Dan on Frostbite by Richelle Mead
I'm slowly working my way through the Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series (see my review of the first book, Vampire Academy, if you haven't read it yet). I'm still struggling with feeling like a creepy stalker dude reading this series. I'm loving it, but it continues to feel weird to read a series that seems so obviously targeted at teenage girls.
Frostbite is the second book in the series and contains a lot of Rose, brooding over the sexy Dimitri (he's so much older at 24, sigh), and there's more teenage relationship drama. The thing is, most of it feels authentic and I think that, without it, the story would be thin and uninspiring.
Rose continues to grow as a guardian, and the entire cast of characters have to deal with death much more forcefully in this book.
There's some action early on, but the bulk of the book is spent exploring the relationships between the characters. It's a slow burn, but when it finally lets loose in the resolution of the book's story arc things get rough, action-y and real.
There will clearly be fallout from this book in Shadow Kiss, the next book in the series. I'm looking forward to finding out what's in store for Rose, Lissa and the crew!
FYI. Rose is a badass.