(Image Credit:- Movie Pilot.com)
Be-still my beating heart…
I chose to use this image because it showed each of the 6 books in the series with the photo of Rose and Dimitri in the middle. I first read Vampire Academy a few years ago and I never picked up the rest to continue the series; I then watched the Movie and though the reviews are mixed I personally rather enjoyed it. Therefore I decided to finally read the following books in the series; in doing so I pictured Rose and Dimitri exactly as the films portrayal played by Zoey Deutch (Rose Hathaway) and Danila Kozlovsky (Dimitri). I’m also going to take this moment to mention that Dominic Sherwood who is playing Jace Lightwood in the new ABC Shadowhunter TV show is also in this movie playing Christian Ozera. (Cue Fangirling)
Back to reviewing the Book Series…
Vampire Academy is a highly enticing Young Adult book series, featuring Action, Romance and Paranormal Aspects. Richelle Mead creates a dystopian world not too far from our own other than Vampires are real and not only are they real but there are essentially 3 different types. Moroi, Strigoi and Dhampir.
The Concept of the first book is essentially; Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi Princess who has a rare gift of harnessing the earth’s power. Lissa must be protected at all times from Strigoi. Strigoi are the immortal vampires, the evil ones if you will. Rose Hathaway is Lissa’s best friend and a Dhampir, a Dhampir is half vampire, half human. Rose is Lissa’s protector, after 2 years of freedom after escaping from St Vladimirs Academy the girls are found and dragged back. The first novel is their return to the Academy and ultimately their fight to get back into the routine of this world and to stay alive.
Richelle Mead is a fantastic author with the ability to draw in her readers from the first pages, the world she creates is so exquisitely written you are able to fully immerse yourself into the novel. There are 6 books that make up this series;
- Vampire Academy
- FrostBite
- Shadow Kiss
- Blood Promise
- Spirit Bound
- Last Sacrifice
Let me tell you all 6 of these books are as good as the last, in my eyes their is no weak link in which you find with longer series. I enjoyed each of the books profusely, they are truly an emotional roller coaster and you never know what is around the corner. In honestly I think I cried from Book 2 up until book 5. By book 6 my brain didn’t know what to expect, the books are so unpredictable you think you know who’s behind something or what’s going to happen next and Richelle rips that rug right out from under your feet and the Cliffhangers each of the first books end with leave you wanting more.
In terms of the concept of the books, they are often described as being rather intriguing because we have experienced Vampires in Twilight and The Mortal Instruments but Mead’s world is so unlike any other you don’t have the sense of commonness. She takes the ‘vampire world’ and throws a whole new spin on it by having Half Vampires be the Protecters of full Mortal Vampires – Moroi (Good Vampires) who want to kill the Immortal Vampires – Strigoi (Bad Vampires).
There’s no denying that these books have so much going on in them they seem rather confusing to someone who isn’t familiar with the series, but they aren’t hard to follow.
Definitely a must read for any Young Adult Lover, especially if you are a fan of The Mortal Instruments and Twilight Series.
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