Review: Spirit Bound

Book: Spirit Bound
Author: Richelle Mead
Pages: 489
Published: May 18th 2010 by Penguin/Razorbill
Source: Bought

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 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 she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he's silenced her...forever.

I was majorly excited when I got this one. I could not wait to read it but I was so worried when I started because, as all us fans of Vampire Academy know, Richelle Mead does like her twists. But I was so completely stunned with Spirit Bound, and amazed by it!

Rose is still an amazingly kickass character. She's completely awesome in the way that she never lets anything stop her from getting what she wants and doing what she thinks is right, and she's probably the most admirable character I've ever encountered. I wished I could be like her! Lissa is still an amazingly sympathetic character and I loved her interactions with Rose, and honestly, their friendship is just inspiring. Even though they may fight (and let's be honest, what best friends don't?) they always get past it and they love each other, because they're like sisters.

The guys in VA deserve a paragraph of their own, don't they? I'm completely Team Adrian, but I found myself warming towards Dimitri more in this book. I used to love Dimitri, but dude, once Adrian was introduced…Dimitri didn't stand a chance. I want Rose to be with Adrian, and despite his cocky demeanor and carefree attitude, we know how much he loves her and how much he's willing to give up for her, to do for her. Dimitri, though only really appears in the second half of the book, was…different. Obviously. I thought his and Rose's relationship seemed so true and real, yet it was marred by Rose's conflicting, growing feelings for Adrian. Despite my being a little biased cos I like Adrian more, I still thought both Adrian and Dimitri were completely swoony (yes, I am still using that word.) Oh, and how could I forget Christian? I loved the tension between him and Lissa, and there were a few times when, like Rose, I wanted to smack them and scream at them for being so completely stubborn.

Wow. Richelle Mead is a stunning writer. In all her books, she manages to weave in multiple story arcs and always keep her readers on their toes. There was never a dull moment in Spirit Bound and everything was relevant, which I loved. Everything was there for a reason. Mead has so skillfully created her characters and their stories in a way that makes the reader identify with them so easily and just fall in love with them, and I swear to you that I am not lying when I say that there were so many times when I jumped up and screamed or ranted to the people around me as I was reading. Her story twists so many times and I did not see any of those things coming, seriously, which kept me filled with tension and yet so completely thrilled with Mead. And oh my god, the ending? When I finished this book, I seriously jumped up and screamed "HOW COULD IT END THAT WAY?! CLIFFHANGER MUCH?! AND NOW I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL DECEMBER?!"
And I have got to give creds to Mead for being able to make me react that way. It's rare, it really is, but Spirit Bound brought my inner swimfan.

Needless to say, I am in a ten billion foot deep hole of LOVE for Spirit Bound and the Vampire Academy series, and I will remain in physical pain until December, when the next book, Last Sacrifice, comes out.

Overall: 5 out of 5 freaking GOLD stars

Cover: I love this. That's all I have to say. It's gorgeous and I love it as much as I love what's inside the cover. Massive amounts of cover love here, guys.