Break You Blitz + Giveaway!

Break You
by Jennifer Snyder



Publication
date:
November 8th 2013












Blaire Hayes enjoys a quiet life, spending her days as a CNA at the local nursing home and nights studying for exams. She prefers things to be as uncomplicated as possible — but when her friends drag her to a party and she bumps into her high school crush, the path of Blaire’s life veers in an entirely different direction than what she had planned for herself.

Jason Bryant created a nice life away from his hometown, putting distance between himself and the suffocating sadness of his father’s death. But when he finds out his grandfather’s health is deteriorating, he decides he must return home. Partying was not on his agenda while in town, but it’s how he bumps into Blaire Hayes—the girl he’d always thought of in high school as an unobtainable pass.

Together the two learn there are moments in life that hold within them all the power to break you…

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Guest Author: Connie L. Smith

Essenced
by Connie L. Smith



Publication
date:
July 29th 2013












Years ago, demons were forced out of the earth’s realm by a band of supernatural fighters, banished from the place and its people in the aftermath of a horrific war. It should’ve ended there – would’ve – if not for the final demon’s claw snagging on the open portal. What felt like victory became only a reprieve, the winning warriors understanding that the tear would spread, and the demons eventually would escape exile. It was only a matter of time, and a need for future defense – a question of genetics and essences, magic and power.

Now, centuries later, a new army must bind together – one of teenagers with inhuman potentials and abilities…

AJ went to bed Sunday night an average teenage girl, clumsy and athletically lacking. So when she wakes up Monday morning with super-strength, she does what any rational person would do: She goes into denial. When a smoking hot guy in a suit shows up, rambling about the end of the war and demons spilling through some kind of rift, she refuses to listen, telling herself he’s insane. Except weird things just won’t quit happening, and the guy keeps popping up in her life, trying to explain the changes suddenly happening within her. Is she crazy, or is this guy… not so crazy after all?

Guest post by Connie L. Smith

There are a few things that I absolutely stink at:

1) Folding a fitted sheet.

2) Driving.

3) Writing a guest blog post.


Luckily I didn’t have to drive anywhere or fold a fitted sheet to have this come to pass. Still, it’s a complex situation. I want to write something that will snag your interest, but not something so ridiculous that you’re basically thinking, ‘Why in the world would she write that???’

So where exactly do I draw the line? Can I tell you about the tiny vampires that lived in my dorm at college? Would it be a bit too much to ramble about my interest in Julio-Claudian emperors and their… quirks? Is it too bland to just tell you about my favorite breakfast cereal?

This, I think, is one of the overlooked complications of an author’s life. Being on blogs helps you get exposure, and hopefully gets people to consider reading the book you’ve spent a good chunk of time on, but it leaves you with an overwhelming sense of impeding doom. You know. Looking at your calendar, realizing you have four days until it posts, noting that you have nothing important to say, and preparing yourself for the meteor that will no doubt crash into your house if you miss that deadline. Okay, so maybe that won’t happen. But a bunch of people will be reading it, experiencing your writing for the first time, and you want it to be good.

Well, maybe not good, but memorable. Persuadable. Different.

Like the rest of writing, I think the key might be in finding your own techniques and preferences, and going with them. Writing is not a mathematic equation, or a structured fortification that you have to build with exact guidelines so the whole thing doesn’t fall to pieces. You might love writing with strong vocabulary, while another reader/author thinks simpler is better. One publisher might want limited omniscience from the narrator, while another wants to know what’s in everyone’s head. Some things contradict, and some are open for approval. You might agree, or you might have other inclinations.

Any tips that others give you could very well be helpful, but they’re to be used at your discretion. It is your work, after all. It should be something you’d want to read, regardless of whether or not the authors you follow on Twitter agree with your preferences.

That, to me, is one of the most important ingredients in being the author of books you can be proud of. Write what you want, what you like, and do it to your best ability. Read and read and read some more until you discover what you do like, and hold to that as you journey through your works. Ideally you’ll grow, but don’t lose sight of who you are as an author by concentrating on who other people say you need to be.

Maybe the same thing can be said for blogging. I had a livejournal for years, and I had so many updates on that thing. But my readers were mostly friends who knew me enough to make the experience personal. Switching from personal updates about my life to a more general line of topics is an odd transition, but one that I’m attempting to learn to do. Maybe the secret in learning that is to read and read and read other blogs, discover what I like, and grow as a guest blogger.

