Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy book 3) by Richelle Mead

 Synopsis    

It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since making her first Strigoi kills, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She's having dark thoughts, behaving erratically, and worst of all... might be seeing ghosts.

As Rose questions her sanity, new complications arise. Lissa has begun experimenting with her magic once more, their enemy Victor Dashkov might be set free, and Rose's forbidden relationship with Dimitri is starting to heat up again. But when a deadly threat no one saw coming changes their entire world, Rose must put her own life on the line - and choose between the two people she loves most.

Review

Let me first say this book is a major step up from the first two books, we get more intrigue, romance and kick ass than the other 2 put together. Firstly there’s Rose who keeps seeing the ghost of Mason, who appears to be trying to telling her something, put this together with her bizarre behaviour and short temper, people are beginning to believe that she may be losing her sanity. It isn’t until we get towards the end of the book, that we find out why these things are happening, the author cleverly keeps you hanging on to the bitter end!!

Lissa is the happiest she’s been for a very long time, and is once again practicing her magic, whilst teaching Adrian. No one though seems to question the change in both her and Rose’s behaviour, readers are left hanging on until the end of the book, to find out why.

I’ll try not to spoil the end too much, but Rose finally gets what she’s wanted and then it’s cruelly snatched away. I was devastated & crying at the end (I’m not ashamed to admit it) as this turn of events came as a bolt from the blue. The author had cleverly given little indication of what was going to happen until you turn to the page and read it. I was shocked at what happened and how this changed my whole concept of how I thought the books were going to continue. Once I read the rest of the exerts for the next 3 books, did I fully understand where Richelle was going with her writing. It takes a skilled writer to completely turn a story on it’s head, whilst keeping it credible. The book twists and turns, in the story line and whilst the book didn’t end how I wanted it to, it’s Richelle’s unpredictability which keeps the reader hooked and wanting to buy the next book.
Some readers may think Richelle took a big risk ending the book as she did, but that’s what makes it a great book. I would highly recommend this book, if your new to the series, persevere with the first 2 books and you won’t be disappointed with the third.

I rate this book