Official review is 3.5* 
 I wouldn't necessarily say that the Vampire Academy series is getting worse, but I would necessarily say that they are getting any better either. I just feel kind of "meh" about them. I know I'm probably not the targeted audience since this book deals with quite a bit teenage angst, but even so, the series is starting to flatline for me. 
 In this book we had the same kind of detail and the same kind of teenage angst that tends to drive me crazy, although in this one, at least Rose and Dimitri are finally embracing their feelings for each other. That helped a little bit of my feelings about the angst of love. There also happens to be quite a bit of character growth and development between the last novel and this one. Rose is becoming more mature and figuring out things about herself that make more sense based on things that have happened in the past with her friend Lissa. However, the last fight scene left me slightly confused. Everything in this book is very detailed and well planned out, but the final fight scene felt very rushed and I couldn't quite understand what was going on throughout it. I'm not sure if this was done on purpose because the scene takes place in a dark cave and so we are meant to feel as confused as some of the characters do or if it's because Richelle Mead wasn't quite sure how to develop the scene fully in as few pages as needed. Needless to say, that final scene fight scene felt completely underdeveloped and had me feeling confused about what things looked like within the cave and how the fight played out. 
 I feel like I've come far enough in the series that I will continue (also that cliff hanger ending though), but I haven't been completely wowed yet by any of the books.