PJ Review: Last Sacrafice by Richelle Mead

Home > Review > Last Sacrafice by Richelle Mead

Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
Paranormal Element: Vampires
Series: Vampire Academy #6
Order Online:  Amazon.com | BookDepository.com
Stalk the Author: Web |  Blog | Twitter
Audiobook Review copy bought at Audible.com

PJs QUICKIE POV:
The emotional conclusion of Richelle Mead’s young adult Vampire Academy series had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. At it’s whirlwind finale I was left with supreme satisfaction by the events that occurred but heart-broken that this was the end. The series was a wild ride, that invoked an almost bi-polar emotional reaction throughout that I highly recommend for mature teens and adults alike.

Do not read further if you have not read up to Spirit Bound.

REVIEW:
Rose has finally attained what she has set off to accomplish since her lover was turned Strigoi so long ago. Yet, as her goal has been reached nothing is working for Rose and to make matters worse political upheaval has left the Moroi world in disarray. In the midst of this upheaval laws are passed that could devastate the ranks of dhampir and endanger the Moroi even more. Unable to hold her tongue, Rose openly defies the Queen and pays for it when the Queen’s body is discovered with Rose’s stake buried in her heart.

Accused of murder, her former lover Dmitri won’t even speak to her, and the whole Moroi court ready to execute her, Rose seems to be backed in a corner that she won’t be able to escape. But, Rose, ever defiant will not go down without a fight...but this time she is fighting for much more than just her life.

I am so terribly saddened that this series is over. It is wonderful to see one to it’s conclusion but after six books I felt like I really knew these characters and the conclusion is like seeing them go away -- not even email accessible. And while the conclusion was everything I could ever ask for in it’s entirety there was also some bitterness in the end because of how Mead chose to portray the events. Unlike most authors that gloss over the tragedy and heart-ache that belies any climatic event, Mead shows it to you in all it’s glory. There is no “convenient imprinting” or sudden change of mind scenarios like some author’s use. I have to give her props for this, she chose to go the hard route, to show that every ‘Happily-Ever-After’ doesn’t necessarily have the same outcome for everyone involved.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
For mature teen audiences, there are sexual references, violence and questionable moral actions.






411 on the series:

1. Last Sacrifice is the last Vampire Academy book, but there is a spin-off series, call the Bloodlines Series releasing this August.Info from RichelleMead.com
2. Last year it was announced that Preger Entertainment acquired film rights to Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series. Don Murphy (Transformers) has also been named as producer. IMDB has it listed as in-production with a schedule date of 2013. This still does not mean anything, but it is hopeful that it will become a movie series.
3. Richelle Mead has stated that she will write a short story involving Rose & Dmitri if she won the CBC's best teen book of 2010 award
4. There is a Vampire Academy graphic novel in the works. View Preview of Vampire Academy graphic novel.

If you like VAMPIRE ACADEMY:

1. Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires, Book 1)
2. Strange Angels (Strange Angels, Book 1)
3. Evernight (Evernight, Book 1)
4. The Summoning (Darkest Powers, Book 1)

9/20

PJ Review: Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
Paranormal Element: Vampires
Series: Vampire Academy #5
Order Online:  Amazon.com | BookDepository.com
Stalk the Author: Web |  Blog | Twitter
Audiobook Review copy bought at Audible.com

PJs QUICKIE POV:
These books turned me into one big Hot Mess. I've never been such a bipolar reader, in one instance I was begging Rose to just give up on her stupid quest and stick with a sure thing and on the other hand screaming at her to "do it!" Find Dmitri so this whole mess can be over with. Then I'm yelling again at her to stop being such a selfish wench...look what she is doing to Adrian! I'm completely befuddled. These books have turned me into a lunatic and I blame Richelle Mead. Yup. All your fault Ms. Mead, I won't send you my psychiatric bill, but a few well-meaning postcards from the looney bin might get my point across.  This is the fifth book and they are meant to be read in order. There are cliffhangers that have you pulling your hair out and emotionally charged scenes that will have you sobbing in your pillow. You will never love/hate main characters as much as you do in this series (oh wait --- yes you will, in Mead's adult series, Dark Swan). Go Now! Run! Grab Vampire Academy...and fall in love with the writing, the characters and the world that sprung from the genius that is Richelle Mead. Please don't read any further if you have not read the Vampire Academy series yet.


