The Meeting
“Dimitri!”I turned instantly at the sound of my name, shooting a glare at the guardian approaching in the darkness. What was he thinking? Everyone out here tonight knew how essential secrecy was. It didn’t matter that he was young and simply excited about his first big mission. We had no room for errors, not when this was the only break we’d had in over a year. Realizing his mistake, he grew apologetic, though not nearly enough.“Sorry.” He dropped his voice to a stage whisper and tapped his ear. “Headset’s not working. We checked the house, and they’re already gone. They must have had warning, maybe a perimeter of spies on the streets.” As his excitement returned, the young guardian—Laurence—began speaking rapidly. “I was thinking about it. They probably have a whole network of people working with them! It makes sense, right? How else have they managed to stay ahead of us for so long? There’s no telling how deep this conspiracy goes! We might be facing an army tonight!”I said nothing and showed nothing as I mulled over his words. It was something of a mystery how a couple of teenage girls had managed to escape detection for two years, especially when one of them was a privileged Moroi princess and the other a delinquent dhampir with a disciplinary file so long that it broke school records. When I’d joined the teaching staff of St. Vladimir’s last year and learned of the princess’s case, I’d honestly been surprised the girls hadn’t slipped up sooner. Being in league with others might explain how they’d remained hidden …and yet, in all our data gathering, we’d never once had even the slightest hint that they had one accomplice, let alone “a whole network” or “army.”My silence made Laurence nervous, and he no longer smiled. “It’s irrelevant now,” I told him. “And there’s no point jumping to conclusions when—”“Dimitri?” A female voice crackled in my earpiece. “We’ve got visuals on them. They’re approaching the intersection of Brown and Boudreaux, from the north.”Without another word to Laurence, I turned and headed toward the streets indicated. I heard him running after me, but his stride was shorter, and he couldn’t quite keep up. I tried to force calm as my heart rate increased, but it was difficult. This was it. This was it. We might finally have her: Vasilisa Dragomir, the missing princess, last of her line. Although I knew all guardian work was honorable—including the instruction of future guardians—part of me had longed for something more at St. Vladimir’s. When I’d learned about the Dragomir princess and how she’d escaped the school, I’d made finding her a personal project, pushing leads that others had said were hopeless.Me? I didn’t believe in hopeless.I slowed my pace as the intersection neared, allowing Laurence to catch up. A quick scan revealed the dark shapes of other guardians lurking in shadows and behind objects. This was the spot they’d chosen for the interception. Quickly, I stepped off the road and hid in the cover of a tree, urging Laurence to do the same with a jerk of my head. We didn’t have to wait long. As I peered around the tree’s edge, I saw two female figures approaching, one practically dragging the other along. At first, I assumed it must be the stronger dhampir helping the princess, but as they grew closer, their heights and builds revealed that it was exactly the opposite.I had no time to ponder this oddity. When they were about six feet from me, I quickly stepped out from the tree and blocked their path. They came to a halt, and whatever weaknesses the dhampir girl had now vanished. She grabbed the princess roughly by the arm and jerked her back, so that the dhampir’s own body served as a shield keeping me away. Around us, other guardians fanned out, taking defensive positions but not advancing without my command. The dhampir girl’s dark eyes made note of them, but she kept her attention focused squarely on me.I didn’t entirely know what to expect from her, maybe that she’d try to run away or beg for her freedom. Instead, she shifted into an even more defensive position in front of the princess and spoke in a voice that was barely more than a growl: “Leave her alone. Don’t touch her.”The girl was hopelessly outmatched yet still defiant, as though I were the one at a disadvantage. In moments like these, I was glad my old instructors in Russia had grilled me into concealing my feelings—because I was surprised. Very surprised. And as I took this dhampir girl in, I suddenly understood with perfect clarity how they’d eluded us for so long. A network of accomplices? An army? Laurence was a fool. The princess didn’t need a network or army, not when she had this protector.Rose Hathaway.There was a passion and intensity that radiated off of her, almost like a palpable thing. Tension filled every part of her body as she regarded me, daring me to make a move. She possessed a fierceness I hadn’t expected—that no one had expected, I realized, most likely because they couldn’t see past that delinquent record of hers. But there was a look in her eyes now that said this was no joke, that she would die a thousand times over before she let anyone harm the princess at her back. She reminded me of a cornered wildcat, sleek and beautiful—but fully capable of clawing your face out if provoked.And yes, even in the poor lighting, I could see that she was beautiful—in a deadly way—and that struck me too. Her pictures hadn’t done her justice. Long, dark hair framed a face filled with the sort of hard-edged beauty a man might