Shadow Kiss
2008
- young adult fiction
- magic
- vampires
- juvenile fiction
- social classes
- high schools
- schools
- fiction
- nyt:series_books=2009-12-27
- children's fiction
The story
Is Rose's fate to kill the person she loves most? It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since Mason's death, Rose hasn't been feeling quite right. She has dark flashbacks in the middle of practice, can't concentrate in class, and has terrifying dreams about Lissa. But Rose has an even bigger secret . . . .She's in love with Dimitri. And this time, it's way more than a crush.Then Strigoi target the academy in the deadliest attack in Moroi history, and Dimitri is taken. Rose must protect Lissa at all costs, but keeping her best friend safe could mean losing Dimitri forever...
What it’s like
Brisk, dialogue-driven prose with a teenage narrator's wry, impatient voice, the kind that keeps a page turning fast on a commute or a late night with a lamp on. The world is a boarding school tucked into snowy and spring-green Montana-adjacent woods, rendered through sharp details: dorm rooms, training grounds, the glossy surfaces of a wealthy private academy, and the dark, cold-edged dread of night attacks. Its vibe is romantic urgency laced with grief, a sort of brooding teen melodrama with bursts of banter and sharp humor. Pacing is quick and chapter-driven, with frequent cliffhangers and emotional swings. Violence is present and occasionally bloody, with vampire fights and a major attack on the school, but it is not graphic in a gory way; there is some sexual tension and kissing, and a few romantic scenes, though nothing explicit. The emotional register is intense and sentimental, centered on a young woman torn between loyalty to her best friend and a forbidden love, moving toward a sense of dark responsibility. Best for fans of paranormal romance and teen fantasy who want a fast, emotional read with a loyal heroine and a dangerous, aching romance.
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