Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead | Book Review

(Vampire Academy #1)

Published: August 16, 2007

Synopsis:

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . .

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

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My Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Book Information

Publisher: Razorbill

Genre(s): Young-adult Paranormal Romance

Page Count: 332

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 159514174X

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Vampire Academy was an awesome read, and it was very hard to decide on an adequate rating, however I think Vampire Academy is well deserving of 4 stars, and ultimately, one of my top-picks.

Vampire Academy series

In VA, we are pulled into a world of vampires, namely, Moroi & Strigoi, and the crossbreed of Moroi and humans, dhampirs. Moroi are living vampires that feed on blood and have elemental powers. Strigoi on the other hand, are undead vampires that were Moroi and killed to become Strigoi by choice, or were bitten and turned against their will (whether human, Moroi or dhampir). Either way, in short, the Strigoi are the immortal blood thirsty evil vampires we have in myths, etc.

Dhampirs on the other hand, are the children of a Moroi and a human (or another dhampir). They can’t perform elemental magic like the Moroi, and they don’t drink blood, but they’re faster and stronger than humans and Moroi (so they serve as the protectors of the Moroi from the Strigoi, who love Moroi blood best).

The story follows Rose Hathaway, a dhampir, and her best friend Lissa Dragomir, a Moroi, who share a special rare bond. Rose can feel Lissa’s emotions, while Lissa has a healing power–she once brought Rise back to life (although when using this power there are some serious consequences for Lissa).

Rose Hathaway, from the book covers

Then, since the two girls were behind compared to the other dhampir and Moroi students, Rose assigned to be tutored by the handsome Dimitri (who is 7 years her senior).   While Rose is off training, Lissa is dealing with the world of Moroi politics and mastering her elemental affinity (which she still hasn’t specialized in, due to her soecial ability).

I didn’t have too many expectations for this book, but for what I had, my expectations were met. The writing style was really good, and I loved most of the characters. The plot was also pretty good, bringing in different types of vampires we don’t usually see in normal YA vampire paranormal stuff. Rose was an okay-ish protagonist, but her jealousy over Dimitri and her ‘gorgeous and I know it’ attitude, as well as her impulsiveness and reckless nature kind of annoyed me at times. However, as time passes, she becomes more grounded and responsible, which I appreciated. Her caring for Lissa is one of her few shining features in the first half of the book. I’m not begruding the book because of Rose’s flaws, because, well, think of it this way; Rose is not perfect. She’s in high school. She’s not going to act like a mature person.

Other characters include Lissa, who I didn’t get to know as much as I wish I did in the first book, but in the next books I did get to know her a bit more, which is good. Then there’s Dimitri, who I totally ship with Rose. He’s an awesome warrior and guardian, and he’s responsible, dedicated, and completely in love with Rose, accepting her for who she truly is, and bringing out the best of her (although she’s forbidden to him). I looked forward to more scenes with him and Rose in the next books.

I also liked Christian, who was an intriguing character; misunderstood, dark past, mysterious. I definitely wanted to know more about him after finishing Vampire Academy

I also liked the plot, but I do think it could’ve been done a bit better. The world building was done pretty good, but I think there maybe could’ve been more action scenes? I feel like it’s mostly the second half of the book where the action really gets good. But other than that, the plot was awesome, with plot twists, and so much more. So, in short, in the first book, there’s a lot of high school-type drama, Mean Girl-type stuff, but if you enjoy that mixed with action, this book give you the perfect combination.

There’s also a movie based on the book, actually, called Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters released February 7th 2014 (in Canada). It stars Zoey Deutch as Rose, Lucy Fry as Lissa, Danila Koslovsky as Dimitri, and Dominic Sherwood as Christian. I didn’t watch it yet, but I’m planning on to. Check out the trailer below!

This book, overall, is really good. You should definitely read it, especially if you like YA vampire paranormal romance books. Go grab it to eat, before someone else does!

-A