Despite Rose's lapses into immaturity during this book, I thought it explored some really dark places with her which is what made it so memorable. Between that and the ever present tension with Dimitri, this book gave a good payoff in multiple ways. I liked the continuing of their guardian training and more of realization of what that entailed for a future, something that Rose didn't seem to dwell on that much before.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
Rose's Crankypants Outburst #1: The first one sets the tone for the book when Rose has a hissyfit over her assignment with Christian. You know something's off by the extreme way she reacts to it, resorting to childish, almost embarrassing levels. The pairing ends up bringing them closer together and foreshadows the kickass team they make at the end when they're taking out Strigoi.
Rose's Crankypants Outburst #2: Seeing Mason in the middle of her first mock fight against "Strigoi" sends Rose into another fit of rage where she runs her mouth and gets punished for it. Because of her overreaction to being paired with Christian before, her teachers just think her non-reaction in the fight is an act of defiance. She's too stubborn to tell them otherwise and understandably so, because when she finally does, they put her into therapy. The counseling thing yields one fruitful result though and that's her opening up to Dimitri more and finally getting closer to him.
Rose's Crankypants Outburst #3: The final outburst is the worst, where she realizes that she's sucking in all of Lissa's darkness. She's at her wit's end and pretty much in meltdown mode, half a step away from the asylum. That's when Dimitri's there to pull her out of it and the tension that had been mounting since book one finally culminates when they get together. Everything was perfect between them for one sweet moment. Which of course meant it would all go to hell seconds later. And it did in a spectacularly heartbreaking fashion. Rose feels nauseous and out pop the Strigoi, having just broken through the school's wards. But after giving us all of the built up Rose/Dimitri action, Richelle Mead snatches it away when Dimitri's dragged off by the Strigoi, to become one of them.
So, I'm guilty of absolutely loving the way she stuck it to Lissa at the end of the book. Even if she felt badly about it. Lissa's a very passive character that doesn't do a ton. Through the first three books we are told how wonderful she is by Rose, but we don't actually see her do a ton. To be honest, Lissa gives little thought to her flailing friend, not picking up on any emotional hints or even digging deeper and making her open up. All of that makes her a rather selfish character, so at the end of the book when Rose chooses to go off? I wanted to clap. And it ended on such a brutal note too, heartbroken at Dimitri being turned and heading off on her eighteenth birthday after resigning from the school she fought so hard to stay in. A fantastic read.
Rating: 4
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