I am a rather so-so fan of this series. I don't love the book enough to rant and rave about them, but I do enjoy them. Despite the semi-cheesiness of the titles, covers, and plot, they are fun to read, and are good to past time the time with. While never addictive enough to keep me up all night reading, Rose is a thoroughly kick-ass heroine. The writing is nothing special and isn't meant to be, but even now and then there is a good line. A good series overall.

This particular installment, I have to say, is the weakest. Definitely a bridge book meant simply to hold the readers over. It could have been severely condensed. Mead conviently used a whole variety of plot devices created just for this book. There was the bond between Rose and Lissa, which allowed the reader to see what was happening back at St. Vladimir's, there was the dispensable characters who only just served their purpose before being cast aside, and the little flashbacks of Rose and Dimitri's relationship to guaranteee that the reader knew they were in love (as if it wasn't obvious). The books plot really stretched in a couple places, but its all forgiven. It provided my Vampire Academy fix until the next one comes out. ( )

WOW!!! Did I mention that I'm really into this series? Did I mention that there's something about Rose's impulsivity, sarcasm and will power that makes this book world go round?! And did I tell you that Richelle Mead is a goddess?! Well then... The tragic and intense emotional scene written at the end of book 3 left me at the edge of distress. I wanted answers right away and so after a few minutes of finishing it I read it with careful scrutiny to make sure I don't miss any detail. And with that I have to apologize now, I won't be able to shut up with this book, so if you haven't read any of this series yet turn back now and come back later or stay read what I have to say and go running towards the nearest book store and buy the box set. LOL. Either way you've been warned.When Mason nodded as an answer to Rose's question whether Dimitri is now a Strigoi, I've unleash a string of curses that even I made myself cringe. NO! NO! NO... how the hell can Mead let this happened? it was too much but again, it was brilliant. Rose of course knowing how she is decided that she will hunt down Dimitri and kill him herself. She dropped out of school and left her best friend Lissa to fend for herself. The conversation that they had made me want ot slap Lissa, what a selfish bitch! She didn't even offer to go with her. Why can't she be supportive? Are they going to lose each other too? But that was pushed to the side with the more pressing matter. Where on Siberia is Dimitri? Rose had quite an adventure in this book she met a human named Sydney who apparently called herself an Alchemist. She knows of the world of Moroi, Dhampir and Strigoi and serves as the protector of their secret to humankind. She also found another shadowkiss and spirit user named Mark and Oksana who gave her good advice and help her save Lissa towards the ends of this book. She also met the Belikovs, it sucks that she has to be the bearer of bad news. They welcome her like a part of their family, the reception was heart warming, well until this shady character Abe, who later revealed as her father blackmailed her into leaving Baia. She still keep tab on Lissa and Adrian still visits her in her dreams. There was another enemy in the name of Avery Lazar, of course I never see that coming, I thought her plan was long term. I thought her goal was to make Lissa forget about Rose or break Lissa and Christian's relationship ordered by the Queen. The most heart breaking and intense thing that happened, was when Rose found Dimitri or should I say Dimitri found Rose, help her captive and persuading her to be "awakend" like I said, I cannot believe that this is happening, Dimitri was now truly a monster power hungry and selfish. The most depressing part of the book was what he did with Rose. Those were the pages that I pained to read. After summoning all her will power I was convinced that Rose is the strongest female character that I've ever read, how could anyone bounce back like that? She finally did what she came for, that bridge scene gave me hope that Dimitri will be healed some day. I believe that Robert can help them but until then... The ending was not depressing like the third book, I was happy that Rose got direction in her life again and I am also leaning towards giving Adrian a real chance, hey it could happen when Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton started I never thought that I would become team Eric Northaman but I did. So Adrian-Rose is not impossible. But then again Dimitri-Rose might be really for each other we'll have to wait until May next year?! really?! *sigh* ( )

At the conclusion of the third Vampire Academy book, readers felt Rose's pain as her soulmate, mentor, and friend Vladimir was taken and turned by the Strigoi. Now, in Blood Promise, Richelle Mead’s fourth gripping installment, Rose has left the Academy and begun her quest to find Vladimir, so that she can kill him. Leaving Lissa behind is not nearly as difficult a decision for Rose to make as was her decision to destroy the Strigoi that once was Vladimir, but Rose knows that she must do both, killing Dimitri to honor his memory.

The fourth Vampire Academy book does not disappoint, despite the ending cliffhanger so typical of the series. For more vampire romance, try The Silver Kiss, Companions of the Night, Vampire Kisses, or Twilight. ( )

There was SO much potential in this book, so many directions this story could have taken, and yet I feel like someone stuck me on a merry-go-round. For a book with so much happening in it, very little actually happened. I am disappointed to say the least.

There is very little that we learn in Blood Promise. We get insight into Dimitri’s family, as well as a small glimpse into the fact that there are more Spirit capable Moroi, and of course the possibility that a Spirit Moroi MIGHT be able to heal the evil blood sucking crazy out of a Strigoi. Which, at this point, pretty much everyone had guessed that’s what this book would be about anyway. We also get a little more insight on Adrian and just how much he cares about Rose, and at this point I’m voting on Adrian, honestly. But that’s pretty much all this book is useful for. It’s so much filler it drives me insane.

I did in fact, manage to read it in all of six hours, however, that was purely me wanting to know what was going to happen. I mean there had to be some action in there somewhere, right? Ehh… There was, but it was very little, and in fact, very little means: almost none. There were maybe two or three fight scenes throughout the entire book that were actually worth calling ‘fight scenes.’

Also, we can’t forget about Lissa? Right? Blood Promise doesn’t manage to exclude her, she’s well within our grasp, but it’s sort of loosely tied together with the rest of the story. First of all, Rose just ‘pops in’ on her through out the book. Like.. oh say, while sitting out on a curb… where a Strigoi could pop up on her at any time… not too smart right? But, back to Lissa – I get that she’s the last in her family, the last in her line, but oh my goodness. Could we try not to kill her for once? Most of the book seems like a big ploy to get Rose away from the Academy just long enough for someone to try and kill her again. Except this time Rose has to think of another way to save her since she’s not actually at the Academy – and while, I’ll admit this was interestingly done – still it’s grasping at straws and was slightly confusing.

Also, apparently Dimitri is not just a Strigoi, he is a cat-Strigoi, because at this point I’m quite convinced he very well may have nine lives. And just think we’re only through.. three of them?

There is so much that I want to mention but it would give away a great deal of the plot, perhaps I will write another post about it specifically that isn’t included in the reviews. But, Blood Promise? A Merry-go-round. We are right back at the same place we left off in Shadow Kiss: What’s going to happen with Dimitri? Except now there might be a way to SAVE Dimitri… which… couldn’t Richelle had just put that in Shadow Kiss somewhere? As I said before, most people had figured out that this is what Blood Promise was going to be about anyway! It would not have been that hard to include it, and would have made a perfect cliffhanger. 500 pages for one new development seems like a bit of a stretch for me. Blood Promise, to me, felt like the Jacob chapters in Breaking Dawn. Entertaining but mainly just useless. Unless of course you like to know every little thing about a character. In that case, you’ll probably love it. Me, myself, I could go for a little mystery. ( )

i think how she always made it seem that rose would follow him to end of the world made it seem like she would stay with him. When she killed him i was surprised and a little sad. But at the end how he turns out to be alive was well amazing and the letter he left made the air mysterious.