is snarky, flirty, sarcastic, talks back, confident, and a whole slew of other good vocabulary words.  On the other hand, she is also immature and impulsive, resulting in some interesting situations.  Rose stays very true to her character throughout the book, and while she learns and grows from experiences and Dimitri’s lecturing, she still retains a bit of immaturity and carelessness.

Speaking of Dimitri; wow.  If you’ve ever dreamed of tall, dark, and handsome, he’s probably who you pictured.  Throw in a Russian accent, and you’ve got McDreamy.  Dimitri seems forever patient and immune to Rose’s charms, but deep down, he is as impulsive and passionate as she is on the outside.  They butt heads and first, and as the story goes on, they become friendly and then much more than friendly.

The relationships in the story are deep and very thought out.  Rose’s relationship with Lissa is exactly what it should be based on that society; Lissa comes first. Rose does whatever she can for Lissa to keep her safe and happy, even at her own expense.  Rose is always there to listen to Lissa and make sure she knows everything is going to be okay.  Rose’s relationship with Dimitri is incredibly complicated; not only is he her mentor, but he is also 7 years older than her and Lissa’s current guardian.  Feelings between the two are exactly what they DON’T want, and somehow it’s exactly what happens.  The buildup between the two is very clear and you can feel the sexual tension a mile away.

The plot is pretty light in this one, sticking to mostly high school drama with a little added vampire touch.  It’s obvious this is the first book in a series as it’s very informative, however it still manages to hold its own and remains interesting throughout the story.  There was never a time that I felt was dragging.

While this story was absolutely wonderful, I couldn’t give it a 5 due to the kind of shallowness in Rose’s personality and the fact that when I think back it’s hard for me to remember the main villain sometimes.  Otherwise, it’s a brilliant read.  There is a bit of swearing and mature situations, so a word of caution to anyone who dislikes it.   If you’re someone who doesn’t mind, then make sure you go get this book and read it.  Like, right now. Go.

Reviews Incoming

Due to my recent purchase of the Vampire Academy series (a great choice on my part!), I've been holding off on reviewing the books until I finish the entire series.  I can't wait to share what I think with you guys!!

I also have a lot of first reads and NetGalley books that need to be read, and I will be getting around to them! My soul is currently taken in by the VA series though, and I can't seem to force myself to read anything else.

I also have a few books I picked up from the library as part of my book club month choices; lots of books are waiting to be read, I swear!!  I'm finishing my finals, and after it's all done I'll have a ton more time for reading!

I'm also going to try and start posting reviews at scheduled times; I think I'll try to start with posting twice a week on Monday and Thursday.  I might have to cut it back down once school starts but until then I'm going to guarantee a review next Monday!!

I'm so excited for what's to come.  I hope you guys are too!

-Kay