Wednesday 9 February 2011

Book Review: Vampire Academy - Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead & Bloodlines cover alert!

* Please note: in my reviews for the  Vampire Academy series there are spoilers for previous instalments of the series.



Product details:
Publisher: Penguin
Hardcover, 594 pages.
Release date: December 7th 2010.
Rating: 4½ out of 5.
Ages:12+
Series: Vampire Academy #6

Other Books in Series: Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound.


She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir’s Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir Princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardian to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose- for a crime she didn’t even commit. She’s in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She’ll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.

But the clock on Rose’s life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back… and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your life is about saving others, who will save you?


And so it comes to an end...

I have been on such an emotional rollercoaster with this series, and so, I had very high expectations for this finale. Richelle Mead hasn't disappointed throughout this series, and I'm glad to say that here she's provided a great ending to a series I have truly come to love. I can't believe I put off reading this series for so long, and now I'm completely addicted! It was hard to say goodbye! Everything about Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series is entirely addicting and captivating. If like me, you've been putting this one on the back-burner, or if you are just a little tired of the whole vampire crazy in YA fiction, read this book, and you'll be sucked right back in! Oh, and you'll get to meet Dimitri, and, I promise, he is a delight not to be missed!

The fifth book in this series, Spirit Bound, concluded with a series of surprises and a major cliffhanger involving Rose. Richelle Mead can surprise me like no other author can! As Last Sacrifice opens, Rose is lingering in prison, framed for the assassination of Queen Tatiana, and awaiting trial. Even worse, it seems as though almost everybody has already concluded that Rose is guilty of this heinous crime, and so death awaits her. Let's not forget though, that Rose is armed with an important piece of knowledge, a long held secret, which, if she can uncover, will allow Lissa to ascend to power at the Royal Court. This in turn, would make life a whole lot easier for Rose. The race is on to free Rose, and I can feel another prison break a-brewing!

This book has a little bit of everything. There's all the romance, action and adventure, you've come to expect from this series. We're taken along on a road-trip-with-an-edge courtesy of Rose and Dimitri, who are soon joined by Sydney, the alchemist Rose met in Russia. Back at the Royal Court Lissa, Adrian and Christian, band together to try and prove Roses innocence with some surprising results! This book also saved the character of Lissa for me. I have never totally warmed to her character, but here she's much more mature and considered and really looks out for Rose. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm on “Team Lissa” but she definitely annoyed me a little less in this book!

I savoured every page of Last Sacrifice, and I will say that while I found a couple of the plot-lines a little predictable, I so loved getting to spend more time with these characters. Rose remains strong and feisty, but she has that vulnerable side too. She's such a well rounded character and is one of my all time favourite female protagonists. Dimitri is just dreamy here, but I have also totally warmed to Adrian recently and I found myself completely torn between the two at times. Christian remains a favourite of mine, as he has been right from the start. He was actually the first VA guy I liked! I think it's safe to say that Vampire Academy has the best boys, and if the movie version comes to fruition, the eye candy is going to be insane!!

As the last in a series, this one doesn't contain the shocking cliffhangers of previous books, and the main storylines are wrapped up quite nicely. I have to say, though, that if I hadn't already known about the spin-off, Bloodlines, when I read this, I would be absolutely seething about the conclusion for one of my favourite guys here! I'm hoping instead, that he'll feature quite heavily in the spin-off, so I'm totally looking forward to that.

Goodbye, Rose. Bring on Bloodlines!


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If you haven't already seen the cover for the Vampire Academy spin-off Bloodlines, here it is! It's not my favourite cover, I'll admit, but then, I've never been a huge fan of the VA covers overall.  With these books, it's what's inside that counts! That's Sydney on the cover there, and I'm hoping that's Adrian right beside her! I do wonder if Sydney can carry a series as well as Rose can, but I'm looking forward to finding out! This is out in August 2011 in the US. No word on the UK release date or cover art yet.

What do you think VA fans?








15 comments :

  1. It was so sad to know that Rose' story was coming to an end, glad you enjoyed it!

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  2. I haven't gotten to read Last Sacrifice yet, but I can't wait! I've heard a lot of mixed things about how people are feeling about the series finale, but I'm still excited! Glad you enjoyed it!

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  3. I love Rose too. She is such a strong and also fun character. And her and Dimitri.....awwwww so sweet. I am hoping her and Dimitri pop up in Bloodlines. Great review :)

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  4. This is a series that was already out when I began blogging and have not yet read. However, your passion for it is very persuasive and now that it is all wrapped up I am going to give it a try. At least I will not have to wait for the books to be released. Great review, thanks.

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  5. I have just read the first book but I agree about Rose. She's such a strong character , which is a refreshing change from the weak female characters in YA fiction. Dimitri is definitely dreamy! :D

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  6. Yay! I'm so glad that you loved this series :-) I'm not a big fan of the Bloodlines cover it looks kinda cheap and tacky especially the font but then again like you I've never been a fan of the covers. It's inside what counts though and I'm still so excited to read it!

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  7. I was sad to see the series go. But I love the new cover for Bloodlines. That is going to be another book I must read.

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  8. I'm so so glad you loved this series Leanna! It was one of the first series I read when I got back into reading and I just adore Rose, Dimitri and all the other characters. I agree these books are utterly addicting and they will always have a special place on my shelf. Beautiful review, I couldn't agree more with what you said about savoring every page of LS, that's definitely what I did!

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  9. I like the cover, but I would rather see something very different. A spin off? Already? I haven't started reading the VA books yet. :(

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  10. @Nina - If you start reading these, you will get through the series really quickly. They are addictive!

    @Jess - I'm really not liking the font either!!

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  11. I've only just read book 2, but I'm so glad that people are loving the entire series! Great review, Leanna! By the way...I really don't like the cover for Bloodlines...at all haha :)

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  12. Ooohhh! I knew there was going to be a spinoff but I hadn't heard who it was going to be about yet. This is my favorite vamp series by far. So glad I get to enjoy more of it!

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  13. I'm about 50 pages into this book and loving it so far! I was so happy to see Sydney again. And already Dimitri has some great lines. I still love Adrian too though.

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  14. Great review! I love this series, I started reading it when it first came out and it's always been a favourite of mine. I agree about the slight predictability, but I love the way pretty much everyone's life was well wrapped up (except for the character I'm assuming you're referring too and I know he features heavily in Bloodlines so that's probs why)
    Of course I started off on team Dimitri, but actually from about book 4 onwards I was totally team Adrian.
    Christian is one of my favourite characters too =]

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  15. I prefer the dutch covers (for VA, absolutely NOT for bloodlines), especially the first:
    http://www.deboekenplank.nl/ISBN/978/12875.jpg
    But they totally ruined the name; i mean: "Academicus Vampirus"? Really?

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