Review : Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Summary (from Goodreads)

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.

Personal Thoughts

The Vampire Academy series is the series that actually fully integrated me into the world of YA. Before that, the only YA series I had read was Twilight. I figured since it's the book that helped me discover the awesome books out there and it's one of my all-time favorite series, it deserved some space on my little blog.

The characters in Vampire Academy were the kind that had depth and personality. Not a single one of them was bland or boring. They all had redeeming qualities that you cannot help but love them, even the villains and the mean girls. Richelle Mead sure does know how to write brilliant characters. Rose Hathaway was one of the most kick-butt characters I have ever come across. She had a strength and fire to her that makes you want to be in her mind at all times. At times, she came off as a show-off, especially when she kept on saying that she had an awesome body and all the guys kept lusting after her. However, I didn't have any trouble liking her character. Deep down, all she wanted was to protect her best friend, Lissa. Her devotion and protectiveness for her was truly a remarkable feature. Rose wanted nothing more than to be an excellent guardian to Lissa that she would risk her life for her. She's also the kind of person who doesn't pay attention to what people were saying about her. Those kind of things didn't bother her. Overall, she was a brilliant main character and I absolutely loved being inside her head.

Rose's relationship with Lissa was one of my favorite parts of the book. I loved how they were so different, but they were a perfect fit for each other. While Rose was the reckless and adventurous one, Lissa was the gentle and loving kind. Lissa went through a heck of a time in Vampire Academy. No matter what the situation was, they were there for each other. Their friendship was inspiring and beautiful.

I thought that Richelle Mead did a fabulous job with the world-building in this book. It was rich, complex and extremely well-developed. I loved the whole world VA was set in. Learning about the Strigoi, Moroi and Dhamphirs was simply really exciting. The world-building was brilliant. I love when authors go to great lengths to actually describe and make you understand the setting. Richelle's Mead writing was vivid, beautiful and entertaining. She has a knack for creating situations that make you want to flip through the pages of the book at high speeds. I,also, adored the plot of the book. It was exciting and full of suspense. Honestly, this was a fantastic series debut and words can't express my love for this book.

Overall, if you can't tell from my review, I loved Vampire Academy. I loved it so much that I don't think any vampire books that I read after this lived up to VA. Wonderfully complex and memorable characters, rich world-building and a suspenseful plot will have you pining for more after reading this book. 

Rating

Cover : 5/5

Plot : 5/5
Characters : 5/5
Writing : 5/5