Richelle Mead

Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy, Book 5)

When she returns to St. Vladimir's after a heartbreaking journey to Dimitri's birthplace, Rose eagerly anticipates graduation despite her fears that Dimitri will not be able to resist his vampire drive to stalk and transform her.

Spirit Bound

Scarlett

arwen

Rosibel Silva Pineda

La cantidad de cosas que pasan en tan poco tiempo son asombrosas, no te dejan un minuto de respiro seguro.
Dolorosamente maravilloso.

Briar's Reviews

Richelle Mead is one of the best YA authors (in my humble opinion). I loved her in high school and her books still hold up for me now!

The romance between Dimitri and Rose is FULL FORCE AHEAD, and the dynamic Richelle has been building just melts my heart! These two are one of my top YA couples (if not the top) and Richelle writes them just perfectly.

Additionally, this Adrian character is fantastic (and man oh man am I happy that he goth is own series after this, because he is a real gem!). However Richelle came up with him, keep doing that! His character is different (by all definitions) than our main set of characters. Yet, somehow, he is intriguing and romantic and every girl wants to fall at his feet. I love the dynamic he has created within the series too!

The drama that occurs in this book was built up perfectly from the last one - Dimitri being a Strigoi has finally been dealt with, and the drama that comes along with it makes this book the perfect lead up to the finale (aka the next book). 

For me, this was the "worst" book in the series, but it had to set up the final book. It's not a bad book by any means (by YA standards), but it still didn't feel as good as the last ones. I HAVE read the last book at the time of writing my review, and I can say that the set up in this book sets up. The long wait of reading through this book makes the last book OH SO GOOD. So, read through it! You can do it! Treat yourself with the last book, seriously!

If you haven't read this series yet, I highly recommend it. I loved this series and Richelle's writing style is perfect for YA. The entire series is out, so there's no need to wait like I did (ugh... it was painful at the time). 

Five out of five stars!

Anna Ureta

WARNING! May contain spoilers.

Out of all the other Vampire Academy novels I’ve read Spirit Bound, so far, is definitely my favourite. A lot goes on in this fifth book and is a MAJOR improvement on the filler heavy Blood Promise.

As Rose prepares for the test that may determine whether or not she’ll be a guardian she begins to worry about the disturbing ‘love’ letters she receives in the male from her old instructor and mentor turned Strigoi, Dimitri. He’s coming for her and this time it won’t be to awaken her. But Rose has a plan. She believes there’s a way to turn Strigoi back and in Dimitri’s case turn him back into a Dhampir. She, Lissa, and with the help of some of their friends plan to do what she never thought she’d do in her lifetime. Break Victor Dashkov out of prison. The one with information to bringing Strigoi back to life just so happens to be Victor’s half-brother Robert and only Victor knows his location. If there is even the slightest chance of bringing Dimitri back Rose would do anything, even put her love life between her and Adrian on the line.

Like I said, this book is possibly my favourite so far, or at least until I read Last Sacrifice. SO MUCH happens in this book it’s amazing. Rose FINALLY becomes a Guardian. Yeah, like that’s a big surprise. Dimitri is still after her. Yeah, like that’s a surprise too. And they all graduate from High School. Again, did you expect anything else? What happens AFTER is the twisting turn of events.

After summer vacation Lissa will start attend college near the Royal Court but until then she and Rose have plenty of time to settle into their new home. But Rose doesn’t want to settle. She needs to find a way to cure Dimitri, and fast, before he comes to call. This is a lot easier said than done because the one person who can help them just happens to be Victor Dashkov’s brother, and we all know how much Rose and Lissa hate him…

Finally finding Robert and persuading him to give him information they find out the easiest part of the mission is over. The harder part is having Dimitri turned back with a stake infused with Spirit. Yeah, and it just keeps getting better and better, because the person who turns Dimitri back has to be a Spirit user as well. Fun times. *insert sarcasm here*.

Aside from all this FUN STUFF going on with turning Dimitri back there’s also Rose and Adrian’s love life to consider. Like any boyfriend Adrian has a bit of an issue with Rose having feelings for Dimitri. He hates being out of the loop and hates that after all this time she’s choosing some who’s ‘dead’ to someone who’s ‘alive’. After meeting his parents, and deciding that they like her, or at least his mom does, she realizes that no matter how much Adrian loves her she knows they’ll never really be together and that’s pretty harsh.

