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irisheyz_5, February 18, 2010 (view all comments by irisheyz_5)
**Caution: this review my contain spoilers as it is the second book in a series. Proceed at your own risk**
I was never more happy to own an eReader as I was after finishing up Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. I finished that book during Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon and immediately wanted to move into the next book in the series. As the stores were closed that wasn't a possibility but thanks to the power of the internet I was able to download a copy on to Anne the eReader. Praise be for the digital age!
Frostbite picks up shortly after Vampire Academy ends this time though the story takes us from Montana to a ski lodge in Idaho. Rose again takes the narration of the story and I think that it was a good choice. Rose is such a strong character she really brings the world that Mead has built to life. Lissa, the maori princess who Rose guards, often comes across as a bit of milkmaid and I don't think she'd be able to carry the story. Rose is flawed and unapologetic. If she believes in something she'll do what ever it takes to do what she thinks needs to be done. This is both a strength and a weakness of hers that I cherish. The tension between her and Dimitri, her teacher, is palpable and grows stronger with each turn of the page.
Mead is a gifted story teller and her world springs up around you as you read. I was immersed in this story from the first page. There was mystery, adventure and romance. I cheered for Rose during her successes and yelled at her when I saw she was making a bad choice. I've said it before but I'll say it again. I love Rose for her strengths and her flaws. She is so very real and I completely captivated by her story. I am so glad that I picked up this story and can't wait to see where the series takes us next.
As originally posted on my blog: Ticket to Anywhere
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catie james, January 13, 2010 (view all comments by catie james)
For Rose Hathaway, life as a Guardian-in-training at St. Vladimir's Academy is never easy. While her best friend, future charge, and sole remaining member of the royal family member (Lissa) may no longer be in direct danger, the Strigoi (those vampires who drink blood, possess super-strength, red pupils, and have no qualms about using their powers over the elements as a method of attack) are still the greatest threat facing their Moroi counterparts.
Rose and her number one crush, instructor Dimitri Belakov discover just how significant this threat is when they arrive at what should have been Rose's make-up Qualifier exam with famed Guardian Arthur Schoenberg. What they find instead is seven royal Moroi, massacred in their own home along with their Guardians and evidence that the Strigoi are now being helped by humans.
With Christmas vacation drawing near, St. Vlad's is on high alert and not terribly inclined to unleash their students into the great wide world. A school field trip to an exclusive Moroi ski lodge is the perfect solution, not just for a Moroi seeking to elude the Strigoi, but also for Rose, who's looking to escape two recent female campus arrivals--one of whom has a history and penchant for flirting with Dimitri.
What guests from St. Vlad's and elsewhere will soon realize though--is their enemies are much closer than they think.
FROSTBITE is an engrossing, complex paranormal drama with a page-turning plot and deeply layered characters, whose growth and development over the course of the novel believable and (in some cases) inevitable. Though there were a few scenes that lagged, I had a hard time putting this book down even for necessities like eating and sleeping.
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gardner8, January 13, 2009 (view all comments by gardner8)
i loved this book. it was full of action and romancing. Rose is funny and i love dimitri. this is a great teen series, it also goes along with the house of night series.
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chelee33, May 23, 2008 (view all comments by chelee33)
I enjoyed this book so much more than the first!
I can't wait for the 3rd book to come out in the fall.
It was so much more interesting than the first, and it right from the start it was exciting.
Others I recommend: Uglies series, Twilight series, and Blueblood series.
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