Happy Monday! Moving on with all the reviews that I had not actually gotten to, but I really needed to. This is next on the list of things that I need to give to you. Lets just say Newts are not going well. Like not well at all. Lol I ended up training a new person at work, and when I use work as my big time to read, I am left with little to no time to read at all. We will see how far I get with books and book reviews. I’m not expecting very far tbh.
Anyway! Diving back into the books that I am doing as a read-along.
Customary warning: This is a reminder that these are my personal opinions. My thoughts and feelings are not your thoughts and feelings. I may not always be the target audience for a book; sometimes I am. If I do not like a book, that doesn’t mean you’ll dislike it. If I love a book or simply like a book, you may hate it. Take everything I say with this knowledge. If it sounds interesting to you despite what I’ve said, then go ahead and read it. You’ll only know you like something if you read it yourself.
That being said… Spoilers ahead.
Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead
Synopsis From The Book
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….
Fantasy – Paranormal Romance | YA – PW |Character Death, Talk of Depression, Mental Torture | Friendship, Accepting Change, Family and Familial Ties
Initial Thoughts Before Reading:
Alright here we go! Its kind of interesting to be reading this when I am, because I’m reading (I think) five different series at this time, and everyone is amazed with how I’m keeping everything straight. Lol, either way. Will Rose and Lissa be okay? With Rose get with Dimitri? Will everything be okay? No to the last one. This series has three more books, after all. LOL Onward!
Initial Thoughts After Reading:
Wha. I’m exhausted. Legit right after I read this my friend called me to tell me her boyfriend proposed and so it was like whiplash between sorrow of love in a book and happiness for love IRL. I can’t believe what happened to Dimitri, well I can but like I didn’t want it. I do wish they cared more about Rose seeing ghosts, but their reaction to not trusting her makes sense. This book was a rollercoaster and we still have three more? Goodness. I’m going to devour these books.
Plot Overview:
The book picks up 3 weeks after the events of Frost Bite. After waking from a nightmare (where she was in Lissa’s body and Lissa was making out with Christian, aka she was living in Lissa’s body), Rose runs outside. She and Dimitri talk and when back in her room, Rose sees Mason out in the trees. But not real Mason, a ghost like version. She freaks out and ignores it. The next day they get their assignments for trials. All the Dhampir seniors are required to watch another Moroi for six weeks. Eddie, Mason’s former best friend and Rose’s friend, gets Lissa. Rose gets Christian. It is, in part, to help her when she has to protect others, because she won’t always have the connection to rely on. Rose doesn’t like it but she accepts it.
Most of the first day is okay, until Rose is confronted by a “Strigoi” attack. The Guardians are acting as Strigoi and the novices have to defeat them. Rose freezes because she sees Mason who points in some way towards campus. She is immediately flung into the principal’s office, because they claim she did nothing in protest of not wanting to be teamed up with Christian. The next day, everyone knows but Christian doesn’t believe it. He saw her face, and he knows it was something else. He was also there when she fought against the Strigoi, so he knows she wouldn’t just freeze either. Rose tells no one that she saw Mason. However she does reveal that Viktor is getting a trial and may have the chance at being released. She learned this the night she first saw Mason. On her second “Strigoi” encounter they are more stringent on her and tell her she’s not good enough. Christian gets invited to hang out with the popular Moroi and declines.
On Sunday, the group goes to church and Rose does her mandatory volunteer service. Dimitri is volunteering too. Rose talks to the priest that tells her that ghosts can stay on the earth for 40 days after death for many reasons and Rose wonders if that applies to Mason. Rose and Dimitri go to the younger student campus where Rose meets Jillian. Jill fan girls for a while and then runs off leaving Rose stunned. Rose then finds out that she and the others are going to the trial. On the plane ride Rose gets a bad migraine that even Lissa’s healing can’t fix.