I think I loved this book because it was pretty Dimitri and Adrian heavy. As opposed to having a book that was all filler and had a REALLY ANNOYING Dimitri, we got both and that made me really happy. I LOVED Dimitri at the beginning of the series just like everyone else and Rose did. He was bad-ass, he was a God, he could do anything, and he loved her! Then he just got really bloody annoying as all hell in Blood Promise and thankfully he didn’t have too…many speaking roles in this book, but when he did speak LATER ON, he was very…whinny and just had this attitude that I didn’t like. He couldn’t FORGIVE himself of all the bad things he’d done, and especially to Rose. I’m telling you… Dimitri gets REALLY FREAKING ANNOYING like I just want to punch him in the face…CONSTANTLY for being such an annoying self-righteous prick!

Then there’s Adrian. Beautiful. Wonderful. Perfect. Sexy. Amazing Adrian. *SIGHHHHHHH* the more I read him the more I

love him. I just want Rose to end up with him because he’s just so much better for her. As a friend said, “Adrian is boyfriend material”. The problem is, which Rose has also realized, is that no matter what she and Adrian will never end up together. He’s a Royal Moroi who, at best, will father a dhampir child with her, but then he’ll move onto marrying another Moroi to further his line. I secretly want to believe Adrian is above that and would marry her and be with her given the opportunity…he’s just so…perfect.

 “What are you getting at?” I asked, kind of confused.
 “I want you, Rose.” He squeezed my hand more tightly. “I’ve always wanted you. I want to be with you. I’d like to be like other guys and say I want to take care of you too, but…well. When it comes down to it, you’d probably be the one taking care of me.”
 I laughed in spite of myself. “Some days I think you’re in more danger from yourself than anyone else. You smell like cigarettes, you know.”
 “Hey, I never, ever said I was perfect. And you’re wrong. You’re probably the most dangerous thing in my life.”

UGHHHH ADRIAN WHY YOU SO PERFECT <333 WHY YOU SAY ALL THE RIGHT THINGS!!!?!?!?

 I shifted closer to Adrian on the bed and pressed my head against his chest. “We can make this work. I know we can. If I screw up again, you can leave.”
 “If only it were that easy,” he laughed. “You forget: I have an addictive personality. I’m addicted to you. Somehow I think you could do all sorts of bad things to me, and I’d still come back to you. Just keep things honest, okay? Tell me what you’re feeling. If you’re feeling something for Dimitri that’s confusing you, tell me. We’ll work it out.”

This book ends with a surprising cliffhanger, like a SUPER SURPRISE cliffhanger. Thank god I didn’t have to wait a year for the last book to come out or I might have had really high blood pressure. These books just keep getting longer and longer and Last Sacrifice is going to be the longest of them all. Hopefully all the loose ends will be tied up, all our questions will be answered, and MAYBE Dimitri will stop being such a prude!

4/5 Hearts of Love 

Read the rest of my reviews at http://www.akiikomorireading.com

Rose Hathaway returns to St. Vladimir's after a long journey only to find that Dimitri is now hunting her and won't rest until she joins him...forever.

brianna

“I've given up on you...Love fades. Mine has.”
 

BITCH!!! This book was wild from start to finish HOWEVER this plot feels so dragged out. As much as I love these characters and the writing, I'm ready for this series to end. ALSO I would actually die for Adrian and my heart hurts because he deserves so much better than how Rose is treating him. OH and did they forget about Victor? He was such a big part of the plot in the first like 150-200 pages and then they just never mentioned him again?? Anyway this was so good and made me fall back into this world because Blood Promise sucked and I can't wait to start the last installment of this series!

Midori Kobayashi

OFC THAT MYTH IS TRUE,, i'm here for this shit imma eat it up like candyyyyy

Talia Dominguez 

OMG!!! OK SO IN THIS BOOK, SO MUCH HAPPENED!!! 
I find it very challenging to review this book because it was good in soOOOOO many ways that can't be explained without spoilers. so I will do my best to express you the passion I felt reading this book, but I'm afraid it's beyond what words can explain. 

