Shadow Kiss

Shadow Kiss is a vampire novel written by Richelle Mead. It is the third novel in the Vampire
Academy series, and was preceded by Frostbite.[1 !he release o" the boo# p$shed the Vampire
Academy series into the %ew &or# !imes 'est Seller list "or the "irst time, ma#in( its deb$t at )*.
[+
Shadow Kiss contin$es the story o" the main character, Rose ,athaway and her ed$cation in
becomin( a -$ardian. Rose #nows it is "orbidden to love another ($ardian. ,er best "riend .issa/
the last 0ra(omir princess/ m$st always come "irst. 1n"ort$nately, when it comes to (or(eo$s
t$tor 0imitri 'eli#ov, some r$les are meant to be bro#en... Incl$din( school r$les and the law
when she ta#es her romance with 0imitri to the ne2t step... love.
!hen a stran(e dar#ness be(ins to (row in Rose3s mind and (hostly shadows warn o" a terrible
evil drawin( nearer to the Academy3s iron (ates. !he immortal $ndead are closin( in, and they
want ven(eance "or the lives Rose has stolen. In a heart stoppin( battle to rival her worst
ni(htmares, Rose will have to choose between love, li"e and the two people who matter the
most... '$t will her choice mean that only one can s$rvive4
5lot
Rose, in shoc# over Mason3s death, prepares with the rest o" the novices "or the 6$ali"yin( 72am,
in which the novices protect the Moroi st$dents "rom 8attac#s8 by 8Stri(oi8 9their 0hampir
teachers:. Rose is positive that she will be paired with .issa, b$t instead is paired with ;hristian
<=era, while 7ddie ;astile 9Mason3s best "riend: is paired with .issa. Rose complains to her
teachers, b$t $ltimately resi(ns hersel" to ($ardin( ;hristian. 0$rin( the "irst attac# on ;hristian,
Rose sees Mason3s (host and "ree=es / and is acc$sed o" bein( a sore loser by her teachers. In a
s$dden twist, ;hristian is the only person who tr$ly believes that Rose didn3t screw $p on
p$rpose.
Meanwhile, Rose learns "rom 0imitri that Victor 0ash#ov3s trial is comin( soon / and that she and
.issa aren3t (oin( to be called to testi"y. She be(s 0imitri to "ind a way to (et them into the trial,
and he promises to see what he can do. Adrian and .issa are (rowin( closer 9in a teacher/
st$dent sense: while practicin( their Spirit $se, ma#in( ;hristian >ealo$s. A"ter Rose settles a "i(ht
between .issa and ;hristian, she be(ins to sense chan(es in hersel" / mainly "eelin(s o" intense
an(er 9even more than is $s$al:. ;hristian is also approached by ?esse @e#los to >oin a secret
8cl$b8 he and Ral" have started, tho$(h ;hristian t$rns them down. Rose becomes s$spicio$s,
and tries to learn more abo$t this cl$b, which she later learns is called 8MAnB8.
Altho$(h 0imitri attempts to (et Rose and .issa into co$rt to testi"y, it is $ltimately Adrian who
(ains them entry. <n the plane ride to ;o$rt, Rose is str$c# with a horrible mi(raine, b$t sha#es it
o"" as they arrive at ;o$rtC 0imitri and Alberta accompany Rose, .issa, ;hristian, 7ddie, and
Adrian. 0imitri and Rose (o to visit Victor in >ail, who is as maddenin(ly pleasant as ever, and
threatens to reveal what really happened between 0imitri and Rose the ni(ht he #idnapped .issa.
0imitri threatens to have him #illed in >ail, b$t Victor ta$nts them with his #nowled(e. !he day o"
the trial, Victor does reveal that Rose and 0imitri almost slept to(ether, b$t everyone in the
co$rtroom a$tomatically believe this to be another one o" Victor3s lies. ,e is sent to prison by the
co$rt. .issa meets with 6$een !atiana to disc$ss her "$t$reC she a(rees to (o to a colle(e close
to ;o$rt, and voices her opinion on Moroi "i(htin( with 0hamphirs. Rose (oes in to meet with
!atiana ne2t / who insists that Rose stop sleepin( with Adrian and call o"" their 8en(a(ement8.
Rose is st$nned, and listens to !atiana call her everythin( b$t a whore. !atiana then reveals that
she has been plannin( a marria(e between Adrian and .issa, and that they don3t need to be
carryin( any o" her 8emotional ba((a(e8 aro$nd with them.
Rose shr$(s o"" the D$een3s acc$sations and meets $p with .issa, lyin( to her abo$t her
conversation with the D$een. .issa ta#es Rose "or a manic$re, where Rose is treated by a yo$n(
man, Ambrose, who t$rns o$t to be a 0hamphir and the D$een3s blood whore. ,e ta#es .issa and
Rose to a "ort$ne teller, who (ives Rose a rather borin( readin(. 0imitri "inds them and a(rees to
have his "ort$ne read. !he "ort$ne teller predicts that 0imitri will 8lose that which he treas$res
most8.