easily dash his heart against. Her eyes, though filled with hatred for me, still managed to be alluring—which only added to her danger. She might be unarmed, but Rose Hathaway was in possession of many weapons.I didn’t want to fight her and held out my hands in a placating gesture as I took a step forward. “I’m not going to—”She attacked.I saw it coming and wasn’t surprised by the action itself so much as that she’d even try it with the odds stacked against her. Should I have been surprised? Probably not. As I’d observed, it was clear that Rose was willing to do anything and fight anyone to protect her friend. I admired that—I admired that a lot—but it didn’t stop me from striking out to block her. The princess was still my goal tonight. And although Rose might have passion and defiance, her attack was clumsy and easy to deflect. She’d been gone too long from formal training. She recovered badly and started to fall, and I remembered how she’d stumbled earlier. Out of instinct, I reached out and caught her before she could hit the ground, keeping her steady on her feet. That long, marvelous hair fell away from her face, revealing two bloody marks on the side of her neck. Another surprise—but it explained her fatigue and pale complexion. Apparently her devotion to the princess went beyond just defense. Noticing my scrutiny, Rose knocked some of her tangled hair forward to cover her neck.Despite the hopelessness of her situation, I could see her lithe body preparing for another attack. I tensed in response, even though I didn’t want this brave, beautiful, and wild girl to be my enemy. I wanted her as…what? I wasn’t sure. Something more than an outmatched scuffle on a Portland street. There was too much potential here. This girl could be unstoppable if her talents were properly cultivated. I wanted to help her.But I would fight her if I had to.Suddenly, Princess Vasilisa caught hold of her friend’s hand. “Rose. Don’t.”For a moment, nothing happened, and we all stood frozen. Then, slowly, the tension and hostility eased out of Rose’s body. Well, not all of the hostility. There was still a dangerous glint in her eyes that kept me on guard. The rest of her body language said that although she hadn’t exactly admitted defeat , she had conceded to a truce—so long as I gave her no cause for alarm.I didn’t plan to. I also don’t plan on ever underestimating you again, wild girl, I thought, momentarily locking eyes with her. And I’ll make sure no one else ever underestimates you either.Satisfied that she was pacified—at least momentarily—I dragged my eyes from her dark gaze and focused on the princess. After all, runaway or not, Vasilisa Dragomir was the last of a royal line, and certain protocols had to be followed. I bowed before her.“My name is Dimitri Belikov. I’ve come to take you back to St. Vladimir’s Academy, Princess.”
/5
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1- “Ellos me están obligando a tomar sesiones de práctica adicionales”…
“¿Sesiones extra con quien?”
“Con ese tipo alto. Dimitri”
Mason se detuvo de repente y se quedó mirándome. “¿Estás tomando sesiones extra con Belikov?”
“Si, ¿y qué?”
“El hombre es un dios”
“¿Exagerando demasiado?” dije yo.
“No, lo digo en serio. Quiero decir, el es bastante silencioso y antisocial normalmente, pero cuando pelea… wow. Si crees que estás hecha polvo ahora, vas a estar muerta cuando el termine contigo”
-Vampire Academy.
2- "-¿De verdad ibas a atacarnos a todos?-no le contesté-. Hacer eso... protegerla de ese modo... es algo muy valiente-hizo una pausa-. Estúpido, pero valiente, sin duda. ¿Por qué lo intentaste siquiera? Me aparté el pelo del rostro y volví la vista atrás, de modo que pudiéramos mirarnos directamente a los ojos. -Porque soy su guardiana
-Vampire Academy
3- “Do you think I'm pretty?
I think you're beautiful
Beautiful?
You are so beautiful, it hurts sometimes.”
-Vampire Academy
4-“If I let myself love you, I won't throw myself in front of her. I'll throw myself in front of you.” - Vampire Academy
5-“what's your name?"
what?" i asked, squinting at the light.
your name." I reconized Dr. Olendzki peering over me.
you know my name."
I want you to tell me."
Rose. Rose Hathaway."
Do you know your birthday?"
Of course I do. Why are you asking me such stupid things? Did you lose my records?"
Dr. Olendzki gave an exasperated sigh and walked off, taking the annoying light with her. "I think she's fine,”
- Frostbite
6- “It's not about you, okay? This time, it's about me. Not you. All my life, Lissa... all my life, it's been the same. They come first. I've lived my life for you. I've trained to be your shadow, but you know what? I want to come first. I need to take care of myself for once. I'm tired of looking out for everyone else and having to put aside what I want. Dimitri and I did that, and look what happened. He's gone. I will never hold him again. Now I owe it to him to do this. I'm sorry if it hurts you, but it's my choice!”
-Shadow Kiss
7- "El amor desvanece, el mio ya lo ha hecho" -Spirit Bound
8- "El lo deseaba. En un segundo, su boca estaba en mi cuello y sus colmillos estaban penetrando mi piel. Grite ante el repentino dolor, un sonido que se suavizo hasta convertirse en un gemido mientras las endorfinas que venían con cada mordida de vampiro fluían hacia mi."
-Spirit Bound
9- "Me alegro de que hayas cedido. Me alegro de que tu autocontrol no sea tan fueste como el mio."
-"Rose, mi autocontrol es diez veces más fuertes que el tuyo"
-"¿Ah, sí? Esa no fue la impresion que yo recibí".
