Frostbite by Richelle Mead | Book Review

(Frostbite # 2)

Published: April 10th 2008

Synopsis:

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose…

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks… This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price…

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My rating: 4/5 (Really Good)

Book Information

Publisher: Razorbill

Genre(s): Young-adult Paranormal Romance

Page Count: 327

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 1595141758

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Hey there! It’s been a while since I’ve done my Vampire Academy review, and I want to continue with doing reviews for the rest of the series. So, I’m here with a review on the second book of the series, Frostbite! 🙂 And to be clear, I enjoyed Frostbite more than Vampire Academy, although they have the same rating. Both books are awesome, and I definitely recommend them.

Just a little note: Frostbite, like the other books in the Vampire Academy has a couple of different covers. The first cover below is the featured one for this review, but the second picture with the covers are the different covers you might see. Just a little observation! 😉

Press the images for a more clear view.

Moving on to Frostbite.

Frostbite picks up shortly after the events Vampire Academy, and everything had returned (partially) back to normal. Rose Hathaway and her best friend Lissa Dragomir are still trying to catch up on their studies. When Rose and Dimirti arrive at the house of the Moroi family skilled guardian Arthur Schoenberg protects for Rose’s Qualifier Exam, they discover that the family and their guardians had been murdered. The attack has the Moroi and dhampir community worried and frightened, and to keep the Academy students safe, the school administrators decide to take the school to a ski resort for the holidays. Here, Rose meets Adrian Ivashkov, a Moroi from one of the royal families who shows an interest in her. Rose tries to get over Dimitri by trying to get with Mason (who has obvious feelings for her) but fails when Rose gets filled with jealousy when she learns that Dimitri had been offered the position as Tasha Ozera’s guardian–Chrisitian Ozera’s aunt–and potentially her romantic partner. As a result of her anger and jealousy, Rose makes rash decision that have severe consequences, and has to make things right before it’s too late.

Like in Vampire Academy, I enjoyed the new take on vampires, especially since the plot also advanced in a new direction. While in the first book the plot was kind of a mix of Mean Girls with paranormal action and that stuff, Frostbite’s story line becomes more developed and serious, which I really enjoyed. There was more action in this, and the beginning didn’t drag out as much, since we already passed the introduction to the Vampire Academy world in the first book. 🙂

Rose Hathaway (Zoey Deutch)

I also enjoyed the characters more in this book, especially Rose. She didn’t have a huge, unrealistic change in her where she becomes the most mature and responsible ever, instead we see small choices, small decisions she makes that shows how she’s slowly learning more to be a stronger, and more careful person. Don’t get me wrong, she’s still the same alluring, unique and reckless person she was in the first book, but now she’s learning to control her reckless impulse to prevent the dangerous consequences. There are still moments in the book where I feel like hanging her upside down and smacking her (especially when the green-eyed monster makes an appearance) but overall she’s strong, inspiring, and still the same Rose I came to know and enjoy in the first book.

Rose’s best friend Lissa didn’t make that much of an appearance in this book I have to say, but of what I’ve seen of

Lissa (Lucy Fry) and Christian Ozera (Dominic Sherwood)

her, I liked her, I guess. What kind of annoyed me was that she became one of those girls who, once they have a boyfriend, doesn’t spend as much time with anyone else. This didn’t become a huge issue, but the feeling was there. Her boyfriend, Christian, made more of an appearance, especially near the end, and I really enjoyed his character. He was still the same mysterious, dark character that annoyed the hell out of Rose, but we’re able to appreciate his determination and courage. Speaking of Lissa and Christian, I loved their relationship! They set off each other really well, and it seemed really real, for what I’ve seen of it.

Since I’m on the subject of romance, I might as well mention here that Dimitri was also very enjoyable. The romance between him and Rose is on and off, and what romance scenes there are is sparking hot but also honest and true. He’s an awesome character that matches with Rose well; she teaches him to let loose, he teaches her to rein it in, but also accepts her for who she is.

The writing style flowed smoothly, and really got me mixed in with Rose’s emotions, what she’s seeing, feeling, everything she’s going through. And that’s what good writing’s supposed to do!

Overall, Frostbite is a fast-paced story, filled with forbidden love, mystery, and action. If you’ve read and enjoyed Vampire Academy, I definitely recommend this (it’s the sequel, so, of course I recommend it!), or if you like vampires and YA paranormal romance. Frostbite is the thrilling second installment in Richelle Mead’s bestselling Vampire Academy, and I’m pretty sure you won’t regret this read!

Can you guess what we’re eating today? No? Well I’ll give you a hint: it’s what the trailer below is based on. Check it out!

-A