Review: Vampire Academy

Title: Vampire Academy

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Challenege: YA Series

Pages: 332

My Rating:

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. -summary from goodreads.com

Being a vampire book, I was VERY hesitant when it came to reading “Vampire Academy”, but surprisingly VA was an awesome read that I finished in one sitting… I loved it! In this world created by Ms. Mead, we follow our protagonists Rose and Lissa whom both attend St. Vladimir's boarding school. It's a school for Moroi and Dhampirs; Morois are mortal vampire royalty with a deep connection to elemental magic and Dhampir’s are their guardians. A Dhampir's most important job is to protect the Moroi they are assigned to. Rose is Lissa's Dhampir and Lissa is the last member of one of the royal houses.

In the beginning I really didn’t like Rose, she’s a 17-year-old girl who has a reputation for being easy, she has a terrible mouth and is very conceited. It felt to me that she often times bossed Lissa around. But as the story progressed, my opinion of Rose changed. We learn a bit about her personal life, family background and certain obstacles she’s had to overcome. As a reader, you start to feel connected to Rose and you want her to meet her goals. Of course, when Dimitri came into the picture, I desperately wanted Rose to end up with him. I wanted Rose to be a show-off and prove to Dimitri that she could hang on his level… eh, training wise.

This book has a really good storyline, character development, action scenes and romance. The plot touches base on somewhat difficult topics; “cutting” yourself, respecting your body, being loyal to your family or yourself… I really don’t want to go into too much detail, this is such a unique story that every reader should experience for themselves. Towards the end, there isn’t much “closure” to the story, but seeing as it is the first in a series, that's not terribly surprising. That having been said, every vampire lover should start this series. I really don’t know why I waited until now to start…. I’ve been missing out!