This is a spoiler free review.
Vampire Academy
Written by Richelle Mead
Written by Richelle Mead
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Paranormal
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: August 16, 2007
Pages: 332
Source: Bought
Source: Bought
Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository
Recommended Age: 13 and up!
Summary:
Only a true best friend can protect you from your immortal enemies . . .
Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest vampires - the ones who never die. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making Lissa one of them.
After two years of freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, a school for vampire royalty and their guardians-to-be, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. But inside the iron gates, life is even more fraught with danger . . . and the Strigoi are always close by.
Rose and Lissa must navigate their dangerous world, confront the temptations of forbidden love, and never once let their guard down, lest the evil undead make Lissa one of them forever . . .
(Summary from Goodreads)
Review:
Vampire Academy was published over 10 years ago, and though I've only had it on my shelves for about 3 years, it still seems like I've been putting off reading it for a long time. The time for vampires seemed to have long since passed, however, lately there have been many new vampire books appearing all over Goodreads, which lead me back to this one.
Only a true best friend can protect you from your immortal enemies . . .
Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest vampires - the ones who never die. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making Lissa one of them.
After two years of freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, a school for vampire royalty and their guardians-to-be, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. But inside the iron gates, life is even more fraught with danger . . . and the Strigoi are always close by.
Rose and Lissa must navigate their dangerous world, confront the temptations of forbidden love, and never once let their guard down, lest the evil undead make Lissa one of them forever . . .
(Summary from Goodreads)
Review:
Vampire Academy was published over 10 years ago, and though I've only had it on my shelves for about 3 years, it still seems like I've been putting off reading it for a long time. The time for vampires seemed to have long since passed, however, lately there have been many new vampire books appearing all over Goodreads, which lead me back to this one.
COVER
Honestly, I don't like the cover and I would really like it if these books got a new cover change. That being said, I think the covers fit in with the year it was published as so many of the covers looked like this.
Honestly, I don't like the cover and I would really like it if these books got a new cover change. That being said, I think the covers fit in with the year it was published as so many of the covers looked like this.
WORLD-BUILDING
Vampire Academy is set in modern day Montana, however it is a world where vampires exist. There are different types of vampires in this world. Moroi vampires, are mortal vampires who have to have blood to survive, however they don't live forever. Strigoi vampires are the types of vampires who never die, and are very fast and strong because of this. Dhampirs are guardians who protect the moroi vampire royalty.
Then there are the characters.
ROSE
Rose Hathaway is a dhampir which means she has a mix of human and vampire blood and has dedicated her life to protecting Lissa (a mortal vampire princess). Rose is a very independent and strong character. She is often seen as an outsider or a rebel by her peers and elders due to her independence and disregard for rules and school activities. She is best-friends with Lissa and she constantly shows how much she cares about her. I liked how despite her being very different from me, she also had many qualities that were very relatable.
LISSA
Lissa is a moroi vampire princess which means she is a mortal vampire. Lissa is popular at school partly due to her being a princess and a generally polite and people person. She is more of a rule follower than her best friend, Rose, however she still has a disregard for many school policies due to how they discriminate those who don't adhere to the administration's standard. I also really liked Lissa's character because she showed strength in different ways than Rose but in ways that also make readers admire her.
OTHER CHARACTERS
Dimitri and Christian are two of the most important side characters. Dimitri is another dhampir who is a mentor for Rose and who helps her become a better protector. Christian is another moroi vampire who is misunderstood/an outsider at school as his parents are strigoi and everyone stays away from him for fear that he will become one. Both characters are not like the stereotypical male characters that often reside in YA paranormal fiction. Instead, both are pretty normal guys who happen to be paranormal.
Vampire Academy is set in modern day Montana, however it is a world where vampires exist. There are different types of vampires in this world. Moroi vampires, are mortal vampires who have to have blood to survive, however they don't live forever. Strigoi vampires are the types of vampires who never die, and are very fast and strong because of this. Dhampirs are guardians who protect the moroi vampire royalty.
Then there are the characters.
