this is the best book in the series...amazing reads

***CONTAINS SPOILERS***

I am absolutely loving this series. It's just so different from other vampire books written for young adults - a little more mature, a little more involved, a lot more intrigue. All that good stuff.

In Shadow Kiss, the 3rd installment of the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, Rose is growing up. It's been nice to see her change throughout these 3 books, going from someone who seemed destined to become a blood wh*re to someone who is dedicated in her calling as a guardian, being able to (almost) control her emotions and put the Moroi first (They come first).

Of course, I find that as the series goes on, I'm stuck in the middle of a pendulum with Dimitri on one side and Adrian on the other - as much as I love Dimitri and love the connection that him and Rose have, part of me really wants to see what would happen if Rose hooked up with Adrian. I know it's just a book and all, but Adrian has a certain charm that Dimitri is lacking.

But then, I wrote that above paragraph BEFORE finishing the book and I have to say that while I started to expect what would happen, I didn't think that Rose would turn Adrian down like that. Yes, I get that she has to kill Dimitri now, but still … what will the other books be like when it's ONLY Rose and not Lissa, or Adrian, or Christian, or even Alberta or Janine. I guess I'll have to read to find out, right?

Speaking of Janine, I really like how the relationship between her and her daughter, Rose, is evolving. At first it seemed forced - Rose resented her, hated her even - but now they're both discovering that the other one is human and are almost to the point where they could have a decent mother-daughter relationship. Or, as much of a relationship that can be in this world.

The whole Mason thing was a nice touch - I really liked how Rose could say goodbye to him in the end. However, I felt like his part of the story made it all just a little too easy for the rest of the characters. I understand how Rose is shadow kissed and she has that connection with the dead, but Mason seemed to know everything. And it seemed too coincidental that a Moroi teacher just happened to have done extensive research on the caves behind the academy, making it easier for the guardians and others to find the Strigoi.

In the end, though, I love these books. I'm about to dive into the 4th book, Blood Promise, and I'm hoping that something good happens. If Richelle Mead's other books in this series are any indication, I'm sure something will.

All six books of the Vampire Academy series are excellent. Best vampire series after Trueblood.

This book, which is the third, was even better than the first two books combined. I can't believe how awesome it began and ended. There was even a battle scene in this book which had me hanging onto every word. The love scenes melted my heart and I even almost cried at the heartbreak at the end. I need to buy the next book! (btw, the Russian covers for these books are so much better than the American ones. I don't know why they changed them. Oh well.)