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Book Review of Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, Bk 3)

Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, Bk 3)
noisechick avatar reviewed on + 95 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7


I'm thoroughly impressed by this series. To say it's better than "Twilight" is an understatement.
The main character, Rose, has to deal with death and growing up fast in a society where, as a dhampir, she is more-or-less a second-class citizen. Her future is set from birth - to be a guardian of pure-blood, "royal" living vampires. She's never questioned it. It's a pretty sweet gig since she likes to fight, has a strong moral code, and well, she's pretty much guarenteed a spot guarding her best friend since childhood, Lissa.

But things change, and her values, wants and needs are thrown into flux.

There's a lot of character development - and none of it easy - in these books. That's why I like them. The only other YA Vampire series I see this quality in is the "Morganville" series, by Rachel Caine. Both have unique twists on the vampire mythos, well developed worlds, and realistic characters who think about their actions and don't just throw themselves on the alter of sacrifice or love *cough* Bella & Edward *cough* like two-dimensional archetypes.
Romance is part of these worlds, but not the main point. It's about growing up and facing hard choices, with consequences.
Eh, I may be a harsh critic, but being an 'elder goth' (and a future librarian) who cut teeth on heavier lit, my compliments for this series are genuine.