Review: Shadow Kiss

By: Richelle Mead
Published: November 2008 by Razorbill
Format: Paperback, 443 pages
First Reviewed: August 2011
Buy: Barnes & Noble//Books-A-Million//Amazon//Book Depository
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What is following her heart means Rose could love her best friend forever?

It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since Mason's death, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She has dark flashbacks in the middle of practice, can't concentrate in class, and has terrifying dreams about Lissa. But Rose has an even bigger secret . . . .She's in love with Dimitri. And this time, it's way more than a crush.
Then Strigoi target the academy in the deadliest attack in Moroi history, and Dimitri is taken. Rose must protect Lissa at all costs, but keeping her best friend safe could mean losing Dimitri forever…

Rating: 5/5

Another re-read. Duh. Oh. My. God. OHMYGOD! There's not another book--ever!--that can continually screw me up no matter how many times I read it. Mead, gosh darnit, you've killed me so many times I'm surprised I'm not seeing ghosts and sensing Strigoi like Rose. Of course, that will make no sense to y'all who haven't read this series.

Okay, I'm serious, you guys. You don't understand unless you've read it. The impact it has is incredible. Mead has connected me to these characters in such a way that I'm literally in turmoil, thankful I don't have to wait eight months like I did the very first time I read this.

Not only do I think this is the book where Mead's writing really, really took off, it's also the one that took this series from pretty awesome to OHMYFREAKINGGAH!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, exclamation points and all caps needed. What I did notice this time around was that Mead loves to retell the reader things we've learned in other books. Which is all right to a degree, but I found myself skipping paragraphs here and there when she'd tell me something the readers already know. But, honestly, that's my only nitpick. She even laid off so many adverbs, and I didn't find any errors. :D

Just...I don't even know how to describe this book. Considering it was a re-read, the whole time I was just catching the foreshadows and freaking out at random times. But it also made me realize just how skilled Mead is at crafting plots. Seriously, you guys. The plots are so intricate that pieces upon pieces are woven around Rose--who, still, was as amazing as ever--and set up so much for the future books, while still keeping purposes for this book clear. It's hard to explain, but Mead just gets me so involved in the story and the mysteries and the twists and the romance--oh my god, the romance; I'm not kidding when I say VA is the only series to give me literary crushes; three and a half, to be exact.

Again, these books have sexual scenes and language, but coming from someone who hates that stuff but flippin' loves this book, should tell you something. If you read the first book or two and didn't care for them, you need to keep reading. You have no idea what you're missing. Anyway, I'm out because I have Blood Promise to dive into. So I'll be in Russia for a few hours. Peace!