Until then, I’ll just let a blank page guide me, and hopefully I’ll type something worth reading.

This post hasn’t been shocking or revealing, but it’s been honest. I hope you can appreciate that.



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Book Review: Captive: The Forbidden Side of Nightshade by A.D. Robertson

Title: Captive: The Forbidden Side of Nightshade
Author: A. D. Robertson
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Publishing Date: October 22nd
Length: 320 pages
Keywords: Adult, fiction, shapeshifter, romance
Source: Publisher 

Twenty-five-year-old Tristan Doran enjoys a life of incredible power and privilege. As a direct descendant of the Keepers—witches who have embraced dark magic—he defers to no one but his overlord, Lord Bosque Mar. For most of his life, Tristan has been kept out of the centuries-old Witches War, his bloodline too valuable to risk in battle.

But when a beautiful, young human Searcher named Sarah is captured and made a prisoner in his Irish castle, Tristan’s infatuation with her flings him headlong into the fray. Captive and captor, unable to contain their longing, embark on a passionate, forbidden romance together—only to learn that their love is at the heart of a prophecy predicting the downfall of the Keepers’ ages-old reign.

Captive explores the darker side of the richly imagined Nightshade universe, a fantasy world of powerful dark witches, shape-shifting wolf warriors, and fascinating history. The first of three erotic novels, Captive delves deeply into the fiery, illicit romance of two young lovers whose very desires invite their doom.

Summary by Goodreads

So far you've mostly seen reviews of YA titles published here on the blog and today's review of CAPTIVE is an exception. I was so curious about this new NIGHTSHADE book by Andrea Cremer, written under the pen name A.D. Robertson that I couldn't pass up the kind offering of an e-copy by Dutton Adult. 

Despite its rather uninspired cover, CAPTIVE surely introduces us to a higher seductive sphere of the NIGHTSHADE world. It's called 'the forbidden side of Nightshade', and rightfully so. For once this book is more erotic and explicit than the NIGHTSHADE trilogy before it. The R-rated scenes are what makes Sarah and Tristan's story so steamy and overly intriguing, the attraction between them is palpable.
When I first heard of Andrea Cremer's new book I couldn't help myself to compare it to one very popular series by E.L. James you might know, but CAPTIVE isn't nearly as taboo as I imagined it to be. It was written in a style that could've fit the original NIGHTSHADE trilogy, too, and easily added some steam to Calla's romantic scenes.

But there's more to the forbidden side than the sex scenes. Tristan is a Keeper and Sarah a Searcher, both sworn enemies and not at all allowed to engage with each other in an intimate relationship. 

Their story begins when Sarah volunteers to go on a suicide mission, travelling to a tiny private island with the task to explore its lonely castle, that is soon functioning as Sarah's prison. The setting creates a glum atmosphere that worked well in order to constitute a darker erotic love story between Sarah and Tristan.

There could've been more to the story than its only setting or Andrea Cremer could've dedicated selected chapters to the story from the Searchers' perspective and the things that were happening while Sarah was kept as a prisoner.

CAPTIVE doesn't have as many battles as the NIGHTSHADE trilogy to offer, its focus is on Sarah and Tristan getting to know each other. It's mostly just the two of them with very few other characters having appearances from time to time. Bosque Mar, the evil Keeper you know from the NIGHTSHADE series, will be playing a role, too. 

Significant is that Andrea Cremer  kept the spirit of her NIGHTSHADE series and told us some more about the ancient war between Keepers and Searchers. Fans won't be disappointed! 

3,5/5 ***/* CAPTIVE - Not as bellicose as the NIGHTSHADE trilogy nor as refined plot-wise , but with high aphrodisiac paranormal appeal.

The NIGHTSHADE series had many characters I set my heart on and there was so much more at stake than in CAPTIVE. So now the novel about the forbidden side of Nightshade appeared a bit imbalanced if you compare it to the NIGHTSHADE trilogy before it, but it got into the required details where the NIGHTSHADE series always put an end to explicit sexual interactions, since it was a YA series.

