Blood Promises (VA 4) Review + GIVEAWAY!

Blood Promise (Vampire Academy 4)

-       Richelle Mead

Publisher: UK – Penguin

** Warning – this review may contain spoilers for the first three Vampire Academy books**

How far will Rose go to keep a promise? The recent Strigoi attack at St. Vladimir's Academy was the deadliest ever in the school's history, claiming the lives of many. Even worse, the Strigoi took some of their victims with them - including Dimitri. He'd rather die than be one of them, and now Rose must abandon her best friend, Lissa - the one she has sworn to protect no matter what-and keep the promise Dimitri begged her to make long ago. But with everything at stake, how can she possibly destroy the person she loves most?

First I have to say that I love the Vampire Academy series so far (and if you don’t believe me check out my reviews of Vampire Academy, Frostbite and Shadow Kissed). I love the style of writing which lets you leap into Rose’s world and her view point. I love how Richelle Mead has captured the thoughts and feelings of an 18 year old learning her place in the world. I love the unique version on the vampire myth with dhampirs, Moroi and Strigoi. I also love how each book has built on what has happened before while at the same time created a complete story in its own right.

So having said on that, I didn’t love Blood Promise as much as the first three books. Don’t get me wrong, it is still a great read and all the elements that I loved from the first three books are there. However, with Rose away from St Vladimirs, Lissa and the rest of her support group meant that some of the additional characters which coloured her world and her interactions were missing. Seeing them through Lissa’s eyes didn’t have the kind of chemistry that I liked from the other books. This was especially noticeable in the first half of the book (although I do like Sydney even if I felt like force feeding her at times!)

But what is yummy with Blood Promise is the second half of the book which I can’t say too much about without spoilers! It deals with the heart of the relationship between Rose and Dimitri and what it means to lose the one you love. This once again proved how strong and compelling Richelle can make the second half of any book. If you’ve read this far in the Vampire Academy you’ll happily pick this up desperate for another dose of Rose, Lissa and the rest. And if you haven’t started the series yet...what are you waiting for? Pick up Vampire Academy now!

Recommended for fans of Maria V Snyder and Charlaine Harris. 7.5 out of 10

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Okay, through one thing and another I’ve ended up with two copies of Blood Promise, so being the generous person I am, I’m giving away my spare unread copy. Unfortunately I’m a little broke at the moment so this is only open to UK & EU addresses. Giveaway ends on Friday 29^th July 2011. To enter, fill in the below form & Good Luck!

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