Review: Vampire Academy (Graphic Novel) by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy
(Vampire Academy, Vol. #1)
By: Richelle Mead, Leigh Dragoon (Adapter), Emma Vieceli (Illustrator)
Publisher: Razorbill
Published: Aug. 23, 2011
Genre: Paranormal/YA/Graphic Novel
Rating:

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

After two years on the run, best friends Rose and Lissa are caught and returned to St. Vladimir’s Academy, a private high school for vampires and half-bloods. It’s filled with intrigue, danger—and even romance.

Enter their dark, fascinating world through a new series of 144-page full-color graphic novels. The entire first Vampire Academy novel has been adapted for book one by Leigh Dragoon and overseen by Richelle Mead, while the beautiful art of acclaimed British illustrator Emma Vieceli brings the story to life.

Whether you’re a fan of Vampire Academy or just starting out, this is a great addition to the world that Richelle Mead has created. It’s a nice recap of events for those who’ve read the first book but it’s also a great crash course for those who are not familiar with the series. Leah Dragoon did an amazing job taking Richelle’s story and turning it into a short graphic novel. She made sure that all the key points from the first book are there. So whether you’re familiar with the storyline or not, this is a great graphic novel to read. Let’s not forget about the artwork. Emma Vieceli did an incredible job bringing the characters to life. Granted, it’s impossible to create a character based off of the readers imagination, but I felt that the characters themselves were true to not only what I thought they should look like, but as well as the way they were described in the novel.

Now, I don’t really understand the graphic novel trend. I sort of feel like graphic novels should be more action packet than just your average books being drawn into a graphic novel. However, I really loved this series and decided to give this graphic novel a try and I’m glad that I did. I love the artwork and the fact that they kept the story true to the first book. I hope that they continue with the graphic novels so that I can see Adrian come to life.

The artwork is great. Emma didn’t try to make the characters into something that they are not. I also loved that the illustrations were colored throughout the entire thing. Plus I really liked that Leah kept some of Rose’s snark in as well.