"At that late hour Castle Tierney was quiet, but Tristan knew better than to believe he moved through its halls without notice. There was never a time when all the creatures within the castle walls slept. It was a place of wariness and watching."  ― Chapter 5

CAPTIVE you might also enjoy DARKFEVER by Karen Marie Moning, HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE by Jeaniene Frost and DARK LOVER by J.R. Ward. Three series I have yet to read, all of them for an adult audience. I'm not sure I've heard about a YA book series with an adult companion novel with R-rated content to recommend. Can you think of any?  

* Andrea Cremer's newest YA book SNAKEROOT will be released December 10th 2013.

* Click here to read an excerpt of CAPTIVE.

* For more information about Andrea Cremer and her books visit www.andreacremer.com.

* Thanks to Dutton Adult for sending me an e-copy of CAPTIVE for review!

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Book Review: Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Title: Unbreakable (The Legion #1)

Author: Kami Garcia

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

Publishing Date: October 10^th2013

Length: 320 pages

Keywords: YA, fiction, spirits, ghost hunters, romance

Source: Publisher

Kennedy Waters didn't believe in ghosts, until one tried to kill her.

When Kennedy finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn't know that evil forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into her house and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon - a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother's place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon - battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

Summary by Goodreads

 

Kennedy's life changes abrubptly when her mother is murdered by a ghost that soon is after Kennedy as well. She has never been in contact with anything supernatural before and knows just as much as readers do when they first learn about the special group of people who call themselves the legion. We find out how the legion was founded and learn more about the different types of ghosts they have to fight and the best ways to send them back to where they came from. Sketches of meaningful symbols and inventions of importance to the story are included to underline the books' ritual character and give it another boost of authenticity.

The legion is a group of five people whose goal is to rid the world of evil spirits and ultimately of the demon Andras, that has been the legion's enemy for many hundred years. Now five teens have to continue their parents' or grandparents' legacy. The twins Lukas and Jared, one introduced as the bad boy, the other as the nice boy next door. Then there's the group's brilliant inventor and youngest member Priest. Alara, the only other female group member. She's very loyal and protective. And now Kennedy's a part of their group, too. 

Together they are set on finding clues that are meant to lead them to the weapon that could destroy Andras. It is a very absorbing quest and a few tasks and riddles demand to be solved.

It only takes a few days for Kennedy to become an accepted member of their group and suddenly ghosts are everywhere. Supernatural ghost encounters are the common theme in the story as one could expect from a story about ghost hunting kids. And not just your average ghosts. Kami's spirits are freakishly scary just as her ideas to frighten her readers. Ravens, abandoned prisons and old wells. Kami Garcia knows how to write a horror ghost story. Every single evil spirit in the story gave me a good scare.

The romantic relationship between Kennedy and Jared and the tension their intimacy creates between them and Jared's brother Lukas ,who obviously seems to like Kennedy as well, was generally appealing. But I always had a nagging feeling about their relationship. Not because I didn't like it (I really did), but because it wasn't as believable as I'd hope it to be/to grow. They have very strong feelings for each other from the moment they meet each other. And for me it was too early in the story that they were talking about overwhelming feelings of love and even trust issues. Too many strong emotions in too short a time, considering that both Kennedy and Jared are naturally cautious characters and trying to keep their distance. I'm really curious in which direction their relationship is headed in UNBOUND, the sequel to UNBREAKABLE.

I was surprised to read a story loaded with action, one ghost encounter following the next without lengthy dialogues or filling scenes in between. One or two more scenes on the characters in between their ghost huntings would've been appreciated, maybe a bit more on their backgrounds and former members of the legion.

Each chapter is on the shorter side with about eight to ten pages, making it easy to loose track of time and keep reading till the early hours of dawn...when it's more likely you'll be able to close your eyes after a ghost story like this anyway. 

4/5 **** UNBREAKABLE – A spine-chilling, fast-paced and ideal read for fans of Supernatural.

If you read the BEAUTIFUL CREATURES series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl you know that these two authors can write, international bestselling stories for that. UNBREAKABLE being Kami's first solo project, I was very curious to find out in how far her writing would change without the support of a co-author. The first book in the THE LEGION series was her opportunity to show how eerie ghost encounters can be. Kami Garcia always has another spooky spirit up her sleeve and the legion's five teens are easily my new favourite ghost hunters!

