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(Vampire Academy, Book 6)
Richelle Mead
Hardcover, 594 pages
Razorbill, First Edition
December 7, 2010
Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction
Book Synopsis
Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules. 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 guardians 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 whole life is about saving others, who will save you?
Join Rose, Dimitri, Adrian, and Lissa in Last Sacrifice, the epic, unforgettable finale to Richelle Mead's international #1 bestselling Vampire Academy series.
When I started reading this series, I already knew it was great. Just how great, though, I really had no idea. Richelle Mead has simply swept me away with these novels! I was unable to put down the previous books in this series, and Last Sacrifice was no exception (although Life did interrupt my reading at times). I became totally immersed in, as well as totally obsessed with, this world of good and bad vampires, dhampirs, and humans known as 'Alchemists'!
These novels have it all -- romance, action, political intrigue, mystery, suspense....and plot twists that I for one never saw coming! These are stories of loyalty vs. betrayal, love vs. duty, and the characters -- especially Rose and Dimitri -- are among the most appealing ones I've ever come across in the YA genre!
In this last installment of the series, the unthinkable has happened: Rose has been accused of murdering Queen Tatiana. Her friends immediately come to her aid, hatching a wild plan to bust her out of prison, thus buying some time in order to get evidence that will hopefully prove her innocence.
All the awesome characters readers have come to know and love are here.
Rose and Dimitri, of course, are the stars of the entire series. They have had to overcome many obstacles to their love, not least of which is Dimitri's own guilt and depression, once he has become a dhampir again. He finds it very hard to forget all the terrible things he did as a Strigoi, even though he really couldn't help doing them.
In this last volume of the series, they are thrown together during Rose's dramatic prison break. His first priority is to keep her safe long enough for evidence to be gathered, and the real murderer brought to justice. Yet, things are not quite so simple, and they must deal with the inevitable feelings that arise between them.
One character who has always stood out for me is Adrian. Yes, I do love Dimitri, but Adrian also has a very special place in my heart. Beneath his devil-may-care exterior, there's a man who is noble, kind, sensitive, and very much a passionate, tender lover. Part of me wanted his relationship with Rose to work, just because he loves her so selflessly. He's always come through for her, even though he knows that her love for him is not really as strong as he would like to believe it is.
Lissa really shines in this last novel! She has come a long way from that naive young girl I first met in the first book of the series. She and Lissa have always been great friends. Indeed, their friendship goes beyond that; they are more like sisters. They are also a study in contrasts; Lissa is a skilled user of Spirit magic, and a born diplomat, while Rose is a warrior who frequently speaks her mind, no matter what the consequences. She's also pretty much fearless.
So many things happen in this last volume....so many loose ends are also skillfully tied together. In the previous book, Lissa had turned Dimitri back into a dhampir, with the help of Spirit magic, while in this one, another character is also brought back from the ranks of the evil Strigoi, by the hand of the most unlikely person, too.
Sydney Sage, an Alchemist Rose had met in Siberia (this was in the fourth book, Blood Promise), takes a prominent role in Rose's prison break; she is also instrumental in helping Rose and Dimitri elude the guardians afterward.
When I first met Sydney, I didn't like her much; she had a very prejudiced attitude toward dhampirs and Moroi, even though Rose patiently explained that her kind, as well as Moroi, cannot and should not be compared to the totally evil Strigoi. In this last book, Sydney has, thankfully, started to overcome her own bigotry. She's even become Rose's friend, and they begin to work together quite well.
That detestable villain, Victor Dashkov, also returns in this book, along with his Spirit-using brother, Robert Doru. As events unfolded, however, I began to feel some sympathy for Victor. Mead actually made me feel sorry for him and Robert, especially toward the end of the novel.
A new group of characters is briefly introduced in this novel. These are the Keepers, as they call themselves. They are an unusual combination of Moroi, dhampirs, and humans who live in the wilderness of West Virginia, and hold to the ancient Moroi traditions. This was quite interesting to read; these people were able to live in peaceful harmony, something Rose had never seen before.
Sonya Karp, a former teacher from St. Vladimir's, also appears in this book. She holds a vitally important secret that will help Lissa's influence at Court, and indirectly help Rose, as well.
