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A review by kathydavie
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
4.0
First in the Vampire Academy young adult urban-fantasy series revolving around two girls, Rose and Vasilisa, and how they cope with their emerging powers at a boarding school in Montana.
The Story
Caught! Still, Rose Hathaway and Lissa Dashkov had managed to stay free for two years before the Guardians found them and brought them back to St. Vladimir's Academy. Back to what they had fled in the first place. The danger to the Princess Lissa.
My Take
As irritating as it was, Mead captured the idiocy and cruelty of teenhood beautifully as well as the reality of teen cliques. That age when one knows more than stupid adults and can more easily ignore that with which one doesn't want to deal. I do regret that Mead doesn't provide much on Rose's training. She essentially is sore one day and beating her own records the next. I think Mead missed an opportunity to impress us with Rose's determination and building tension between Rose and Dimitri Belikov, a school Guardian.
There is no lack of action in Vampire Academy and Mead certainly can create tension and appealing characters with definite personalities. Without spending a lot of pages on descriptions of the school or its teachers, Mead still creates a vivid world of the dhampir guards and guardians to the ruling Moroi both of whom fight against the Strigoi, their own who go evil.
The story and culture Mead has created is interesting and she has certainly set up some tensions for the future with Lissa's unusual abilities, the distant memories of Moroi and dhampir fighting against the Strigoi, and the more immediate issues of the school bitch, Mia. Rose has her own collection of problems including dealing with her attraction to Dimitri, her poor reputation at school, and her driving need to protect Lissa.
The Cover
The cover is more sophisticated than I would have expected although the expression on Rose's face feels accurate. Looking back at us over her shoulder, her hair pulled back leaving chin-length curving strands to frame her face, Rose looks both mischievous and knowing.
The title certainly introduces the location for this story for it is a Vampire Academy.
The Story
Caught! Still, Rose Hathaway and Lissa Dashkov had managed to stay free for two years before the Guardians found them and brought them back to St. Vladimir's Academy. Back to what they had fled in the first place. The danger to the Princess Lissa.
My Take
As irritating as it was, Mead captured the idiocy and cruelty of teenhood beautifully as well as the reality of teen cliques. That age when one knows more than stupid adults and can more easily ignore that with which one doesn't want to deal. I do regret that Mead doesn't provide much on Rose's training. She essentially is sore one day and beating her own records the next. I think Mead missed an opportunity to impress us with Rose's determination and building tension between Rose and Dimitri Belikov, a school Guardian.
There is no lack of action in Vampire Academy and Mead certainly can create tension and appealing characters with definite personalities. Without spending a lot of pages on descriptions of the school or its teachers, Mead still creates a vivid world of the dhampir guards and guardians to the ruling Moroi both of whom fight against the Strigoi, their own who go evil.
The story and culture Mead has created is interesting and she has certainly set up some tensions for the future with Lissa's unusual abilities, the distant memories of Moroi and dhampir fighting against the Strigoi, and the more immediate issues of the school bitch, Mia. Rose has her own collection of problems including dealing with her attraction to Dimitri, her poor reputation at school, and her driving need to protect Lissa.
The Cover
The cover is more sophisticated than I would have expected although the expression on Rose's face feels accurate. Looking back at us over her shoulder, her hair pulled back leaving chin-length curving strands to frame her face, Rose looks both mischievous and knowing.
The title certainly introduces the location for this story for it is a Vampire Academy.