Take Two: "Last Sacrifice" by Richelle Mead

We all do it, we read a book and we make an initial impression of it, whether it is a positive or negative impression it doesn't matter- just the fact that we make one matters. And sometimes the impression that we make can very well be impacted by factors outside of the book (ie. our mood while reading the book, other books we were reading at the time, etc.). We then reread the book (which I don't know about y'all, but I am totally a rereader) and notice things we didn't see the first time around, come to understand those characters who bothered us the first time around or just come away from the book with a totally different idea of how we feel about it. As mentioned, I am a re-reader sort of person, whether I reread a book right after my initial time reading it, or months, if not years later, well, I don't think that really matters, what I think matters is that with time something about that book hooks us, reels us in, and forces us to once again pick it up. I thought that it would be interesting if I were to reread some books that I have previously read and/or reviewed to see if my initial impression of the book has changed, hence this new little feature I like to call "Take Two" (or in the case of this book Take Three or Four).

My original review of "Last Sacrifice" can be found HERE. 

From Goodreads: "They come first.

My vision was growing dimmer, the blackness and ghosts closing in. I swore it was like I could hear Robert whispering in my ear: The world of the dead won't give you up a second time. Just before the light completely vanished, I saw (Avery edit- took this part out because it would tell you which guy she picked) face join Lissa's. I wanted to smile. I decided then that if the two people I loved most were safe, I could leave this world.

The dead could finally have me.

Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules. She broke the law when she ran away from St. Valdimir's Academy with her best friend and surviving Dragomir princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputations to protect generations of dhampir guardians to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose- for a crime she didn't even commit. She's in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She'll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.

But the clock on Rose's life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back... and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your whole life is about saving others, who will save you?"

When I first read this book I thought that it was one of the most perfect series finales I had ever read before- everything that I wanted to happen did, all of the characters that I had come to love over the previous five books played a role, and the likes of. However, after rereading this book I see that it isn't quite as perfect as I had originally thought it to be.  

I just feel like something is missing in this book. Is it that I feel that the characters had such an 'easy' time in this book when compared to the others (ie. everything was almost handed to the characters. Rose had to fight like what, one Strigoi? And in the book the only injury that she wracked up was a sprained ankle and a banged up head?)? Or is it that I feel that the characters weren't as true to themselves as they were in previous books (In Rose only having to fight one Strigori in this book I felt that she lost a bit of her badass-ness. Or Dimitri being so happy-go-lucky in this book and not his typical stoic self? Or Adrian becoming an extremely vicious character- forgetting his laid-back/ class-clown behavior?)? Or it is that there was almost too much humor included in this book, where the others were a lot more serious? I don't know what is missing from this book, just that there is something and that reading this book for the second time was unfortunately not as satisfying as reading it the first time. 

Memorable lines from the book: 

"So, you could imagine my surprise when the statues blew up" (pg. 47). 

"Rose," chastised Dimitri, with a pointed look at the door, "Be careful. And besides, we only saw one person in overalls" (pg. 148).  

"So that's how you're going to fix the family problem. Little Dragomirs. Good idea" (pg. 313). 

"I looked back and forth at them in amazement. I didn't know if I was witnessing a fight or foreplay. I wasn't thrilled with either option" (pg. 587).