-"Espera hasta la próxima vez. Haré cosas para que pierdas el control en cuestión de segundos."
-Last Sacrifice
10-“I always love seeing what worries you. Strigoi? No. Questionable food? Yes.” - Spirit Bound
Vampire Academy entró a la lista de Best Seller del New York Times para quedarse. Blood Promise se posiciona en el 2do lugar de la lista de series para chicos desde su primera semana de publicación, así que estamos completamente seguros que amamos la saga, amamos a sus personajes y sobre todo amamos a Richelle Mead por escribir tan bien./5
“My heart shattered. My world shattered”
Autora: Richelle Mead
Editorial: Razorbill
Sinopsis: Rose Hattaway sabe que enamorarse de otro guardián está prohibido. Su mejor amiga - La última princesa Dragomir - siempre debe ser su prioridad.Desafortunadamente, cuando se trata del irresistible Dimitri Belikov, algunas reglas están ahí para ser rotas.Pero desde que asesinó por primera vez un Strigoi, Rose ha dejado de sentirse bien. Algo oscuro ha comenzado a crecer en su mente y sombras fantasmales advierten que una terrible maldad está cada vez más cerca de las barreras de hierro de la academia.
Y ahora que el peor enemigo de Rose y Lissa, Victor Dashkov podría quedar en libertad, la tensión crece sin control en el mundo moroi.Mentirle a Lissa sobre Dimitri es una cosa, pero esta vez hay más que una simple amistad en riesgo. Los vampiros inmortales están cada vez más cerca, y buscan venganza por las vidas que Rose ha tomado. En una batalla que le destruirá el corazón, enfrentándose a sus peores pesadillas, Rose tendrá que escoger entre la vida, el amor y las dos personas que más le importan... pero ¿significará esa elección que sólo uno de ellos podrá sobrevivir?
Cómpralo en Amazon.com
Goodreads
Shadow Kiss es el tercer libro de la saga Vampire Academy de Richelle Mead, un libro que tenía pendiente desde hace mucho y que personalmente fue un gran traspié en la historia ya creada en los libros anteriores, no lo digo de forma negativa sino positiva, este puede ser el libro quizás con menos acción de los tres, menos suspenso pero es seguro el libro donde más cambios significativos ocurren, dichos cambios condicionaran lo que ocurre en los libros venideros.
Iniciando de forma lenta Shadow Kiss nos ubica meses después de los diversos sucesos ocurridos en Frostbite, sinceramente mucho más lento que en los libros anteriores para mi percepción lo cuál hizo que al principio yo pensará que el libro no sería tan bueno como los otros, pero una vez la historia se acerca a la mitad la autora te muestra que ha tejido una trama interesante y diferente a las demás, una mucho más fácil de desenredar pero que sin embargo ella le brinda los giros necesarios para acercarla a un clímax totalmente inesperado que convierte la lectura de la última cuarta parte del libro en una carrera de tiempo hacía un camino desconocido.
En otras ocasiones he mencionado que Richelle Mead te da la sensación de cuestionar su propio mundo, el mundo creado en sus páginas donde la autoridad está en manos de los Moroi y los Damphir están condicionados para su protección, pues este conflicto iniciado ligeramente en los libros anteriores es mucho más latente en esta tercera parte poniendo al lector en una situación difícil transmitiendo los sentimientos de la protagonista, y al final le brinda una estocada a este tema que indica que será parte importante de los libros siguientes.
Rose sigue siendo mi personaje preferido, al igual que Dimitri y Adrian pero además de eso hay otros personajes que por su papel en la historia se vuelven más presentes como Eddie quién se vuelve mucho más maduro al igual que Rose, Christian sigue siendo el caballeroso y honesto chico que me cautivo desde el inicio y al final de la historia nos muestra algo más de lo que está hecho. Por otro lado Lissa se vuelve un dolor de la cabeza para mi, no comprendo su actitud y en lo personal en este libro no se comporta como una amiga en ningún momento con Rose, claro que al leer el libro ustedes podrán juzgar por ustedes mismos.
En conclusión si tuviera que buscar dos palabras que describieran este libro serían: “Silenciosos Cambios”, silenciosos porque todo lo que va sucediendo en el libro sucede, valga la redundancia tan silenciosamente que solo cuando el clímax explota logramos unir los cabos que la escritora dejo y encontrar el camino a lo que está sucediendo, y cambios porque eso es mucho de lo que hay en este libro, cambios que serán reflejados en los libros siguientes. Me gusto mucho leerlo y pienso que aunque no es el mejor de los tres que llevo, para mi el mejor es el primero igual es un libro que le doy méritos.
Le doy:
/5
Al final del libro ocurre algo que jamás me espere que quizás quienes no lo hayan leído no lo comprendan pero quienes si lo entienden me diran. Esta canción por alguna razón me recuerda mucho como me sentí al final de este libro, por lo impactante y doloroso del final.
Espero que les haya gustado la reseña, espero sus comentarios, si desean pueden leer las reseñas de los libros anteriores:
