Monday, December 10, 2012

BOOK REVIEW: Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1) by Rachel Mead


Publication Date: August 16, 2007
Synopsis (Goodreads):
St. Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school-it's a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They've been on the run, but now they're being dragged back to St. Vladimir's-the very place where they're most in danger. . . . Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy's ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi-the world's fiercest and most dangerous vampires-make Lissa one of them forever.




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Review:


Before I go to the review proper, I just want to say, now I know why they compared Pure by Jennifer Armentrout to Vampire Academy. If you haven't read Pure yet, I must warn you. This part may contain some spoilers. 
Basically, Pure is not about Vampires but the construction of characters and storyline are similar. Both main characters have gone away from the academy and when they got back, they were given punishment and had to train with someone. That someone, as the story went on, is their love interest. Also, both characters have the same personality- stubborn,strong-willed and protective of those important to them. One thing that sets them apart is the reason of the main character's existence. Both books are good but I liked Pure better. I don't know if it's because I read it first or maybe just because the flow of the story for Pure was better. 

Anyway,let's go back to the REVIEW part.

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Rose, the main character is most of the time annoying but there are times when I start to like her then she goes back to being annoyingly stubborn again. She's overprotective of Lissa so she had the tendency to be bad and push people away. What I like about her over protectiveness is that she's being selfless and thinks about Lissa more than herself. I like her strong-willed and outgoing character.

Lissa,a Moroi Vampire Princess and Rose's bestfriend, is kind, beautiful and fragile. It seems she's always the one needs saving but in the latter part of the story, she realizes she also has the power to protect the ones she loves. 

The characters are good but I had the hard time connecting with them. I may have liked them at some parts but I wasn't really into them.

I was a bit confused on the first parts of the book because some terms,like Strigoi or Moroi were not defined as it was first mentioned. I just realized who they are as the story went on. I haven't read the blurb, I just went straight to reading the book so I had no idea. Again, my mistake. 

It has a slow start but as the story went on it caught up with the pace I liked. The story itself is very intriguing and there are tidbits of unpredictability which is good. It wasn't entirely focused on romance so I'm glad. The romance parts are cute and lovely. They made me smile.

Overall, I liked and enjoyed the book despite some issues. I'll definitely read the next book. If you want to read a vampire book which isn't just about the good looks, read this one!

Rating:




Memorable Quotes:

“If I let myself love you, I won't throw myself in front of her. I'll throw myself in front of you.” 

“Taking a deep breathe, I made one of the hardest decisions of my life.
I walked away.” 


2 comments:

  1. Great review. I found Rose annoying too, especially in the first couple of books. She gets better though.

    Honestly, I liked Pure better and I read Vampire Academy first, so you're not the only one. I do see the similarities, but once you get to Deity, that all changes.

    Kristin @ Better Read Than Dead

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    Replies
    1. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who thinks that. I haven't read Deity yet but from what I heard,it's a good one. Thanks for stopping by!

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