Title: Shadow Kiss
Author: Richelle Mead
Position in Series: Book 3
Publisher: Penguin Group, Razorbill
Pages: 448
Release Date: November 18, 2008
Genre: Young adult, Fantasy, Romance
Read Excerpt: Here
Buy: Here
Followed by: Blood Promise
It’s only been three weeks since Rose narrowly escaped from the clutches of the Strigoi and life isn’t showing any signs of getting easier. Whilst walking with Dimitri, Rose accidently finds out that Queen Tatiana has decided to give Victor Dashkov a trial. Dimitri has been asked to attend but she and Lissa – the prime witnessess – have been left out. Rose is angry with Dimitri for not telling her sooner and when she see’s a vision of Mason – who died three weeks ago – things only get worse.
With field experience looming the dhampir’s in St.Vladimirs worry about which Moroi they’ll be assigned too. Rose is confident that she’ll be assigned to Lissa until Alberta call’s out Christian’s name. For the next six week’s Rose will have to shadow Christian and protect him from the guardian’s surprise attacks – but she’s not happy about it and everyone knows it. Only the fact that Christian will be with Lissa so much calms Rose down.
However when Rose fails to protect Christen in a practice strigoi attacl she is threatened with expulsion for not taking the programe seriously. Rose defends herself but can’t bring herself to explain the reason why she froze – Mason’s ghost.
As Rose tries to figure out if she’s crazy, Lissa and Adrian work together on spirit. Adrian promises to help Lissa learn to dream walk and see aura’s if Lissa will teach him how to heal. Rose continues to guard Christian and she keeps getting cryptic messages from Christian’s feeder, Alice. Alice warns Rose that something is coming. Things are also starting to get strange at the academy, random Moroi are being beaten up and lying about it and Jesse Zeklos is running some sort of pro-royal group – a group that he wants Christian and Lissa to be apart of.
When Rose is told that she and Lissa can indeed attend Victor’s trial at the royal court she’s ecstatic but once she boards the plan she’s consumed by a painful headahe and suffers from hallucinations – even Lissa is unable to heal her but the headache abruptly disappears when she lands.
Whilst at the royal court Queen Tatiana requests to see Lissa. Tatiana is interested in Lissa’s healing power but is disgruntled when Lissa criticizes her plan’s to use Lissa to heal royal moroi. Rose is also struggling to control her temper and Adrian tells her that her aura is completely black now – where as before it was just ringed with black.
At the trial Victor threatens to reveal Rose’s relationship with Dimitri but he keeps his promise and only suggests things. Lissa is asked again to visit the Queen where she is offered a place in Lehigh University whilst living at the royal court. Lissa recognizes that the Queen only wants to use her but accepts the offer.
Before catching their plane back Lissa and Rose take the time to explore the benefits of the royal court; having a pampering session and visiting a psychic. Rhonda the psychic tells Rose only one thing; You will destroy that which is undead. She also gives Dimitri a reading; You will loose what you value the most.
During the flight back Rose is struck by the same strange headache – one which only gets worse when the plane lands before reaching the academy, somewhere that isn’t protected by wards. Rose is instantly hit with visions of the dead and blacks out from the pain.
Back at the Academy Rose finally tells Alberta and Dimitri about her visions and is made to go to counselling sessions to overcome the grief of Mason’s death. Although Rose is sure that’s not what’s behind her visions – the ghosts she sees are trying to warn her about something and she’s shadow kissed, with a connection to the dead.
Lissa and Adrian continue to practise with spirit and during one of their sessions when Lissa uses her magic Adrian notices that the dark shadows that surround Lissa’s aura seep into Rose after she has used spirit. Rose later learns that St.Vladimir’s guardian, Anna went insane and killed herself. She’s scared by the knowledge and Dimitri suggests she should simply ask Lissa not to practise her magic.
The horror of Jesse’s secret group soon becomes apparent when, through their bond Rose realizes that Lissa is being tortured. Jesse is trying to gather a group of talented Moroi and he and his followers torture people with their elements until their victim can show any sign of compulsion. When Rose finds Lissa her anger overcomes her and she violently attacks Jesse and Ralf. Only Dimitri is able to stop her and he takes her to the cabin.
Rose tries to escape his hold but he talks her out of her anger and Rose realizes what’s happening. The bad side effects of using spirit are seeping into her, driving her crazy. Dimitri promises that he’ll take care of her and the two finally give in to their desire for each other. On the way back to campus Rose is met with another vision of Mason. He has a message for her – “They are coming”. Strigoi have come to St. Vladimir’s.
Dimitri orders Rose to run back to campus and warn the school. The guardians are instantly mobilized and Rose is ordered to get back to safety but she refuses and goes into battle, with Christian at her side. When the battle finally ends the causalities are counted. Guardians have been lost and some Moroi have been abducted. At first the Guardians do nothing but when Rose suggests going after them they agree. There are caves just outside the academy and the Strigoi are probably hiding there whilst it’s still light.
A search party is organized, Rose included, and they set off to retrieve the missing Moroi. Another battle ensues at the caves and things do not go quite as planned. Rose goes in and the Moroi are rescued however on the way out one Strigoi gets the better of the group and attacks Dimitri. Dimitri is caught off guard and he falls.
Rose is forced to leave him behind but she is torn apart when the guardians go back and search the caves; Dimitri’s body is missing – there is a chance he’s been turned Strigoi. In desperation Rose explains her feelings for Dimitri to Lissa and asks her if she’d heal him. Lissa refuses and Rose is stunned by her selfishness.
Coming to terms with the fact that Dimitri has been turned Rose knows there is only one path left for her. She must kill the man she loves. She owes him that much since she knew he’d never want to live as Strigoi. The psychic had warned Dimitri that he was going to loose the thing he valued most but it wasn’t his life or even Rose, it was his soul and only Rose could kill him and give him peace now. So she leaves the Academy and Lissa behind and sets off to hunt Dimitri.
