Book Review – Blood Promise (Vampire Academy Book 4) by Richelle Mead

Time for Rose to grow up – she has to with what she’s about to face…

Genre: Y/A, Paranormal, Romance, Mystery

No. of pages: 503

From Goodreads:

The recent Strigoi attack at St. Vladimir’s Academy was the deadliest ever in the school’s 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, 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? 

Not sure where the Vampire Academy series would take its readers with this book, but eager to find out what was going to happen to Rose and Dimitri after the cliff hanger at the end of ‘Shadow Kiss,’ so I didn’t let a lot of time pass before I picked up ‘Blood Promise.’

This fourth novel is a departure to the narrative of the first three books. There is less of the light-hearted banter and boarding school hi-jinx. ‘Blood Promise’ leads us down a gloomy path. I loved following Rose into that dark place, how she had to battle with her strength of will more than her skills at being a Dhampir… and in more ways than one. (A bit cryptic, but I’m not about to blurt out any spoilers).

I like how we always see both Rose and Lissa’s abilities evolve, grow and add to their arsenal; and we get even more of that with ‘Blood Promise.’

Seeing the subtle and not so subtle differences between human and Strigoi was fascinating – loved the mimicry, the hints of emotion, but ultimately the Strigoi are consumed with power… and their need for blood. Scary. We glimpse into the organised side of theses killers, how intertwined they are into the human world, what their motives are. Up until this point, we only really hear about how much of monsters they are. Crazed. Predators. Well. This book adds another layer to our infamous protagonists.

I loved the intro of Sydney, and a society of Alchemists into this world and looking forward to reading more of her story in Bloodlines. Her presence helped answer many questions I had about the logistics of the VA world and its secrecy. Though it has posed a lot more I want to know. Let’s see just how much Mead will spill in VA, or if I’ll have to read Bloodlines to quench my thirst for knowledge.

Previously, there was plenty of mushy rose/Dimitri goodness to squee over – we see more exploration of a different side to their relationship here. Less happy, but more compelling.

There were a few plot twists I didn’t see coming, and others I saw a mile away. Richelle Mead really knows her craft when it comes to building a novel that his entertaining, easy to read, but still manages to shock you.

It’s all drawing to a close, with only two more novels left – and this series has improved with each instalment. I’ll be sad to complete it – but then there’s always re-reading.

Overall reaction: Holy Crow!

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