Frostbite by Richelle Mead
The basics
Title: Frostbite
Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Vampire Academy #2
- Vampire Academy (August, 2007) - Frostbite (April, 2008) - Shadow Kiss (November, 2008) - Blood Promise (August, 2009) - Spirit Bound (May, 2010) - Last Sacrifice (December, 2010)
Add it: Goodreads
Goodreads Summary:
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 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...
Read a full summary of Frostbite by Richelle Mead below. If you can’t remember what happened in Frostbite and you need a refresher, then you’re in the right place.
In short
After a Strigoi massacre, the students of St. Vladimir’s are taken away on a ski trip to keep them safe during Christmas break. When more Moroi are murdered, Mason, Eddie (two guardians in training) and Mia (a Moroi who is a bitch) decide they can take them themselves and go after them. Rose and Christian try to save them but all of them are taken hostage by two Strigoi. When they finally manage to escape, Mason gets killed and Rose kills the two Strigoi because she’s badass. Also, Dimitri tells her he loves her. SWOON.
What happened in Frostbite?
- Rose and her “mentor” Dimitri are on their way to meet the legendary guardian Arthur Shoenberg for Rose’s Qualifier exam (an exam all guardians in training must take). But when they arrive at the house of the Moroi family he protects, they discover a bloody massacre instead.
- Rose finds a silver stake (a magical object that Strigoi can’t touch, that is often used to kill Strigoi or to break magical wards), which means that there must have been humans involved in the attack.
- During Christmas break, families come to visit, including Christian’s aunt Tasha Ozera, who is actually old friends with Dimitri and calls him Dimka. Not sure what to think of this…
- The massacre (probably performed by more than one Strigoi) was close to the Academy, so to keep the students and their families safe, the school organizes a ski trip during Christmas break.
- Rose is casually dating Mason, but she doesn’t like him like she loves Dimitri. OBVIOUSLY.
- During the ski trip, another Moroi family is murdered, and Mia’s mother is one of the people murdered. (Remember Mia? She was a real bitch to Rose and Lissa in book one.)
- There is panic, and a meeting is organized, where Tasha Ozera tells the others that she thinks Moroi should fight alongside their guardians.
- Rose meets a Moroi named Adrian Ivashkov, who develops a crush on Rose and becomes friends with Lissa after finding out they’re both Spirit users. At Adrian’s pool party, Mia, Mason and Eddie (Mason’s friend) talk about fighting Strigoi themselves.
- Rose gets in an argument with Dimitri, discussing the possible whereabouts of the Strigoi. After the argument, Rose is so angry that she tells Mason about this.
- Obviously, this was NOT a good plan, because Mason, Eddie and Mia sneak out to go to Spokane, Washington, to fight the Strigoi themselves.
- Rose and Christian discover this plan, and decide to go after them. But just when they find them and try to convince them to return to the lodge, they are discovered and attacked by Strigoi, who take them to a secret hideout and keep them hostage for days.
- The Strigoi who is leading this, Isaiah, tries to convince either Mia or Christian to turn Strigoi by killing one of the dhampirs. Meanwhile, he nearly kills Eddie by drinking his blood. Finally, Rose and Christian develop an escape plan.
- They all manage to get out of the house, except for Rose, who is left to fight Isaiah and his subordinate Elena. When Mason comes back for her, Isaiah snaps his neck. SADNESS.
How did it end?
Rose is so angry at what they did to Mason that she becomes even more of a badass than she already is, and kills both Isaiah and Elena. For this, she receives two molnija marks (tattoos on the back of the neck of a guardian who has killed a Strigoi) when she gets back at the Academy.
While they were at the ski lodge, Rose found out that Tasha Ozera had asked Dimitri to become her guardian, which would mean he’d have to leave the Academy – and her. But when they get back to the Academy, Dimitri tells Rose that he that he declined the offer, because his heart is with Rose and he never wants to leave her. SIGH.
anything else
Dhampir: Half human, half vampire, Dhampirs usually train to protect Moroi from Strigoi. Also, Dhampirs can’t survive without Moroi, needing them for generation and everything.
Moroi: Vampires who are alive. Which means they can die and everything. They don’t die immediately in sunlight, but it’s no good for them either, which is why they live at night. Moroi do need blood, but they don’t kill for it. Instead, they have feeders, humans who are willing to feed them. Oh, and a Moroi’s bite is described as something like an orgasm, basically. Oh well. (Also, Moroi are ruled by a queen and have seven royal families.)
Strigoi: Vampires who are dead. Also known as EVIL. Moroi become Strigoi when they a) kill someone on purpose, or b) are fed Strigoi blood. (Correct me if I’m mistaken, but I think that was the second thing.) Strigoi can’t go out in the sunlight, and also, they don’t have magic. They ARE very strong, which is a problem sometimes.
Blood-whore: Dhampir women who, instead of becoming guardians, decide to live in a group and raise their children. The accusing term ‘blood-whore’ is used because some of these women are known to let Moroi bite them while having sex. Which is basically a no-go in Moroi land.
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