Spoiler Alert: This is a review of the entire Vampire Academy series and will contain slight spoilers from all of the books!
Author: Richelle Mead
Classification: YA Fiction, Paranormal
Source: Borrowed or Purchased
Classification: YA Fiction, Paranormal
Source: Borrowed or Purchased
Overall Grade:
B
Would I read it again?
Probably not.
Would I recommend it?
Yes! Paranormal romance lovers will rejoice!
______________________________________________________Summary of Book #1, Vampire Academy (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.
______________________________________________________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.
My Thoughts:
When my sister first told me about Vampire Academy, I immediately checked the first book of the series out from the library. After reading about 10 pages, I decided that it wasn't my style, and abandoned it for something else in my towering stack of library books. The next time I picked it up, however, I read past the... interesting start to the novel and didn't stop until I was finished!
I read the entire series in less than a week. That's over 2,700 pages! Yeah, it was that good. Let's just say that I shouldn't have started reading Vampire Academy over the Thanksgiving break from school... I got NO homework done whatsoever!!
Because this is a massive series review, I'm going to break down my thoughts on all 6 books into the pros and cons!
What I Loved:
- I loved the following characters: Rose, Dimitri (I heart him), Adrian, Christian, and Sydney. An honorable mention to Jill and Ambrose, as well!
- Rose was a great main character. She was a combination of just the right amounts of sass, snark, toughness, loyalty and dedication. I enjoyed watching her kick major butt, suffer through heartbreak, and grow into a fully-realized individual.
- Rose and Dimitri.... hello?! One of the best romances I've ever read, and not just in the paranormal genre. I was smitten with them in Vampire Academy (#1) and Frostbite (#2), waiting for the sexual tension to finally amount to something. In Shadowkiss (#3), I got what I wanted, only to be heartbroken. Blood Promise (#4) took me on an incredible journey (probably my favorite book of the series, FYI). And just when we thought it was over, Spirit Bound (#5) completely threw me for a loop! Then, the conclusion of their story, Last Sacrifice (#6), was perfect for everyone... well, expect for he-who-must-not-be-named. Not Voldemort, of course, but I don't want to give it away.
What I Didn't Love:
- Lissa. I'm sorry, but she was annoying. Until the end of the series, when she finally got some guts, I was cringing during the points where we had to deal with her. I appreciated her friendship with Rose, but I just didn't feel very much depth to her character... and this was a 6 book series.
- The other love interests. I know that Rose is a flirt and likes to have her fun, but I didn't appreciate the fact that she continually dragged on relationships with other guys when she was hopelessly in love with Dimitri. Obviously, she thought that her and Dimitri would never, ever, happen, and was just trying to get on with her life. But I think that Richelle Mead could have done a better job at making the other love interests actual competition for Dimitri.
- The repetitiveness. Every novel in the Vampire Academy series starts out with a recap of the previous novel's events. If I had a nickel for every time that Mead explained to the reader what the Moroi and Strigoi and Dhampirs were, I would have too many nickels. This was extremely annoying for those reading each book in the series back-to-back, and I had to skip over several pages at a time.
Overall, Vampire Academy is one of my favorite paranormal series of all time! If you haven't read these yet, I seriously urge you to do so. Fans of paranormal romance and vampire stories will love them!!
______________________________________________________Overall Grade:
B
Would I read it again?
Probably not.
Would I recommend it?
Yes! Paranormal romance lovers will rejoice!
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