Review - Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy, Book 5) by Richelle Mead (5/5 stars)

This is the fifth book in Mead's Vampire Academy series.  There are six books planned for the series with the 6th book, Last Sacrifice, due out December 2010.  This was an absolutely excellent book in this series.

Rose is back at school with Lissa and the crew.  They are due to graduate and then they will be sent off to the Moroi Court until Lissa is ready to leave for college.  There are a number of things overwhelming the joy of graduation.  Lissa and Adrian still struggle with their Darkness from their Spirit use.  Rose and Lissa are still nervous over whether or not Rose will get assigned as Lissa's Guardian.  Then there is the issue of Dmitri; in the previous book Rose found out there might be a way to "cure" Dmitri from being Strigoi, Rose will plan a daring adventure to obtain this information.

The action is non-stop and poor Rose never gets a break.  It was nice to see more of Adrian; I do like him a lot as a character.  It was wonderful to have Lissa and Rose back in the plot together.  Rose still does some stupid things and acts more rashly than she should at times; but she has learned to temper that with some forethought.  Rose is definitely becoming one kick-butt girl and has grown a tougher skin; she usually chooses action over tantrums.

There isn't a ton you can say about this book without creating spoilers.  To be honest everyone who is a fan of the series will read it anyway.  Let's just say Dmitiri does return and is part of the story, a lot happens in this book to shake up Moroi and Guardian culture, Rose is thrust from one crazy predicament to another, and it is just an awesome ride.  I seriously could not put this book down and read it in a day or so.

The main story wraps up okay but then Mead leaves you with another cliffhanger.  I can't wait to find out how the series will wrap up.  This was an excellent, excellent addition to the series.  Mead is an excellent writer.  If you enjoy this series and are an adult I would definitely check out her Georgina Kincaid series also, this is another great series by Mead but is written for an adult audience.  I am counting the days to Last Sacrifice...

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- The Young Adult Reading Challenge
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge