The Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Title: The Vampire Academy

Author: Richelle Mead

Age Group: Teens

# of Pages: 332

My Rating: 4/5

Rose Hathaway and Lissa Dragomir are two best friends... and vampires. They were able to roam free among the humans for the past couple of years until recently. They are now forced back into St. Vladimir's Academy where they are to be among their fellow vampires again.

Since Lissa is a Moroi princess who has the power to use Earth's magic, she must be protected from the evil Strigoi. The Strigoi are vampires who turned to the dark side, unable to die. Rose acts as Lissa's guardian, always by her side.

Although the two are safe within the school's walls, there is something out there secretly threatening them. Lissa and Rose must stick together as dangerous obstacles come their way.

Originally, I wasn't planning to pick this series up. Ever. The vampire hype has die down (in my eyes) but I am still wary with most vampire novels out there since Twilight. However, when I received Blood Promise to review, I knew I had to start from the beginning.

Rose is different compared to most female protagonists I am used to. She is fearless and is a party girl. Lissa on the other hand is nice and understanding, although she is royalty. I admire their friendship very much because they are inseparable, even though their personalities are different.

The romance was not so bad either. I found that what they both experienced is reasonable and realistic. It was incorporated smoothly into the plot and it was not in your face like most stories that had romance in them. I wonder how it would work out between Rose and Dimitri, an older Russian vampire who trains her.

Overall, I found The Vampire Academy to be a pleasing novel that keeps the reader going. It is not uber amazing but it has a great start for a vampire series. I recommend it to all vampire and paranormal fans.

Review copy provided by Penguin Group (Canada).