This only the second book but I can already see how exciting the next books will be. Richelle Mead is a goddess. I am not even exaggerating. I have no complaints, the story is perfect. I totally got sucked in. I forgot that I love Eric Northman and Sookie Stackhouse. That is huge because Southern Vamps, is the one series that I cannot stop recommending to people. There's something about the world of the Moroi, and Dhampirs figthing the blood thirsty Strigoi that fascinates me at no end, their interaction is somehow realistic. Love triangles, cliff hangers, mystery, politics, new intriguing and interesting characters, sexual tension, and drama, drama, drama. I had a hard time writing this review. I did three revisions. The problem was, I can't seem to shut up, I don't want to give away anything major. I think I finally got myself satisfied with this one, so here goes.Book 1 ends with Victor and Natalie as the perpetrator. Book 2 posed so many complexity in Rose's life. First Dimitri accompanied her on a drove 5 hours for Rose's Qualifier's exam only to find out the guy that would be testing her was dead - massacred, together with his Moroi charge and family. There they found disturbing evidence that humans are possibly involve, she found a silver stake at the ground that clearly cut off the wards. Second, her mother showed up and gave her a black eye when they were on sparring practice. Third, her feelings towards Dimitri is still intact and no matter what distractions and mental pep talk she gives herself, she keep coming back to where she started. Fourth, Lord Adrian - a new character that got some interesting and very suspicious powers. Fifth, her non-existent feelings for Mason. Sixth, the bond that she shared with Lissa. But those are actually petty issues compared on what happened at the end. Another attacked three states away, made a former enemy now their ally. A tragedy caused by wrong judgement resulted in a tragedy that took a life of one of the few important people in her life. She did get her first two Molnija tattoo for decapitating two Strogi but it wasn't as glamorous and she did not feel as proud as she imagined it to be. That last part suck but it was brilliant. I got carried away and felt Rose's pain. Something big is coming up. Rose seems to be getting moody and her personality is becoming darker. What big surprises will I get in reading book 3? Only way to find out... ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed this book even more than the first. The narrator is kick-ass, but still manages to progress throughout the book. This time around, she really learns from her mistakes and is wiser than in the first one. Even though I didn't think much was going on plot wise in the first half of the book, I thought the ending was surprising. I was also grateful for the change of scenery. My only problem with this book is Lissa. I still don't see why Rose wants to protect her so much....she doesn't seem that great to me. In fact, Lissa was barely present in this one, which was both good and bad. It was good because I dislike Lissa, but bad because if she keeps making such sparse appearances, I will never learn to like her.
It was better than the first, but needs a little bit more work to make it fantastic ( )

These books are total cheap thrills, and a bit trashy, but I just can't seem to stop reading them ( )

It sometimes amazes me how authors are able to come up with such fantastic stories – and Richelle Mead is one of these authors! I absolutely loved Frostbite, probably more so than I did Vampire Academy!

If you wanted to compare books, there is a lot less of Lissa in this novel, and a lot less intrigue throughout the first part of the novel. This is not a bad thing though. Sometimes, when reading the first book in a series, it’s obvious it’s a first book; it’s setting up the plot for future stories, it introduces characters and mythology, it gives you enough to whet your appetite, but isn’t exactly a complete story. Vampire Academy wasn’t like that, it was it’s own full story, with it’s own plotline, and it was incredible – but after reading Frostbite, you can see how it could work like an obvious first story, as we know all of the above, and now we have, in Frostbite, what I would say is Rose’s story.

As I said, there was less intrigue; there was the worrying about Lissa’s powers and who was after her in the first novel, but in Frostbite, the danger isn’t necessarily on anyone specific, it’s just there. We focus a lot more on Rose’s relationship with her mother, her feelings towards the guys in her life, the gorgeous Dimitri and the lovely Mason, and some issues with herself about whether she’s changed or not. It’s a brilliant insight into Rose, where as the first book was more focused on her wanting to protect Lissa. It was great to see more of this Rose, vulnerable Rose, and to see her grow.

