Title: Vampire Academy
Author: Richelle Mead
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural
Trigger Warnings: Torture, Blood, Alcohol, Kidnapping
Rating: 4 stars
Synopsis
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 . . .
Review
Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy is one of the best vampire books that I have read. Granted, I have not read all that many but this series defines what young adult vampire fiction means to me. The characters are not just weak or obsessed with only love. There is depth built within the characters that creates amazing interactions and relationships. I love the friendship between Lissa and Rose, especially as it seems to go against the norms of the society as Lissa is a "good" vampire, a Moroi, and Rose is half Moroi, half dhampir, a protector. Rose's inner struggle as she deals with her dhampir peers is also interesting, as a girl in a role mostly filled by men and in classes with mostly boys. I love all of the witty banter of Rose. Characters are described as having witty comebacks but never do, but Rose really does, creating a main character that is relatable and amusing. Her interactions with Christian, an outcast among the popular Moroi at the school, are absolutely amazing. It is not a friendship, but they both have similarities that cause them to clash, even when working towards a common goal.
The worldbuilding and the creation of this school for vampires and protectors is amazing. It feels like a school just like this could exist somewhere. The workings and politics of the school are well described and also hint to how the world of vampires works outside of this single school. The laws and limitations are clearly defined and everything is logical and reasonable. The teenagers are like teenagers, making ton of mistakes and having different priorities than adults probably would.
I read this series a few times at the end of middle school and the beginning of high school, and honestly, so many relationships are so toxic. One in particular, featuring a student and her parent, is at least stated that it is not right, but everything else is just completely written off. Obviously the age difference between Dimitri and Rose is concerning, but both of them are concerned as well and try to prevent it. It is stated as wrong but not shown as wrong, but hey, at least the age difference is acknowledged as a problem and Dimitri in particular says that they can't date, though this is not so much about the age difference and more about their jobs. All of this is a little off, but within the context of the plot, it's okay. My main problem is how subtlely toxic Rose is to Mason, and this is never resolved. Back when I read this, I always shipped the two, but the manipulation is cringey and off putting, especially because it's okay because of Rose's reasoning. This is never spoken out against.
Rose is not always likable, but I find this one of the best things about her character. Everyone does some things that aren't always right, even if they are for the right reasons. Teenagers make ton of mistakes and do things that they will regret and Rose does as well, making her more relatable than some other heroines in YA. She has plenty of positive traits as well, like how strong she is in all senses of the world.
I love so many of these characters, and cannot wait to read Frostbite. The characters all seem real, partially because they are a mix of good and bad characteristics and cannot only be defined by one thing. Multiple characters act different depending on who they are around, and despite how uncomfortable some of the toxicity makes me and how I dislike some of the things that are glorified, I still enjoyed this read.
What is your favorite supernatural book? Especially comment if it isn't a horror book because I would definitely love some book recommendations.
Thanks for reading!
Alyssa
Author: Richelle Mead
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural
Trigger Warnings: Torture, Blood, Alcohol, Kidnapping
Rating: 4 stars
Synopsis
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 . . .
Review
Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy is one of the best vampire books that I have read. Granted, I have not read all that many but this series defines what young adult vampire fiction means to me. The characters are not just weak or obsessed with only love. There is depth built within the characters that creates amazing interactions and relationships. I love the friendship between Lissa and Rose, especially as it seems to go against the norms of the society as Lissa is a "good" vampire, a Moroi, and Rose is half Moroi, half dhampir, a protector. Rose's inner struggle as she deals with her dhampir peers is also interesting, as a girl in a role mostly filled by men and in classes with mostly boys. I love all of the witty banter of Rose. Characters are described as having witty comebacks but never do, but Rose really does, creating a main character that is relatable and amusing. Her interactions with Christian, an outcast among the popular Moroi at the school, are absolutely amazing. It is not a friendship, but they both have similarities that cause them to clash, even when working towards a common goal.The worldbuilding and the creation of this school for vampires and protectors is amazing. It feels like a school just like this could exist somewhere. The workings and politics of the school are well described and also hint to how the world of vampires works outside of this single school. The laws and limitations are clearly defined and everything is logical and reasonable. The teenagers are like teenagers, making ton of mistakes and having different priorities than adults probably would.
I read this series a few times at the end of middle school and the beginning of high school, and honestly, so many relationships are so toxic. One in particular, featuring a student and her parent, is at least stated that it is not right, but everything else is just completely written off. Obviously the age difference between Dimitri and Rose is concerning, but both of them are concerned as well and try to prevent it. It is stated as wrong but not shown as wrong, but hey, at least the age difference is acknowledged as a problem and Dimitri in particular says that they can't date, though this is not so much about the age difference and more about their jobs. All of this is a little off, but within the context of the plot, it's okay. My main problem is how subtlely toxic Rose is to Mason, and this is never resolved. Back when I read this, I always shipped the two, but the manipulation is cringey and off putting, especially because it's okay because of Rose's reasoning. This is never spoken out against.
Rose is not always likable, but I find this one of the best things about her character. Everyone does some things that aren't always right, even if they are for the right reasons. Teenagers make ton of mistakes and do things that they will regret and Rose does as well, making her more relatable than some other heroines in YA. She has plenty of positive traits as well, like how strong she is in all senses of the world.
I love so many of these characters, and cannot wait to read Frostbite. The characters all seem real, partially because they are a mix of good and bad characteristics and cannot only be defined by one thing. Multiple characters act different depending on who they are around, and despite how uncomfortable some of the toxicity makes me and how I dislike some of the things that are glorified, I still enjoyed this read.
What is your favorite supernatural book? Especially comment if it isn't a horror book because I would definitely love some book recommendations.
Thanks for reading!
Alyssa
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