Really Ravishing Review (Last Sacrifice)

Review of Last Sacrifice, by Richelle Mead. 

WARNING: Spoilers for the Vampire Academy books 1-5!!! Don't read this review unless you've read the first 5 books! 

Quickie: Perfect.

Full: Really. It was perfect. Or as perfect as it could be. Last Sacrifice was one of the most satisfying conclusions to a series that I've ever read.

Rose Hathaway is in jail for the murder of Queen Tatiana, the ruler of the entire Moroi world. Rose is set to go to trial soon, and if convicted, she'll be executed. And there is no doubt in anyone's mind that she is guilty. After all, she was openly hostile with the Queen and all the evidence points to her. The only people not cheering for Rose's death are her friends, Lissa, Christian, Adrien, Dimitri, Tasha, her Alchemist friend Sydney, a few guardians she's befriended, and of course her parents. That sounds like a good number... but when you're looking at the entire Moroi population.... the numbers really aren't good.

An opportunity presents itself to Rose, and she soon finds herself on the run... from everyone. Not only is she running from the guardians -who have been instructed to shoot on sight- but from the human police as well. She's had to leave all her friends and her parents behind at Court to try to find new evidence to clear Rose's name, and it's killing her. She's only running, hiding, not helping and doing something active. For a girl like Rose, it's just another form of torture.

Adding to the torture is the fact that her accomplice in this whole escapade is - you guessed it- Dimitri. Her old flame. The man who loved her, the man who made her skin tingle and her heart race. The man who almost killed her when he was turned Strigoi. After he was brought back and healed by Lissa, Dimitri told Rose he didn't want to see her again. Ouch. It's been rocky and strange, but Rose moved on. What else could she do? Dimitri refused to see her. Rose has been with Adrian for some time, but Adrian had to stay back at Court. So the only option for a traveling companion is Dimitri.

Quickly, Rose and Dimitri fall back into their comfortable pattern. When fights break out, they've got each other's back. They know immediately what the other is thinking and what the other will do. They're back in sync. And maybe even... back in love? No. That can't be. Rose is with Adrian, and Dimitri made his feelings clear. He doesn't want Rose.

Armed with a scrap of paper from Tatiana, their wits, and Rose's friend Sydney's special Alchemist knowledge, they must dig up enough evidence to clear Rose's name, solidify Lissa's standing on the Council, and hopefully not die.

Perfect isn't a word I throw around lightly, not for books. I have fierce love for many, many books. But as I closed the cover of Last Sacrifice and mulled over the whole thing, only one word came to mind- Perfect. It was everything I hoped for and more. The clock was ticking and things were happening and I couldn't put it down. I dreamed that I was on the run with Rose and Dimitri. (It was a pretty intense dream, let me tell you!)

The characters that I've grown to love through the series I loved even more as I read Last Sacrifice. It was a pleasure to get to spend more time with them all.

5 out of 5 stars.