Review: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Goodreads description:
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.


First Sentence: “I felt her fear before I heard her screams.”

Originality: Heck yes this is original! Come on, you have to agree with me on this. Richelle Mead has created an entire separate world. There’s Dhampirs, Moroi, and Strigoi. None of which would have existed without Mead.

Characters: Rose. Is. So. Amazing. She’s like, my fictional role model. She’s one of the few female dhampirs(half human, half vampire) that wants to fight against strigoi. It’s all she lives for. Protecting her best friend, Lissa, mainly, as well. I love Lissa too. She is supposed to be this high-and-mighty moroi(good vampire) princess. But really she is just an insecure teenage girl, and that makes her relatable.

And don’t even get me started on the guys! Dimitri…*sigh*. You can so tell he loves Rose but he won’t admit it. Then, there’s Christian. The dark guy everyone is intimidated by. He’s the perfect guy for Lissa. Another one of my favorite guys is Mason, of course. He’s the underdog is all of this. He is so obviously head over heels for Rose, but she can’t make herself feel the same for him. L

Content: This whole world is incredible. All the magic, and there’s even a story of love and friendship behind it. Truly amazing and beautiful. I always wonder, if this world were real, what type of character I’d be. I think I’d want to be a Dhampir, just because they are so BA. I’d love to just be able to protect someone like that.

Setting: Ever since I first read this series, I’ve wanted to move to Montana. Not really because of this first book, but others in the series. Vampire Academy is set at St. Vladmirs Academy, in a remote  area of Montana. I would love to see this setting in a movie.

Overall Enjoyment: Richelle Mead has got to be my favorite Young Adult author. The writing in this book is just…perfect and magical and all-around the most amazing series known to mankind. Maybe I’m over exaggerating, but I don’t care. It’s sad that the series is over, but I am so glad to look forward to more of Mead’s Bloodlines series- a spinoff of the VA series. Stay updated with the blog for more Vampire Academy reviews, for I will be re-reading them all shortly.

If you’ve read this series, I’d love your input on how much you enjoyed it, or even why you didn’t like it. Maybe comment with a link to your review ;) If you have not read these yet, I’m seriously considering committing you to a mental institution. Hehe just kidding. But really! If you like young adult paranormal/sci-fi type stuff, this is the book for you!