Firstly, I want to apologize to the publisher that it has taken me this long to post a review. I honestly forgot that this book was e-mailed to me and began reading it right before the book tour was ending. This was a very careless mistake on my part and my sincerest apologizes and I want to do better in the future.

My Bookish Thoughts:

Going into this book, I had forgotten the synopsis. As I started reading it I met Melody, who works for a company that creates video games. One day she is talking to a co-worker, joking about an idea for a video game when her boss overhears and wants Melody to create this idea into reality.

The creative juices start flowing but there wouldn’t be a story without some forbidden love twist and some drama. I will say that this book is funny. The characters are likable and the plot is something that I have never read before.

From the beginning, I knew there is going to be a romance in place and there were two different characters that I had suspected there would be the love interest. The romance takes time to build up and I would almost say this is a slow- burn romance type of book.

But, the writing is captivating and I feel like this book would appeal to readers that are into video games.

One element of the book that I found enjoyable was getting to know Melody’s family. They want to be involved in Melody’s life and they place themselves in a way that even if Melody wanted to she couldn’t avoid them. I really enjoyed that Melody made it a point to be very polite and respectful to her parents, even when her parents required her attention at the most inconvenient time.

Another element of this book that caught my attention, was that Melody spent a greater half of the book trying to prove herself and what one may consider a male dominant profession. As someone that has always been interested in working with programming sometime in this lifetime, it opened my eyes that such a profession is often male-dominant. This was not something that I thought about in the past. It also made me recognize that women that are in these positions often have to work hard to prove themselves because someone out there is expecting them to fail due to the fact that they are a girl.

Melody went through a lot of struggles being in the video gaming profession and she couldn’t have made it through without her friends. Although the friendships she had with her friends were not the main focus of the story, I felt that they portray what role females tend to play, in Melody’s case she found herself trying to get ahead in her career while balancing being in a wedding party for a friend. And anyone who has ever been in a wedding party can tell you that there is a lot of responsibility that comes with the job. Overall, I thought that this book was filled with rich friendships and showed that friends make the best alleys to one another.

This book contains a sprinkle of romance and enticing male characters that as a reader, you are left with wanting to know more about them. They are mysterious and throughout the novel, I as a reader was wondering who is Melody going to end up with. Is there a romance brewing? I did apprieciate that there were hints of romantic ques, but the story did not solely revolve around romance.

Overall, this was a fun read. And I am grateful to have had an opportunity to read this story. I think this one, is worth being picked up. Consider reading this with a caramel macchiato in hand. Thank you to the publisher for reaching out to me, to review this book.

With Warm Cups of Tea and Just a Few More Chapters,

Rina

Pages: 443

Published: January 2, 2008

Publisher: Razorbill

Synopsis: WHAT IF FOLLOWING HER HEART MEANS ROSE COULD LOSE HER BEST FRIEND FOREVER?

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth’s magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest vampires – the ones who never die. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa’s best friend, makes her a Dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making Lissa one of them.

Rose knows it is forbidden to love another guardian. Her best friend, Lissa – the last Dragomir princess – must always come first. Unfortunately, when it comes to gorgeous Dimitri Belikov, some rules are meant to be broken…

Then a strange darkness begins to grow in Rose’s mind, and ghostly shadows warn of a terrible evil drawing nearer to the Academy’s iron gates. The immortal undead are closing in, and they want vengeance for the lives Rose has stolen. In a heart-stopping battle to rival her worst nightmares, Rose will have to choose between life, love, and the two people who matter most… but will her choice mean that only one can survive? (Goodreads)

My Bookish Thoughts:

I have read so many books in this series lately that I have just gotten myself immersed in the story. The anticipation of the storyline gets more and more intense with each book. There is just so much going on.

Throughout Shadowkiss, the main character Rose struggles with being a good guardian. In an assignment that is assigned to all the Dhampirs in their third year which is to protect a Moroi while the staff stage sneak attacks on them as if they were out in the real world battling Strigoi. However, Rose finds herself not only dealing with the staged attacks but also with spirits (ghosts) that begin to haunt her. As Rose figures out what is happening to her and why these spirits are contacting her, the Strigoi become an active threat to the academy. Mix in a forbidden love and you have one enticing tale.

I loved this book, I love this series. I have not read a series back to back in such a long time. I have been borrowing this series from the library.( YAY support your local libraries!!!) I used to own this series but the books sat on my shelf for so long that I ended up giving them away last year when I moved out because I was trying to be a minimalist but honestly who did I think I was kidding…

I really enjoyed that this books always has a flashback to the previous book. So, if it has been a while since you read the previous book the author makes sure that there are a few paragraphs at the beginning of the novel that recap what happened in the previous book.

I found this book to be addicting. I could not stop reading it. I was rooting for Rose and Dimitri’s relationship. Their relationship is forbidden and the character fight with their inner self in order to stay away from one another. But, their draw to one another is just too intense and they can’t help but want to be together. I was fangirling hard. There is also, another character introduced that happens to create a love triangle in this particular book and that is Adrian, a royal morori that the vampire queen has special plans for.

Lissa was one of those central characters that has an influence on everything that happens to the other characters yet she is slightly on the sidelines because the storyline is not mainly about her. I really enjoyed watching how her interaction with the other characters has a cause and effect.

The series just gets better and better as the books go on. This book is full action, twists and turns, and a romance which makes this series so difficult to put down. I think that the fact that the series keeps getting better and better with each book speaks for itself. You must check this series out, one of the best Vampire young adult series there is out there.

Have you read the Vampire Academy? Did you find them addicting?

Any fast paced books that you think I would enjoy? Leave a comment down below.

With Warm Cups of Tea and just a Few More Chapters,

Rina

 

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