"Spirit Bound" by Richelle Mead

“Spirit Bound” is the fifth installment to Richelle Mead’s “Vampire Academy” series, of which I have been a dedicated reader since the beginning. It is not my top rated series, but it holds its own luster. After reading this book, it may have lost some of its shine with me.

I will not say that “Spirit Bound” was a bad book; on the contrary, it carried on the saga, if you will, of Rose Hathaway and Lissa Dragomir. If you have read Ms Mead’s other books in this series, then you must read this one. Perhaps your feelings on this will differ to mine. I hope so.

Many things happened in this book. Rose and Lissa graduated from St Vladimir’s Academy. They both broke into a high profile, well-protected prison and broke out a high profile prisoner. Through information gathered by Rose, Lissa saves, or heals, Dimitri from being Strigoi. Lissa’s courage and gift continue to grow. Relationships develop. However, with all that happens in this book, I felt like there was something missing.

As I read this book, I felt as if I was reading a report, something that Rose may have had to write for the guardians. The story held a fluidity of facts, which allowed you to follow the lives of each character. However, it did not draw me in by my emotions. The only thing keeping me turning the pages were the facts. I wanted to stay connected as best I could, to the characters in this story.

As I said, this read like a report or a retelling of a story. It lacked emotion in parts. There lacked any build up of tension or angst that we are so used to experiencing in this series. Some of the fight scenes seemed to lack description or follow through. There was no strong emotion relayed in the love triangle created with Rose, Adrian, and Dimitri. I kept wondering what kind of a pansy ass Adrian was to take a back seat with Rose. I also wondered why Rose and Dimitri did not either break down into a knock down, drag out fight between each other or a forgiving passionate love affair. Their passion seemed lost. All you really experience is a teen who must deal with rejection. Boohoo. Yes, I did cry when Dimitri spoke out some harsh words to Rose, leaving her to feel his rejection. And. yes, I really hoped that Rose and Adrian would just get it on and have sex. Instead, she did the one thing we have heard her say repeatedly that she would not do … “She would not become a blood whore.” So, instead of sex, she lets him drink her blood.

Finally, about the last few chapters, I felt some emotion, some angst. The ending did leave me wanting more.

I hope that in Ms. Mead’s next installment, “Last Sacrifice”, due out December 7, 2010, that she brings back more of the tense emotion and angst that the whole series holds.