Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Goodreads 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 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... 

Why I Read This Book: I read the first in this series and enjoyed it, so I will read them all.

Review:  I like these books so far. (Unfortunately I read this over a week ago, so I don't have great amounts of detail to add to this review...) Rose's character really grew in this book compared to the first. Her relationship with her mother was interesting to read about, as was her feelings toward Mason. I have definitely been in a position to wonder if settling for something 'comfortable' would be a good choice, so I could related there. I thought this book was really missing the Rose/Lissa relationship, and I like reading about them together. But, that is exactly what happens when someone gets a boyfriend, so at least it was authentic!

I like these books, they are quick, good reads. I look forward to Shadow Kiss.

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Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Goodreads 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.

Why I Read This Book: To be honest, I hadn't heard of this series or author before, but through Goodreads I had discovered the Bloodlines book and marked it as 'to-read'. I finally got around to getting a copy of that book and was about to start it when I learned that this it was a spin off of Vampire Academy. Well, I HATE when I read books out of order (to the point where I panic if I don't know what book to read next in a series - cue Women of the Underworld!) so I had to read the Vampire Academy series first, and now I am!


Review: I'm so glad I found out about this series! I really liked this book a lot. I found the book confusing at first, it definitely has a lot of elements that other vamp books don't have, which was fantastic as I am getting somewhat vamped out (and was actually reluctant to get into this because of that) but the fresh ideas in this were fantastic! Dhampirs and Moroi and Strigoi are all unique and fascinating. Rosa and Lissa have a great relationship which is fun to read about, and there was enough romance to make it cute, but not too much that it took away from immersing yourself into the stories world instead of just the main characters love story. Without giving away too much, I also love that even though the book was first person narrated, you got to see different perspectives as well. I thought it was fantastic.


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