Shadow Kiss is a young-adult fantasy book written by author Richelle Mead and was published by Penguin on 4 February 2010. The book is the third in the Vampire Academy series and follows on from the events of Frostbite (2008). The book was followed by the sequel, Blood Promise, on August 25, 2009.
The book revolves around Rose Hathaway, a 17-year old damphir guardian-in-training. She encounters many emotional, physical and spiritual challenges in this book, including the trial of the attempted murdered Victor Dashkov, the introduction of the notorious playboy, Adrian Ivashkov, on campus and her feelings for her older, soon to be Guardian partner, Dimitri Belikov.
Major themes in the book include coming-of-age, loyalty, friendship and love. Throughout the book, Rose struggles with her love for Lissa and her love for her teacher, Dimitri. She is unable to choose between the two, despite her future role as Guardian holding in the balance if she doesn’t. Moreover, in this book, Rose is forced to grow up fast when a group of strigoi attack the school. She is split by her duty and her love when Dimitri is taken captive and later made into a strigoi.
