Vampire Academy sucked me right back into the vampire world. I was a bit of a vampire addict a few years ago, but with all the Hollywood hype and television shows, vampires seemed to be everywhere. My heart needed a break from the genre to build some darkness and mystery back into the vampire lore. I believe I found the right series to spark up my love again.
Rose Hathaway is what's known as a Dhampire, a race of preternatural children born of vampire-human relationship who protect the Moroi (vampires in Mead's world). Since she was a child, she's been best friend's with Princess Vasilissa, a member of the Moroi royalty. The day Lissa's parents die in a horrible car accident, Lissa and Rose become more than simple friends, they become bonded psychically. After that, Rose became even more determined to keep Lissa safe and it's becoming ever more dangerous as someone seems to be out to destroy the more fragile Lissa. The book starts out with Lissa and Rose in hiding after running away from St. Valdimir's Academy, a prep school for their kind. Soon enough, they are caught and sent back. Though the danger is still very real, Rose is determined to stick it out as she quickly realizes she is ill equipped to keep Lissa safe.
Rose is sassy and rebellious, but with an edge that clearly shows she understands a lot more about being an adult than you would initially assume, but she doesn't always show it. The world created here is vivid and realistic, something easy to get lost in. All the characters are developed well and you can get a really good sense of them in a short space of time. I love the relationship between Rose and her teacher, Dimitri Belikov and the way it's created. It is a forbidden romance, but it's not all consuming. They grow closer as they train together through discovering more about the other and who they are. Although romance is a big theme here, it's not the main one. It's the major subplot but it's not the focus of the book, nor does Rose spend all her time mooning after Dimitri. As for Lissa, I didn't really click with her much. I found she was more of a secondary character and I didn't get her at first, nor Rose's over-protectiveness of her. She did grow on me towards the end where I realized she's not just a wuss. She does have a bit of steel in her after all. The side characters were enjoyable and I sure loved to hate Mia!
I loved how fiercely Rosa and Lissa are attached to each other, even if their actions were a bit juvenile and mean at times. They have a lot of room to grow. I really like Christian’s back-story he seems like the underdog that I’m going to pull for long term. I will say some of the ridiculous cattiness of high school was revisited for me throughout. Boys claiming to sleep with people they haven’t, girls spreading just as many rumors to win an imaginary battle (I don’t miss high school). A section of the book really delved into the motivations of trying to hurt others through rumor and the unending cycle of hurt produced by that. But that said there were great moments of snarky humor and some bonds of true friendship shown.
The way sensitive topics that until not long ago were a taboo area are addressed makes me want to hand Vampire Academy out in schools around the country. Depression and self-harm are portrayed in a startling accurate manner. It shows the view from the close friend, seeing what the sufferer is doing to themselves, not quite understanding it, but accepting that it's a part of them. I won't spoil the outcome of that story line, but its one which touched my heart.
What I found refreshing about this book is the consistency so to speak. I feel like each page flowed nicely and the story being told wasn't rushed nor did it drag. Mead has crafted an awesome story-line with some pretty down right awesome characters. The story is captivating and has me chomping at the bit for more!
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