Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

3 reviews

bookswithlauren's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Car accident, War, Sexual content, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I picked this up out of curiosity for the beloved YA vampire story.
"Vampire Academy" is a YA story that follows Rose, a mix of human and vampire, who is dedicated to protecting Lissa, a Moroi princess. Two years ago, Lissa and Rose ran away from St. Vladimir's academy because of the dangers that lie within its gates. Unfortunately, the pair have finally been caught and are dragged back to the school. Now, the best friends have to work together to protect Lissa from the undead that want to make her one of them.
I never got into the early 2000s obsession with vampires, so out of curiosity, I have been dipping my toes into the vampiric world now (in the 2020s). With that in mind, I did not have very high expectations for this story, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. This novel is definitely not amazingly written, nor do I think it has aged super well, but it was just a fun book about best friends who happen to be vampires.
My absolute favorite aspect of this book was the depiction of Lissa and Rose's friendship. Both of these girls will stop at nothing to help the other. When one of them needs something, both do not hesitate to jump in and help their friend. I love seeing depictions of friendship, especially in a YA book. I think it is so important to highlight the importance of friendships, depict what makes a good friend, and show teenagers that there is more to life than romantic love. I am a firm believer that a soul mate does not have to be a romantic relationship, sometimes the people that light your soul on fire are in fact your friends.
I am definitely intrigued, and I will be curious to pick up the rest of this series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Self harm, Kidnapping, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gaslighting and Sexual content

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

beaudoindani17's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This rating is reflective of how much I enjoyed this book when I originally read it, however I recognize a lot of the issues this book has now, and probably wouldn't rate it as highly anymore, despite really enjoying all rereads. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Self harm, Violence, Bullying, Body shaming, Classism, Mental illness, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Car accident, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Chronic illness