Spirit Bound starts back at the Academy,
 final exam planned by guardians to test their ability to protect Moroi "in the real world". what worries Rose the most is the after-graduation. She always thought it rimed with freedom but reality hit her in the face. She will spend her life protecting Moroi and her own desires won't matter anymore. There's not only the weight of responsibilities though, she knows Dimitri is out there, lurking in shadows, waiting for an opportunity to kill her. 

In this installment, Rose is more determined than ever and will use extremely illegal ways to reach her objectives. Desperation to save Dimitri, while she still can, drives her actions and consequences won't be light. She is not risking only her future and her life but also the ones of people she loves. 

When we love a book, we all say "I couldn't put it down", well in this case, I loved the book so much I HAD to put it down and take deep breaths because it was just too much. Love, Passion, Treason, Fear, Sadness, Grief, all these emotions laid on paper in a so intense way it almost became unbearable. At times I couldn't believe my own eyes, events happening in that book triggered reactions in me that are beyond words! 

I really love both Rose and Lissa! Even though they are very different, they have one thing in common: they would do anything for each other. 
Adrian is as snarky as ever but we get to discover a new side to him. I really like the guy and it's clear he cares about Rose and I loved to watch them together. 
Dimitri, oh Dimitri! He broke my heart in Blood Promise and Spirit Bound wasn't any easier. At times I really felt like hitting him in the head to knock some sense into him.
I was glad that Abe was in SB, he didn't play a major role but it was nice to have him around and I think he will have a bigger role in The Last Sacrifice. 

The ends are usual a cliff hanger and that is why i kept reading the next book until this one. lol.

Spirit Bound was action-packed, full of surprises, emotions and magic. I was in awe so many times during this book, it really was fabulous. 
I think Shadow Kiss is still my favorite of the series because I'm such a romantic but Spirit Bound is very close second. 

I really hope Rose will have her happy ending in The Last Sacrifice (even though the title doesn't point that way), she's been through so much, she really deserves her happily ever after.

Dimitri gave Rose the ultimate choice. But she chose wrong... After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri's birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir's-and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can't wait for their real lives beyond the Academy's iron gates to begin. But Rose's heart still aches for Dimitri, and she knows he's out there, somewhere. She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and now he is hunting her. And this time he won't rest until Rose joins him... forever.

A Vampire Academy Novel

Annabella

Devansh Patil

Gisela Ayala 

It took me almost two weeks to finish this book because I could not get into it. The firs three books were amazing and Rose was amazing and then book 4 happened and then this one happened and it just all went downhill for me. 

I'm still pretty involved with some of the characters (i.e. Lissa, Christian, Adrian), but Rose, gosh what happened to you Little Dhampir? You were so great, so brilliant, so everything and she just became this blubbering and impulsive person. And not in a good way either, because I've read about many impulsive main protagonists and I feel like the ends always justify the means, but I couldn't see a point to what she was trying to do. The whole time I was wondering what was the point of the plot. There were moments here and there that I could see that would lead to the overarching plot, but other than that, I was honestly bored with her pining over Demetri. It wasn't even romantic. 

Favorite part of the book had to be the ending because I guess things were happening again that would drive the plot forward, but honestly not my favorite book in the world (along with the 4th book). I reallyyyyyy want to hear more about Lissa, Christian, Adrian, and Eddie, oh and her DAD! Her father is way more interesting then her as well. :(

Courtney ✿ @librarycutie

I can't even put into words how I feel. My emotions are EVERYWERE. I'm not even sure I can write a review without spoilers because OH MY GOD. Dimitri. Rose. Queen Tatiana. Dragomir. Adrian. Abe. Lissa. AHHHH!

marilynn

3.5 stars

ROSE IS WHERE??????????? ++ ???????? + ???????????????????

Emily Gonzalez 

Marissa Luzio 

So basically this book is about the lamb now chasing the hunter, a.k.a Dimitri chasing Rose. It was well-paced and you couldn't NOT get bored because Mead just hit you with surprise after surprise after surprise. I like that Rose is finally back at St. Vlad's and is finally getting to graduate. Of course that all gets put on hold because Strigoi Dimitri is not giving up so easily. Ever since she failed to kill him, Dimitri has given her no more chances and is now on pursuit to turning Rose into a Strigoi, so they can be together forever. I mean, it's kind of romantic? At least he's still thinking of her, even with his dead dark heart.. Lol. 