"As my bare feet sank into the wet earth, I tried not to think about the dead bodies buried beneath me. I had passed this tiny graveyard a handful of times but never at night, and always outside the boundaries of its peeling iron gates." ― p. 1

UNBREAKABLE by Kami Garcia you might also enjoy THE DEVOURING by Simon Holt, ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD by Kendra Blake and POSSESS by Gretchen McNeil with many new ghostly and demonic acquaintances to make.

* How do you like the US cover for UNBREAKABLE?

* Did you enjoy UNBREAKABLE? Don't forget to put its sequel, UNBOUND on your 2014 wishlist.

* Read an excerpt of UNBREAKABLE!

* Click here to watch the book trailer.

* For more information about Kami Garcia and her books visit www.kamigarcia.com.

* Thanks to Simon & Schuster UK for sending me a copy of UNBREAKABLE for review!

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YA Tricksters & Treats

YA Tricksters & Treats is part of my YA Halloween Fear Factor special this week. Today's post was originally named 'Villains You Can't Resist'. But when I thought about the YA boys who had to be on my list, I couldn't exactly think of them as villains, more as bad boys. So here are my Top 5 YA bad boys to go on a Halloween date with + candy supplies. Be careful what kind of Halloween dates they have planned for you though!

Top 5 YA Halloween Date Ideas

Psychiatry, Torture Chamber, Birds, Tunnel, City of Bones

 # 5 City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - Meet the Silent Brothers in their City of Bones.

# 4 The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson - Go on a hunt for the Ripper in the underground tunnels of London.

# 3  Divergent by Veronica Roth - Let your inner fears overwhelm you in your very own fear landscape.

# 2 The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa - Spend some time with psycho vampire Sarren in his torture chamber

# 1 The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - Visit an old psychiatry at night.

Top 5 YA Bad Boys To Date

# 5 Cole - Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Mathias Lauridsen as Cole, Licorice Lollipop

"I was in the neighborhood," he said, answering the question I was about to ask. His lips twitched. "You know, wandering around, trying to be a hero." 

Cole is set on becoming the new king of the underworld. Very ambitious and absolutely sure of himself. He's not my type, but once he works his rockstar charm he has every girl falling at his feet. He'll surprise you with an underworld treat, Homemade Licorice Lollipops. 

 
# 4 Ren -Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer

Model, Butterscotch Walnut Truffle

"The smoke of aged wood lingering beneath a chilled autumn sky, the smooth burn of well-worn leather, the seductive ribbon of sandalwood. I closed my eyes, letting his scent pour over me, filling me with memories." 

Butterscotch Walnut Truffles seem to be a good choice of sweet treat for someone who's always on the move, ready to throw himself into battle. Ren's a warrior, an Alpha wolf. He is a powerful fighter and has a strong will. He always knew that his love for Calla was true and from page one I wanted her to pick Ren over Shay. He's gorgeous and passionate, hard to resist.

 



# 3 Kaidan - Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins 

Rob Wilson as Kaidan, Candy Apples

 “He was smoking hot. As in H-O-T-T, hott. I’d never understood until that moment why girls insisted on adding an extra t. This guy was extra-t-worthy.” 

Wendy Higgins' SWEET EVIL and SWEET PERIL are two of my favourite YA books. As the son of the Duke of Lust Kaidan was born into a world of sins, crime and hate. He's been trained to be the perfect seducer, and seducing he does in SWEET EVIL. He's bad news, but so irresistible! Only think of being fed Candy Apples by Kaidan...

 # 2 The Darkling - Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Model, Black & White Candy Canes

"The problem with wanting," he whispered, his mouth trailing along my jaw until it hovered over my lips, "is that it makes us weak."

SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo was a very surprising 2012 read of mine. That's because I didn't think that I'd like the story when everyone kept recommending Leigh's debut novel. I fell head over heels in love with Mal,  Alina's best friend and never really considered the Darkling as a possible love interest. He is a very secretive and dark character, who has worked his magic on many YA readers. He'd bring Black & White Candy Canes to your date. Maybe there's some love magic in them, too.

