Last Sacrifice

Reading Last Sacrifice felt a bit like reading the final Harry Potter book-- the first 3/4 is mostly dull descriptions of the characters running around and searching for clues rather than the excitement and action you would expect in a finale. There were plenty of things going on-- Lissa's tests as a candidate for the throne, Rose's friends trying to solve the mystery of Tatiana's murder, Rose and Dimitri reconnecting with each other-- but author Richelle Mead wove all of the plotlines together in such a clumsy way that everything just felt flat. And while Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows had a decently satisfying ending, Last Sacrifice finished with a ridiculous deus ex machina that completely derailed the personalities of some of show more my beloved characters and left a lot of loose threads.

It's always a problem when Lissa and Rose split up since Mead hasn't figured out a better way to tell Lissa's storylines without using her and Rose's bond as a cheap plot device. I wasn't bothered by it in Spirit Bound where it was used sparingly, but like in Blood Promise, this book has Rose constantly checking in on her best friend using the bond in order to tell Lissa's side of the story. Perhaps it would have been less annoying had Lissa's story been even the least bit interesting. Lissa's tests to become the next vampire monarch were of the most formulaic kind-- a survival test, a test of fear, and a riddle. Each one followed a very predictable structure and their outcomes were predictable as well, although I did like seeing Lissa's growth as she went through each test. I saw the final result of who would be crowned long before it happened.

In addition to the constant use of Rose and Lissa's bond, there was a lot of abuse of the dream walking abilities that spirit users have as well, with Rose being visited by spirit users every time she fell asleep. These sections were used to let the reader know what was occurring in the other subplots that Rose wasn't involved in. Unfortunately, due to the nature of these spirit abilities/plot devices, much of these sections depended on Mead telling us what was happening rather than showing us the scenes. Rose can conveniently access Lissa's memories to find out what happened since her last check-in, so she ends up explaining to the reader what has occurred. Similarly, any spirit user who visits Rose in a dream ends up relaying information through dialogue. What we end up with is a lot of talking about and telling of events that happened rather than showing it. Isn't one of the cardinal rules of writing "tell rather than show"? These spirit abilities may have provided Mead with an easy way to deal with the limited first person perspective, but she ended up writing herself into a corner. And what a badly-written corner it is.

There was a lot of new information introduced in this book about the Vampire Academy world, which was clearly meant to set the stage for the spin-off series Bloodlines. The substantial amount of time spent on the Keepers was a compelling and unexpected expansion of the VA world but it had absolutely zero significance to Last Sacrifice's storyline. The whole section felt like filler, dragging the story out needlessly (seriously, is Mead paid by the number of pages she writes or something?), to only be dropped for the rest of the book. Many other aspects of the plot were left unresolved as well, presumably to be picked up in Bloodlines, and while that makes for a good marketing scheme, as a reader I am annoyed at the lack of resolution.

Speaking of resolutions, we do see the conclusion of the primary mystery of the book-- but the identity of Queen Tatiana's killer is a disappointing and infuriating revelation. The culprit's identity was unpredictable, but only because Mead pulled a deus ex machina on us. It felt like she took stock of all the characters in the series and picked the least likely candidate, only for pure shock value, regardless of whether or not it even makes sense for the character to commit murder. She gave poor reasons for it, and in doing so, destroyed a previously respected character in one fell swoop. A character who had always been described as intelligent and strong, has now turned to a petty, jealous killer.

Oh but Mead wasn't satisfied with destroying only one character. The boring and obvious romantic subplot has also ruined any likeability Rose has left. The way she handles things with the two men in her life makes her out to be a selfish and inconsiderate person who leads other people on for her own benefit. When called out on her actions, she says she's sorry without acting sorry at all and even turns it back on the other person, who is completely justified in their anger, saying that it was the person's own fault for the way things turned out. I guess Rose shouldn't be held responsible for her own morally reprehensible actions? (And we're supposed to view her as a heroine to be looked up to?) And no matter how much she tells us she's sorry and she actually cares, I remain unconvinced that she cared about the other person at all, and frankly, it seems to me that the leftover person in the love triangle dodged a bullet here.

So what exactly was the titular last sacrifice in this book? I'm thinking it was Rose's likeability as a character. (Thank god she won't be the main character of Bloodlines!) Or maybe "last sacrifice" refers to all the sacrifices every major character except Rose and Dimitri had to make in order for Rose to have her happy ending with the person she loves. For myself? I certainly sacrificed a lot of precious time that could be spent on other books to read this awful volume and it was not really worth it. show less

Books like Vampire Academy and Last Sacrifice are prime examples of why I love to read and write. There is so much creativity and depth that it stuns me. (For this first review, I am going to stay spoiler free, so some things be be a little vague)
There are characters that I am emotionally invested in, who when they make decisions, I either squee with joy or hit my book in frustration. Rose makes me laugh out loud, and the combination of the last two made my two year old ask me "what?" all day long and look at me like I am crazy.
Last Sacrifice made me laugh, a lot, feel joy, share in their fears and pain, and nearly made me cry (that doesn't happen easily.) Richelle ties everything up and answered all of my questions. I really loved it show more and I am okay with how things turned out for the main characters, if unexpected. Some of my predictions were right and others were very far off.
But everything was amazing, and I can't wait to see more from the other characters!! show less

