Next Edition of the Vampire Academy 'Frostbite' Leaves You Wanting More

   "Frostbite" by Richelle Mead continues the thrilling drama of Rose Hathaway’s story in the second novel of the series "Vampire Academy." In a fun action-packed fictional fantasy, Mead’s characters provide a wonderful, different kind of view on modern characters.

 

   The novel begins with Rose’s qualifier, which all Dhapmpir’s receiving schooling goes through to see their capability on fighting and skill.  But, while Demetri and Rose go to where Rose will take her test, they find out their interviewer and his entire family has been murdered. The Strigoi (bad vampires) massacred the guardian’s entire family. Rose becomes traumatized after the dead bodies and when more attacks on Moroi (good vampires) occur, the tension at the academy tightens.

 

   Due to the killings, the students at St. Vladimiri’s Academy take a vacation to a ski resort during the winter holiday. The "vacation" hardly qualified as a vacation because of the reason they were there. It seemed to be a place where the grown-ups wanted the students to forget about the present society-dazed atmosphere. During this time Rose meets a former student, Adrian, who she finds out really likes her. But she deals with her relationship with Dimitri, her mentor and Mason, who she knows would be perfect for her.

 

   I love the way she fights both of their relationships.  She knows she loves Dimitri, but their student-teacher relationship won’t allow it. Then Mason, her friend, she knows really likes her and knows they would go perfectly together. But she fights both of them and tries to decide how the heck she could make the right decision. Her thoughts strive on realism and show the real-life character of Rose.

 

   Although paradise only lasts so long, after Dimitri trusts Rose with the secret of the Strigoi’s hiding place, she tells Mason who leaves with friends to go and fight them.

 

   Rose and Christian, Lissa’s boyfriend, goes and tries to find them, only to find them and get captured by Strigoi in the process. Being held captive for a few days, they finally manage to escape but at a cost. Christian uses his power of fire to kill some of the human capturers, but when the door is just right there, they realize the Strigoi are standing there.

 

   With most of the victims escaping, Rose goes in and fights off the Strigoi and receives her marks, which a Dhampir gets when killing a Strigoi. Rose receives two on the back of her neck, but she did not come back the same. While fighting the Strigoi, Mason tries to protect her but it ends in his death.

 

   Rose handles this, as best she can, but feels guilty for his death. All her friends see the change in maturity and personality after Mason’s death. Rose deals with a lot to be a seventeen year old and realizes her life feels dedicated to someone else. Rose being Rose, she doesn’t know whether that can be acceptable for her life.

 

   So, Mead shows us Rose’s usual spontaneous, protecting, conflicting character and also Rose’s troubled relationship with her mother. Not only to mention her bond with Lissa, her best friend, and her unstoppable love interest. Mead does a great job showing a reasonable way for someone to handle his or her troubles. Mead’s next book, "Shadow Kiss," also a international best seller, is available in stores near you.