On Saturday around 4 o’clock, I came home from brunch at my friend’s house. I had a lot of work to do: a 55,000 word manuscript to read for an Editorial assignment and some thinking to do for my Ad assignment for Marketing. I figured, let me just read a chapter while I settle down.
The book had been getting good, but I thought I would be able to read a bit and then tackle some homework. I was wrong.
I sat my bed for a bit and then eventually leaned back into the pillows, my eyes scanning sentence after sentence, losing myself in the story. I laughed and gasped, and when I read the last page, I leaped out of my lying position and said, “Oh my God.”
This doesn’t happen very often, but for Blood Promise, the 4th in the Vampire Academy series, this is exactly what happened.
The recent Strigoi attack at St. Vladimirs Academy was the deadliest ever in the schools history, claiming the lives of Moroi students, teachers, and guardians alike. 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, Lissathe one she has sworn to protect no matter whatand 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? From Goodreads.
Blood Promise was so much better than the previous 3 books. Mead’s writing in this one is a lot clearer and packs a lot more of a punch than before. This improvement in writing definitely bumped up my love for the book, because that has been my constant critique throughout the series thus far.
With Rose and Lissa separated, they’re relationship is strained, which is to be expected. Rose spends a lot of time peering into Lissa’s bond throughout her journey, which provideds a great reprieve when what’s happening with Rose isn’t all that exciting. These flashes into her mind make the story move forward at a brisk pace so that there was never a boring moment.
A new character is introduced, as well as a new headmaster, which also changes the dynamic of the goings-on at the Academy (which Rose is privy to through Lissa). Adrian finally gains more importance as his and Rose’s relationship is also taken to new heights, about which Rose learns a valuable lesson.
I will also be the first to concede that Rose has grown on me. I don’t know how or when, but she wasn’t as whiny as previous books or as annoying. Maybe because she wasn’t at school and around other whiny and petulant teenagers, she seemed much more mature and self-sacrificing.
But all these things are superfluous to the main thing that made the book rock my socks: Dimitri. Dimitri as Strigoi (or vampire for those who are unaware) was completely different from what I expected. Won’t say too much, but their relationship takes on a whole new angle as Rose has threatened to kill Dimitri, which kind of complicates things. Every conversation and interaction is charged with many different meanings and agendas.
There is a negotiation scene with them that reminded me an awful lot of one between Edward and Bella in Eclipse but the roles were reversed. Sort of. I’ll let you figure that one out on your own.
Out of school, the stakes are even higher for Rose, who faces difficulty at every corner now that she’s out of the comfort of people she knows and loves. More detail is given about Rose’s family, and especially her father, who shows up in an expected way.
As I neared the end, I thought I knew how it was going to end and what the next one was going to be about. But an expected twist right at the end was what made me jump out of bed and gasp. Suddenly, everything had changed. Again.
The worst part of this book was finishing it. As I read the last words in the waning light of my bedroom, I realised that while the ending was awesome, I would have to wait until Monday to get the next instalment from my friend Chelsey.
And for that reason, 4.5/5.
Thanks for reading,
Ikhlas