At the Royal Court, Lissa talks to the Queen and defends herself, saying that the Moroi must change. Rose gets blackmailed by Vicktor, and she and Dimitri take care of it. The trial goes without a hitch, even though Vicktor tells everyone that Rose and Dimitri had relations. No one believes him and he is sentenced to life in prison. Lissa talks to the Queen again, who wants Lissa to live at the Court when she goes to college. The Queen then speaks to Rose and demands Rose stop dating Adrian so that he can date Lissa. She also says that Christian isn’t good enough for Lissa. Rose and Lissa have a spa day, and meet the paramore of the queen: Amberose, a Dhampir who decided not to become a guardian. They return back on the plane to the school.
They are unable to land at the school so they land at a human airport. Once they land, Rose is bombarded with ghosts and passes out. It is the moment that everyone learns she’s seeing ghosts. The doctors tell her she must get counseling. Adrian continues his practice with Spirit and he sees that Lissa’s darkness goes into Rose. Rose finds out that Shadow Kissed Anna killed herself. After her therapy session she has Adrian use compulsion on her to see if her desire for Dimitri is real. She confirms it is real. As Christian feeds, she learns from the woman that the wards are supposed to keep all the dead out, even ghosts. Rose realizes something is wrong with the wards.
She goes to talk to Dimitri who tells her its fine. She finally proves herself in a pop quiz test. She has another counseling session, and meets up with Christian after who is yelling at Adrian. She admits she knew the Queen wanted Lissa and Adrian together. They look for Lissa and find her at the border for the school being hurt by Moroi guys who had been harassing students at the school. Lissa wants to hurt Jesse and Rose takes her anger and Dimitri has to drag her away. The two of them have sex.
Mason appears before Rose when Dimitri and Rose leave the cabin and the wards breaks. Dimitri sends Rose running to tell the campus. They get straight into lockdown but Rose finds out through her connection with Lissa, that Christian is missing. She hunts him down and they take down Strigoi. They then go to the Elementary campus and help take down many more as a tag duo with Guardian skills and fire. Thirteen people are taken at the end, and a few are killed but with the amount of Strigoi that attacked, their casualty numbers are low. Christian and Rose are both criticized and praised because so many of the kills were made by the two of them.
A team is made to rescue the others. Rose’s mom arrives as backup. In order to find where the Strigoi had gone, Rose leaves the barrier with Dimitri watching and asks Mason. He tells her and they make a map and plan of attack. Change happens and the Guardians agree to bring Moroi who can use fire. They attack the hide out and can help others to escape. On the escape more Strigoi stop them and Dimitri goes down. Rose is forced to return without him. Mason tells her that he is not dead and not alive either.
Rose realizes he’s a Strigoi. A week later, she turns 18 and she seduces Adrian to get money from him to go off on her own. She drops out of school and is confronted by Lissa who tells her she can’t go. She snaps at Lissa and leaves anyway.
What I Liked:
Rose telling off Lissa; I needed this. I really did. Lissa was beginning to get on my nerves and Lissa telling her off for once felt so right.
Rose exploring what Lissa’s doing to her as well as how her trauma is affecting her; I’m happy that this was addressed, because Lissa was really starting to change Rose. Rose really needs to work on it, and hopefully Lissa will be able to heal her one day too.
The Trial; WOW. This was so short and it felt so good. I was expecting it to be long and drawn out. Instead it was not. How refreshing.
Reaction to Rose seeing Ghosts; Honestly, the reaction was too real. Instead of believing her, they started taking care of her. I liked this, however I wanted them to believe her too. They have lore about ghosts for heaven’s sake.
Losing Dimitri; oh my heart. After such an epic battle we lost him to the Strigoi. I wasn’t ready. He’s a Strigoi now. He’s evil. I have so many feels I cant…
What I Would Have Liked or Changed:
Maybe a few more kisses between Rose and Dimitri, just to give them a bit more time together. I cry…
Rating: 4/5
Notable Quotes:
“You will lose what you value most, so treasure it while you can. The wheel is turning, always turning.” – pg 235
Marlena Marie 
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