RATING: 
(Vampire Academy #4)
Rose Hathaway’s life will never be the same.
The recent attack on St. Vladimir’s Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose’s neck, a mark that says she’s killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life’s vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She’ll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?
Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir’s and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?
Book 1: Vampire Academy review | Book 2: Frostbite review | Book 3: Shadow Kiss review
*****
REVELATIONS.
Blood Promise started out great, got boring in the middle, then slamdunkenly surprising in the end (well almost, there’s this one part that i’m pretty sure is predictable). I have mixed feelings on this one, but the wrap-up made all the difference for it to garner 4 stars. Really, Richelle Mead, i thought you’re running out of material and yet this fourth book shoots to a whole new level of awesome.
Rose went to Russia (or was it Siberia already?) to look for Dmitri’s hometown in hopes of finding him there. She met Sydney (the alchemist), Abe (the mobster), and eventually Dmitri’s family (the Belikovs). Rose is on the verge of a being a lost cause: she misses Lissa (which is still a weakling, ugh), she still can’t find Dmitri, and she’s haunted by Dmitri’s memories. I felt bad for her, but she’s strong. But when she became that one thing she fears the most (after her fear of turning Strigoi), I started to condemn her. She lost her dhampir skills and abilities which took up a lot of time. Sigh. But she bumped her head, retrieved her senses (thank God!) and got better in the end. I love the last part of the book, nearing the end, where she doesn’t give up despite the odds being stacked against her. Wow, that’s resilience.
There are a lot of new characters here, and the expansion was workable on Rose’s story that is still evolving to new adventures.
Blood Promise is a startling read. When you lose someone you love, do you try your best to move on? or do you pursue any idea, no matter how crazy it is, and do it just to bring them back? How about you and Rose have a talk, because she’s contemplating this as well, since her love for Dmitri certainly knows no bounds.
#23 Off-the-Shelf Reading Challenge 2011
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.: maria :.
“giving up is the ultimate tragedy.”
reading is the ultimate aphrodisiac. 