Book Review - Vampire Acadmey

Vampire Academy
Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Vampire Academy #1
Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy | Young Adult
Release Date: 26 May 2009
Publishers: Razorbill
No. Pages: 322
Source: Borrowed
Rating:

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.

I borrowed Vampire Academy from the library three times before I actually got around to reading it and I confess to be absolutely ashamed of such a thing. Why did I not read it on the first outing, god only knows? But why did I take out a second time when I hadn't read it before? Maybe it was hope, a sign of encouragement.. But why on earth did I take it out a third time if the last two attempts had failed? Truthfully, because of Stacie. If it wasn't for her insisting I try this series and see whether my rough relationship with vampires was just that they're not for me or whether I'd just read the wrong kind of book in the past, I would never have considered Vampire Academy, no matter how many people recommended it to me, however, I'm more than pleased to say that Vampire Academy and I got along like a house on fire and I, without a doubt, plan on reading, enjoying and devouring the rest of this series. Why you ask? Let me tell you..

I can't pinpoint exactly what didn't work for me in Dinner with a Vampire, maybe it was that the character had no substance, maybe it was the plot never really moved anywhere, or maybe it was that I couldn't feel the romance that was being given to me, however, on all of these features, Vampire Academy excelled; the characters were so relatable and so easy to enjoy reading about, the plot moved in paces I didn't expect and moved into places I didn't see coming, while the romances in this novel, oh man the romances, just, feeling inducing, heart fluttering, grinning-like-a-cheshire-cat'ing gloriousness, ah, this book just had everything I would have wanted from it and I doubt I could really do this book justice because my feelings went on a roller-coaster ride and still haven't recovered. The plot in this novel was so much more than I ever could have expected, royalty among vampires, which I absolutely adore, boarding school of gossip and a friendship that really was one of the best I've read about, in fact, there's very few issues I had with this book at all, other than sometimes Mead took the high school, boarding school, drama and gossip a little too far sometimes and every so often, I would have gladly slapped Rose amount her pretty little face, but other than those moments, and I mean, moments, Vampire Academy was full of development, world building, character growth, hidden agenda's and romance, lots of romance.

Don't get me wrong, I like a good romance, in fact, I honestly think that a romance can really bring a novel out of it's shell, it creates mutli-dimensions in characters, it brings out the loyalty and honesty within friendships and partnerships and it really can make or break a character, develop them, and make those characters even more likable and in all of these examples, Vampire Academy does them. Mead develops Rose's personality from a teenage girl looking for a fun time to a protector, to somebody with her priorities and to somebody with a very high maturity, morals and somebody who understands mortality better than anyone. She develops Dimitri from a quiet raging storm to somebody with emotions, to somebody who really delves deep into his own feelings and his past to help him confront his present and his future. Mead takes Lissa and Christian and just creates such a connection, both romantically and psychologically, giving them both somebody to confide and share their horrors with and each and every character in this book gave something to the feel, atmosphere, ambiance and, creates this addictive, but enthralling and hugely enjoyable world for these characters be in - she makes it real, makes me believe that this world is truly out there and there's very few books that have had the right feel for another world in ours and because of this, Vampire Academy is instantly a high rating, even without the wonderful characters.

What I possibly loved best about Vampire Academy though, was that every time I thought I understood something, every time I thought I had figured something, I would celebrate, little realising that Mead was about to shatter that thought into pieces and send me more questions with answers I couldn't give, and took the plot in areas I just hadn't expected. She upped the drama and action value ten fold within the second half, producing what could be one of the most heart-attack inducing, heart-breaking, traumatic moments in novel history for me personally, and one day, one day, authors will put a stop to killing off my favourite characters, but until then, I must endure the pain than Mead produced in this novel.

At the time when I read this, I was fearing I would be in a slump for a very long time, and if it wasn't for this novel, I probably still would be, but Mead's writing, her characters, the obsessive feel that she produced between Rose and Dimitri and Lissa and Christian, the power and action she put into this novel, it was too much for my slump, and it blew it out of the water. I gladly confess to being just a little bit obsessed with this series after the first novel, and therefore cannot be held responsible for any fangirling that make occur in the future with the rest of this series, but I can promise that there will be more reviews from the Vampire Academy series, and that I will not hold on back on my feelings. If you're like me and had been avoiding this series for unknown reasons, get a hold of this novel as soon as possible, if it changed my perspective on vampires, it'll change yours too.