Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1)

by Richelle Mead (Goodreads Author)

4.2 of 5 stars 4.20 · rating details · 163,426 ratings · 9,360 reviews

Look out for Bloodlines, Richelle Mead�s new series set in the world of Vampire Academy, coming August 2011!

The book that launched the #1 international bestselling Vampire Academy series, now in a brand-new mass market edition with additional, never-before-seen material from Richelle Mead

This is the first book in Richelle Mead's thrilling Vampire Academy series, like you'v...more

Mass Market Paperback, 332 pages

Published June 28th 2011 by Razorbill (first published August 16th 2007)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Apr 13, 2013 Amanda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: not-my-cuppa-tea, young-adult, paranormal, romance, craptastic

14 Apr '13
Future commenters: if you disagree with the review, that is perfectly fine and normal. If you wish to add your own thoughts of the book, that's also perfectly fine. But please keep the ad hominems and accusations (and not just directed at me, but also other commenters) at home.

Everyone's free to say what they wish on a public forum. But I am also free to moderate what goes on in my space. I've never deleted/moderated comments before, as that goes against my beliefs on free and public...more

153 likes · like · see review

Nov 20, 2010 E DB rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-novels

I decided to read Vampire Academy because it was on a list of books most likely to inherit Twilight's throne (http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-an...) .

Before I harp on about the first Vampire Academy book, I want to comment on the series as a whole: these books are really readable and quite good fun. They pull fewer punches than a lot of other supernatural novels, and the series gets quite a bit darker as it progresses. The characters encounter myriad trials--mental instability, torture, betra...more I decided to read Vampire Academy because it was on a list of books most likely to inherit Twilight's throne (http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-an...) .

Before I harp on about the first Vampire Academy book, I want to comment on the series as a whole: these books are really readable and quite good fun. They pull fewer punches than a lot of other supernatural novels, and the series gets quite a bit darker as it progresses. The characters encounter myriad trials--mental instability, torture, betrayal, death, and (of course) true love. The primary protagonist, Rose, is especially strong; she is tough, quick-tempered, but very clever with a great sense of humor (and she develops a depth and sadness as the series progresses). Best of all, I think that most of the books in the series are consistent, building effectively on one another--something I can't say for most sagas.

I wish the characters were allowed to change and deepen a little more in light of certain traumatic events throughout the series (though to be fair, I think the whole aftereffect of traumatic events is explored more thoroughly in the spin-off series, Bloodlines). I find the dialogue weirdly wooden and would prefer a little more subtext in it (especially for the lest direct, more socially graceful characters like Lissa; Rose is obviously the kind of person who says what she thinks, come hell or high water!) Nonetheless, the books are absorbing, probably my favourite YA vampire novels currently on the market.

Now on to a bit about the first book itself:

The first book in a series of six, Vampire Academy reads like a combination of Twilight, Gossip Girl, and one of Tamora Pierce's Alanna novels. The heady mixture of vicious gossip, the supernatural, and adolescent sexuality (there's all kinds of making out) creates something compulsively readable and fun.

Sure, the reader has to cope with sentences--stuck in the midst of dead serious scenes--that read "And then, suddenly, he was there, charging down the hallway like Death in a cowboy duster"; sure, the character development is about as subtle as a blow to the head. And yes, it's true that the dialog is full of more dead wood than an old oak tree.

None of that matters when your story is narrated by a beautiful liquorish body guard who hates books and gets slap-happy whenever anyone else so much as gives her best friend and ward--a vampire princess (yes, a vampire princess)--so much as a funny look. Did I mention that this bodyguard and her princess share a psychic bond? That our tough narrator has a crush on her sexy Russian mentor (who quite obviously fancies her as well)? That all of the other vampire royals are full of malice and gossip? That the vampire princess has special powers? How about a war between "good" and "bad" vampires? Oh reader, this book is good fun.(less)

84 likes · like · see review

Oct 06, 2012 Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Disclaimer : I gave this book 3 stars on my first read. I only raised my rating after reading it a second time and knowing the path of the rest of the series.
Photobucket

The before : September 2010

I was a stubborn brat when it came to reading Vampire Academy. Part of me honestly thought that a vampire series couldn't impress me after experiencing how oversaturated the genre had become with depressing and lackluster characters and stories.