ROSE
Rose Hathaway is a dhampir which means she has a mix of human and vampire blood and has dedicated her life to protecting Lissa (a mortal vampire princess). Rose is a very independent and strong character. She is often seen as an outsider or a rebel by her peers and elders due to her independence and disregard for rules and school activities. She is best-friends with Lissa and she constantly shows how much she cares about her. I liked how despite her being very different from me, she also had many qualities that were very relatable.
LISSA
Lissa is a moroi vampire princess which means she is a mortal vampire. Lissa is popular at school partly due to her being a princess and a generally polite and people person. She is more of a rule follower than her best friend, Rose, however she still has a disregard for many school policies due to how they discriminate those who don't adhere to the administration's standard. I also really liked Lissa's character because she showed strength in different ways than Rose but in ways that also make readers admire her.
OTHER CHARACTERS
Dimitri and Christian are two of the most important side characters. Dimitri is another dhampir who is a mentor for Rose and who helps her become a better protector. Christian is another moroi vampire who is misunderstood/an outsider at school as his parents are strigoi and everyone stays away from him for fear that he will become one. Both characters are not like the stereotypical male characters that often reside in YA paranormal fiction. Instead, both are pretty normal guys who happen to be paranormal.
FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY
Lissa and Rose's friendship is probably my favorite part of this book. I love how much they cared about each other and how connected they are. Their relationship was very realistic as they didn't always agree but you could tell how much they truly supported and cared about each other.
Lissa and Rose's friendship is probably my favorite part of this book. I love how much they cared about each other and how connected they are. Their relationship was very realistic as they didn't always agree but you could tell how much they truly supported and cared about each other.
PLOT
Vampire Academy is about Rose who is a dhampir (aka a guardian) for Lissa (a Moroi vampire princess). Rose and Lissa have been living on their own together for two years but they are then dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, which is the school for vampire royalty and their future guardians. I thought the plot was very unique as I haven't read any vampire books that are similar. There's also a mystery aspect and you don't know who the enemy is until the very end.
Vampire Academy is about Rose who is a dhampir (aka a guardian) for Lissa (a Moroi vampire princess). Rose and Lissa have been living on their own together for two years but they are then dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, which is the school for vampire royalty and their future guardians. I thought the plot was very unique as I haven't read any vampire books that are similar. There's also a mystery aspect and you don't know who the enemy is until the very end.
ROMANCE
The romance is between Lissa and Christian, as well as between Rose and Dimitri. Lissa and Christian are slow-burn as they become friends before they date. Rose and Dimitri are slow-burn as well as they don't formally get together in this book but there are indications that they will later on in the series. I enjoyed both relationships and liked how they didn't take over the plot or become tiring.
WRITING
Richelle Mead's writing style is easy and fluent. I liked how she doesn't dump loads of information on her readers at once, and instead lets us find out about the world and the different types of vampires throughout the entire book. The information parts of the book are balanced by witty language and sarcasm.
The romance is between Lissa and Christian, as well as between Rose and Dimitri. Lissa and Christian are slow-burn as they become friends before they date. Rose and Dimitri are slow-burn as well as they don't formally get together in this book but there are indications that they will later on in the series. I enjoyed both relationships and liked how they didn't take over the plot or become tiring.
WRITING
Richelle Mead's writing style is easy and fluent. I liked how she doesn't dump loads of information on her readers at once, and instead lets us find out about the world and the different types of vampires throughout the entire book. The information parts of the book are balanced by witty language and sarcasm.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Vampire Academy is an interesting start to what promises to be a fun and fast-paced series. I enjoyed the characters and plot which kept me entertained until the end. I recommend it for anyone who is looking for a fast-paced paranormal read.
Quotes from the Book:
Vampire Academy is an interesting start to what promises to be a fun and fast-paced series. I enjoyed the characters and plot which kept me entertained until the end. I recommend it for anyone who is looking for a fast-paced paranormal read.
Quotes from the Book:
“Only a true best friend can protect you from your immortal enemies.”
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Crowns
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