Audible Review: Frostbite

It was time to get back to reading a "guilty pleasure" book.  The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead is definitely in the YA genre but I love it.  I can't help it.  I read the first book about a year ago.  I wasn't planning to continue but I finally gave in.  I'm actually listening to them on Audible on the way to work in the mornings.  I know I'm loving them because every time someone calls me and interrupts, I get annoyed... lol

Synopsis from Amazon:
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...

My Review:
Hi, my name is Laura and I like YA books about teenagers and vampires... and it's ok (I think).

Yes, I enjoyed this one as much as the first and I am already listening to the third book in my car. Rose, the main character, just cracks me up.  She is me when I was young; rebellious, sassy, and full of trouble yet with a big heart.  She comes through when the going gets tough and is there when you need her. I adore her sarcasm and the way she consistently acts or speaks before she thinks (hence causing most of the trouble she gets into).

These books are fun and fast.  They aren't too deep but they are totally engaging if you like the whole YA vampire thing.  Richelle Mead knows how to get the reader's attention and knows how to pace the story so that it is hard to put down, or stop listening in my case.  There is plenty of action and a decent amount of violence in some parts.  There is also clearly some romance but it doesn't really take away from the main plot.  So many people (yes, other people my age too) have already read this series but if you are one of the few that haven't and like the genre, go for it.  

With regards to the Audible version, they are expensive and I'm still getting used to this method of reading, or listening, to books.  I like it a lot but the one thing I miss is the ability to make up the voices of the characters in my head.  Having only one narrator speak for all of the roles takes that away.  I have a hard time visualizing the hot main male character when his part is read by a female.  It just doesn't work for me. I love however, listening to books on my way to work so I have pushed aside my issues with the narrator for the time being. :)