Frostbite by Richelle Mead

 2nd book in the Vampire Academy series

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose…
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 handto- 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…
{taken from goodreads.com}


I was told the second book in this series would rope me in, if I hadn't been already.  And that piece of knowledge rang loud & clear!  I plowed through this book in a little over a day (silly work & that whole sleeping thing got in the way lol).  More questions developed as I read through this book & left me wanting more answers!! But I know.. I must be patient :-)

The book begins with a calm demeanor, but hints just enough around the edges to make the reader feel as though something is about to happen.  Rose continues to push down her feelings for Dimitri by following through with her dedication for training & becoming the best Guardian for Lissa.  In doing so, she and Dimitri stumble across a gruesome scene of Moroi vampires having been slaughtered by Strigoi vampires, the enemy.  This sets off a feel of hysteria among the Academy & with the holiday season upon them, other Moroi vampires feel it's unsafe for the children to be traveling home & elsewhere.  So their resolution is to send all Moroi children, their families, along with their guardians to a ski resort.  Even though everyone is on high alert, Rose & Lissa still look ahead at the possibilities of enjoyment on their winter break.

Once they have arrived, Rose begins to feel jealous towards Lissa & Christian's (Lissa's boyfriend) relationship.  Even though Rose is still Lissa's guardian, she feels replaced in some ways.  Instead of confronting Lissa about this, Rose finds herself getting closer to boy/friend Mason.  But let's not forget about Dimitri.  In the first book we realized the two of them decided they could not act on their feelings due to the nature of their duty - protecting Lissa.  However the tension is still high!  Especially when Dimitri's eyes begin to look else where, or at least Rose assumes so.  So much drama for one ski resort!

Rose discovers a new face among the Moroi, Adrian.  Something about him alerts her, but she can't seem to put her finger on it.  Adrian's abruptness & witty nature intrigue Rose, yet also gets under her skin.  He has also taken a lot of interest in Lissa & her capabilities.  As the story continues, so does the tension.  After another Strigoi attack, Mason & some other students take it upon themselves to right the situation.  And who is left to clean up their mess? Rose.  The climatic ending left me on the edge of my seat.  I kept reading in to the late hours, with my eyes threatening to close, but I just couldn't stop before it was over! I had to know what happened next.  Since I am a sucker for romances, the building relationship between Rose & Dimitri  kept me on the edge of my seat as well.  The passion shared between the two of them is insane!  However, I have a feeling something (or someone? Adrian?) is about to come between that.

Frostbite packed a powerful punch.  Richelle Mead did a good job of describing past situations to help the reader understand what was happening in the present.  I thought this was helpful, especially for those who had to wait a long time in between books.  I'm eager to start the third book in this series, Shadow Kiss, because I've been told it's one of the best!  On to the next...