<n the plane ride bac# to the Academy, Rose (ets another horrible mi(raine, this time drawin(
the attention o" Alberta and 0imitri. Ehen they are "orced to ma#e an $nsched$led stop at a
h$man airport to re"$el d$rin( a snow storm, Rose3s mi(raine becomes m$ch worse, and when
she steps o"" the plane, she sees the (hosts o" .issa3s parents and brother, alon( with many
others. Ehen she comes to, she is in the in"irmary bac# at the Academy. Rose is "inally "orced to
come clean abo$t seein( Mason3s (host, and she is ordered to see a co$nselor. ,er 8($ardian
time8 with ;hristian is also limited. Ehile bac# at school, her temper still increases, tho$(h she
does s$ccess"$lly de"eat 0imitri as a 8Stri(oi8 while ($ardin( ;hristian. .issa is approached by
?esse and Ral" to >oin MAnB, and she accepts their invitation as a chance to spy on them, witho$t
Rose3s #nowin(. .issa is led into the woods and attac#ed by ?esse and the other ma(ic $sers.
Rose senses somethin( is terribly wron( and r$ns to .issa3s aid. She beats .issa3s tort$rers F
"ellow st$dents G and .issa tort$res ?esse $sin( Spirit. Rose reali=es that whenever .issa $ses
Spirit, dar# emotions "ill .issa G which ca$sed her to c$t hersel" in the "irst boo# G and tells
.issa to let the dar# emotion "low thro$(h their connection and into Rose / which is what has
been ca$sin( Rose3s mood swin(s and violent behavior. .issa obeys, and Rose s$ddenly be(ins
beatin( ?esse "iercely. Alberta and 0imitri appear, and Alberta has several ($ards ta#e ?esse
away, while orderin( 0imitri to handle Rose, who is still in a manic state.
0imitri ta#es Rose to an old cabin that !asha <=era stayed in when she visited the Academy.
Rose attempts to r$n to the in"irmary, where she #nows they wo$ld ta#e ?esse, b$t 0imitri
s$bd$es her and "orces her to let (o o" her an(er. She collapses, terri"ied that she is (oin( cra=y.
0imitri listens to Rose3s e2planation and insists that he won3t let Rose (o cra=y. here she and the
other novices are told to stay p$t. Rose is sent to ($ard a small window, where she is "inally (iven
a silver sta#e. She senses immense "ear "rom .issa, and learns that ;hristian is in the ch$rch,
where he was s$pposed to meet .issa to tal# abo$t ?esse and Mana. 7ddie and several other
novices are ($ardin( .issa and the other Moroi, so Rose snea#s o$t the small window to (o a"ter
;hristian. She and ;hristian r$sh to the elementary school, where there wo$ld be m$ch less
sec$rity, and combine Rose3s "i(htin( s#ills and Stri(oi sense with ;hristian3s Fire ma(ic to
destroy many Stri(oi. A"ter the battle, Rose learns that this is one o" the bi((est (ro$ps o" Stri(oi /
who are typically loners / to ever attac# any Moroi or 0hamphirs. Alon( with many dead
($ardians and Moroi, several 0hamphirs and Moroi were capt$red by the retreatin( Stri(oi G
incl$din( 7ddie. Rose3s mother, ?anine, comes to the aid o" the ($ardians with rein"orcements,
and with Mason3s help, Rose "i($res o$t where the Stri(oi are holdin( the hosta(es. 'e"ore they
leave, 0imitri tells Rose that he is (oin( to as# to be placed with a di""erent Moroi close to ;o$rt,
so that he and Rose can be to(ether.
?anine, 0imitri, and Rose plan a co$nterattac#, and rel$ctantly enlist the help o" other 0hamphir
novices and, s$rprisin(ly, several Moroi teachers to harness their power as a weapon. Ehen the
army reaches the caves the Stri(oi are hidin( in, Rose is "orced to stay o$tside while ?anine and
0imitri lead the attac# inside. <nce all the hosta(es are o$t, Rose (oes into the caves to assist
the retreat. ?$st as she thin#s everyone she loves is sa"e, 0imitri is attac#ed and le"t behind as
?anine "orces Rose o$t o" the caves.
Rose later "inds o$t that 0imitri3s body wasn3t "o$nd. Another team o" ($ardians ret$rns to the
caves the ne2t day, con"irmin( that 0imitri was not #illed, b$t was made Stri(oi. Rose reali=es
that the "ort$ne teller3s prediction came tr$eH 8yo$ will lose what yo$ val$e most so treas$re it
while yo$ can8 / not hersel", as Rose believed, b$t his so$l. Rose decides to leave the Academy
to (o a"ter 0imitri and #ill him. A"ter she "iles the necessary papers, .issa meets her >$st be"ore
she leaves and reveals that she "i($red o$t Rose was in love with 0imitri. .issa be(s Rose to
stay, even tries to $se comp$lsion on her, b$t Rose snaps and tells .issa that all her li"e she3s
been told that .issa comes "irst. Rose says that she needs to do somethin( "or hersel" "or once.
Rose as#s Adrian "or money, which he willin(ly (ives to her, and as#s her i" she will come bac#.
Rose says she will event$ally, and tells Adrian that she will (ive him a chance / (o o$t with him /
when she comes bac#. As she leaves the Academy, Rose says (ood bye to Mason, then heads
o"" to Siberia, where she believes 0imitri wo$ld (o "irstC bac# to his hometown.