I love this series so much, I first read it nearly 15 years ago when I was in school and love it just as much now as I did then ♥️ ( )

Vorrei tanto dare 2 stelle perché ho trovato insopportabile la protagonista e perché il libro è pieno di cliché e per due terzi è un romanzetto insipido ma migliora nel finale e poi il world building è ben delineato. Non è brutto nè trash quindi è una sufficienza scarsa in attesa di ulteriori sviluppi. ( )

I picked this up on a whim and really enjoyed it; finished it in a few days. I liked it much more than the House of Night series, which I didn't finish. I don't know if I'd compare it to Twilight-that almost feels like comparing different genres, as odd as that sounds. I'm looking forward to reading the next two books.
One of the things I like most is that Rose acts like a real teenage girl, all powers aside. She makes bad decisions along with the good ones, she's physically brave, but not always emotionally brave, she doesn't always pick the best guys to go out with, and so on.
I do think Lissa could have been developed more, but I'm guessing I'll see more of that in the other books. ( )

Rosemarie “Rose” Hathaway and Princess Vasilissa “Lissa” Dragomir were on the run before Dimitri Belikov returned the girls to St. Vladimir’s Academy. As the girls settle in, strange things start happening; someone is leaving severely injured animals for Lissa to find.

I picked up this book because a friend convinced me to watch the movie. I had to cleanse my eyes after that disaster! Vampire Academy is my comfort read. It is filled with action, romance, and drama. This book is lightly dusted with mystery. It is a great introduction into the series and a fantastic standalone novel.

Vampire Academy touches on topics of: self- harm, blood, depression, death, grief, and animal mutilation. ( )

Rose is a total badass. She's funny and smart and a bit oblivious but she's also flirty and sexual and kickass which is kind of unusual. She's not afraid to be labelled a slut or be seen hooking up because of social conventions. She's happy to just let it roll off her back - or punch someone in the face. Whatever works.

I loved the relationship between her and Lissa and how they look after one another. Lissa was an interesting character. Her depression is an interesting element and I liked that Mead tries to normalise it. Particularly the message that getting outside help can be beneficial to obtaining happiness. I liked Christian and her relationship with him. They clearly connected and really liked one another.

I loved the relationship between Rose and Dimitri - but I kind of just ignored the whole she's 17 thing and imagined her older. Or him younger. Because a 24 year old dating a 17 year old is icky. At 17 I would've thought so what. At 29 it's just plain wrong. So I'm kind of just ignoring that bit. If nothing else, I liked that they got to know one another and have a lot of the same views.

The banter between all the characters was funny and I enjoyed the plot. The action was fast paced and mysterious enough to have me dying for more. It wasn't anything particularly new (what is these days) but it was unique and well written enough to stand out and obtain 5 stars. ( )