Yes, there is less Lissa as I said, but there is more of some other characters that we have come to love – or love to hate – like Christian, Mason, and Mia. And, well, wow! I can’t really go into it without spoiling the story, but these three, along with Rose... seriously, you won’t believe what you’re reading, but it does make sense. Frostbite is quite a sad book, I was close to tears at one point, but it’s amazing the strength people can show when things get really bad. I really was completely wowed. And the action! Bloody brilliant! Don’t you just love it when you can’t see a way out of a bad situation, and an author chucks in something that completely blows you away? Simply amazing, but extremely powerful.

As well as more of old characters, we meet some new ones too, namely Janine, Rose’s mum, Tasha, Christian’s aunt, and Adrian, a royal Moroi also holidaying in Idaho. And I love them all, I think. At times, you dislike them all for whatever reasons, I won’t spoil it for you, but I loved seeing Janine, and understanding Rose’s feelings towards her and seeing her work through it. Tasha is also pretty damn lovely lady, and a bit of a revolutionary, and Adrian... well, he’s just sexy and charming, and too bloody arrogant. I’m slightly on the fence when it comes to him, I’m not sure what his game is, but... I like him, I think. My instincts say to be wary, but don’t write him off completely. So we’ll see. I look forward to seeing more of them all in future!

Frostbite is quite a hard book to read emotionally, there’s a lot more danger and more... reality of the world these characters live in, and it’s not pretty. But it’s such a fantastic read. And of course, there’s a fair amount of the amazing Dimitri to make things a little brighter. Such an amazing book, really, you have to read it! I am so looking forward to reading Shadow Kissed, the third book in the series! I just know it’s going to be amazing. And I seriously need to start on Mead’s adult series. Seriously, new favourite author right here. ( )

It was an awesome book and I couldn't put it down. The action at the part where they got caught was great. I read the first one and I loved it. AHS/TD

Rose is in training to be a guardina to the royal class of vampires. She is also in love with her teacher. Rose has a lot to learn and by the end of the book she has grown up in more ways than one.
This was a page turner - I enjoyed it and will continue with the series. ( )

Reviewed by Cat for TeensReadToo.com

For Rose Hathaway, life as a Guardian-in-training at St. Vladimir's Academy is never easy.

While her best friend, future charge, and sole remaining member of the royal family member (Lissa) may no longer be in direct danger, the Strigoi (those vampires who drink blood, possess super-strength, have red pupils, and also have no qualms about using their powers over the elements as a method of attack) are still the greatest threat facing their Moroi counterparts.

Rose and her number-one crush, instructor Dimitri Belakov, discover just how significant this threat is when they arrive at what should have been Rose's make-up Qualifier exam with famed Guardian Arthur Schoenberg. What they find instead is seven royal Moroi, massacred in their own home along with their Guardians - and evidence that the Strigoi are now being helped by humans.

With Christmas vacation drawing near, St. Vlad's is on high alert and not terribly inclined to unleash their students into the great wide world. A school field trip to an exclusive Moroi ski lodge is the perfect solution, not just for a Moroi seeking to elude the Strigoi, but also for Rose, who's looking to escape two recent female campus arrivals - one of whom has a history and penchant for flirting with Dimitri.

What guests from St. Vlad's and elsewhere will soon realize, though, is that their enemies are much closer than they think.

FROSTBITE is an engrossing, complex paranormal follow-up to VAMPIRE ACADEMY, with a page-turning plot and deeply layered characters, whose growth and development over the course of the novel is believable and (in some cases) inevitable. Though there were a few scenes that lagged, I had a hard time putting this book down even for necessities like eating and sleeping. ( )

Frostbite is the second book in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. As you might have guessed in the previous post, where I reviewed Vampire Academy I have fallen in love with this series.

After finishing Vampire Academy I immediately set up on a quest to obtain Frostbite. Finding it at my local Wal-Mart gave me the perfect opportunity to procure the object of my interest. I hoped that this wouldn't be one of those series that has a completely awesome first book and then goes downhill. I was not disappointed.

When a Strigoi attack on royal Moroi family shakes up the vampire world, the school's annual holiday ski trip becomes mandatory for Moroi and Dhampirs alike. Rose's legendary mother, Jean Hathaway appears as well, making for some very interesting interactions between the two.

But when some rogue Dhampir & Moroi students take off after the Strigoi, things get a bit on the hairy side. This book keeps you wondering what will happen, that's for sure. As always the characters are engaging, with new characters being thrown into the mix during this part of the series.

