Blood Promise – Richelle Mead

Wow, what a wild ride this book was. I began this book not really knowing what to expect. Rose’s story took a crazy and dark turn in the last book – Shadow Kiss – and left me with so many questions that I hoped this book would answer. Not only did it do that, but it left me shocked and speechless, the perfect ending to the book. 

Plot

When Rose learns that Dimitri has turned Strigoi, she realizes that it’s her job to avenge his soul and give him peace. She sets out on a journey away from the academy, to Russia where Dimitri’s family lives. 

Rose meets Dimitri’s family and understands that she would have been accepted there. They began to treat her as one of their own and as Rose delayed the inevitable, she again leaves the safety of a welcoming home in the hopes that she can help the man that she once loved. 

Finding Dimitri isn’t an easy quest and as Rose continues her journey, she checks in on Lissa who takes her departure heavily. Adrien continues to pine for Rose but is distracted by a new girl that captures his interest. 

Can Rose help to protect Lissa while also battling her own problems in Russia? 

Characters

I want to start with Lissa in this book because I had a total change of heart. In previous books, Lissa really bugged me. It felt like her relationship with Rose was so one-sided, so selfish. Lissa honestly didn’t seem like a decent friend and everything was ALWAYS about her. Despite this, a whole new side of her showed through in this book. Sure, she was missing Rose, but eventually, she realized that she should’ve been there for her, should’ve followed her to the ends of the earth, just like Rose would’ve done for her. I think this change will make me enjoy Lissa’s character a bit more. 

Rose, on the other hand, set out with a purpose that she often deviated from. She managed to get to Russia and managed to find Dimitri’s family, but it seemed like there were so many points in the book where she was about to give up. It didn’t seem like Rose, and sure, she’s been through a ton of trauma and a million things that should never happen to an eighteen-year-old, but she was never one to just give up so it was kind of surprising to me. Along with that, there were so many repetitive moments for Rose. Every time she would stop in one setting she would continue to have thoughts of Dimitri as a Strigoi, and while her flashbacks were certainly interesting, it was getting to be too much and I just wanted to continue with Rose’s present story. 

If you’ve read my previous reviews of this series, you know that I used to love Dimitri. His change into Strigoi definitely changed him and I don’t like this type of Dimitri anymore. There were times when I could see the old Dimitri shining through, however, he didn’t hold the same appeal. He was colder and meaner, and it just wasn’t him anymore, making me less into him and more annoyed with him.

Adrian, however, gained my attention. Since meeting him in Frost Bite, I’d loved his witty remarks, snide comments, and flirty gestures towards Rose. This book brought out a completely different side of him that I think I totally fell for. No longer caught up in Dimitri, Adrian held an appeal for me that I hope continues throughout the rest of the series. 

Setting

Russia was definitely a super cool setting. There were so many times where I could really picture where Rose was and I liked knowing that she was in the home of Dimitri and it was something comforting to her.

Writing

As mentioned before, the writing did get a bit repetitive at times. I feel like the book could’ve been cut down a good chunk if we just got straight to the point. Despite that, I did enjoy the writing style and was immediately captured with the story. 

In Conclusion… 

I loved seeing the next step in Rose’s journey. I can’t wait to see what happens next, especially after that super intense ending!

Rating: 4/5⭐