Vampire Academy

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'll be honest, I started this book only because my friend (a fan) wanted to see the movie and wanted me to read it before. I didn't finish the book in time, though I did see the film (and was pleasantly surprised by it). But that's beside the point, being that I've read this book, and this is my opinion on it.

I felt that there was a lot of set up in this book. We have to orient ourselves to a whole other world of varying races of vampires, social hierarchy and government, the dynamics of the magical element, all while keeping up with the fact that there's something going on that the characters themselves aren't fully aware of.

I had a few issues with the book, but I recognized that some of the issues had to do with when the book itself came out. This first released in 2007, when both vampire stories and high school/boarding school dramas were in very high demand. At times, Rose or Lissa or whomever would act extremely catty and mean, resorting to tactics with their rivals/enemies in ways that could now be easily identified as bullying. There was also a lot of using words like slut/bitch/fuck/etc. really casually that, as a whole, felt really unnecessary. I wasn't overly offended, it just felt like the text would have gotten its point across without it just as easily. However, I was able to compartmentalize that part of the story and still absorb the plots and conflicts easily.

And once you get down to it, you realize that this story is very compelling. The worldbuilding is strong and fleshed out; nothing feels flimsy or there only in terms of words on a page, instead of feeling like an inherent part of the place I was immersing myself in. Rose is snarky and fun, but she also has a love for her best friend that grounds her and allows her to see past her seventeen years and react accordingly to the bigger picture. Lissa was gentle and kind without coming across as weak or annoying, which I often find characters like her to be. I also loved Dimitri, and not just because I watched him portrayed by "Russia's sexiest actor." All in all, once the main plot got going and not as much focus was put on the "high school" element, it made for an addictive story that is sure to lead to equally as addictive sequels. Now if I can just get my hands on a copy of Frostbite!

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