Monday, July 15, 2013

REVIEW {30} RETRO REVIEW {4} Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

VAMPIRE ACADEMY
SERIES: Vampire Academy #1 | OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES: Frostbite #2; Shadow Kiss #3; Blood Promise #4; Spirit Bound #5; and Last Sacrifice #6; SPIN-OFF SERIES: Bloodlines | BOOKS IN THE SERIES: Bloodlines #1; The Golden Lily #2; The Indigo Spell #3; The Fiery Heart #4
AUTHOR: Richelle Mead
PUBLISHED: August 16th 2007 by Razorbill
EDITION: Paperback, 332 pages
ACQUISITION: Own
CATEGORIES: Young Adult, Paranormal, Vampires, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Magic, Review, Razorbill, 4 Stars, Vampire Academy Series, Richelle Mead
RATING: 4.00/5.00 | GOODREADS RATING: 4.20/5.00

WHAT IT'S ABOUT: 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.

MY THOUGHTS: I went into this not really thinking I'd like it; but when I finished, I realized that I actually really enjoyed it! Like any first book, the beginning is a bit slower as it fills you in on everything that is going on, and explaining all of the characters, and story lines, etc.  I was even kind of annoyed with both Rose & Lissa when they first got back to the Academy. I had trouble connecting with Rose because I was reading her one way, and then we start to learn about how she used to be when they were previously at the Academy, so it was conflicting for me. But once I was into the bulk of the book I started seeing how kick-ass Rose Hathaway is! And Dimitri - YUM! The tension between Rose and Dimitiri is wonderful! And Christian, oh, Christian! Love the bad boys!!


What I liked as well is that there was ALWAYS something going on. There were very few, if any dull, slow moments. It was a very nicely paced story, in my opinion. I love the development of both Rose and Lissa's characters throughout the story; and the ending was pretty much perfect to lead us into the second book. The world that Mead has created is wonderful, and one you can easily visualize and spend lots of time in. 
[NOTE: This is actually an old review that I originally posted on my previous blog in 2011. I've since read and loved the entire series, and will be posting the reviews for the rest of the series in upcoming weeks.]

SIMILAR READS: Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine | Betrayals by Lili St. Crow | Night World by L.J. Smith | Vampire Academy: The Ultimate Guide by Michelle Rowen | Out for Blood by Alyxandra Harvey

Happy Reading!

1 comment:

  1. I loved this book so much! It was better than I expected it to be, maybe because of the action and lack of dullness, like you said. :)

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