Warning: Contains spoilers for previous books in the series.
The Last Sacrifice is a fitting and satisfying end to Mead's Vampire Academy series. Rose is accused of murdering Queen Tatiana and may shortly be executed. She goes on the run with Dimitri and Sydney in an attempt to find another Dragomir so that Lissa can take her place on the council. Meanwhile, back at court, Lissa and they others try to find the real murderer.
The book may be almost 600 pages long, but it seems to fly by. With fast paced action and revelations at almost every turn, it keeps the reader turning pages until the end, unwilling to put it down. Even though I had guessed all of the major twists and reveals so far in this series, I did not guess who the eventual show more big villain was, so I was pleasantly surprised. Also, major points for not ending with a big, shiny, perfect, happily-ever-after conclusion. There is still fallout and emotional upheaval, but it's mostly positive, so satisfying without being cloying. I was quite impressed with the whole series. Big kudos for the strong female hero who does not wait around to be rescued, makes her own choices and lives with the consequences, and kicks major ass. show less

"THIS IS HOW YOU END IT?!" I screamed at the book when I finished reading it. "ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME?!" I shouted angrily as I came to the last page of the Vampire Academy series. We wanted something epic, we wanted to be blown away and have some sort of profound ending that would stick with us for the rest of our lives. Instead, fans of the series were given a fracking (Battlestar Galactica fangirl in the house) happy ending? What the effing hell? Screw poor Adrian, the only guy that's actually treated Rose like a princess, and let's give her back to Dimitri (I love Dimitri, but let's face it, he did things to Rose that no girl with half a brain would run back to). Vasilissa sold herself out to save the freaking moroi from getting show more killed by the strigoi, but at this point the only moroi worth saving is Christian, who unfortunately got the worst family in the whole damn world. The dhampirs are still stuck in their roles of protecting the moroi, with a stupid promise of change hovering over them - politicians promise everyone the world and hardly ever come through - and the strigoi are still lingering about. In all honesty, Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead is a disappointing ending that pissed me off. There, I said it. I'm pissed off.
Of course, it could have been worse, but Rose didn't grow through this series at all. In fact, she's become somewhat meek.

Should you read the series? There's nothing better to read at the moment vampire wise, so sure... go ahead. However, I have to make a suggestion to Richelle Mead in this regard, write another book out of Rose's perspective, because you kind of failed at it this time.
*sigh* I really wanted something epic with this series...

(review originally posted on www.tentaclebooks.com) show less

Rose Hathaway has been known for making rash decisions and breaking rules. She ran away from school with her best friend and Dragomir princess, Lissa. She fell in love with her instructor, Dimitri, who is 7 years older than her and off-limits. She dropped out of school and ran away to Siberia to hunt down Dimitri when he was turned into a Strigoi. She opposed many rulings of Queen Tatiana and spoke out about her distaste... and then the Queen was murdered. All evidence pointed straight to Rose. Her counter-evidence?... Why, she's too good at what she does to leave that many obvious clues. That doesn't exactly turn out to work in Rose's favor. She is placed in jail awaiting trial, which will most likely end with a guilty verdict. Monarch show more assassins don't exactly go to jail... they are executed. Rose's time is running out. Now Rose must find the one person who can stall the upcoming royal elections and ultimately stall her execution. Thing is, no one knows who this person is... except for a Strigoi. Will Rose be able to clear her name, and ultimately get Lissa her rightful place in the moroi hierarchy, with the help of those she loves (and a certain someone she thinks she is getting over, but really isn't)?

***MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS... DEAL WITH IT!***

Unfortunately, this book wasn't all I had hoped it would be. I was hoping for tons of action, adventure... and of course, lots of Dimitri! The beginning and ending were both great. I enjoyed Rose's escape from prison. I was ultimately surprised to see Adrian and Dimitri working together to free Rose. I have been Team Dimitri from day one, but Adrian's wry sense of humor and his genuine caring for Rose make him grow on you. I was proud of Rose for actually trying to make a relationship with Adrian work, but in the end we all wanted her to end up with Dimitri, right? Well, I got my wish. Although, not quite in the way I would have liked. In Spirit Bound, after Lissa returned Dimitri into a dhampir, he was very sullen and depressed. He felt as though he could never be forgived and that parts of him still carried strigoi tendencies. I was sad for him, but I hated the way he ended things with Rose. In Last Sacrifice, Rose began teaching him about finding beauty in life along with forgiving himself. I just swooned when Rose told him to pick out one thing of beauty, because that would prove he was not strigoi (as they do not care for beauty), and he said that her hair was beautiful. He still had his witty banter with Rose, but he was also more attuned to showing affection. It made me love him even more. I also appreciated his honor, telling Rose "what is not right is taking a woman from another man, a man I like and respect." Is he not perfect? I was a little upset with Rose for cheating on Adrian.

