Vampire Academy / Richelle Mead

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Goodreads' Series Page



Series Synopsis:

"Two races of vampires walk our world. The Moroi are alive and wield elemental magical, while the Strigoi are undead and evil--feeding on the innocent to survive. Rose Hathaway--a half-vampire with poor impulse control--is training to be a bodyguard for a Moroi princess. Learning to decapitate and stake is hard enough, but Rose's real danger may lie in an illicit romance with one of her instructors..."

Reading Order:
1: Vampire Academy
2: Frostbite
3: Shadow Kiss
4: Blood Promise
5: Spirit Bound
6: Last Sacrifice (Last book in series)

[FlibBityFLooB]

I think Spirit Bound was better than Blood Promise, but I still felt like it was lacking something. Or, maybe that it just tied up way too easily. bah.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

I'll get back to ya after I read it in June. Read a sneak-peek and love the opening w/the letter from Dimitri.

[Lara]

FlibBityFLooB wrote: "I think Spirit Bound was better than Blood Promise, but I still felt like it was lacking something. Or, maybe that it just tied up way too easily. bah."

Awww...I hate you were left lacking - I absolutely loved SB! It moved the whole VA series to another level for me and I am dying for the next one to come out. I felt so tortured for Rose in this latest installment and it just about killed me :)!!

[DarkHeart "Vehngeance"]

I thought Spirit Bound was brilliant and really justified Blood Promise after so many argued it was just filler. I think it gave us so much in regard to Rose & Dimitri, Rose & Adrian and Lissa & Christian and set up Last Sacrifice brilliantly. There were plenty of loose ends and unanswered questions to make me happy (and impatient for Last Sacrifice's release).

[Steph, Serious series addict]

This will be next TBR this month! I'm looking forward to it. Love me some Dimitri, but Adrian is growing on me.

[Amber]

I own the first 4 books in this series but, haven't stared it yet. I here such great things about it I guess I'll have to move it up on my TBR **sigh** so many books and so little time

[Steph, Serious series addict]

I know what you mean. Never enough time.

This one has definitely moved up on my "like" list. It started out okay for me, but just keeps getting better.

[Amber]

Grrrrrrrr great now I'm mad. I keep telling myself I can't start this series till I'm done with the Sookie series first*** Wishing I had nothing to do all day but read so I could be done faster and start this series already*** >:[

[Steph, Serious series addict]

LOL Amber! I feel ya! It can wait - read on, girl. That way you'll have more books in hand and less wait time in between. :) Some of the cliffhangers in VA can be frustrating.

Gotta look for that silver lining where ever you can get it!

[Jackie M]

For me Spirit Bound started off really slow but it pick up and I thought it was good not great just good.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Jackie, I agree. Part of my review even states, "The books opener, another letter from Dimitri, was awesome! Especially since Ms. Mead released it as a sneak peek and got me all excited to get this book. But, this book, like BP {Blood Promise}, felt like it was The Little Engine That Could. Speeding ahead, then hits a hill and it's all "I think I can, I think I can" as it slowly gains momentum again.

The last two books for me have been utterly frustrating and exciting at the same time. *said in my best Veruca Salt voice* "Don't care how, I want it now!" LOL!!

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Richelle Mead posted "Vampire Academy has been optioned for film by Preger Entertainment! Yay! Let me make it clear, though: an option is exactly that. An option. It's a right to the books I sell, and it means Preger now has the option of turning VA into a film. It may not happen anytime soon. Some books are optioned for years with no action. So that may mean nothing is happening right now. Of course, it can also mean they're already scripting and making plans. The point I want to make is that you shouldn't brace yourself for a VA film coming out next spring. I probably sound pessimistic with these disclaimers, but I just want to be realistic because lots of books get optioned and have long delays before anything happens. Georgina was optioned over a year ago by Fox Television, and there's been no movement there either.

The press release is here.

And, "the untitled VA Spin-Off series kicks off late summer/early fall 2011."

'Tis the season, I guess. Vamps are all the rage. LOL!

* A VA Movie? Would you go see it?
* And Georgina's been "optioned" for a FOX TV show??
* VA spin-off?!

[Jackie M]

I think that I would go see the VA movie and I think a television series about the Georgina Kinkaid series would be great.. not sure that I'd have the time to watch it but I like the idea. I am curious about the VA spin-off I will surely be checking that out!

[Steph, Serious series addict]

I would definitely ck out the VA movie. The Georgina show would have to be on HBO (or a pay channel) like True Blood to be any good, I think. I'm curious too. Wonder which characters will be showing up in it. Wish she'd give us a hint about who the main will be.

[Alyssa]

***************NEWS FLASH!***************

Squeeee! *runs in*

I have come here with more news!