# 1 Warner - Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
 

 Arthur Sales as Warner, Toffee Crunch Cupcakes

"It's hard to believe there's blood on the hands of the person I'm staring at. He looks soft and vulnerable-so human. His eyes are squinting from all his grinning and his cheeks are pink from the cold.
He has dimples.
He's easily the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
And I wish I'd never seen it." 

Here he is, my little Toffee Crunch Cupcake. What do you think, would Warner be okay with that pet name [laughs]? When I read SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi I knew I just had to be Team Adam. Because who would want Juliette to end up with this disturbed guy who wanted to use her as his weapon? Okay, stop screaming, I know there are actually many readers who have been shipping for Warner from the very beginning. And Tahereh made me like him so much better in UNRAVEL ME, the sequel to SHATTER ME. He fast became one of my favourite characters in the series and when you read it and you know about the steamy scenes he's involved in, you know why I voted him as my number one book bad boy to go on a Halloween date with.

Q! Which one is your favourite YA bad boy or villian? And which date would you go on?

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November Giveaway #1

So many books have been piling up on my book shelves and I decided to do a weekly giveaway. You can enter my giveaway every Saturday and it'll run till Friday. See the list below the rafflecopter widget to see which books are available. The giveaway is open internationally. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Relic by Heather Terrell (ARC)
Wild Born by Brandon Mull (ARC)
Thirteen by Tom Hoyle (ARC)
Dreamless by Josephine Angelini (UK ARC)
From What I Remember by Stacy Kramer, Valerie Thomas
Haunted by William Hussey  (UK ARC)  
What Can(t) Wait by Ashley Hope Pérez

Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook
The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Raising Demons - Rachel Hawkins

Spellbound - Rachel Hawkins

Vanish by Sopie Jordan

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
Legend by Marie Lu (signed to Sarah)
Aces Up by Lauren Barnholdt

Killer Heels by Rebecca Chance

Slide by Jill Hathaway

Imposter by Jill Hathaway

If I Should Die by Amy Plum

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa 

Teardrop by Lauren Kate

Forgotten by Cat Patrick

Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

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Book Review: Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead

Title: Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound, Last Sacrifice

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Publishing Date: 2007 - 2010

Length: between 327 – 594 pages

Keywords: YA, fiction, vampire, magic, romance, friendship

Source: Bought

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.

Summary by Goodreads 

And I thought I'd had enough of vampires. After many beloved and some stereotypical YA vampire books in the past years I felt fine with putting that category on the waiting list for a while. Until I decided to pick up the first book in this series and Richelle Mead's VAMPIRE ACADEMY restored my faith in good and imaginative vampire worlds.

I'd had my eyes on the VAMPIRE ACADEMY books for quite a while, many people kept recommending them and I can remember the rave about the last book in the series. Now with the first movie coming out in 2014 I couldn't hold out on this series any longer.

Richelle's series isn't your average -There's a vampire in this story and he's gonna bite you, so you become one, too- story. In the VAMPIRE ACADEMY series you don't encounter ordinary vampires. There are different types of blood-suckers, like different links to an evolutionary chain. Our two heroines Rose and Lissa cover the two categories of Moroi and Dhampirs. Moroi are vampires who have the power to wield magic. Dhampirs are a crossing between Moroi and humans and their task is to protect royal Moroi. At the St. Vladimir's Academy they are receiving a special training for the purpose of becoming body guards when they are finished. Those two kinds are co-existing and depending on the other, never purposefully harming humans.

The Strigoi make up the third and an entirely different category. They are soulless creatures only existing to destory and hurt humans, Moroi and Dhampirs alike. Strigoi are effortless killers, but they can also be cruel enough to turn the other vampires into one of them and doom them to become evil and heartless, too. They make for evil and seemingly unstoppable enemies in all six books of this series.

The fight between Moroi, Dhampirs and Strigoi is the main focus of the VAMPIRE ACADEMY series. Of course you can expect political, social and personal conflicts as well.

Now the St. Vladimir's Academy is home to many Moroi and Dhampirs and is the central setting for the six books in this series. Housing, training and study rooms assembled like a small campus, the academic feel is definitely there. But with all the unexpected attacks and complications appearing on the scene it's no wonder Rose and her friends are forced to leave their textbooks behind and step into battle.

The characters are travelling a lot, too. Really enjoyed seeing many new places together with Rose and her friends.

