Vampire Academy {book review} * * * * 1/2

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

- paranormal, YA -

reviewed by Tara SG

bought eBook via Amazon.com

Book Order (Vampire Academy)

1. Vampire Academy * * * * 1/2
   
2. Frostbite
3. Shadow Kiss
4. Blood Promise
5. Spirit Bound
6. Last Sacrifice (Dec 14, 2010)
   • yep, I started another series that isn’t finished… *slams head into wall*

Links

Author’s Website : http://www.richellemead.com

Amazon : paperback / eBook

Add To Your GoodReads TBR list

This book in 6 words:

friendship, vampires, romance, fighting, mystery, understanding

Why did I read this? And am I glad I did?

To be honest, I had heard of this and written it off as some cheesy vampire teen book (I didn’t like the first House of Night and was scared to try another series). Then I read Felicia’s review of it on her blog, The Geeky Blogger’s Book Blog. It sounded pretty good, so I bought it with the Amazon gift card I had… I’m really glad I did! Wow does this book have issues (in a glad we’re talking about them kind of way)! Yes, it’s about teen vampires… but they aren’t your run of the mill kind and I like the twist. Yes, they are teens… but you won’t find “teen speak” and they do some pretty adult things (which I’ll talk about in the Going Deeper section).

Brief Summary

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.

- via GoodReads.com

Plot/Pacing/Writing Style

I really loved the plot. While I felt a little lost in the beginning, the author does a great job of incorporating flashbacks and other bits of info to fill you in on this new world you’ve entered. I like the idea of dhampirs being the body guards for the vampires (although the sacrifices they make kinda bothered me). There were multiple mysteries leaving you constantly guessing, but never confused.

The pacing was really good. There was a great mix of character building and action. I read it all in one sitting without feeling like it was dragging at any point. I also liked the writing style. It seems like some authors feel like they need to dumb things down for younger readers, and Ms Read does not.

Characters

Rose and Lissa are fabulous. I really liked Rose. I’d want to be her friend. She would do anything for Lissa, and not just because she has to. She’s got a special connection with her vampire charge, but it seems to me that Lissa is the only family Rose has ever had and she truly loves her. Rose’s smart mouth gets her in trouble, but her remarks often made me laugh out loud.

Lissa is quieter and while she comes off weak, she has a lot of issues that a weaker person wouldn’t be able to handle as well as she does. After the death of her parents and older brother, she is now the oldest and only living member of her family. We watch her deal with depression, being socially ostracized, falling for the wrong guy, and having an unruly best friend.

The supporting characters like Dmitri, Mia, Mason, and Christian are also well-developed. I’m glad we got to learn parts of their histories and I’m very much so looking forward to learning more about them (except maybe Mia).

Recommendations

If you like paranormal YA or even adult paranormal (just don’t expect it to be extra steamy), I’d say give this a try UNLESS you have issues with reading about teens cussing, drinking, having sex, and dealing with depression in unhealthy ways…. which I’ll continue to talk about in the next section…

Going Deeper – NO spoilers!

Wow did this book deal with a lot of teen issues… I’m going to try to just touch base on some of them…

First of all, the cussing… Teens cuss. This is does not bother me at all in books. Actually I appreciate it when an author makes them sound their age. I know some authors take it too far, but she did not. It is far and few between… it just took me by surprise.

Sex. Teens also have sex. Guess what this books does… it talks about it in a REAL way! Rose is waiting for the right guy, but that doesn’t stop her from messing around a little which gets her into some trouble and has earned her a reputation. This book touches on some of the deeper consequences of sex like being called a “whore” or a “slut” or having your heart broken. It’s not all about not getting knocked up.

Alcohol and drugs. Teens also drink and do drugs. Did I in high school? No. Did my friends? Yes. Is the author encouraging teenagers to go get drunk and have sex? NO!

And the most important issue (in my opinion)… Depression. A LOT of teens deal with depression. They are overly emotional and kids are mean. This book deals with some real and unhealthy ways some teens deal with emotions they can’t handle and it also shows how to help them! I really, really love Richelle Mead for being brave enough to write about such a tough subject and to be able to weave it into such an amazing story that it doesn’t come across mopey and depressing.

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