Blood Promise
by Richelle Mead
Published by Razorbill on 8/25/2009
Series: Vampire Academy
Vampire Academy | Frostbite | Shadow Kiss | Blood Promise | Spirit Bound | Last Sacrifice
Genre: YA Fantasy
Source: Brooke Reviews - My book dealer 
Rose Hathaway’s life will never be the same.
The recent attack on St. Vladimir’s Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose’s neck, a mark that says she’s killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life’s vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She’ll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?
Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir’s and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?
Smashtastic Entertainment Quickie
Painfully incredible.
Interest in the book
I read the first 3 books with lightning speed, but didn’t pick up book 4 for months. How the hell I did that with the events at the end of book 3 is beyond me, but alas, too many damn books, as usual. I rectified the situation, which is all that matters. 
World-building
I think the world-building is the reason this book is my favorite in the series, thus far. Rose travels outside the confines of school, far, far away to Russia. Rose is introduced to Alchemists and she meets (and falls in love with) Dimitri’s family. Rose interacts with rogue dhampirs (those who don’t wish to become guardians but still fight strigoi) on her quest, of which I will not spoil for you. Rose also meets people that provide her with information on Spirit and being Shadow-Kissed that she and Lissa have long been searching for. We get an in-depth view to strigoi hierarchy and learn a secret that may forever change this world. The best world-building of the series, methinks!
Characters
Another reason I loved the book so much was the break from Lissa. Yes, she is still part of the story because of her bond with Rose, however, Rose was away from St. Vladimir’s for much of the book, and thus, a break from so much Lissa. I do see some growth in Lissa, however. She has irked me from the beginning, but has always held her head high. I admire that about her.
Rose goes a bit off the deep end in this installment. It’s quite understandable given the circumstances. She is bound and determined to see her quest through, however. Dimitri is just heartbreaking. It’s hard to handle him in his current state, yet I never gave up hope on these two, and I continue to hang on to it fiercely.
Adrian also stands out in this novel. We start to see some maturity and selfless actions, and it really made me start to adore this guy! I agree with Kelly, who stated that his growth “made him more of a person and less of a two-dimensional party-boy.”
Christian is and always will be a favorite of mine. His snark warms my heart. *swoon* He and Lissa experience some serious drama in this book, but I think they need this break from one another. I have no doubt they will be lovey dovey again by the end of the series.
Lasting Impressions
This book is a standout in the series. Rose endures a harsh journey, full of heartache and physical danger. The Rose that leaves St. Vladimir Academy is not the same Rose that returns. Her traumatic experiences have ensured that she walk the road of adulthood from this point forward.
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Great review! I love these books
Great review my friend! I agree with everything you said. I was hard to "deal" with the Dimitri in this book because he is so different with the Dimitri we fell in love with, yet despite his current circumstances, you can tell he still loves Rose…just in a different way!
The end of this book literally had me gasping for air like a fish out of water! Richelle is one of the few authors that can do that to me!
So glad you're loving this series as much as me.
It was so painful to read this one – yet I couldn't put it down.
I can't wait to read your reviews for the final two books in the series – I remember it was agony waiting for them to come out.
I'm with you–I read the beginning of the series but then got sidetracked by other books and life in general.
I really ought to rectify that, ASAP, because this book sounds amazing.
Smiles!
Lori
Thank you! They are pretty engrossing.
Yea, Dimitri was hella interesting in this book. When he was in scene, I devoured the pages. I found him to be both intriguing and horrifying! Richelle definitely pulls some damn good cliffhangers!
I am SOOOOO glad I didn't have to wait. Holy shite.
OMG! YES. This book was REALLY good. My favorite out of all of them, though I'm on the last book so I can't say that with 100% certainty yet…
Awww. You quoted me. *huggles you* Thank you.
I really enjoyed this series. I should go back and do a reread at some point to bask in teh awesomeness.
Great review, btw!
This one is one of the best in the series. From here on out in fact there is a lot of poignant moments that grasp you and stay with you! I am so glad that you are reading this series and I am little glad that it is one of the few YA series I have read!