Vampire Academy Published by Razorbill by Richelle Mead
Series: Vampire Academy #1
on August 16, 2007
Genres: Fiction, YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Romance
Pages: 332
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Find the Author: Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads
Find the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
ISBN: 159514174X
Rating:
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...
If I had the time, I’d write a review on every single book in this series. Because they are all THAT good. You read one and just can’t help but want to rush to the store (or online on Amazon, in my case), and buy the next book.
A long-time vampire fan, I have sometimes high expectations of a good vampire story. I expect that if you’re going to deviate from the traditional “Dracula” formula, that you PLEASE make yours a believable one. Make it something that can be built upon. Something that is well thought-out and seamless. Something that will continue to impress and surprise the readers with how well the author planned everything out. Well, Ms. Mead certainly gave that to me and more.
Because amidst a very well-planned plotline, there’s also a very detailed vampire mythology here that Ms. Mead crafted brilliantly. From the “good vampire”/”bad vampire” (Moroi vs. Strigoi) and dhampir to the blurring the lines of who’s good and who’s really bad. It’s an exciting adventure that will leave you feeling like you lost some friends when all is said and done.
But, specifically, I believe this first installment is a gem all on its own. We get the foundation for Rose and Lissa’s amazing friendship, a budding relationship that is a bit taboo, between Rose and Dimitri–her teacher, and a look at what it means for Lissa to be a Princess among Moroi.
Just writing this review makes me want to go pick up the book and start reading it all over again. For probably the fifth time.
About Richelle Mead
A life-long reader, Richelle has always loved mythology and folklore. When she can actually tear herself away from books (either reading or writing them), she enjoys bad reality TV, traveling, trying interesting cocktails, and shopping for dresses. She's a self-professed coffee addict and has a passion for all things wacky and humorous.
Love this review. Vampires are my also my favorite in the UF/YA genres but surprisingly, my all-time favorite series (Daughter of Smoke and Bone) has zero vampires.