So anyway, I am on the last book, and I have actually flown right through all of them in a week and a half. So I guess this means that they are pretty good. There are things that make me want to roll my eyes due to the juvenile nature of the books, but overall it didn’t bother me enough to stop reading (obviously).

The plot and how they all run together is put together pretty well, there are some pretty exciting moments in the series and it kept me interested. I’m pretty sad that I can’t find the 4th book on audio tape, so I’m going to have to wait until it comes out. *UPDATE: Blood Promise NOW AVAILABLE in Audio Format!

The characters are pretty well described, and I can get a really good idea of the “type” of person each one was. I will tell you right now though, at this point in the series, I am sooo over Dimitri. I wish she would get rid of him. I get that he is the one that brings a naughty type romance to the book, but I think I could do without all of the I love Dimitri stuff. I would love to see Rose with Adrian Ivoshkov. Which by the way has his own facebook page (here) – I just learned! However I do love that Lissa is with Christian.

Their are some very creative ways the author has used magic and the paranormal. The bond is a great way to get into two characters heads in one pop. I love it. The use of “spirit” is also very creative and intriging to think about.

All in all these books are pretty good, and I would recommend them to anyone who would like a good read. I have written some more detailed reviews on my blog, so check them out! It contains some spoilers so read with caution!

Read Changeling for FREE – by Yasmine Galenorn

Here are some other places that I have seen this book available to buy:

From Audible: Changeling (Members Price = $12.27) – This is an AUDIO Book

From Amazon: Changeling (Price = from $3.75) – This is a PAPERBACK Book

From Amazon: Changeling (Price = from $18.99) – This is an AUDIO Book

Hopefully these will help you with your purchasing needs for this book. I highly recommend Audible – as they seem to have the best prices, and the download is so quick and easy, and it can be imported straight onto your iPod or other MP3 player. Amazon is good if you want a physical copy of the book – but for me this isn’t necessary.

As far as I can tell Audible.com doesn’t have this available yet – but they do have the other 3 that you can download right to your iPod, Computer, or other MP3 device.

Blood Promise Unabridged CD (Vampire Academy)

So readers – get ready for a new Review on Blood Promise, by Richelle Mead!

This book is written in the perspective of Camille D’Artigo. Camille is one of three very unique sisters who are from Other World, and work as an OIA (Other World Intelligence Agency) operatives. OIA was developed by the Queen of Other World to  govern the Other World society that has opted to move Earthside. Humans are aware of Other World and the creatures that live Earthside, and for the most part, humans have turned the Other World community into psuedo-celebrities.

Camille with her sisters, Delilah and Menolly,  own cover businesses, but soon find themselves fighting demons and trying to save both Other World, and Earth from an evil demon squad set on opening portals that will allow anyone into Earth, including the unruly, ruthless Demons who have been long cast aside, and refused entry onto Earth.

Camille D’Artigo is half-human, and half faerie, and possesses magical powers that are forged through her through the Moon Mother (as she calls her). Her sister Delilah is also half-human, but is also a were-cat. Delilah is able to change form into a small tabby cat. Menolly, her other sister used to be half-human and an acrobat, gifted with the ability to accomplish impossible acrobatic feats, but during one mission, in which she was caught by a gang of Vampire’s, Menolly was killed and risen again to walk the earth as a Vampire.

The sisters use their unique gifts and/or curses, in Menolly’s case, throughout the book to hunt down a Daageth squad, who has crossed through the portals onto Earth, and is searching for something called a Spirit Seal. This Spirit Seal will allow the Demon’s to split the portals wide open, enabling Earthside humans,  residents of Other World, and Demons to cross back and forth freely. If this happens, both Other World, and Earth will be destroyed by the havoc that the Demons will impose throughout both worlds.

I will admit that this plot sounds very exciting and full of adventure, and it is, when the author stops filling in pages of the book with shopping spree’s and talks of designer wears, but I do understand why she go into so much detail about these types of items, especially after reading the second book, Changeling. The fact that this book is told by Camille, and the second book is told through Delilah’s eyes, and the third book being told through Menolly’s perspective, it was good to get a sense for the differences between the sisters using their interests to distinguish the 3 personalities. If feel that if she hadn’t done that, by the third book I would be getting a bit confused.