Frostbite left me chomping at the bit to get a copy of Shadow Kiss, the third novel in the series. This series is definitely one that I plan on collecting all of the books to! ( )

Frostbite is the second book in the amazing Vampire Academy series written by Richelle Mead. The first book was great but the second one is even better. Rose is 6 months away from her graduation; she'll be a full fledged guardian. She has to meet a very well known guardian for an evaluation, and since he can't leave the moroi he is protecting, Rose and Dimitri heads out to meet him. Only what they found wasn't what they expected. The entiere royal family and their guardians have all been slaughtered, evidences points in the direction of an alliance between strogois and humans. School is now on a high alert and many guardians comes in to protect the young ones, including Rose's mother. All school is brought on a mandatory ski trip and Rose meets Adrian who's disliked by all her friends due to his reputation. He isn't the one who will get them in trouble tho. Everything goes wrong when 3 students leave the school wanting to take out a group of strogois by themselves and of course Rose can't let that happen. She's running after them with Christian and finds more then she wished for.
I am totally in love with Rose personality, her dilemma between Dimitri and Mason, her hard time dealing with her mother, her sense of honor and how she does everything to protect the ones she loves. She isn't perfect, she got her flaws and that's what makes her so interesting. You grow with her as the series develops. It is definitely my favorite series! Even tho it's young adult rated, I promise you adult will find their share of excitement in this novel. I was very glad I already had the third book of the series in my possession, waiting for the release would have been torture! ( )

Rose Hathaway’s life is hardly easy. She’s a dhampir, a human guardian for the Moroi, benevolent vampires, of which her best friend Lissa is one. The Moroi must be protected from the Strigoi, truly evil creatures who like to kill the Moroi for the strength their blood provides. Which is why the recent murders of prominent royal Moroi families, carefully guarded by dhampirs, are especially disconcerting. It implies organization among the traditionally independent Strigoi, and cooperation with humans.

The students at Vampire Academy thus go to a luxurious Moroi ski resort for winter break, but the trip hardly cools people’s tempers and emotions. Rose loves her trainer Dimitri, even though it’s forbidden and he probably loves another, and so she tries to turn to her friend Mason, who has a crush on her. Dhampir novices are hardly prepared for what Rose must deal with, though, and that’s bloodshed, secrecy, unrest…and loss.

The second installation in the wildly popular Vampire Academy series will hardly disappoint. It contains the usual amounts of good writing, enthralling world-building, and tortured love triangles that I have come to love about Richelle’s books.

What struck me most was Richelle Mead’s absolute confidence with Rose’s voice. For all her faults, doubts, and mistakes, Rose is an impeccable narrator, able to give us all the information we need and engage our full attention at the same time. Never in a thousand years would we want anyone else to narrate this story about dhampirs, Moroi, and Strigoi, simply because Rose is so fascinating (recklessness and all), her voice flawless. Richelle mixes an ideal blend of backstory and current action so that readers are never at a loss for what’s going on and why certain events are so dire.

FROSTBITE delivers in terms of romantic passion as well. You really can’t have a bestselling series without some unforgettable romances, which is why the tensions between Rose, Dimitri, and Mason are so exciting to read about. Lissa and Christian are another interesting couple, despite their relationship not being as important or angst-filled. The introduction and/or further development of other characters suggest possibilities of other match-ups in future installations, so I’m really looking forward to that.

The Vampire Academy series is probably the best that I can recommend out of all the latest books in YA paranormal fiction. If you enjoy engrossing writing, intrigue, and romances that make you sigh for their hopelessness, you need to read this series! ( )

I think this was the point of no return for me. After I read this book, I was rushing back to the store to buy the next book. ( )

“Things die, but they don’t always stay dead. Believe me, I know.”

So begins Frostbite, the second book in Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series. Rose Hathaway has got more problems than your average teenager. First of all, her unusual bond with Lissa Dragomir causes Rose to get repeatedly stuck in her best friend’s head. She’s in love with her tutor, Dimitri (which is a big no-no), and her good friend Mason has a huge crush on her. Not to mention, it looks like Dimitri’s got his eye on someone else…

Then a group of Strigoi attack a Moroi home, leaving many casualties in their wake and putting the Academy on guard. More Dhampir Guardians arrive, including the reknowned Janine Hathaway, Rose’s mother, whom she isn’t on the greatest of terms with.

