Vampire Academy movie release day + review by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy

Author: Richelle Mead

Series: Vampire Academy

Pages: 332

Publisher: Penguin Books Australia

Amazon

Release date: 16/07/2007

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Read the official film tie-in before it hits cinemas in 2014!

The astonishing first book that kicked off the international bestselling series.

ONLY A TRUE BEST FRIEND CAN PROTECT YOU FROM YOUR IMMORTAL ENEMIES . . .

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princes – 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 deep in the 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: 4 out of 5 stars

This is a re-read of Vampire Academy for me, I first read it when it was released back in 2010 but it fast became a series I was truly invested in and counted down the days until the release of the next book/s.

Seventeen year-old Dhampir, Rose Hathaway became one of my favourite female characters with her kick-butt fighting skills, snark, impulsiveness, sense of humour, her no fear attitude and the way she protected those closest to her, especially Princess Lissa Dragomir, a Moroi Vampire. The way their friendship was depicted was done extremely well and showed the deep emotional connection between them.

After being on the run for quite some time, Rose and Lissa are returned to St. Vladimir’s Academy, a secret place where vampires are taught the ways of magic and half-human teenagers train to protect them against the evil vampires known as Strigoi. I love books set in boarding schools, Academies etc. so the setting was perfect for me.

The love interest in this book is the forbidden and mysterious Dmitri Belikov who is training Rose to be a Guardian, he is the perfect protector and badass who matches Rose wit for wit, he tolerates her stubbornness and is just as brave as she is; their chemistry was off the charts and their dialogue was truly entertaining, I loved their scenes together, Richelle Mead matched these characters personalities perfectly.

The secondary characters are wonderfully developed and each with depth, I was drawn to Christian and Mason will always be a favourite. All of the characters interactions and dialogue was done well.

Being the first book in the series, there was a lot of information and being a re-read for me I did find myself skimming but it still didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. The action, drama and adventure were all perfectly balanced and the complex world-building was strong with an intriguing plot and unique vampire lore.

I loved Richelle Mead’s writing style which was engaging, addictive and fluid, the VA series is one of my all-time favourites, with perfect characterizations and a female lead that undergoes vast emotional growth throughout the story and never once stops being herself it is a must read for fans of Paranormal YA.

Overall, Vampire Academy is a great start to the series, it’s a thrilling adventure with many twists and turns that leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more. Fantastic characters, wonderful friendships and a really sweet budding romance.

Thank-you to Penguin Books Australia for the opportunity to read and review Vampire Academy.

About the author:

Scorpio Richelle Mead is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy books for both adults and teens. Originally from Michigan, Richelle now lives in Seattle, Washington where she works on her three series full-time: Georgina Kincaid, Dark Swan, and Vampire Academy.

A life-long reader, Richelle has always loved mythology and folklore. When she can actually tear herself away from books (either reading or writing them), she enjoys bad reality TV, traveling, trying interesting cocktails, and shopping for dresses. She's a self-professed coffee addict and has a passion for all things wacky and humorous.

Watch the official VA movie trailer, releasing in Australian cinemas on Thursday 6^th March.