Anyway, all in all, I really liked the books, their are defiantly some things that I would leave out – like the romance between Camille, Trillion, and Morio. At least tone it down a little and not go into so much detail during the sex scenes, but considering that this book is also classified as a romance, I can see why it was in their as well.

The other thing I really enjoyed about this book was how many mythical creatures were incorporated into this book, and how Yasmine used the creatures to play out each characters role. It was also enjoyable to see how humans on Earth reacted to the Other World creatures and their rituals, spells, magic, and special abilities.

I am already on the third book, so of course I will recommend this book to all who enjoys some good supernatural / mythical / suspense / action books. Their is a lot going on in this book, but I do believe that Ms. Galenorn has found a very good recipe when merging it all together. Good job Yasmine – I look forward to seeing more of your work.

Let me first start out this review by saying that each book in this series has gotten gradually better, and I can not wait until the 4th book comes out in audio format. I don’t have time to read books much, but I do have a rather long commute to and from work, and I love listening to these books while I ride.

Now, on to the book! This book is set right before Lissa and Rose are due to graduate, they are in their last semester at St. Vladimir’s Academy, and they have a lot going on. Rose is seeing Mason’s ghost (if you remember Mason died in the last book), and she thinks she might be going crazy, and refuses to let anyone know what she is seeing.

Rose is also very much in love with Dimitri in this book, like every other book. And I still find it gross and disgusting. Then again most think Dimitri is Hot and Sexy – perhaps I’m weird. I still would love to see Adrian and Rose get together. Oh well, in addition to this though, Lissa and Christian are still together in this book, and Mead throws in a nice twist with having Rose guard Christian in their final guardian “in field” training each senior must go through.

The “in field” training is a 6 week training program where Dhampire’s are assigned to Moroi to watch and look after for 6 weeks, while the instructors sneak around and try to “get” the Moroi. The Dhampire’s must protect the Moroi against the instructors no matter what. Which is kind of fun, just thinking about being able to fight your instructors without holding back makes you go “hmmmmmm” lol.

Anyway, during the course of the book Rose becomes more and more convinced that she is seeing Mason for a reason, and tries to figure out what that reason might be. By the time she realizes what is happening its too late. The Academy is attacked by tons of Strigoi, and the Moroi, instructors, and Guardians must fight to protect the school and the Royal’s. This is a very exciting attack, not to mention the fight starts right after Rose and Dimitri “do the deed”. I would love to see this fight reenacted on film, it would be amazing!

This fight leads to the capture of several Moroi, and while on a rescue mission to take the Strigoi and save Moroi lives, Dimitri is turned into a Strigoi. This leads to a devastated Rose dropping out of school to go find Dimitri and kill him. This is the end of the book, and much like the end of this post, its way too abrupt to really be a “good” ending.

Of course ending like this really sets the tone for the next book, and I think its part of the reason why I am feining for the fourth book so much. Of course its not out in audio format yet, so we will just have to wait to see the next chapter.

All in all, this is one of my favorite books, 1, because of the Strigoi attack, it was described beautifully and it was very well thought out, and 2, because Dimitri gets turned into a Strigoi (hehe).  I would recommend this book, and this series to anyone urning for some more Vampire Love, Mead is a very talented writer, and these book seem very well thought out and they are easy on the ears.

Rose and Lissa are bonded together by a one way psychic connection. Rose can hear Lissa’s thoughts, and can also see what Lissa see’s through Lissa’s eyes. It is a very intriguing bond, and adds a lot to the story.

As for the specifics of this book, it is set in a ski lodge. Strigoi (the evil Vampires), attacked the Academy, leading to the whole school attending a very well protected ski lodge, usually reserved for Royal Moroi during Winter Break. Many extra Dhampire’s have been called in to help protect the students, including Rose’s very well known Mother. The tension between Rose and her Mother is well placed, and I believe it helps develop Rose a little more, and I like her character.

Again, Dimitri is in the book, romantic things happen, and it makes me uncomfortable… hahaha. I don’t like Dimitri, and I really wish his character was a little better portrayed. I listened to the audio book and his voice may be the thing that deters me, so it may be different if you are planning to read the book, instead of listen to it.

