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!