The novel ends beautifully, with lots of pomp and circumstance, as well as the perfect HEA for all the main characters. Well, except one.... Still, I was completely satisfied, and now I can't wait to move on to the Bloodlines series!
MY RATING:
These novels have it all -- romance, action, political intrigue, mystery, suspense....and plot twists that I for one never saw coming! These are stories of loyalty vs. betrayal, love vs. duty, and the characters -- especially Rose and Dimitri -- are among the most appealing ones I've ever come across in the YA genre!
In this last installment of the series, the unthinkable has happened: Rose has been accused of murdering Queen Tatiana. Her friends immediately come to her aid, hatching a wild plan to bust her out of prison, thus buying some time in order to get evidence that will hopefully prove her innocence.
All the awesome characters readers have come to know and love are here.
Rose and Dimitri, of course, are the stars of the entire series. They have had to overcome many obstacles to their love, not least of which is Dimitri's own guilt and depression, once he has become a dhampir again. He finds it very hard to forget all the terrible things he did as a Strigoi, even though he really couldn't help doing them.
In this last volume of the series, they are thrown together during Rose's dramatic prison break. His first priority is to keep her safe long enough for evidence to be gathered, and the real murderer brought to justice. Yet, things are not quite so simple, and they must deal with the inevitable feelings that arise between them.
One character who has always stood out for me is Adrian. Yes, I do love Dimitri, but Adrian also has a very special place in my heart. Beneath his devil-may-care exterior, there's a man who is noble, kind, sensitive, and very much a passionate, tender lover. Part of me wanted his relationship with Rose to work, just because he loves her so selflessly. He's always come through for her, even though he knows that her love for him is not really as strong as he would like to believe it is.
Lissa really shines in this last novel! She has come a long way from that naive young girl I first met in the first book of the series. She and Lissa have always been great friends. Indeed, their friendship goes beyond that; they are more like sisters. They are also a study in contrasts; Lissa is a skilled user of Spirit magic, and a born diplomat, while Rose is a warrior who frequently speaks her mind, no matter what the consequences. She's also pretty much fearless.
So many things happen in this last volume....so many loose ends are also skillfully tied together. In the previous book, Lissa had turned Dimitri back into a dhampir, with the help of Spirit magic, while in this one, another character is also brought back from the ranks of the evil Strigoi, by the hand of the most unlikely person, too.
Sydney Sage, an Alchemist Rose had met in Siberia (this was in the fourth book, Blood Promise), takes a prominent role in Rose's prison break; she is also instrumental in helping Rose and Dimitri elude the guardians afterward.
When I first met Sydney, I didn't like her much; she had a very prejudiced attitude toward dhampirs and Moroi, even though Rose patiently explained that her kind, as well as Moroi, cannot and should not be compared to the totally evil Strigoi. In this last book, Sydney has, thankfully, started to overcome her own bigotry. She's even become Rose's friend, and they begin to work together quite well.
That detestable villain, Victor Dashkov, also returns in this book, along with his Spirit-using brother, Robert Doru. As events unfolded, however, I began to feel some sympathy for Victor. Mead actually made me feel sorry for him and Robert, especially toward the end of the novel.
A new group of characters is briefly introduced in this novel. These are the Keepers, as they call themselves. They are an unusual combination of Moroi, dhampirs, and humans who live in the wilderness of West Virginia, and hold to the ancient Moroi traditions. This was quite interesting to read; these people were able to live in peaceful harmony, something Rose had never seen before.
Sonya Karp, a former teacher from St. Vladimir's, also appears in this book. She holds a vitally important secret that will help Lissa's influence at Court, and indirectly help Rose, as well.
The novel ends beautifully, with lots of pomp and circumstance, as well as the perfect HEA for all the main characters. Well, except one.... Still, I was completely satisfied, and now I can't wait to move on to the Bloodlines series!
MY RATING:
Richelle 
This sounds so intriguing! I love the way you broke down all the characters. I got the first book in this series from a friend for Christmas, and I'm even more excited to start it now. Beautiful review, Maria! <3
ReplyDelete~Michele
Hi, Michele!
DeleteOh, I know you'll love all of these books! They're not Twilight, but I love hem almost as much!! Wait until you meet Rose Hathaway -- she's totally kickbutt!! Hope you can start the series soon!!
Thanks so much for the lovely compliment and comment!! :)