Frostbite by Richelle Mead is the second in the Vampire Academy series of books and continues the story of Rose and Lissa. We learn more about their bond and about the spirit magic that Lissa wields. We also get to meet Rose’s mother, legendary dhampir guardian Janine Hathaway and we see the less than warm relationship the two share. The attitude of Moroi towards their dhampir protectors and their lack of responsibility for their own safety is started to be explored through the character of Tasha Ozera. What I liked Character and relationship development. I liked how the bond between Rose and Lissa continued to be explored. it was interesting that Mead presented the developments in such a way that Rose’s absorbing Lissa’s spirit darkness was obvious to the reader long before the characters themselves worked it out. That is a technique used rather a lot by Mead. Another example would be Adrian’s use of alcohol and drugs to counter spirit magic’s unwelcome side effects. For me that worked well, although some readers may be rather irritated by the characters’ blindness to these developments. I also liked Rose’s realisation that killing Strigoi is not as glorious as it sounds in…
In Mead’s world there are two kinds of vampires – the “good” mortal vampires known as Moroi and the evil undead bloodsucking amoral Strigoi. Vampire Academy tells the story of Vasilisa Dragomir, a Moroi princess, and her half vampire half human guardian Rose Hathaway and the bond they share. This is actually the second time I have read Vampire Academy. The first time I read it was a few years ago, I remember thinking it was a fun read and that I would perhaps get round to reading the rest of the series some day. The second time I read it though, maybe in contrast to some of the books I’ve read recently, the characters just leapt off the page at me. I became so hooked on the series that I have been marathoning it. I’m currently on book four of six, with spinoff series Bloodlines in prospect. Expect more Vampire Academy reviews to follow. What I liked Three dimensional characters. I loved how Mead wrote both Lissa and Rose. I felt it was a very realistic depiction of young women on the cusp of adulthood, learning to deal with issues of love and life. Setting aside all the vampire…