Book Review: Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Review: Spirit Bound
Series: Vampire Academy – Book 5
Author: Richelle Mead
No of Pages: 489
Release Date: 18 May 2010

SALVATION HAS ITS PRICE...

The words stunned Adrian for a moment, but he kept going. “You’re lying. What you’re describing is impossible. There’s no way to save a Strigoi. When they’re gone, they’re gone. They’re dead. Undead, Forever.”

Robert’s next words weren’t directed at Adrian. They were spoken to me. “that which is dead doesn’t always stay dead...”

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s—and to her best friend, Lissa Dragomir. It’s graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives outside of the Academy’s cold iron gates to finally begin. But even wit the intrigue and excitement of court life looming, Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri. He's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance, and now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he's silenced her...forever.

But Rose can’t forget what she learned on her journey- whispers of a magic too impossible and terrifying to comprehend. A magic inextricably tied to Lissa that could hold the answer to all of Rose’s prayers, but not without devastating consequences. Now Rose will have to decide what – and who – matters most to her. And in the end, is true love really worth the price?


My Thoughts:

I am always at a loss for words when it comes to trying to express my love for this series.

Spirit Bound kicks off a couple of months after Rose gets back from Siberia at the end of Blood Promise.

Rose is about to take her trials to finally become a guardian, which is the only thing she has been able to focus on ever since the beginning. We are thrown straight into the fray of her fighting off imaginary strigoi on a bridge and watching her come up with something completely unexpected to get out of the situation, like cutting the bridge.

But after her wonderful success of completion and finally getting out of St. Vladimir’s Academy, Rose’s world comes crashing down after she goes off on a last hare-brained attempt to save her ex, Dimitri, from being a strigoi.

Rose and two friends manage to spring Victor Dashkov, the evil guy that tried to enslave Lissa and use her spirit powers, from one of the most heavily guarded prisons in the vampire world. Even as I say it, it sounds so completely far-fetched, but Mead’s writing leave us believing every single word.

After freeing Dashkov and finding out that they might have a chance at saving Dimitri, they go back to The Royal Court to face the consequences. This is where life for Rose starts to unravel, she may have been able to get away with her schemes at school, but the Court doesn’t want her risking Lissa’s life, even if she proves to be more than capable of keeping her safe.

Ironically enough, when Lissa leaves Court to look around her new university and Rose gets left behind, Lissa gets snatched...by Dimitri.

After witnessing the attack we see how much Rose has really grown over the last couple of books, instead of going on a rescue mission by herself, she stops, and asks for help.

I love Rose so much, and I love how much she has grown, especially in Blood Promise and Spirit Bound. She is still the impulsive, vulgar, bad ass chick that we met in Vampire Academy, but she has matured into so much more without losing those qualities.

We also see a lot into Lissa’s mind through her and Rose’s connection, we see more how she feels and how she thinks and it comes across effortlessly how much Lissa has also grown, and become so much stronger. We also see how she thinks in regards to Christian now, since their breakup a couple of months ago it has become a battle of wills that Rose has been put in charge of resolving. The quips and comments that come out of Lissa and Christian lighten the whole mood of the story.

Another who also lightens Spirit Bound’s mood is Adrian, ah Adrian *drools*, Adrian and Rose’s budding relationship is funny, unique, mature and yet so innocent. We see the softer side to Adrian, how much he truly cares for Rose, how much he is willing to endure for her and from her whilst she struggles to get over Dimitri. They have that innocence of young love, and yet they also act on occasion, like an old married couple.

I will have it known freely, that I am whole-heartedly on Team Adrian, although I can anticipate what is probably going to happen, I am still on Team Adrian all the way.

Mead’s writing was provocative, thought inducing, emotional and almost too powerful. What she does with words is absolutely magical, and the feelings she stirs in you as you’re reading Spirit Bound are absolutely intense.

Spirit Bound is yet another perfect instalment to this absolutely fabulous series. Mead has left us with a massive cliff-hanger that was extremely cruel, but also has me eagerly anticipating Last Sacrifice, the final instalment in this epic series.

Also in this series:
Vampire Academy
Frostbite
Shadow Kiss
Blood Promise
Last Sacrifice