Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Vampire Academy

These were the books that made me love reading 10 years ago and since the show just aired I decided to re-read them just for fun to see if they hold up in an adults eye.

I do love Rose and she is the perfect exemple of what I think most YA/NA fantasy MC's lack; confidence. I love that Rose knows she is a bad b*tch and hot enough to get anyone she wants. For young girls to read more of women like her, who arent afraid to love themselves no matter their flaws can change the way the see themselves.

For the story, these is a good amount of suspense to drive it forward and the writing is ok, not too bad but not the most amazing either.

One thing that did bother me was that Rose always seemed to figure things out in the right second it was happening or she had figured things out wayyyyy before Lissa or the heavy plotline arrived. That kind of foreshadowing isnt foreshadowing but just a hope the reader wont remember that Rose had already "spoiled" an important twist. But this could also be my eye being on the look out for certain things since I knew it was coming.

Thoughts on the love relationship between you know who

I didnt see anything wrong with Dimitris and Rose's flirting/relationship when I was 12-14 and reading these books. I thought it was steamy.
But now that I have been 17 myself the age gap from 17-25 is seriously messed up. Like... very much so!!
I understand its appeal, because in our heads we dont think of Rose as 17, she acts like she is in her early 20's but she isnt and that just kinda gives me the ick over their relationship.
AND the reason why Dimitri had a problem with dating A CHILD and his STUDENT was not due to the fact that she is *gasp* A CHILD but for the fact that he might be a sucky guardian if they fell in love.
Hey I get it, I would throw myself in front of my love too instead of someone I didnt care for, but that could have been angled to the real issue instead of made romantic.

In the end, a fast entertaining read with surprising turns and I would recommend it. Tho do look up warnings and triggering topics beforehand bc some of them could be triggering for some people.

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jenny_librarian's review against another edition

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funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I was surprised by the turns this took. Up until the last minute, it almost seemed like there wouldn’t be any “big bad” the way we’re used to in fantasy YA. It was quite interesting to explore more of the typical school drama in a fantasy way, though it did drag on a bit and became boring at times.

I like the exploration of depression and self-harm. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than I’ve seen in other work. Same for the adult/teen relationship. I was extremely worried by the fact that the author kept mentioning their age difference. Any new mention made it more impossible for them to realistically be together without irking the reader (as it should be, because teacher/student relationships are PROBLEMATIC). And the ending does feel very much Twilight-era, and I don’t doubt they’re gonna end together (🙄) but it at least tried to show that these relationships are unhealthy.

I’m debating whether or not to continue the series. Also, love Christian. Hands down my favourite character.

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welladjustedgirl's review against another edition

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2.0

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alishamegan's review against another edition

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Slut-shaming, sexism and attempted SA, I'm not like other girls MC that gets dry quick, every guy is an arsehole (which is fair tbh), and super weird inappropriate relationship between a teacher/mentor who's 24 and the 17 year old minor MC. Her feelings make sense, but he is just predatory. The age and power difference just took me out of it completely which was a shame. The writing just didn't make me care about the characters or story.

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cgn's review

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adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I had an absolute blast reading this. There were several problematic things I didn’t remember (such as how Rose is 17 when her and Dmitri get together for the first time), but there were some good messages mixed in too, and honestly, I just had fun. I can’t ask for anything more from a 2007 vampire novel

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balter's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted fast-paced

0.75

This is probably the worst book I’ve ever read. From slut shaming to pedophilia this book has it all. The characters are mostly unlikable and one-dimensional and the dialogue is cringe-y at best. The main character/narrator is funny, at least, so it gets a portion of a point for that. I read the entire thing waiting for the book to start making sense and it never did, I do not recommend this book at all.

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noellelovesbooks's review against another edition

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4.25

Content Warnings: Self-harm [cutting], animal death/animal cruelty, blood, bullying, death, murder, suicidal ideations, violence, sexism, grief, torture, sexual harassment, sexual assault, age gap [17 and 24], toxic relationships, homophobia, sexual content, forced institutionalization, ableism, and stalking.

Decided it was time for a re-read ahead of binging through the new Peacock show.

A few summers ago I binged through the entire series, so fast, I could not remember what happened per book. Rereading at a slower pace while annotating, highlighting, and writing summaries every 50 pages was fun and will make it easier to remember in the future. 😅

We get a bit of a slow start as the girls are forced out of hiding and returned to the academy. As the girls attempt to readjust to living among their peers we slowly start to unravel the mystery of why they left while also being introduced to a few new mysteries.

This book was so much to reread and re-immerse myself in. I absolutely adore Rose and Lissa, the strong bond they share, and their fierce desire to protect each other. 💜

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