But all hell breaks loose when, after discovering the location of a Strigoi hideout, three students (including her friend Mason) go after them, vigilante style. Rose has to join forces with Christian Ozera (Lissa’s cocky and sarcastic boyfriend) in order to rescue them. But things don’t go as planned, and it looks like Rose and Christian may be in need of rescuing themselves…

Mead has a knack for adding just the right touch of realism to a story steeped in fantasy, allowing the reader to sympathize with the characters. She also goes against the grain in teen fiction, and not everything ends in an all-too-convenient happily-ever-after. This book will please readers who are looking for yet another fantasy romance, but also those who are characters who are developed beyond the surface.

While a good chunk of Vampire Academy was spent providing background, Mead’s follow-up novel is faster-paced, with more action, suspense, and character development, making Frostbite a more compelling read than the first. ( )

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 handto- 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...

For Rose Hathaway, life as a Guardian-in-training at St. Vladimir's Academy is never easy.

Lissa her best friend, future charge, and last member of the of a royal family may no longer be a direct threat. While the evil Strigoi are still the greatest threat facing their Moroi counterparts.

Rose and her crush/instructor Dimitri Belakov, discover how big a threat Strigoi's are, but their more powerful in numbers. What they find instead is seven royal Moroi and famous Guardian Arthur Schoenberg, massacred in their own home along with their Guardians - and evidence that the Strigoi are now being helped by humans.

With Christmas vacation drawing near, St. Vlad's is on high alert and not really all for their students being unleashed into the great mystrious world. A school field trip to an exclusive Moroi ski lodge is the perfect solution, not just for a Moroi seeking to elude the Strigoi, but also for Rose, who's looking to escape two recent female campus arrivals - one of whom has a history and a girl flirting with Dimitri. When Mason and nd two other fellow students go missing, Rose knows they went to find the Strigoi. Joining forces with Christian, they head off to find the trio and end up way over their heads...

What guests from St. Vlad's and elsewhere will soon realize, though, is that their enemies are much closer than they think......

FROSTBITE is an eciting, complex paranormal follow-up to VAMPIRE ACADEMY, with a page-turning plot and awesome characters, whose growth and development over the course of the novel is believable and capturing. Richelle Mead is awseome. This Book was awesome! Everthing fit the vampires, humor, action, romance, and suspense. This is a MUST read series. ( )

Pretty good follow up although could do without the scathing remarks towards Spokane.... ( )

The story picks up right were Vampire Academy left us. Rose and Lissa are still at St. Vladimir’s. Lissa and Christian are now together and Rose is still in love with her mentor/tutor, Dimitri. When a massive Strigoi attack halts everyone’s plans to travel home, St. Vladimir sends its students to a posh Idaho ski resort, so families can come together in a safe place.But there seems to be a lot more drama happening on the slopes than Rose was expecting. Her good friend Mason has a huge crush on her, Rose’s mom pops unexpectedly back into her life, and Dimitri seems to have eyes for someone else. Not to mention the Strigoi continue to cause problems.When Mason and two other fellow students go missing, Rose knows they went to find the Strigoi. Joining forces with Christian, they head off to find the trio and end up way over their heads......Let me just start off by saying that I love Richelle! I started reading Frostbite and I completely devoured it in one sitting! Is it her writing, the characters, the plot? Maybe it is a combination of everything, but I get so captivated in the story that I don’t even see the pages getting thinner and the book coming to an end! In all seriousness, I really enjoy this series. It has everything that I like, vampires, humor, satire, action, romance, and suspense. I feel like I know the characters. I could defiantly see Rose growing throughout this novel and I can’t wait to see her grow even more. While the plot had many twists and turns, Meade kept it going at a fantastic pace! I may even like Frostbite better than Vampire Academy! This is a great vampire series and if you haven’t read it yet, I suggest that you do! I am anxiously awaiting the release of the next book Shadow Kiss, which will be available Nov. 13! ( )

Okay, just when I thought there could never be a better book than Vampire Academy, Frostbite is here to prove me wrong. This book is amazing!

