Review of Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Book:  Frostbite (Vampire Academy, #2)
Author:  Richelle Mead
Published by:  Razorbill
Pages:  327


From Goodreads:  It's winter break at St. Vladimir's, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy's crawling with Guardians—including Rose's hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn't bad enough, Rose's tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason's got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa's head while she's making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy's not taking any risks… This year, St. Vlad's annual holiday ski trip is mandatory. But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price…

This novel picks up right where the first novel ended.  Like the Vampire Academy, this one was packed with action, but definitely had a more serious tone.

I really felt like Rose grew a lot as a character.  She was still snarky and defensive, but she was more thoughtful and less action driven.  I loved the interactions she had with her mother.  These seemed so rael and heartfelt, even through the sarcastic comments.  Rose definitely had a lot of different emotions to deal with in the book and I think she handled them wonderfully (well maybe not wonderfully, but at least a lot better than I would have).

Another character I really ended up liking more was Christian.  I didn't really think much of him in the first novel, but this time he stood out.  I think he's fierce and caring and an all around great guy.

And, of course I can't go without commenting on Dimiri...*sigh.*  He can be my personal guardian and protector any day!

One of the things that bothered me though was that I felt like the plot was more predictable in this novel and I saw it coming right away.  Even with the predictable plot the ending had me in tears, but they were worth it.

Overall I give this novel  ★★★★