All six books read on a book binge equal a huge vamptastic adventure beyond imagination. So much action and fights! However the series has its quiet moments, too. The greatest personal focus lies on the bond Rose and Lissa share as best friends and their spiritual bond that's pretty special for Moroi standards. Rose can feel what Lissa's feeling and in certain moments even see through Lissa's eyes. At first this was a very fun aspect about their friendship. The more often Rose visited Lissa's body though, story lows occurred. Sometimes I just felt like skipping these scenes altogether.

Rose is the breakaway, tough and sexy warrior. Lissa her well-guarded, spiritual, emphatic protégé. They are body and mind, friends who rule the hearts of many readers. They are lucky to have been gifted with two equally appealling love stories, slightly erotic, romantic and steamy for sure.

Lissa finds Christian, an outsider, who was not even looking for acceptance until he met Lissa. They are healing each other from the wounds of their pasts and click together like a puzzle meant to exist. And Rose gets her love story with Dimitri. Just like everyone told me, that guy is sexy! Their difference in age and experience puts a forbidden touch to their love story. He is her instructor and she is supposed to keep her hands off him. Is that a dare? Major turn-on!

The first book in the VAMPIRE ACADEMY series is funnily the one book which I liked least out of the six books in this series. I don't remember it as overly significant to the story, not remarkable character development-wise. Its writing feels a bit clumsier than the other books. While I read all six books back to back, I definitely saw a noticeable evolution over the entire series in writing, story line, character development, and surprising moments. 

FROSTBITE, the second novel, is one of my favourie parts in the series, sending our friends on a trip to winter wonderland where they stay at a dreamy lodge. And this instalment offers the chance to make new friends and meet another boy who will play an important role in Rose's life, Adrian.

SHADOW KISS is the part of Rose's story that concentrates on the St. Vlad's students' training the most. The academy announces a big training and fight simulation for the entire school, which is supposed to prepare them for their lives as body guards.

In the beginning of each book Rose is often telling you what's happened so far. What is a thoughtful help for people who had to wait such a long time between the novels, is kind of repetitive for binge readers like me. Tiring were recaps in the beginning, retellings of major events in past books and hints as explanations to relationships strewn into the ongoing story.

BLOOD PROMISE is a lot about travelling and enduring hardships. It's probably the darkest book in this series! SPIRIT BOUND is about returning to the place you belong, your true self and the fight for justice.

And LAST SACRIFICE really is the final quest about rescuing Rose from hopefully false accusations. You'll get wild chases, final battles and new beginnings.

The books keep getting longer and longer. Currently LAST SACRIFICE is the longest book I've read so far this year. Not just in page count – 2688 pages- is this series truly epic, but in its emotional variety, youthful voices, and imaginative, adventurous story line.

5/5 ***** VAMPIRE ACADEMY Series- One of the most enthralling and memorable YA vampire worlds I've had the pleasure to live in.

A series I wish I would have encountered much sooner. I'm so glad that all six books were released already and I could pick up the next book right after one was finished. I wouldn't have wanted to wait one year for each of them to come out. The first three BLOODLINES books are waiting on my Kindle to be read. The decision whether to start the series now or wait till all of them have been released has yet to be made.

"I don't know," he teased. He looked perfectly sane now, exhibiting no trace of the weird behavior I'd witnessed in his room. And yeah, he looked a lot better in a tuxedo than any guy I'd seen in there so far. "As many times as we keep seeing each other? This is, what, the fifth time? It's starting to look suspicious. Don't worry, though. I won't tell your boyfriend. Either of them." ― Frostbite p. 230

the VAMPIRE ACADEMY series you might also enjoy its spin-off series BLOODLINES by Richelle Mead. There will be six books in this series, too. Then how about THE MORGANVILLE VAMPIRES series by Rachel Caine or BLUE BLOODS by Melissa de la Cruz? I haven't read them, but both series have many many fans.

* Can't get enough of the series? Then check out VAMPIRE ACADEMY: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE.

* Click here to read an excerpt of VAMPIRE ACADEMY.

* Visit the official VAMPIRE ACADEMY fan page!

* Watch the VAMPIRE ACADEMY movie trailer here.

*  For more information about Richelle and her books visit www.richellemead.com.

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