Review: Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1)

Title: Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1)
Author: Richelle Mead
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: August 16, 2007
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

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

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: 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 in the deep 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:

Rose Hathaway is a dhampir, a guardian of vampires. She must protect her best friend and princess, Lissa Dragomir. The girls ran away two years ago, but the guards from Vampire Academy finally catch up with them and bring them back to the school. Rose and Lissa have to navigate drama with their peers, while also facing dangerous threats to their lives.

This story wasn’t what I expected. It was quite dark and intense. There was animal cruelty, animal death, bullying in the form of “slut shaming,” self harm, and attempted suicide.

I did enjoy this book, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so dark. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

Other books in the series:

Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2)
Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy #3)
Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4)
Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5)
Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy #6)

Have you read Vampire Academy? What did you think of it?

Author: jilljemmett

Jill lives in Toronto, Canada. She has studied English, Creative Writing, and Publishing. Jill is the creator and content producer of Jill’s Book Blog, where she has published a blog post every day for the last four years, including 5-7 book reviews a week. She can usually be found with her nose in a book. View all posts by jilljemmett