REVIEW:
I'll not bore you with casual details. Spirit Bound picks up where Blood Promise left off. Rose is a mess, but being Rose she gets back on her feet quickly. She knows Dmitri is out there, still strigoi and still obsessed with her and the only place she feels safe is back at St. Vladimir’s and with her friend Lissa. While her friends hold it against her that she left them, it quickly fades and they are back to their old tricks again...but this time Rose has a very far-fetched plan. 

She can not let Dmitri go and the rumor that their is a way to return a strigoi back to his former self eats away at her. If there is any way to save Dmitri, she has to find out.  Yet, the problem with Rose, and I have a big problem with this part of her personality, is that she will use other's to accomplish what she needs. She let Adrian finance her trip to Siberia and now because of this she basically begins dating him. I never thought how this could possibly work out for good...and I always thought Adrian was an idiot for letting Rose do this to him. But, the heart overpowers reason, right? This one sided view of the world - eyes on the prize that Rose has, makes me not like her a little bit. Love conquers all in her mind and she will do anything, to anyone, to get what she wants. It became glaringly obvious in this book what really lays underneath her intentions. Deep down inside I really thought it was best for her to give up. How many people does she need to hurt emotionally, hurt physically and damage their future, for her to be with Dmitri? Is it worth it?

POSSIBLE SPOILERS ****

Besides my moral indecisiveness concerning Rose's actions the novel was very compelling and emotionally trying. I found a few flaws with the construction of the book, thinking some of the things that Rose, Lissa and their band of merry men, did to "get information" was rather ridiculous and not very believable. It could have been constructed a bit better, than having a few teenagers break into a maximum security prison and being successful...really what was that?  And then these same geniuses that attempt this, later just "lose" the prisoners. What was that? All of Mead's other scenarios have been rightly believable - this just struck me as unbelievable and dropped the rating a bit. Let me know what you think!

RECOMMENDATIONS:
For mature teen audiences, there are sexual references, violence and questionable moral actions.

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead - Review

Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
Paranormal Element: Vampires
Series: Vampire Academy
Order Online:  Amazon.com | BookDepository.com
Stalk the Author: Web |  Blog | Twitter
Audiobook Review copy bought at Audible.com

PJVs QUICKIE POV:
An emotional wreck after reading Shadow Kiss, I put down Vampire Academy #3 and left it down for a long time. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t read Blood Promise, no matter how much I needed to know what happened with Dmitri --- I couldn’t find out. It was bitter sweet. It has taken me one year to pick up this book. These books invoke that much of an emotional response. On a petty note, I was also kind of peeved that Richelle Mead had pushed back the release of Iron Crowned to release Spirit Bound. My little temper tantrum to say the least. So, I waited and now I’ve been sucked back into the series. Hello, Rose. Missed you.


REVIEW:
Blood Promise picks up right where Shadow Kiss left off. Rose has left the academy, Lissa and her friends and is on a mission. Her mission is to hunt down Dmitri and stake the strigoi right out of him. She made a promise and she has to keep it, even if it means her own death.

Clues have led her to Russia and deeper, to Siberia, Dmitri’s homeland. It’s an enlightening experience as she soon discovers that she barely knows anything about her world…and her preconceived notions and misconceptions are way off track.

The discoveries Rose makes during Blood Promise had me really taking a second look at this series. She made a huge jump in this book and Mead kept me on my toes the entire time. It really had me thinking that the outcome might be very different than I had originally thought. Then like the dummy I am, I went and read the synopsis on goodreads of Spirit Bound. Well that ruined that. So don’t read the synopsis! I would go into details, but that would mean a lot of spoilers.

My initial trepidations for reading this were not false. I knew my emotional outcome would end up being a dislike for Dmitri…and now with his new strigoi face, not feeling the love any more, but I do feel the emotional turmoil that Rose must feel as she contemplates staking him. Unlike other readers, I haven’t latched on to a replacement for Dmitri. I think Rose might need to be single for a little bit. Find out who she is and not who she is +1. Highly recommended, but nobody ever follows my dating advice, right. Best way to get over someone? Replace them. I’m not buying it. I go for the eat lots of ice cream and get a massage by a hot, yet dumb man way of recouping, who is with me?
Nevermind. The book is good. Worth reading on. I need Spirit Bound, like right now.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
For mature teen audiences, there are sexual references, violence and questionable moral actions.

4/20