Shadow Kiss

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Release Date: November 13th, 2008
Publisher: Razorbill
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 443
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Is Rose's fate to kill the person she loves most? 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.

This book just choked me up. It was full of action that was intense it had me gripping the book tightly in my hands.

The relationship between all the characters intensified. Rose is still secretly in love with Dimitri. Christian and Rose become better friends as they team up in her protection practice. They not only become friends but also a fighting force which is incredible in the action scene.

This book is my favorite in the series. It had me in tears at the end, and those of you who have read it, know why. It was just too much for me to handle. I cannot wait for Blood Promise to come out.

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Frostbite

Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Release Date: April 10th, 2008
Publisher: Razorbill
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 336
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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 put the school on high alert, and now the Academy's crawling with Guardians--including Rose's hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if handto- 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...

Richelle Mead did not disappoint in her sequel to Vampire Academy. The story picks up almost immediately where the first one left off, throwing the reader right back into the action. It was intense and nerve racking, and yet loving and exciting at the same time.

The characters are even more loveable. Rose becomes the instant heroine yet again and it is not because her life is so simple. You simply want her to have the best and yet trouble is never far behind for her. I was extremely frustrated at points with Dimitri when things did not go the way I wanted it to between them.

However, I was not disappointed with the ending and it only left me wanting more. It is too much to wait for books to come out and makes me extremely exasperated when others get to read them first.

Can’t wait for the others!

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Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever

Maximum Ride: School’s Out Forever by James Patterson

Release Date: September 1st, 2009
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 409
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Brave bird-kid Max and her flock fly south on a perilous quest to find their parents, after having rescued Angel and recovered secret documents about their origins. But just when they think they've finally escaped the hungry claws of evil Erasers, they're discovered by an FBI agent and forced to face perhaps an even worse nightmare: going to school. There's no such thing as an ordinary day when Max's "homework" includes decoding documents, deciphering when (and how) she's supposed to save the world, and learning to face what may be her greatest enemy: herself. A clone. Max II.

This sequel to The Angel Experiment did not leave me disappointed. It picked up right where the first one left off and was a great book.

The character relationships grew even more in this book, and it is even more evident why these bird-kids stick together instead of going off on their own. Even more twists are thrown at the reader as they try to figure out who the true enemy is in this book. There would be a moment of peace for the reader and the bird-kids until some new challenge was thrown at them.

This is definitely a series to keep one’s eyes on. It’s a new and original story written in an easy, fast pace way.

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Catching Fire

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Release Date: September 1st, 2009
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 432
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Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

I received an ARC of this book when a friend sent it to me in the mail after I started my blog. While it wasn’t from Suzanne Collins or Scholastic I was still super excited when I got this book. I have wanted to read this book since I finished reading The Hunger Games little less than a year ago.

Just like The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins threw twists and cliffhangers at the reader left and right. I read this book in one day, staying up until four a.m. simply having to know what happens to Katniss and Peeta. While some questions were answered, she threw out even more questions making the reader beg for an answer before the book is finished. Unfortunately, not all were answered before the book was concluded.

We get a deeper insight into Katniss and her feelings for both Peeta and Gale, which was a big question at the end of Hunger Games. We also see how the two boys respond to her when she comes to cope with her own feelings. We also get a deeper look into characters we thought we had already figured out completely, like Haymitch.

This book was not a disappointment at all. It reached the expectation that Hunger Games left me hunger for, if not excelling it even more. I cannot wait for the next and final book in the series.

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