First of all, Rose and Dimitri’s relationship becomes way more complicated (I didn’t know that was even possible) putting Rose into an even more sassy mood. Her character is constantly changing, but in this book she seems to be a little more constant. She spends most of her time being jealous and just plain angry.

As if her problems with Dimitri aren’t enough to get my attention (which they are) now there is a new guy, Adrian Ivashkov, a prince with a party-boy reputation. Of course this doesn’t stop Rose from spending time with him, even if it is against her will. As much as she dislikes Adrian, she continues to find herself drawn to him. I personally think he is one of those bad boys that every girl wants to make into their good boy, which makes me wish I was Rose!

But with all this being said, the pace definitely picks up in this book as danger from the Strogoi becomes magnified more than ever. Suddenly boy problems become the least of Rose’s worries as she has to face her first (not counting Natalie) Strogoi battle.

To sum it up, THIS BOOK IS AMAZING. I give it a 5/5 of course. ( )

Rose and Lissa have finally integrated themselves back into the life and classes of St. Vladmir's Academy. When Rose is taken away for her Qualifier exam what her and her mentor, Dimitri, discover is horrifying in method and implication. Thrown into a tizzy the Moroi society tries to deal with a new, deadlier threat. Rose knows that when dealing with Strigori the odds are stacked against her but that doesn't stop her from wanting to do anything she can to eradicate the threat against all those that she holds dear.

When I was about three-quarters of the way through the book it struck me that although not a lot of action had occurred, I hadn't missed it at all because I was enjoying the story that much. There were a lot of degrees of relationships in this story and as Rose had to deal with each, it was easy to sympathize with her. I guess that's why when she started making mistakes left and right it was simple enough to forgive her. I enjoy the fact that she is a flawed character. I've often seen this series compared to "The House of Night" books and I have to say I really enjoy this one much more. This book was a very quick, easy and interesting read and I'm very much looking forward to the next book. ( )

Ok, some may argue that the ending is quickly wrapped up without telling us about the Strigoi attacks and Rose leaving the school without permission. Maybe I guess it's because of the Mason's incident and that the school understood Rose's situation and decided to let matter rest. So the school didn't talk about it. This one keeps me engaged and wanting for more :) ( )

The Vampire Academy is a vampire series for those of us who didn't get enough vampire in Twilight . However, it differes from Twilight in that all the vampires go to school together. ( )

I loved this book. I thought the first one was great and was glad the second did not disappoint. I’m still hoping that Rose and Dmitri can find a way to be together. Christian is growing on me and we even see a softer side of Mia. I’m debating but I might actually be enjoying this series more so than the Twilight series. It might be because I don’t have the irritant of Jacob Black’s character. He just bothered me in the Twilight books. We start to see a little bit more of Dmitri’s background and see him acting a little more human. I thought the addition of the royal, Adrian, was an interesting twist and am anxious to see where they take things.

Stop here if you don’t want any spoilers.

I’m glad Rose and her mom sort of smoothed things out between the two of them and that Dmitri decided to stay at the academy even if he cannot be with Rose. It sucked that Mason was killed but I’m glad to see that Mia might actually see some happiness or at least not so much bitterness. It looks to me like Rose is somehow absorbing Lissa’s dark side so it will be interesting to see what happens with that in the next book. I love this series so far and was torn when I heard there was a fourth book. I want to know what happens but I know I will also be bummed once I’m done with the series.

http://debbiesworld.wordpress.com/200... ( )

Vampire Academy introduced us to Rose, her best friend Lissa, and her mentor/love Dimitri. As we read through the story we discoverd a wonderful new world that was brought to us through the eyes of Rose (a dhampir) as she tries to learn to protect her best friend Lissa (a Miroi) from strigoi. Miroi are royalty, dhampir are guardians who prtect them, and strigoi are the undead vampires.

In Frostbite Rose gives everyone a refresheron "Vampire Academy" then her life becomes even more interesting. Strigoi are starting to form much larger groups and are not having much trouble taking out royal Miroi and their Guardians. Rose's absent tee mother shows up at the academy while the Miroi she protects helps to form plans to keep everyone safe. Along with everything else going on her feelings for Dimitri will not go away but she knows that the love is forbidden.

