Review: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy
(Vampire Academy, #1)
By: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Published: Aug. 16, 2007
Genre: YA
Rating:

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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.

I was reluctant to read this book when a friend of mine insisted I give it a try. I just wasn’t interested in reading yet another vampire book. There are hundreds out there and when push comes to shove they are all pretty much the same. However, when she mailed me the book for my birthday I gave in and sat down to read it. And for the next 2 days that book only left my hands when I showered or slept. Speaking of which, they should really come out with water-proof books.

The book starts off with Rose and Lissa on the run. They left the Academy 2 years ago and have been running ever since. However, they are soon found and brought back by Guardian Dimitri Belikov. Once back in the Academy, Lissa and Rose are sent back to their classes. But since Rose has fallen so far behind on her guardian training, Dimitri has taken on the task of mentoring Rose and making sure she catches up with her other classmates. You see, Dhampires are guardians to the Moroi. Even though the Moroi have elemental powers, they are fairly weak and vulnerable physically, which is where the Dhampires comes in. Their role is to protect the Moroi at all costs. Without the Moroi, the Dhampire line would die out. I think that Mead did a great job developing her world of the Moroi and Dhampires.

The story doesn’t just focus on one character but rather you learn about a handful of characters even though the book is written in Rose’s perspective. The character building was perfect. You understand the close bond between Lissa (Moroi) and Rose (Dhampire). They have been best friends since they were young and Rose has always known that she would be Lissa’s guardian when they graduate from the Academy. The attraction between Rose and her mentor Dimitri isn’t something that happens instantly. In fact Dimitri tries to keep his distance from Rose and keeps their interactions strictly professional when he starts to view her in a new light. This story wasn’t action packed, it’s primarily about Rose and Lissa adjusting to life back in the Academy after a 2 year hiatus. There is some action at the end but not a whole lot. You get the sense that Mead is building the stage with the first book and gives you tiny glimpses of what’s to come and I cannot wait!

“If I let myself love you, I won’t throw myself in front of her. I’ll throw myself in front of you.” – Dimitri