Book Review: Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5) by Richelle Mead

SERIES SPOILER ALERT. SERIES SPOILER ALERT. SERIES SPOILER ALERT. WARNING: The contents of this review may give away some of the major plotlines within the series. Do not continue reading if you want to be pleasantly surprised by the book.

Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5) - Richelle Mead

Synopsis: The last few years at St Vladmir’s Academy have been rough for Rose Hathaway, but the end is finally near. Graduation is approaching- and after all the love, loss, killing and heartache that have taken place- Rose is excited to leave the school and finally enter the real world as a renowned and successful Guardian. Although she has high hopes of guarding her best friend- and the last Dragomir princess- Lissa, Rose knows that her questionable behaviour record could be an issue. Having just returned from her failed mission to Siberia to locate and destroy her Strigoi ‘boyfriend’ Dimitri, Rose is feeling a little down about her chances of getting this highly coveted position. Making her feel even more ill at ease, Rose knows that Dimitri is still out there- biding his time until she leaves the grounds of the school so that he can attack her and make her into a Strigoi just like him- or die trying. But she also lives with a kind of hope, especially after learning that the Moroi power of spirit (which Lissa yields) could be the cure capable of changing a Strigoi back into its former self. Determined to find out more about this potentially incredible feat- which could mean the difference between killing Dimitri and turning him back into the Dhampir he once was- Rose enlists the help of her friends to uncover as much as she can about the only Moroi who has ever saved a Strigoi. But Rose’s mission comes at a cost, one that means danger for more than just her and her friends. It’s a race against time, as they try to find a cure for Dimitri- before he can find and destroy them…

What I gained from reading this book: Whereas the previous book was all about dealing with grief, this novel focuses more on redemption, forgiveness and winning back love lost. In Spirit Bound, many of the characters have to find ways to buy back the respect of their friends and, in turn, be forgiven for actions they have taken part in. They also have to find ways to heal the many fissures within their relationships. Due to Avery’s influence (spirit and otherwise) in Blood Promise, Lissa treated Christian harshly, and now needs to earn back his love and respect, while Christian needs to let go of the hurt that he felt at Lissa’s unkind behaviour. Meanwhile, Rose is in a sweet new relationship with Adrian, but she still has strong feelings for Dimitri, who she finds difficult to let go. These emotions cause some rifts within Rose and Adrian’s relationship- especially when Dimitri comes back into their lives- and Rose finds herself drifting between her feelings for the two men. Love is an extremely complicated thing, and both Rose and Lissa keenly illustrate this in the novel. Both girls are in love, yet they are unable to express how they feel without someone getting hurt or losing face amongst others. Spirit Bound teaches us that, while it may hurt sometimes, the best thing to do is take a chance- because you never know how things will turn out. Sure, you may get hurt, but at least you won’t regret not trying…

Positives: The action scenes in this novel are awesome (quite like they were in the other books of this series), and Rose is just as strong-willed as ever. Lissa, too, is starting to come out as a stronger character, and her daring actions take the storyline to new levels.

Negatives: There were a few questions left unanswered at the end of the novel, and, while I’m sure they’ll be answered in the next book, it’s quite irritating that we weren’t given at least some hints towards what may happen next.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Genre: Teenage Fiction

Recommended for: People who are desperate to find out what happens next for Rose, Lissa and the gang- especially since the next book is the last of the series!

Australians can buy the book by clicking the picture below:

Book Review: The Quiet Girl by Peter Høeg

The Quiet Girl - Peter Høeg

Synopsis:
Kasper Krone is a circus clown famous on the international stage, and wanted by Danish authorities for tax evasion. Living in a caravan on a property dedicated to circus training and stables, Kasper is unique in that he also has a special gift regarding sound. He can ‘hear’ the musical keys that make up a person, instantly identifying whether they are a D-minor or A-flat major, and thus determining their personalities and intentions in an instant. He can also hear sounds that most ordinary people can’t pick up, and often compares them to great musical works, including those by his favourite composer Johann Sebastian Bach.
But despite his abilities, Kasper also has a deep gambling debt, and is on the verge of being extradited to Spain for his tax evasion.
It seems that Kasper’s life as he knows it is over, until he is recruited by a mysterious order of nuns, from the Rabia Institute, who want him to use his abilities to help them find two missing and extraordinary children who have been kidnapped. In return for his services, they promise him a reprieve from the international authorities, and thus Kasper decides to help.
But Kasper doesn’t realise the full extent of the children’s mystical abilities, or the true intentions of all involved. His determination to save young KlaraMaria, who he previously created a bond with, as well as the other child, means that he faces adversity from all angles, and rediscovers relationships with people from his past.
Kasper has to use all of his circus training, hearing abilities and wit to discover where the children are, and work out how to get them back to safety.

What I gained from reading this book:
This novel brings into question the different ‘gifts’ that some people reputedly have. Kasper’s ability to hear the musicality in people’s everyday lives makes him stand out from regular people and gives the book an artistic and even spiritual edge that wouldn’t ordinarily be present in a book of this genre.

Positives:
The character of Kasper Krone is incredibly complex. Even though he is determined to save the children, he is also using the situation for his own gain, hoping to save himself from deportation. His interest in all of the people involved in the situation varies according to their usefulness to him, and his wit and cunning help him in circumstances when most people would ordinarily give up. These characteristics help to make the book so interesting to readers, as they wonder what he will do next.

Negatives:
I can’t fault the way that the book was written because the language that Høeg uses seems almost poetic at times, flowing like the classical music he loves to talk about so much. The methods that he uses in writing this novel, however, make it difficult to link together different parts of the story and can sometime makes it hard to grasp what is happening.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Genre: Mystery

Recommended for: People who enjoy Peter Høeg’s work.

Australians can buy the book by clicking the picture below: