Book Review: Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

SUMMARY:

Dimitri gave Rose the ultimate choice. But she chose wrong...

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri's birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir's-and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can't wait for their real lives beyond the Academy's iron gates to begin. But Rose's heart still aches for Dimitri, and she knows he's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and now he is hunting her. And this time he won't rest until Rose joins him... forever.


OPINION: 5 STARS

*Note: This review IS spoiler free for the series*

Beginning not long after Blood Promise closes, Spirit Bound follows suit with the other books and wastes little time catching the reader back up. The action begins immediately with only a line added here and there to trigger memories of what's happened before. With the big cliffhanger Blood Promise left readers on, Spirit Bound charges forward to face both those issues as well as a new array of events Mead has incorporated.

Rose is still the same fierce, determined girl we've watched throughout the series although how she has matured across the books remains clear. Not a full personality change, but her overall way of thinking has shifted in accordance with the events she's faced and is very noticeable and well played out in Spirit Bound. This strengthens further throughout the book and with Mead's strong ability to write emotional scenes, the reader experiences everything Rose does. Her sarcasm and banter add relief and entertainment, even in painful or action packed scenes. Her interactions with Lissa return in this book, showing again how closely connected these two are- and not only for their bond.

Lissa's character, I felt, grew tremendously during this installment. I found myself appreciation her far more than I had in the past and she now makes an even better counterpart to Rose. She develops her own intense determination and though she makes some shocking choices of her own, Lissa still remains a character most readers will relate to. Weak in many ways, it is understandable given her breeding and status and Mead continues to pull that through to the reader in a way that will negate most condescending feelings towards her.

Adrian is still absolutely swoon-worthy, a sardonic playboy who holds the ability to love intensely. He holds his own spark and passion and his interactions with Rose are a shining portion of the book. We get to see some new sides of Adrian in this book, showing the full scope of his character, also adding new elements to the plot as a whole.

Dimitri, of course, continues to play a role in this book, creating a large amount of friction throughout. His character is one of the best played out ones in the entire series. Mead does a wonderful job handling him in various situations, adding a few new layers and complications.

This plot is as stunning as those before it and though a few parts were predictable, Mead laid the groundwork for them in previous books. The entire book, however, is far from predictable and Mead has once again thrown a major, shocking curveball at her readers to change the game yet again. The ease in which Mead weaves the entire story is astounding as she ties off some story lines, continues others and even reignites some. As with the other books, I find my mind blazing with theories and ideas of where things will go from here but the only thing I am sure of, based on the series as a whole, is whatever I come up with is not likely to be what Mead has in store.

With a very enchantingly built world, established early in the series and expanded masterfully, a wide range of characters- many of whom the reader comes to know as personally and emotionally as Rose- and very fluent writing, Mead has another powerful installment to the Vampire Academy series. The overall thought put into things is becoming clearer, with each book showcasing Mead's talent more. A series fans of fantasy will enjoy- vampire obsessives or not- Spirit Bound is an engaging read to be quickly devoured, leaving the reader salivating for the next book.

Details:
Source: Purchased from Amazon.com
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Razorbill (May 18, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595142509
ISBN-13: 978-1595142504