This is the first author I've really felt comfortable comparing to JK Rowling, not that these books are ANYTHING like Harry Potter. The comparison is in the detail and the care of the storyline. It is epic and thrilling and heartbreaking and twists and turns until you don't know who you are or who you want to survive anymore!

Zuzana is the true comic relief of this series. Without her the storyline could be too depressing and exhausting. But I loved every scene she was in.

I seriously don't even know how to describe these books! I really thought this was going to be the last in the series and when I got close to the end I was getting so nervous because I didn't know how anything was going to resolve! But now I know I have to waaaaiiiitttt. *sobs*

Spoilers:

I just want Ziri (sp? Sorry I listened to this one so I don't even know) and Karou to end up together. Screw Akiva and his neediness.
My least favorite part of the story is the apocalyptic element, but I appreciate that it draws in the reader because now our world is actually effected.
I'm really excited to see how the other race of angels comes into play in the next book!

Oh. My. God.

WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF IN TO WITH THIS SERIES. Seriously. How bad is it that at the end I just thought to myself that I would rather Rose have died than Dimitri? I just loved him that much. Surely she'll find some before now unknown way to bring Strigoi back. Surely. I can't accept it otherwise.

It was beautifully written, exciting plot, blah blah blah.

JUST GIVE ME DIMITRI BACK.

Probably the best of the whole series, but still pales in comparison to most other authors I read. In addition to the other things that bother me about the series (see other review of mine of the Blue Bloods books) I really hate that huge plot twists are presented in a single sentence and then the book keeps moving. Maybe that doesn't make sense, but for instance,

SPOILERS

towards the end when Mimi and Kingsley have just finally reunited, and Oliver runs in to tell them Schuyler has been taken to the underworld. Cruz just states something to the effect of, Oliver was able to get in to the conclave because he knew about the meeting and had a secret password and blah blah blah and then just moves on. What?

I also just personally think the ending would have been better if Jack had stayed dead. It was obviously a sweet and happy ending, but the beautiful tragedy of his death was kind of made useless since he just got to come back anyway.

Ah, well, the series is over.

Still a fantastic series.

I missed the dynamic of the Academy, but the story was fast paced, exciting, heart-breaking, and at times frustrating (in a good way).

Spoilers Below.

I think what I liked the most about when Rose found Dimitri was that at first he did seem like he was the old Dimitri. It took a little bit of time for his evil Strigoi traits to start shining through so I can understand how Rose let herself fall into his bait and become his toy, essentially.

I also loved the way we were shown Lissa's storyline throughout this book. Rather than make a POV jump in her writing Mead used their bond to create another plot in this book without distracting from Rose's goals.

Thrilled that there is still so much more for me to read in this series and Bloodlines. :)

Spoilers as per usual.

What I both liked and disliked about this book was the lack of a steady plot. Had the novel ended when they found Dimitri then it would have made sense. But since the book continued for about 100 pages or so I got the idea that this book was just an elongation to book 4 and an introduction to book 6. I actually didn't mind it because I could read in Rose's world all day while she just lives her life.

Obviously intrigued for book 6!

This was actually probably my least favorite of the series, but only because the action was slower through the first half of the book.

May I just go ahead and make a general comment about this entire series that these books have some of the WORST COVERS OF ALL TIME. They have NOTHING to do with the stories, I don't know which characters the girls on the front are supposed to be, and it Spirit Bound especially made it look like I was reading some trashy romance novel all the time. Gah, kills me.

Ok, but back to the good stuff. I loved this whole series. I HAVE to take a break and read some other stuff I've been putting off (Beautiful Creatures, etc) but I can't wait to get back into the Vampire Academy world with Sydney's novels.

Spoilers below.

I'm so sad for Adrian. I just want a happy ending for him, although that didn't detract from my hardcore Romitri shippage. I'm excited to see what terrible thing Abe has over Sydney's head. I want to know how Lissa does as queen. AH I just want to start the next series right away but I NEED to take a break, haha.

This book was a lot of slow slow slow A MILLION THINGS AT ONCE slow slow slow OMG EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING slow slow slow BIG ENDING slow...

I really liked the setting and the story once I got into it (which took about 3 times as long as most books) but what got me was how little Ethan asked about the Caster world. Everything he learned after initially finding out that Lena was a Caster was stuff that just came up. I would have wanted to know every little detail. And I don't feel like we ever figured out exactly what Macon was. Because if he wasn't a Caster then how could he have been Lena's actual uncle? And if he wasn't her uncle why was he so involved?
I know there are many other questions that will likely get answered in the next books but I feel like those were supposed to be in this book. I'll need a break before book 2, but at least I can watch the movie now!

Best book of TID AND TMI. Extremely well written. I was upset a little that Tessa wasn't truly the main character until the very end - the book switched between almost every character throughout the novel but that's what made me so invested in every person's story.

SPOILERS

I got home from work at 3:30 yesterday and spent the next 3 1/2 hours finishing Clockwork Princess and pretty much bawling my eyes out for the last 100 pages. I learned my lesson when I read Jem and Will's goodbye scene while I was at a music rehearsal and almost couldn't hold it in. Tessa and Will's love story was the most beautiful thing I have ever read and any time I have to read about someone dying in great and beautiful detail I just lose it. And I did. So many tissues. And WHAT AN EPILOGUE. I hope hope hope we get to see Tessa and Jem in a future TMI or TDA book. That ending was too good to be true.
The best thing comment I've read about this book is that the love triangle is different and we care about it because they all ship the other two. And it's true! I just loved this series and this book and now I'm going to have to reread TMI both because of the upcoming movie and so that I can look for hints of lineage and such.
Love.