With Rose's feelings in shambles she comes to the relization that her friend, Mason, has more on his mind than friendship and sodoes a friend of Dimitris. She doesn't get to spend as much time with Lissa as she used to and she cannot seem to keep Lissa and Christian's relationship out of her head!

Richelle Mead has outdone herself yet again with this second installment in the Vampire Academy Series. SHe is a truly gifted author. ( )

This book was as good as the first one. Unlike the perdicable Twilight, in this book you never knew what was going to happen. I am really excited to read the third book. ( )

I LOVE THIS SERIES. This is definetly another Twilight Series. Richelle Mead imagination is one that leads me expect much more from this writer. I am anxiously waiting for the next book. I love all of the characters and storylines. I find myself totally engrossed to the end, and then I am always distraught when it is finished. This is definetly a must read. Rose and Dimitri are like the dhampir Edward and Bella. ( )

FROSTBITE picks up where Vampire Academy leaves off. Rose, a dhampir and guardian, and Lissa, her Moroi best friend, are attempting to get through high school with the added pressure that comes with being a vampire in a world that doesn’t know they exist. Lissa is the last member of the Dragomir royal family and a Moroi. A Moroi is a vampire, but a vampire that doesn’t kill to get blood. They take blood from willing donors and have the ability to use magic that comes from the elements. Usually a vampire only has the ability to use powers from one element. Lissa is special though - she has developed the ability to use an element that isn’t well known - the element of spirit. The spirit allows her to heal living things, but causes her to go a little crazy. Because of this, she must take medication that dulls her use of magic which is difficult for her to accept. In addition to being Lissa’s best friend, Rose is also her guardian. Dhampirs can go in the sunlight and are stronger which make them perfect protectors.At the beginning of FROSTBITE, there is a massacre of a royal family and their guardians. Rose sees the aftermath when she and Dimitri, her trainer and mentor, go to the house to meet a legendary guardian for a test Rose must take. This massacre turns the Moroi world upside down and puts everyone on full alert. The Strigoi are behind the murders. Strigoi are vampires that kill when they drink blood. They are stronger than the Moroi and strike fear in everyone. The most frightening thing about these killings though is the fact that there is evidence that humans have been involved. With humans assisting the Strigoi there is virtually no safe place for the Moroi. The daylight isn’t even a safe place to be since humans are free to move around in the sun.With security at its highest level, St. Vladmir’s Academy makes the decision to require everyone go to a Moroi ski lodge for Christmas vacation. By keeping everyone together in one place, they are hoping to keep everyone safe. The exclusive lodge is large enough to accomodate even the students’ family members so everyone seems excited about the decision. During this luxurious vacation news of another massacre rocks the lodge. A group of headstrong students run off to follow a lead about where a group of Strigoi are hiding and Rose takes off after them so she can bring them back. Rose has learned a lot since the last book. She has developed SOME self-control and has seen first hand what these Strigoi can do and knows her friends won’t be able to handle them. The events that take place on her rescue mission change her perspective on life and about what it means to be a guardian. Rose’s relationship with Dimitri is as complicated as ever and provides romantic tension throughout the story. The ending is a little too quickly wrapped up with not much discussion of the deadly group of Strogoi still roaming around or the ramifications of Rose leaving the protection of the “school”, but overall FROSTBITE is even more enjoyable than Vampire Academy, the first book in the series. ( )

I can't remember the last time I identified so much with a lead character. OK, I lied - it was Stephenie Meyer's Bella. The coincidence of it being a vampire story is just that, a coincidence, but that both are coming of age stories about young women is not. I have very little in common with Rose, the lead in Frostbite and Vampire Academy. Other than our smart mouths, though I'm not quite as quick on the draw as she is. I am not, nor was I ever, particularly strong, brave, confident or coordinated. But I still really identify with this girl. She has a mix of toughness and vulnerability, combined with loyalty and curiosity, that I really relate to. Richelle Mead is wonderful at presenting vivid, complex and very likable characters. The plot is more exciting than in the first in the series, the new characters are intriguing, and the progression of the series is enticing. But really, it's all about Rose.. ( )