dramastef's Full Review: Richelle Mead - Vampire Academy: Signature Edition
A bit o' background ~ In Richelle Mead's world, there are twelve royal vampire families. "Good" vampires are known as Moroi. Moroi drink blood, but never enough to kill. They specialize in magic from one of the four elements: fire, water, earth or air. Moroi are mortal. Sometimes, to become immortal, Moroi choose to kill, becoming what is known as a Strigoi vampire. Strigoi remain immortal by drinking the blood of Moroi vampires, but lose their magical abilities. Dhampir are the Blades of Mead's world. They are half Moroi, half human and retain the most powerful qualities of both. Most dhampir choose to train and protect the Moroi.
Vampire Academy (Book 1) ~ At the beginning of Vampire Academy, dhampir Rose Hathaway and her best friend, Moroi Princess Lissa Dragomir have been on the run for two years. They are caught and taken back to St. Vladimir's Academy. The reason for their belief that they aren't safe with their kind is only hinted at until the end of the book.
Because Rose's training has been sorely lacking, in order to stay with her class, the Academy assigns her to extra sessions with famed guardian Dimitri Belikov, with whom she forms a bond rather quickly. Though she's no longer responsible for Lissa's well being, a psychic bond connecting the two girls never allows Rose to relinquish her role as Lissa's unofficial guardian. Through the bond, Rose is able to see into Lissa's mind as she descends further into depression and madness. She's also able to see when Lissa is kidnapped and tortured.
I enjoyed Vampire Academy a whole lot more than I thought I would. Told from Rose's tough-girl first person perspective, Richelle Mead's intriguing take on the vampire lore, including the class system, kept my interest from the very beginning. That's not to say the writing is the best I've ever read. But it's better than much of the YA urban fantasy I've slogged through. For those of you whose tweens shop in the YA section of your local library, be warned that Vampire Academy is on the Adult side of Young Adult in a few scenes. There is heavy petting and kissing, breast touching, thoughts of sex, teenage drinking. These don't dominate the book by any means, but they are present.
The secondary characters, though not mentioned much in this review, do offer plenty of substance to the book. Lissa's tentative relationship with an ostracized royal Moroi named Christian gives Rose plenty to worry about. Mia, a lowborn Moroi who wishes to climb the hierarchial ranks, provides a deliciously Gossip Girl kind of distraction as she sets her sights on taking down Rose any way she can.
I finished Vampire Academyin two sittings. The pacing is just right, and the story and characters kept my interest from start to finish. I've got the second book in the series, Frostbite, on hold at my library now and am very much looking forward to reading it. Mead does a stellar job of mixing just the right amount of teenage angst and independence in her main character, Rose. She also did a nice job of combining romance, mystery, vampire lore and "average" teenage issues in this first book of a promising series.
Highly recommended for those who already enjoy dabbling in the YA paranormal world (we're a bigger group than you might think)!
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