Because of this, I went into my first read of VA begrudgingly and...more

90 likes · like · see review

May 21, 2013 Scarlet rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal, vampires, i-own, signed-by-author, review, wtf-is-this

2.5 STARS

**Warning: This review contains spoilers**

Well here I am, finally writing my review for Vampire Academy after finishing it about four months ago (Wow, has it really been that long already?). I’ve had many long debates with myself over what I wanted to say, and now I think it’s time I finally said them. I do expect a few trolls (if there aren't any then I’ll be very surprised), since this book appears to be extremely popular, and my opinion on it does not coincide with the majority.

Let m...more

52 likes · like · see review

view all 91 comments

Tylah While I respect your opinion and I know you posted this a while ago, I feel like I have to defend one of my favourite literary characters. I'm going t...more While I respect your opinion and I know you posted this a while ago, I feel like I have to defend one of my favourite literary characters. I'm going to start out by saying that I do not love this book because of its popularity; in fact, that would typically turn me off from a book like this. However, the reason why I'm sure a lot of people like Rose is because of her flaws. She's hot tempered, but you do see a lot of flaws like these get resolved in further books, just like how regular people realistically resolve their problems in life.
And she's not a slut. yes, she likes to flirt and make out with guys, but that is not a slut. It's sexual freedom. If she were a guy, she'd be considered a stud and nothing would be wrong with that. She has the same sex drive as any normal 17 year old girl would. This sexual exploration does mellow out further in the series as well, but I don't see anything wrong with her having a sexual appetite. Just because she isn't asexual like Katniss is doesn't make her a slut.
Also, while Ross's bad temper can lead some to believe she's a bitch, it's more independence and strong will in my eyes. She speaks her mind and doesn't keep her mouth shut when she thinks something's wrong. She sticks up for her friends, and while she does make a few mistakes ans seems bratty in the first book, her character grows into a mature woman who still keeps those strong traits that the reader loves which is her honesty, bravery, and strength.
I would definitely save this book for my son or daughter someday. Sex should not be some dirty little secret that a woman should be ashamed of feelings urges for. I agree that an eleven year old should not be feeling such, but at 13, this topic seems appropriate enough. Rose never has sex and even says she wants to wait for the right time, and I would hope my children would feel the same way without feeling ashamed if they start to explore those feelings in the way Rose did, which is simply kissing, flirting, and having thoughts about sex.
Again, I respect your opinion, and I must humbly disagree. I do think you are slut-shaming though. A 17 year old girl exploring her sexuality while staying abstinent from sex is natural and even commendable. A slut is not a woman who has sex with many men. For me, it is a person who hurts others emotionally through sexual acts (ex. cheating).
Also, I apologize if I'm misspell anything or use incorrect grammar, as I am typing this on a tablet.(less)
Apr 28, 2013 10:00pm

Scarlet I understand wanting to defend a character.
Its been about two years since I read this book and my opinions have changed slightly.
I was raised with sl...more
Apr 29, 2013 11:03am

Mar 01, 2013 Leonie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: A girl most likely, and pretty much any girl at that :P

Recommended to Leonie by: No one! I found this on the book shelf and it looked awesome!!

This book was totally wicked! I ♥ it!!! :P

I hope you can feel my joy for reading this book once you have read it too! It was awesome!

I loved how you got totally engrossed in it and then it had a total shocker ending! But, I'm not telling you what that is! :P

50 likes · like · see review

Nov 16, 2011 Ariana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vampires, series

If I had to describe this book really shortly I would probably say: vampire teen drama.. a lot of vampire teen drama.
Not that this is bad, because I enjoyed enormously the way these teens interacted with each other, the jokes, the fights, the paybacks, and so on. Still, I felt like this was just another usual teen book with a more commercial settling. The only thing that made me think that this was a vampire book (except for the title and the fact that the main character told me so many times t...more

27 likes · like · see review

Mar 21, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kat-s-book-reviews

Vampire Academy is a difficult book to review.

On one hand, it is a variation on the norm and Rose is definitely not the usual character occupying the myriad of PRNs these days. The writing style is blessedly free of awkward construction and mistakes. In fact, the writing isn't too bad at all.

The secondary characterizations are quite good for the most part, and well rounded. The pacing is agonizingly slow at the beginning of the book and doesn't pick up until the last fifty pages. The lore behind...more Vampire Academy is a difficult book to review.

On one hand, it is a variation on the norm and Rose is definitely not the usual character occupying the myriad of PRNs these days. The writing style is blessedly free of awkward construction and mistakes. In fact, the writing isn't too bad at all.

The secondary characterizations are quite good for the most part, and well rounded. The pacing is agonizingly slow at the beginning of the book and doesn't pick up until the last fifty pages. The lore behind the story is complex, convoluted and somewhat ridiculous.

So you have the Moroi's, a race of weak, magic wielding vampires and the Dhampires who are their stronger "Guardians". The only way that Dhampires breed is if they are lucky enough to get up to shenanigans with the Moroi (who won't marry them) and have illegitimate bastard children. However this is somehow okay for this race because they can't breed amongst themselves and if you're a Dhampire male than you can just give up on the idea of ever having children because extreme chances are that you won't.

The Dhamires are the Moroi's Guardians against another race of vampires, the Strogoi, who want to feast on Moroi flesh.

But you'd think that, on behalf of your race, if you were a Dhampire and naturally stronger and tougher then these Moroi - you'd just conquer them and keep them as your slaves. Who wants to dedicate their lives (their entire lives - they literally LIVE to protect the Moroi) just for the faint chance of being able to reproduce? Especially with a race that looks down on you!

It just doesn't make sense and the dynamics don't really compute. I mean, okay, I'm not the most ethical person out there but if I were a stronger, tougher breed of vampire and the weak vampires came and said, "Okay, we'll keep you as our Guardians and have drunken, disrespectful sex with you on occasion as long as you protect us from the Strogoi." I'd probably respond with, "How about I protect you by keeping you in my dank, dark cellar as my slave while I take over the world? Does that sound fair to you?"

It's just the way nature works FFS! The pay off isn't anywhere near the sacrifice!

Guardian women either have to give up their children or quit, have no income and become a "blood whore" (those that feed the Moroi - something that's looked down upon as beyond disgusting). I'm sorry. I vote for overthrowing the weak, pissy Moroi and ruling over them as tyrants. It definitely would be a more feasible option with less likelihood of me ending up screwed over.

The love story surprised me. I spent the entire book up until the last few pages thinking it was extremely gross, if not weird and awkward. I didn't and I still don't feel any chemistry between the main two love interests. They seem to be thrown together by the author with nothing real between them to make you think that they actually belong together. The last part of the book redeemed a lot of that for me though with the encouraging decisions made by the male romantic lead.

Over all, it's not a bad read if you're into teenage romances and school stories. The School aspect plays a major role in this book, particularly the politics of the average teen life. For those who were immensely glad to leave high school behind, this book may not be for you.
(less)

72 likes · like · see review

Nov 17, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by JodiG. for TeensReadToo.com

Rose and Lissa are best friends who share an unimaginable bond, even by vampire standards. Now, after time spent on the run, they have been returned to the school from which they escaped to face ridicule, speculation, and danger.

Welcome to St. Vladimir's Academy, a private high school for vampires and the half-bloods who are bound to protect them. The Moroi are vampires, and the descendants of Moroi royalty are the social elite of St. Vladimir's. The Moroi...more

22 likes · like · see review

Oct 21, 2010 Lady Valee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adults

I loved this book! I'm not into YA books, but I loved this one. Maybe it was because even though it was a YA book, I didn't remember it was about a girl of 17 until she said she was that age. The heroine in this book doesn't behave like a teen, and Dimitri for sure isn't. I can't wait to read more about them.

If you read this book knowing that it is YA, you'll love it. I read other paranormal YA books, and didn't like them this much. It is better than the house of night series and the vampire dia...more

51 likes · like · see review

Sep 22, 2011 Book Chick City rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, book-list-2010, paranormal-ya, favorites

**warning - may contain spoilers**

What a great first book to a series - I really enjoyed this, I couldn't put it down it was so good. I was expecting something a little more 'young' adult (along the lines of the House of Night series) but instead the characters are all quite mature. The book itself is written with more of a mature tone than other YA books I have read, and I much prefer this style of writing. I think it helped that one of the characters was twenty-four years old.

There are two typ...more **warning - may contain spoilers**

What a great first book to a series - I really enjoyed this, I couldn't put it down it was so good. I was expecting something a little more 'young' adult (along the lines of the House of Night series) but instead the characters are all quite mature. The book itself is written with more of a mature tone than other YA books I have read, and I much prefer this style of writing. I think it helped that one of the characters was twenty-four years old.

There are two types of vampire; the Moroi who are 'good' vampires and who are alive. They have the ability to use magic, wielding the four elements of air, water, earth and fire. The other type is a Strigoi, these are evil and although both types need blood, Strigoi kill while taking it.There are also Dhampirs who are half Moroi and half human. They don't need to drink blood to survive but because they have faster and better reflexes than the Moroi are instead trained as their Guardians. The academy is where the Guardians train, graduate and get assigned to a Moroi to protect.

'Vampire Academy' begins outside of the school with Rose, the main protagonist, and her best friend, Lissa, who are on the run. Something happened at the academy that frightened them both and so they decided to run away. Unfortunately they are being hunted and have to keep moving, until one night they are captured by the academy's guardians and brought back to the school. This is the first time Rose meets Guardian Dimitri Belikov. There's an instant attraction between them and it's this relationship that makes the book great for me.

Surprisingly, I also liked every single character. It's quite unusual for me to like every character but in Vampire Academy I did. Even those that are annoying and hateful I still enjoyed reading about.

Rose is conceited and somewhat arrogant at times, but I didn't mind. Although she thought she was hot and boys were 'crazy' about her, she's also very loyal, bold and feisty. I thought she brought a great sense of courage and determination to her character. Rose is a guardian in training and is hoping to be Lissa's guardian when she graduates. What I also liked about this book is it showed the Guardians in training. I liked that it didn't shy away from the fact that Dhampirs aren't as strong or as quick as Strigoi. We get to see how much Rose has to train to be strong, fast and quick-thinking. She spends hours each day honing her craft, which is where she falls for Dimitri - and who wouldn't!

Dimitri is swoon worthy. I love his character and I also like the fact that he's in his twenties, which means he shows a lot of maturity instead of the typical school boy hangups I find so tedious sometimes in young adult literature. I can understand why Rose succumbs as Damitri is a Guardian too, but stoically so. He is nicknamed 'the God' and he shows why in everything he does. He becomes her role model as well her friend. Rose's crush on him grows into something much more and she knows he feels the same way, but there are many factors, as well as age, that keeps them apart.

Rose's friend, Lissa is a lovely character. She's a Moroi Princess and is very sweet natured. She relies heavily on Rose to protect her. Lissa also has the ability to heal, and when she brought Rose back from the dead after a fatal accident they are now bonded. This means that Rose can feel all the emotions of Lissa - unfortunately it's only one way. But because of this their friendship is deep and meaningful.

The other characters are also just as well-written and perfectly well rounded and the story itself kept my interest from beginning to end. It's fast paced and exciting and the climax at the end I really didn't see coming (and that doesn't happen very often).

VERDICT:

'Vampire Academy' is one of the best young adult books in the paranormal genre I've read. There are strong female characters and a great storyline with a plot that is immensely intriguing. I would highly recommend this book to all paranormal fans in a heart-beat. Why it took me so long to start this series I don't know, but I'm so glad I've started it now. It's brilliant and I'm completely hooked!!(less)

42 likes · like · see review

Mar 30, 2012 Emily May rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-na, paranormal-uf, 2011, vampires

So I said I wouldn't read this after being warned about 10 million times that they stop being worth the bother after book 3. I said it repeatedly, earnestly... and then I caved. I mean, what do you do when you've nothing ahead of you but a day at the library and when you turn around...dum, dum, dum... there it is, the internationally praised series that you swore you would never... but then what if you felt different?... how can you expect to deal with not finding out for yourself? So I guess I...more

33 likes · like · see review

Dec 25, 2010 Tatiana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, ya, urban-fantasy

Updated 12/25/2010 How naive I was two years ago! Poor me didn't know what would become of the new promising writer Richelle Mead and this series. What started out as a new kind of paranormal series where romance took a back seat to political intrigue and adventure, became just another money-milking venture slapped together in a matter of weeks and stuffed in hardcovers for maximum profit. I feel mildly ashamed for recommending these books to so many people now. So I am updating this review to m...more

44 likes · like · see review

Mar 18, 2012 Ronyell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action-adventure, best-books-of-2011, book-series, books-i-already-own, chapter-books, drama, favorites, humor-satire, mystery, paranormal-romance, read-in-2011, reviewed-books, ronyell-s-epinions-reviews, sexy-tough-heroine, sexy-good-hero, strong-hero, strong-heroine, young-adult-teen-books, richelle-mead, russian-hero-or-heroine, 6-star-reads, 1st-person-pov, my-blog-reviews

6 stars!

When my friends told me about Richelle Mead’s popular “Vampire Academy” series, I just had to check this series out! Wow and double wow, this book was a brilliant introduction to the “Vampire Academy” series and after I had read this book, I really wanted to read more about these awesome characters! Full of drama, mystery, action and hot romance, “Vampire Academy” is definitely one novel that will take the paranormal world by storm!

For two years, Rose Hathaway and Vasilisa “Lissa” Drago...more 6 stars!

When my friends told me about Richelle Mead’s popular “Vampire Academy” series, I just had to check this series out! Wow and double wow, this book was a brilliant introduction to the “Vampire Academy” series and after I had read this book, I really wanted to read more about these awesome characters! Full of drama, mystery, action and hot romance, “Vampire Academy” is definitely one novel that will take the paranormal world by storm!

For two years, Rose Hathaway and Vasilisa “Lissa” Dragomir, escaped from St. Vladimir’s Academy to go into hiding, but they were soon discovered by the school’s guardians and were brought back to the academy. Little does anyone know Rose took her best friend Lissa out of the academy because there was a great danger being posed against Lissa and only Rose can protect her from the forces of evil.

Now, should I give this book a six star rating? Yes, definitely yes! This novel is clearly the one that defines what a true paranormal romance is all about and I am so glad that all my friends had recommended me this book! Richelle Mead’s writing is extremely and unbelievably amazing as it is full of action and adventure and I loved the sort of mature “Harry Potter” spin on this story as both stories involve the main characters going to a magical school. I also loved the way that the plot never once slows down and the story keeps getting more exciting as the story went on and that was what I loved about the writing. The way that Richelle Mead made this story being told from Rose’s point of view on the events that unfold at the academy was truly remarkable and hilarious at the same time as we know how Rose really feels about the situations around her and I loved hearing her inner thoughts on various people at school as some of them are really hilarious, such as thinking of many ways to beat up the school bully Mia. I really loved the world that Rose and her friends live in as they all go to a school for vampires or more specifically, a school for Dhampir and Moroi students and that really brings out the creativity in this novel. Now, my favorite part of the book were the characters as they were all interesting, but the two characters in this book that were my favorites were Rose Hathaway and Russian guardian, Dimitri Belikov. Rose Hathaway was such an awesome heroine because she is extremely brave and independent and even though I sometimes found her hot temper to be a little annoying at times, it is because she tries to protect her best friend Lissa from danger. That is another aspect that I loved about Rose because she is always willing to put her life on the line to keep her friend Lissa safe and that just proves what a true friend Rose is. I also loved how Rose always provides humor for the story as she is always making wisecracks about the situations around her and I especially loved her inner thoughts on taking care of the school bullies, which unfortunately involves her beating them up. Now onto the hero and that is Dimitri Belikov! Dimitri was one hero that is so hot and awesome at the same time and I loved the scenes of him fighting off anyone who tries to harm Rose! I also loved the mysterious and dark attitude that he seems to give off towards everyone around him, but he also has a heart of gold and I loved the moments where he smiles at Rose and shows genuine concern for her safety. It just makes me feel so tingly inside every time he shows kindness towards Rose!
As for Dimitri and Rose’s relationship, it is kind of unknown to me at this point about where they stand, but there are still some pretty heartwarming and sexy moments between these two that I will definitely keep an eye out for!

Surprisingly, there is a strong amount of language and violence in this book and anyone who does not like reading strong language might want to skip over them. Also, the violence in this book is pretty graphic as there is gore aplenty in this book, so that might be something that anyone who is not a big fan of graphic violence might want to check over.

Overall, “Vampire Academy” is definitely one paranormal book that every paranormal romance fan will read over and over again! Did this novel help me get more into the series? You bet it did and now I’m going to read the second book in the series, “Frostbite.”

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog(less)

39 likes · like · see review

Dec 05, 2009 Renée rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, books-i-own, young-adult

I was first introduced to this series when a young woman saw me hopelessly scouring the Barnes & Noble Teen section, desperate to satisfy my vampire fix, and recommended the series to me. (I went through a post-Twilight period where I basically bought random YA vampire books hoping they would scratch my new-found paranormal itch... I look back on this time with mild embarrassment.) I was sceptical because the title seemed a little "obvious" to me, and frankly the cover art didn't appeal to m...more

41 likes · like · see review

Jan 14, 2010 Libro Joven rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Best. Vampire. Saga. EVER. Just that. I dare anyone come and tell me otherwise. It is funny, witty, the plots are amazing, and the characters are great (well.... maybe Lissa is not great, but hey, she is just the one flaw). If you like vampire books, you must read it. If you hate vampire books, you must read it. What the hell, whether you like or dislike books in general, this book is a MUST HAVE. Because I say so (OK, me and thousands of people just like me) Twilight? What the hell is Twilight?

66 likes · like · see review

Dec 16, 2012 Brenna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Brenna by: AJ & Megan :)

Shelves: fave-series-book-1

Ohhh man! This book was so much more than I expected! I knew I'd like it because some pretty awesome people recommended it to me ;) but I wasn't expecting it to grab my attention the way it did! It is very different than other vampire stories I've read, the vampires are even unique, not all the same cliches we've all heard a thousand times over.

Vampire Academy is first and foremost a story about the friendship of Rose & Lissa. The "best-friends dream team" :) Rose is a Dhampir - half vampir...more

9 likes · like · see review

Jun 27, 2010 Mery rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gift, punya, works

Kasih 5 bintang dong, my proofread gituuu

Review nya tidak usah berkisar mengenai cerita dan kelebihan serta kekurangan buku ini yah.
Sudah jelas keren.
Tokoh utamanya jagowati banget.

Di sini aku cuma ingin berbagi cerita tentang Moroi, Strigoi, dan Dhampir.

Dalam Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead menggunakan mitologi Rumania dan Mitologi Eropa Timur. Dan kata Moroi, Strigoi dan Dhampir itu berasal dari sana.

Moroi (si vampire hidup, vampir penguasa elemental dunia di Vampire Academy), berasal dari kat...more

9 likes · like · see review

Sep 18, 2012 KM added it · review of another edition

Shelves: vamps, penguin

That's right - I just gave this book 1 star. That's kind of huge for me. I mean, I don't give 1-star ratings, like...ever. I can think of maybe 2 books that I've ever reviewed on my blog that got 1 star. It just sort of hurts my heart to give a book that low of a rating. But I'm sorry, y'all. I just really, really disliked this book.

And most of you are probably shocked right now because this is one of the most beloved YA series out there. The books are crazy popular, and Richelle Mead has made a...more

10 likes · like · see review

view all 16 comments

Britney Lawman I haven't read the book and so I always look for honest bad reviews lol and let me you, you had me at the "tough girl heroine we're supposed to love b...more
Feb 07, 2013 07:38pm

KM Britney wrote: "I haven't read the book and so I always look for honest bad reviews lol and let me you, you had me at the "tough girl heroine we're su...more
Feb 08, 2013 11:24am

Nov 27, 2012 ♥ Becky 22 rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, vampires

THIS SERIES IS AWESOME!!!

You might have noticed that I only gave this book 3 stars, meaning I thought "it was ok". It's been a while since I first read it, two and a half years to be exact. And I didn't like it THAT much. Not enough to make me continue the series at least. Which was a mistake!

While the first book may have been "okay" and not that good, the rest of the series is freaking amazing. I've spent the last 3 weeks reading all the other books in the series back to back. They're so addic...more

7 likes · like · see review

Jul 11, 2009 Allison (The Allure of Books) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-it, 2009, ya-paranormal

I'm currently reading the third book in this series, so my review will probably end up being pretty general over what I've read so far.

I think the mark of a good series is when you feel like they are all one big book, when everything flows and fits together properly. I hate when one book is really good and then the next one stinks.

The mark of a good AUTHOR is when the chemistry with the characters is real. I don't necessarily mean just romantic chemistry. The main character, Rose, is best frien...more

29 likes · like · see review

Mar 25, 2010 Mery rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: punya

Pertama tau Vampire Academy itu dari temen yang bikin thread Richelle Mead di salah satu forum yang aku naungi ;D. Awalnya gak gitu tertarik, karena trauma ama buku vampire lain, yang mana saat itu lagi beken banget.

Akhirnya nanya2 ama Zaizai, lalu tertarik baca deh. Awal baca VA sih agak boring, karena bab satu nya ada di tengah2 cerita. Maksudnya gak menceritakan awal mula Rose dan Lissa kenapa2, melainkan cerita ketika mereka dikejar2 para Pengawal sekolah Vladimir.

Tokoh utama di sini bernama...more

8 likes · like · see review

Jan 07, 2011 Mikaela rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, ridiculously-hot-guys, shelf-for-dimitri-and-his-sexiness, loveable-characters

I didnt LOVE this book... but it was pretty good. The authour tended to waffle on a little bit, so it felt like the story was shorter than it actually looked. But otherwise I did like the story. I adored the kickass female heroine and I think I want to marry Dimitri.

Overall it was a 3.5 out of 5 rather than a four, but since it doesnt give ".5" of a star on goodreads, I may as well give it the benefit of the doubt. Four stars it is!

I baggs Dimitri

11 likes · like · see review

Nov 02, 2011 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Laura by: Thanks Maegan! :)

4.5 Stars

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!

Richelle Mead’s world filled with secrets and shadows captured my imagination right from page one. This story is filled with the p...more

20 likes · like · see review

Mar 26, 2013 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-series

Premessa: Vampire Academy non si merita davvero 5 stelle. Mi sento quindi in dovere di giustificare il perché di questo voto.
Dovete sapere che questa è stata la prima serie che io abbia mai letto interamente in inglese, nonché il libro che, un paio di anni fa, ha fatto rinascere in me il mio amore per la lettura, quando era andato un po’ affievolendosi. Da qui ho poi scoperto quanto adorassi l’Urban Fantasy (e gli Young Adult in generale), e che leggere in lingua non è poi così difficile (nonché...more

6 likes · like · see review

Dec 15, 2012 Luu rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, young-adult, je-v-preklade, i-recommend, favorite-series

Mám rada túto sériu tak, až to nie je možné a prvú časť som čítala už 3x, čiže toto bude také subjektívne, až to môže bolieť :)

Po prvé, slovenské vydanie - prvý krát v živote som čítala slovenský preklad, ktorý je hovorový a zároveň postavy nehovoria ako desaťročné deti, ktoré sa snažia byť náramne cool, ty kokso, nee? (Áno, hovorím o vás, Denníky Carrie B.!) Číta sa to dobre, fakt dobre. Ak chcete, môžete si u Judit prečítať ukážku.

Po druhé, 3D kniha vyzerá ešte oveľa lepšie, ako na fotkách. Vš...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jul 31, 2010 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: for action/romance fans out there.

Shelves: terjemahan, i-own-it, series

this book, actually almost dropped my jaw.
this book was more amazing than I expected. you know, because they said this book was like another series of Wicked Lovely or Evermore (which I didn't like them) but turned out to be like this. well, now I'm a fan of Richelle Mead.
my sister found this book title ridiculous which is, I thought so. but who cares about the book title anyway?

first, I didn't like the mythology in this book, too confusing and Mead didn't describe them completely, there's a lot...more

16 likes · like · see review

Jan 06, 2010 April rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, own, paranormal, highly-recommended, vampire

When I first bought the Vampire Academy books, I only did it because money was burning a hole in my pocket and my fellow book bloggers were singing Richelle Mead's praises. I bought the VA books back around September and had yet to actually read them, with my towering TBR I just never made it a priority to get to VA. Cut to a few days ago when posts started cropping up in my feed about a chat with Richelle Mead. Being who I am which, friends, is a lemming, I decided I wanted to go to the chat be...more

6 likes · like · see review

Jan 05, 2011 Emelie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-swedish, waste-of-trees, own

Honestly.. I hated it. I hate it, I hate it, I can't stand it! Rose, the whiny little bitch.. LEAVE LISSA ALONE! CHRISTIAN IS COOL! God, I really dislike her. It was.. boring, no, irritation can't be that boring.. since I was imagining myself strangling Rose :D That really can't be dull.
Anyways, I thought the author used the word "sexy" waaaay to many times at one page. It was sexy here, it was sexy there, it was sexy in space.. whatever, I can't stand it. I just didn't like it.. it wasn't at a...more

24 likes · like · see review

Jun 09, 2013 Jill rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library, fantasy, ya

You know you’re reading Paranormal YA when in the middle of the climax the main character stops everything she’s doing to pursue a Very Important Romantic Hook Up. Normally, I’d roll my eyes and punch something in frustration but here, the make-out session is driven by larger and necessary plot forces, not raging authorial hormones. Welcome to the Vampire Academy series, everyone! Where the typical genre tropes are flipped on their heads, leading to a delightful and subversive reading experience...more You know you’re reading Paranormal YA when in the middle of the climax the main character stops everything she’s doing to pursue a Very Important Romantic Hook Up. Normally, I’d roll my eyes and punch something in frustration but here, the make-out session is driven by larger and necessary plot forces, not raging authorial hormones. Welcome to the Vampire Academy series, everyone! Where the typical genre tropes are flipped on their heads, leading to a delightful and subversive reading experience.

The greatest trope switcheroo by Mead is her interpretation of the vampire lore. We have all read so many vampire stories. But in this story, there is no teenage human simultaneously fearing and lusting after life as a vampire. In fact, there aren’t really any human characters, a refreshing absence that makes the story strongly based on internal vampire politics instead of their troublesome relationship to humans. Mead has included three subspecies of vampires: the Moroi, who must drink blood but can die naturally; the Strigoi, the evil and immortal vampires; and the Dhampir, a hybrid species between Dhampir/Humans and Moroi who serve as guardians. All these derivations on the vampire species exist in Romanian folklore, but most authors collapse them onto each other to create a single species. Wisely, Mead has not done this. As a result, we get the best of both worlds: murderous vampires with the Strigoi and sympathetic, more humanlike vampires with the Moroi and Dhampir. We have our villains and heroes wrapped up in a single mythological packet. It’s ingenious!

Plotwise, I guessed where the story was going, yet I was occasionally surprised. Mead does not dawdle. Things move along quickly. Even though I discovered the direction of this book, I expect it will not be as easy in subsequent novels. Mead has created an interesting world and populated it with interesting characters. There is a ton of material to explore and it’s all quite complicated. I’m already anticipating the plotline that questions the relationship between the Dhampir and the Moroi since the Dhampir, seemingly uncontroversially, are held in an inferior position.

The one thing that didn’t impress me was the writing. Mead may be an inventive plotter, but her prose is substandard. It’s very simplistic with a monotonous rhythm. She relies too much on internal monologue so the reader must follow every painstakingly slow turn the main character’s brain takes. I’m not expecting—nor do I even want—prose of the so-beautiful-I-could-cry category, but I would like it to be more polished.

Regardless, Vampire Academy is a fun read. Surprisingly fun. (I cannot emphasize how surprised I am that I enjoyed this). It’s more fun than many adult urban fantasies/paranormal romances that I’ve read because it aims for pure entertainment. And I was entertained. Thoroughly.(less)

5 likes · like · see review

May 19, 2013 jess♥ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favourites, bad-boy, badass-heroine, beautifully-written, best-reads-of-2012, best-reads-of-2013, best-reads-of-2011, fantasy, fav-book-boyfriends, favourites, forbidden-love, heart-breaking, heart-warming, heavy-romance, hot-cowboy, i-own, kick-ass-protagonist, loved-it, need-more-stars, paranormal-romance, perfect-romance, smokin-chemistry, sweet-romance, tattooed-guys, ten-stars, true-love, very-mature-new-adult, young-adult, unique-fantasy

Having read this for the first time around two years ago, I entered cautiously, loaded with preconceived prejudices against the vampire genre, more than ready to be disgusted with its overused clichés on the first page. Instead, I found myself being utterly in love with Richelle Mead's writing, enthralled with the original concept of Romanian mythology and more than a little head-over-heels for the sexy Russian God that is Dimitri Belikov. I devoured it in one sitting and have read it ten times...more

8 likes · like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Movie: Rose and Dimitri Appearances	3	12	1 hour, 5 min ago
Movie coming in 2013	1065	3850	10 hours, 21 min ago
Vampire Academy; ...: Who do you love more; Dimitri or Adrian?	5	6	11 hours, 10 min ago
Adrian Ivashkov F...: Favorite Adrian Quotes	214	310	Jun 18, 2013 11:52pm
St.James Academy ...: lily's and shaun's dorm	1	2	Jun 18, 2013 11:04am
Addicted to YA: Vampire Academy	52	277	Jun 17, 2013 10:18pm
LARGEST GROUP ON ...: Vampire Academy	23	58	Jun 16, 2013 04:16am

combine
Other Editions (68)

More editions...

Genres

Paranormal > Vampires

2,736 users

Young Adult

2,714 users

Fantasy

1,458 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

1,419 users

Romance

873 users

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

561 users

Romance > Paranormal Romance

500 users

Fantasy > Supernatural

364 users

Fantasy > Magic

182 users

Young Adult > Teen

177 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Midnight Alley
by Rachel Caine
Betrayals
by Lili St. Crow
Night World, No. 3
by L.J. Smith
Vampire Academy: The Ultimate Guide
by Michelle Rowen
Out for Blood
by Alyxandra Harvey

About Richelle Mead

Scorpio Richelle Mead is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy books for both adults and teens. Originally from Michigan, Richelle now lives in Seattle, Washington where she works on her three series full-time: Georgina Kincaid, Dark Swan, and Vampire Academy.

A life-long reader, Richelle has always loved mythology and folklore. When she can actually tear herself away f...more

More about Richelle Mead...

Books by Richelle Mead

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Vampire Academy

52 trivia questions
40 quizzes

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Vampire Academy

“Do you think I'm pretty?
I think you're beautiful
Beautiful?
You are so beautiful, it hurts sometimes.” — 3,285 people liked it

“Only a true best friend can protect you from your immortal enemies.” — 3,046 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Vampire Academy
avg rating	preview: Vampire Academy Goodreads rating: 4.20 (163426 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10699613-vampire-academy?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1311282599l/10699613.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10699613-vampire-academy?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead[/url]

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website