OK, you were all correct. Vampire
Academy is a great book. It’s taken me a while to get started on this
series, but I’m glad I finally did.
First of all, I don’t think this book can really be compared
to Twilight.
This story doesn’t involve vampires hiding out in the general public. They are
at a special school for vampires (Moroi) and their guardians (Dhampir.) And the
romance is not the driving force of the story.
Rose is Lissa’s best friend and guardian, but they are in
trouble. They’ve just been found and returned to the academy after a two-year
escape. There’s a lot of mystery about why they escaped. There’s an interesting
dynamic as they try to assimilate back into the academy’s life. Lissa is
royalty, so what she did was extremely bad for the Moroi. Lissa is still in
danger, but the administration doesn’t realize it, and they are keeping her and
Rose apart.
Fortunately, Rose can feel what Lissa feels – and sometimes
she can even get into her mind and see what she is doing, so she can still
provide some protection. Rose has been assigned a special trainer, Dimitri, to
help her catch up, and they form a special bond.
Mead writes in first person, from Rose’s POV, but since Rose
can get into Lissa’s mind, we get a third person perspective too. I thought
this was kind of cheating, but it worked for the story.
I enjoyed learning the lore of the Moroi, Dhampir, and
Strigoi. This is a well-crafted history that I’m sure will shape the entire
series. The characters are interesting – there’s a typical “high school” drama mixed
in with the magic and danger. The romance isn’t a big part of this story, and
it doesn’t take over. There’s a slow building of interest – no “insta-love.”
And, thankfully, there is a tense, exciting climax and a
resolution of this episode even though this is a series. No huge cliffhanger,
but enough of a back story to make me want to read more about these characters.
This is the way a series should be. No stopping in the middle of the story.
Kudos to Mead! Bring on Frostbite.
Recommend this to teens who like vampire stories, boarding
school stories, or really any paranormal fans. I think mostly girls read this,
but there’s enough action and strong male characters that I think boys could be
entertained (at least so far….)
Published by Razorbill, 2007
Copy obtained from the library
332 pages
Rating: 4/5
Yay, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! This is definitely one of my favourite paranormal series. =)
ReplyDeleteThe world that Mead creates is amazing -- detailed and interesting. (So not Twilight!) I really need to read the rest of this series...
ReplyDeleteMary @ BookSwarm
I really have to read this series! I've seen it on many people's favorites and these character names keep popping up. I feel like the odd man out not knowing what's going on. Glad that you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI feel like this book has been on my wishlist forever. I really need to get around to reading it.
ReplyDeleteI have not read this one yet but I plan too. I am glad to see your thoughts on it. I am glad there is not insta- love. It sounds like there is more to the story than the high school drama and relationship drama. I am interested to read about the Moroi, dhampir and strigoi now too because I have only heard of one of those before. Im excited!
ReplyDeleteI love this series! In fact I love pretty much anything Richelle Mead writes!
ReplyDeleteI agree that idea of the moroi, strigoi and dhampir is a very interesting one and not one I had ever come across before.
Great review :)