Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, bk 1)
by Richelle Mead

YA Paranormal
336 pages, softcover
Target Reader: 14-16 (see Content Rating below)

Razorbill/Penguin
978-1595141743
Release Date: August 16, 2007



From the publisher:

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with an unbreakable bond to the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest and most dangerous vampires—the ones who never die.

The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a Dhampir; she is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making her one of them.

After two years of illicit freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. Rose will continue her Dhampir education. Lissa will go back to being Queen of the elite Moroi social scene. And both girls will resume breaking hearts.

Fear made Lissa and Rose run away from St. Vladimir's—but their world is fraught with danger both inside and out of the Academy's iron gates. Here, the cutthroat ranks of the Moroi perform unspeakable rituals and their secretive nature and love of the night creates an enigmatic world full of social complexities. Rose and Lissa must navigate through this dangerous world, confront the temptation of forbidden romance, and never once let their guard down, lest the Strigoi make Lissa one of them forever...

Read Chapter 1 HERE.

The Vampire Academy has some good twists in it. It keeps you guessing at who the "bad guy" is right up until it's revealed at the end. I liked the basic plot line and pacing. I really liked the Moroi/Strigoi/Dhampir spin on the vampire legend. I liked the idea of the St. Vladimir's Academy, where the Moroi and Dhampir go to learn to use their skills and magic. Although Lissa's character was inconsistent (sometimes strong, sometimes weak but no clear reasons for the difference), the characterization of Rose was strong and solid. I found her fascinating and likeable, even when she was being a bully and a brat. I liked the character of Dimitri, whom Rose has a crush on even though he's seven years older than she is. I also liked Christian, the guy who's ostracized because members of his family were turned Strogoi.

But as much as I liked those things about the book, overall it just had too much—too much violence, too much vulgar language, and too much sex. It was too edgy for me to fully relax and enjoy the story and there's no way I'd feel comfortable letting a teenager read it. Although it's marketed to teen girls, it's definitely a book for mature (as in fully adult) readers.

***Spoiler Alert***
Rose is sexually active and makes out with boys for the fun of it. Lissa has her first sexual experience at the age of 15, and thinks it's no big deal. Although under the influence of a "lust charm," Rose and Dimitri have a pretty steamy make-out session. Rose has strong feelings for him and its pretty clear he has feelings for her, even though when not under a spell he refrains from acting on those feelings most of the time. The entire attitude of this book is that sex is for casual recreation, not meaningful relationships.

As for violence, there's the usual vampire biting and fighting. However, in addition to that, there's some pretty detailed descriptions of bloody killings and gore. Lissa's uncle and cousin set her up, leaving dead and nearly dead animals in her room. Her uncle eventually sacrifices his own daughter, turning her into an evil Strigoi, so that he can use Lissa for her healing powers.

Because of the frequency of swearing, the detailed violence, and the casual attitude toward teens participating in adult behaviors, I can't really recommend this book.


Plot:

Characters:

Ending:


Cover:


Content Ratings

Language: Frequent and casual use of multiple swear words, some quite vulgar. Use of the name of deity.

Violence: Hand-to-hand combat, murder, gore, animal mutilation.

Drugs/Alcohol: Underage drinking.

Immorality: Several steamy make-out scenes, some casual. Lust charm.

Values/Themes: Rose is an atheist. Casual sex and drinking is treated as acceptable behaviors.

Age Appropriate: Publisher lists it as YA (16+), but due to language, violence, and mature themes, I believe that's too young.

Writing Mechanics: There are a few glitches in plot and characterization, but nothing major.


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