Ok, I don't want to rant and rave about Dimitri the entire time... although, I really do. Moving on... the middle of the book was a bore and snore for me. The entire time they spent hiding out and doing nothing... gah. I needed more action! Unfortunately, Ms. Mead did not deliver. I did enjoy getting to know Sydney more, and seeing her relationship with Rose develop. I think they both needed someone outside of their typical circle, even if Sydney was raised to consider Rose a minion of hell. I liked seeing Rose's parents in this book, Abe and Janine. They are complete opposites, and it's those two opposites that make Rose exactly who she is. I was glad that Lissa was able to somewhat defy the rules, and ultimately end up being Queen... even if she didn't really want it in the beginning. I'm a little upset with how she treated her newfound sibling (who, may I say, I guessed in Spirit Bound)... after all, this person basically gave up everything they had every know to step out into the spotlight risking themselves so Lissa could get her vote. Lissa is supposed to be the compassionate one, I thought she would be a little more caring about it. I wasn't all that surprised by who actually killed Queen Tatiana. To end this all, I'm glad that the bond between Lissa and Rose is broken. They both need and deserve their own lives.

Looking forward to the spinoffs coming from Ms. Mead. show less

I waited a long time to read this book, but it was still well worth the wait. In typical Rose fashion, she disregards the practical advice of her friends and family to try and help those she cares about most. Embarking on a road trip around the eastern United States, she searches for the clues to the missing Dragomir heir, all the while growing closer to the newly-Moroi Demitri. All the while, Lissa navigates the intricacies of the Royal Court and deals with being thrust into the running for the new Queen.
All the recognizable faces from throughout the series make an appearance in the final book, as any good series finale would do. All but one of the loose ends were resolved decently, such as dealing with the problem of the Dashkov show more brothers.
The trials that Lissa goes through to be declared a valid candidate for Queen were interesting in that they forced her to rely on only herself and tested her inner strength and resolve. They showed a maturity in her that goes far beyond her young 18 years.
Of course, the biggest anticipation for me was the final outcome of who would end up with Rose - Dimitri or Adrian. While at first I disliked Adrian, he seemed to prove his worthiness to me throughout the series. The road trip, though, forces Dimitri to heal from his memories as Strigoi and face some things about himself. Without giving away Rose's choice, I am happy with it, though I feel sorry for the man that got left behind. The promise of the spin-off series, Bloodlines, centered around the Alchemist Sydney, gives me hope that he will find someone who matches him better than Rose did.
The ending answers my own question of what the title was referring to, though it was a bit predictable. I am thrilled about the outcome of the Queen's replacement, and I really hope that the spin-off series will also show some of the new Queen's life. What was not predictable for me was the revelation of who murdered the previous queen - I made the same assumption early on as most of Rose's allies did, and I was just as surprised as they were over who really did it - and I'm still kind of disappointed, since I liked the character responsible and I feel as betrayed as many of the others did by the news. When the characters can feel that real, I know it's good writing. show less

Oh boy, where to begin. To be fair, there is only two reasons read this book. One is that it is physically impossible for me to not finish a series, and second I kept reading in reviews that Adrian basically bit Rose's head off at some point in this book. So I said, oh well, I'll read it. Alsoo, I should preface this review by saying that I'm not Team Adrian or Team Dimitri. In fact, the triangle in this series is very unimpressive. There is no reason for it at all, except Rose milkshake bring all the boys to her okay never mind let's move on to the review.

The first half of the book is actually very entertaining, very much like the first couple of books in the series which I actually liked. There's a lot of action, so in that regard show more the fans won't be disappointed. I always thought Mead did an excellent job narrating from Rose's point of view while including Lissa's, so that you don't miss on a lot of details. I think she took it to a whole new level with Last Sacrifice. There was all these connections with Lissa, Adrian, Victor, and Sonya so the plot never really stalls. The problem is that by the second half of the book it becomes a little too much and a little too messy.



Let's start with Lissa, I wasn't surprise by how Lissa turns up by the end of the book, and I enjoyed reading how she gets there. The test she had to endure, had a Hunger Games feeling to it, that were fun to read. I honestly have to ask: does anyone think Rose and Dimitri won't end up together after reading the previous book? I mean the author goes to great lengths such as bringing people back from Strigoi just so Rose can stop whining (after Rose lies and manipulates all her friends). I figured a happy ending is in stored for the series since I read Spirit Bound. And I wasn't disappointed, pretty much everyone is happy by the end. Except for everyone that got manipulated by Rose, being Adrian, Sydney, Eddie etc. Contrived? Yes. Disappointing? I honestly don't think anyone should have expected anything else from this series, so I'll say no. Oh and Adrian biting Rose's head off was epic.

The book could have been cut by at least 1/4 if the author wasn't trying SO HARD at introducing her spin off series. show less