Poor Adrian, I guess Rose did give him a shot once and for all, but we all knew who'd she end back up with. Pretty obvious. I did not like how Rose took Adrian for granted, I mean using his credit card in Vegas to then proclaim your love for Dimitri while you're legit dating the guy that's financing your trip... seriously Rose? But Adrian being Adrian, he still loves Rose even though he knows its a lost cause, deep down. He also still helps his cousin Lissa out in finding her powers and mostly, not hurting herself and others with them. 

This novel, thankfully, was definitely better than Blood Promise that's for sure. The book does end in a horrible cliffhanger, AGAIN. Seriously, Mead. Enough with the cliffhangers, our poor hearts can't handle it!!! Especially with the knowledge that the next book will be the last in the series, why!!!

IF you liked this review, check out more YA and other genres on my blog!
http://keepcalmandloveboooks.blogspot.ca

Elizabeth Neill

Laura

“Dreams, dreams. I walk them; I live them. I delude myself with them. It's a wonder I can spot reality anymore.”
#1: Vampire Academy ★★★★★
#2: Frostbite ★★★★★
#3: Shadow Kiss ★★★★★
#4: Blood Promise ★★★★★
#5: Spirit Bound ★★★★☆

Lucia silva

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG.

FUE ESPECTACULAR. El anterior admito que me aburrió, PERO ESTE? Este fue EL LIBRO. me encantó lo amé, me hizo llorar mucho. Me rompió el corazón en 8 pedazos mucahs veces (tantas como el principe mecanico); PERDONAME DIMITRI, yo sabía que no eras el otro y por eso te odié. PERDONAME. Adoré que estuviera un poco Sydney y ese 'es guapo' diciendole a adrian, YA LOS SHIPEO. Por dio', muero por leerlos. Y y y y, me emociono xD ODIÉ a rose, personaje de mierda, mala persona, egoísta, idiota, la odié. La sigo odiando, ojalá el último libro me haga amarla. Como siempre, Lisa me encantó, incluso Cristian. Tatiana me sorprendió ):, los padres de Adrian... bla. La verdad es que todo ha sido muy sorprende, siempre quise seguir leyendo (varias veces deje lo que estaba haciendo para leer); pero la verdad... 10 estrellas le pondría, no tiene absolutamente un error o algo que no me haya gustado (tal vez Rose, pero bueno...) Se merece un 10.

Sandra Gomes

Sophie Hutchings

This series just gets better and better. God damn. 

This see's the end of school for rose and lissa and prison escape, a move to court, a trip to Vegas and a big battle with an old flame... Again this book is non stop with twists and turns you would not except... 5* forever and always!!!!!

Sheila

Okay, after thinking about this overnight, I've changed my rating down to a 3 star rather than keeping it at 4 stars. The main reason? ROSE STOP BEING SUCH AN IDIOT IN GENERAL HOW ARE YOU INCAPABLE OF LEARNING THINGS????? IDGI IDGIIIIIII

I mean, not only is she totally using Adrian for the worst reasons possible & stringing him along, she's making the worst ever decisions & just being a general pain. You'd think by the 5th book with all the crazy crap that's happened to her she would've learned some restraint or stopped being such a selfish brat, but ALAS. 

Also, I have to say the first third of book was pretty dull. Why was Rose's graduation test thing glossed over so much?! I was actually looking forward to details of her fighting her way through this gladiatorial test, but all we get is, "it was all a blur." FFS REALLY NOW. 

The other fun secondary characters like Mia & Jill & hell even Christian are almost completely glossed over or omitted from this book. Dimitri's behaviour in the latter third of the book is a total mystery & extremely irritating; Lissa is also just unbelievably irritating, but this is likely due to the fact that these books are told from Rose's POV and SHE WAS UNBEARABLY IRRITATING ABOUT EVERYTHING. 

...Okay, rant over. This book ended on a significant cliffhanger so of course I'm going to read the final book, but this installment was just disappointing for me.

Kathy Biehl

This was a good book, but the entire series is very slow moving and it’s difficult to get swept away by it.