Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Copy received for review from Penguin/Razorbill UK, thank you!

Spoilers for previous books only!! I am starting out the review with a short summery, but I don't believe I'm giving away anything that anyone who finished Spirit Bound wouldn't have already guessed/assumed/read else where online already. But if you don't even want that, just skip the next paragraph. I recommend avoiding this review if you aren't up to date with this series though. And if you're not, then go read it now because it's awesome! Reviews for previous books: Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise and Spirit Bound.

Last Sacrifice is the final book in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. It picks up two days after the end of Spirit Bound, with Rose locked up in the prison at the Royal Court for high treason. It's not long before she breaks out of there though, with help from a few trusted friends. On the run outside the vampire world with few people she can trust, Rose must attempt to find out who killed the Queen and bring them to justice to clear her name. But despite her own problems, she can't forget Lissa, who is fighting her own battles with the highest levels of Moroi royalty in the hope that she can help change their world for the better.

I have been addicted to the Vampire Academy series from chapter one, when Rose took on Dimitri Belikov despite being two years out of practise in an attempt to protect her best friend. So much has changed from that moment and none of the characters are the same people they were then. I've been anxiously awaiting Last Sacrifice to fins out how it all ends since that final twist of Spirit Bound literally left me gaping in shock. But it is a bittersweet moment as well because I don't want to say goodbye to these characters I love.

Last Sacrifice surprised me in many ways that I didn't expect. For one, it disappointed me fairly badly twice, although not enough to ruin the book. Secondly, it's not as dark a book as I was expecting. I think it actually made me laugh out loud more than any of the previous books did. Not in a bad way at all, it just seemed to have a higher humour level which broke up the tension nicely, never taking away from the series aspects on the book.

All in all, Last Sacrifice is a very satisfying final book! It answers many, many questions, tying up some plot threads that have been around from book one. And of course the love triangle that has divided fans for the past couple of books is resolved, with careful handling. Although, I'm sure there are still those who will be less than thrilled at the outcome, but I think Richelle has stayed true to the characters and that's what readers should really be looking for. Like all the previous books, Last Sacrifice is full of sass, action, twists and surprises. There is plenty of continued character development all the way through as well. Rose grew up a lot more in this book in particular, and really impressed me a couple of times with her maturity. There is still plenty of heart ache to be endured in this final book as well, I was left aching for the characters over and over.

While the majority of loose threads are tied up, there is still plenty of room for readers to speculate on things past this final book themselves, which I really like. I am also wondering if any of it will be continued in the spin off series which starts next year. I loved Last Sacrifice. It was a fitting end to Rose's story, true to the books that came before it, taking them forward and leaving the series on a high. I've loved almost every moment of this series and it's sad to see it over now, but it's been a fantastic journey!!

Rating: 9/10

Please keep comments spoilers free!! I love hearing other opinions and what your guys think, but comments are not the place for specific spoiler comments! I will delete any that contain them. Thank you :)