I love the character of Adrian, he is charming, mysterious, sexy, and I really dig the bad boys look (even though I get the feeling he isn’t too “bad”).

The plot revolves around the decision to either retaliate against the Strigoi for the attacks or do nothing. It is part of the old ways that the Moroi and dhampire’s stay clear of Strigoi, only fighting when necessary, but many Moroi and many Guardians think that it is time for a change.

The real adventure begins when Rose learns that Mason, Mia, and Eddie have escaped the Ski Lodge and gone after the Moroi that killed Mia’s parents. Mia is enraged and wants revenge, and Eddie and Mason are willing and ready to help take out some Strigoi. Of course Rose goes after them, and they are soon caught and held prisoner by Strigoi and their human helpers. In the end Mason is dead, Eddie has been starved and fed off of almost to the point of being dead, and Mia and Rose must create a plan to escape their bondage. They devise a plan and the group is well into their escape plan when they run into powerful Strigoi that want them all dead. Rose ends up showing her kick ass skills and kills her first couple Strigoi, and Mia, the whiny little brat overcomes her ways and becomes stronger as she helps Rose take the Strigoi out using the element of water.

Overall this book is pretty good, and if you liked the first book, you will definitely get into this one, and want to pick up the 3rd one right after you finish. It continues the story really well, and takes some nice twists and turns. As with the first book Rose is very easy to listen to, and the concept of the bond really helps keep this book flowing at a nice pace.

As for the plot, with Victor out to get them, and how he used magic, and had used Natalie to test Lissa all was very well put together, and flowed really nicely.  I put together the plot relatively quickly, but their were some twists I didn’t expect, like Natalie turning Strigoi. Natalie was the last person I expected to be the villian, so I really liked that part.

Lissa and the spirit magic were great additives, and of course, the bond helped move the story along at a decent pace, never keeping on one character too long. It was good to always know that Rose was the point of view, even when speaking from Lissa and her psychic bond. The “shadowkissed” references really make me want to keep reading this book. To have bits and pieces of this story is what really keeps the series going, and I love the mystical, psychic touch it has. I can’t lie, I’ve already starting reading the other books, and I still like the “Shadowkissed” references in it.


Now Lissa, she is a good character, but I really don’t like her meek ways, and small voice. She seems strong, but  sounds way too childish, I think this might have to do again with the fact that I listened to the book instead of reading it, but anyway, Lissa just needs to toughen up. And I really didn’t like the crazy cutting, I don’t think it added too much to the book, and that kind of fear and frustration could have been shown in a different way. In the end though I think Lissa does the right thing with being with Christian. And speaking of Christian, he is one of my favorite characters, I wish he said and did more. (Maybe in the next book ;-P )

The last characters I want to address are Mia and Mason. Mia is a straight up brat, and I love how her character is portraided in the book. She is a typical snob you would meet at any high school, and I loved the twisted plots and rumors that were tossed around. It made the book fun to read and get into. A few times I think I even found myself giving Mia a sigh out loud, hehe . Mason was a nice character, not good for Rose, but helped to balance out the school atmosphere.  He was a good ole boy, and who doesn’t love a good ole boy.

Overall I really liked the book – enough to keep reading, and I would recommend this book to anyone interested in this genre. I personally use Audible to download the audio books, and they have some really good deal for those interested in audio books.

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It might be interesting to read and compare to the TV show. There are a few blogs I’ve seen on this, maybe I will write them down and let you know.

Happy Reading

Vampire Diaries

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Here you can Read Free Books Online here

Here you can find anything you want – from the beloved Count Dracula, to various handbooks and companion books where you can find new and interesting things about Vampires.

Handbooks, Companions and General Reference

• Vampires, Burial & Death: Folklore & Reality by Paul Barber
• Vampires and Vampirism: Legends from Around the World by Dudley Wright
• The Dracula Cookbook of Blood by Ardin C. Price
• The Varmpire Gallery by J. Gordon Melton
• The Complete Book of Vampires by Leonard R. N. Ashley
• The Vampire Encyclopedia by Matthew E. Bunson
• The Vampire Lectures by Laurence A. Rickels
• Book of the Vampire by Nigel Suckling, illus. Bruce Pennington
• The Vampire: In Legend & Fact by Basil Copper
• Bloody Irish by Bob Curran
• Dark Banquet: Blood and the Curious Lives of Blood-Feeding Creatures by Bill Schutt
• The Vampire Book: The Complete Encyclopedia of the Undead by J. Gordon Melton
• Bite: A Vampire Handbook by Kevin Jackson
• V Is for Vampire : An A to Z Guide to Everything Undead by David J. Skal
• Vampire: The Complete Guide to the World of the Undead by Manuela Dunn-Mascetti
• Private Files of a Vampirologist: Case Histories & Letters edited by Jeanne K. Youngson
• The Complete Vampire Companion by Rosemary Ellen Guiley and J. B. MacAbre
• Vampires: Restless Creatures of the Night by Jean Marigny, translated by Lory Frankel
• Vampires: The Occult Truth by Konstantinos

Dracula Books – A short list of some very interesting books

• The Dracula Book by Donald Glut
• Dracula : Between Tradition and Modernism by Carol A. Senf
• Dracula : Bram Stoker (New Casebooks) by Glennis Byron
• Dracula : Sense & Nonsense by Elizabeth Miller
• Dracula : The Novel and the Legend by Clive Leatherdale
• Dracula : The Shade and the Shadow edited by Elizabeth Miller
• Vlad III Dracula: The Life and Times of the Historical Dracula by Kurt W. Treplow
• Kurt W. Treptow Dracula : The Vampire Legend on Film by Robert Marrero
• Dracula, Prince of Darkness by Martin H. Greenberg

In addition to the above, these below authors have a lot of books on the subject of vampires, and seem to have extensive knowledge regarding anything Vampire. Please check out the authors below to see what they have to say regarding Vampires

Authors to check out

• Michelle Belanger
• Leonard Wold
• Bob Madison
• Montague Summers
• Raymond T. McNally

Since Twilight came out more and more people are looking for Vampire Books. Vampire books have been a favorite theme with many writers. With Dracula, and all its renditions to the very popular kids series The Bailey School Kids by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones, these types of books have become a staple in paving the way for a more mainstream Below I have compiled a short list of Vampire books that can be appealing to teenagers, or young adults. Mostly I have added series, I find that series are really great, I feel that I can get to know the characters much better should I have more to read about them.

The Anita Blake Series

by: Laurell K. Hamilton

The Vampire Chronicles / New Tales of the Vampire Books

by: Anne Rice

Dark Series Books

by: Christine Feehan

Dark Day Series

by: Jocelynn Drake

1. Nightwalker
2. Dayhunter
3. Dawnbreaker

Vampire Kisses

by: Ellen Schreiber

1. The Beginning
2. Dance with a Vampire
3. The Coffin Club
4. Royale Blood

Books by Shannon Drake

• Beneath a Blood Red Moon
• When Darkness Falls
• Deep Midnight
• Realm of Shadows
• The Awakening
• Dead by Dusk

The Sookie Stackhouse Series (aka: Southern Vampire) Books

by: Christine Harris

The Twilight Series

by: Stephanie Meyers

1. Twilight
2. New Mood
3. Eclipse
4. Breaking Dawn

The Vampire Academy Books

by: Richelle Mead
*The audio books of this series is available at audible.com, and they are among my top 3 favorite books

1. Vampire Academy
2. Frostbite
3. Shadow Kiss
4. Blood Promise

Vampirates

by: Justin Somper

1. Demons of the Ocean
2. Tide of Terror
3. Blood Captain

Vampire Huntress Legend Series

by: L.A. Banks

Danielle Walthers Series

by Scott Ciencin

1. Vampire Odyssey
2. The Wildlings
3. Parliament of Blood

The Dracula Horror Series

by: Robert Lory

The Others Series

by Sergei Lukyanenki

1. Night Watch
2. Day Watch
3. Twilight Watch

Necroscope Series

by: Brian Lumley

If you have any more Vampire Series that you would like to add, let me know and I will add them to this list! I know there are plenty more series out there, but most of them I haven’t had a chance to get through yet. I would love to know what your thoughts are on these books as well, so be sure to leave a comment telling me what your favorites are!