According to this blog I follow (Let's Evaluate: YA book reviews), she saw news on Richelle Mead's blog about the release of the mass market paperback of Vampire Academy.

<<<--- This is what it looks like, FYI.

The mass market paperback of Vampire Academy will include the first chapter of Bloodlines !!



It came out today, June 27th. I'm gonna have to make trip to the bookstore just to read the first chapter of Bloodlines. I already have a copy of VA, otherwise I would probably be buying it.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

LOL! Thanks for all the chapter peeks, Alyssa. Let us know what you think of the the beginning of Bloodlines. :)

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Found this on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PenguinTeenAus/st...
The VA: Blood Sisters movie cast lineup.

Hmmm, not sure those are who I saw playing Rose and Lissa, or Dimitri for that matter. How 'bout you? Thoughts on the casting?

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1686821/
Page-to-Premiere: http://pagetopremiere.com/2013/05/blo...

[Literary Ames]

They picked the right Rose - that actress proved she could be a mouthy bitch in Ringer. I love Gabriel Byrne - he was brilliant last year as the UK prime minister in Secret State and he made a great Devil in End of Days. The other actors - bleh.

[S.L.J.]

If they end up making the whole series (which will depend on the money the first film takes) I really hope they change Rose's character in the last 2 books.

She becomes so annoying and arrogant and selfish that I ended up only finishing the series to find out what happened to the other characters.

Lets hope they do something different with the movies.

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Oh, yeah, I do remember her from Ringer. I just didn't picture her as Rose. But, I'm usually okay with the actors once I watch the films. We'll see.

I'm a big Gabriel Byrne fan too. :)

[S.L.J.]

I am Keyser Soze

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

Richelle Mead posted on facebook that she has a live Q&A at http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments...

[Steph, Serious series addict]

Richelle Mead answers some fan questions regarding the VA movie. Spoiler blocked more for space saving than spoilers, but I haven't read all of the Q&A, so there may be some in there for those who haven't read the book(s).

(view spoiler)[Is the movie a comedy?

No! I know some of the advertising really plays up the humorous side, but you have to trust me that the movie exactly matches the tone of the book: a dark, action-packed story with elements of humor and romance spliced throughout. That humor angle was played up in the ads and posters to pull in new viewers who think supernatural books/movies are dull, and it worked! We’ve seen an increase in new readers, which is awesome news. People who are worried about comedy are also worried this is “too high school.” But remember: all the angst and Russian adventure happens later in the series. This first book IS set in high school, but all the dark and serious issues are still totally there. If you watch TV, the odds are good you’ve probably seen a commercial that plays up the movie’s serious side. If not, check out these two trailers to see what I mean: Last Stand and Learn to Kill.

Is the movie true to the book?

This is the big question on everyone’s mind, and I say yes! As I watched it, I was really amazed at how many scenes they kept from the book. I expected more cutting. Some scenes go by fast (understandable with a 1:45 running time), but the moviemakers worked really hard to give at least a nod to every fan favorite scene. Here’s one of my favorites that I could watch over and over: Christian using fire magic in class.

But were changes made?

Of course. Anyone expecting a page by page translation of the book should just listen to the audio version because that’s the only way such a thing is possible. Books and movies are different mediums. You have less time in a movie, and some things that are awesome on the page aren’t so great on the screen. You also have to make sure the movie makes sense to people who’ve read the book AND to those who haven’t. That’s where a lot of adaptations go bad: they cater too much to readers only or too much to newcomers. I’m happy to say this movie hits the right balance, and all the changes made were really smart ones. There’s nothing that radically alters the main plot or characters. They make things look bigger and better and also clarify confusing issues. For me, tweaks like that are part of the adaptation process, and I actually enjoy seeing them.

How was the cast?

Um, awesome! Seriously. I’ve said from the beginning that I’ve loved the casting, and seeing them act just proved it. Every casting decision was spot on, and they were cast not just on their ability to play the character but also on how they interacted with the others. Chemistry is key in this series! Zoey IS Rose, and you’re going to have a hard time deciding which guy you love most because Danila, Dominic, and Cameron all knock it out of the park as Dimitri, Christian, and Mason. I especially love that everyone in the movie--whether they were the star or a small side role--really “got” their character. Lucy Fry, for example, read the book five times to understand Lissa. Seeing the cast bring the characters I created made me feel so emotional and reminded me why readers love those characters so much. It even made ME remember why I love those characters so much and that...gasp...maybe I want to keep writing stories about them!

Is the movie just the first book or all the books?

I’m so surprised this keeps getting asked. I can’t even fathom putting all six books into one movie. It’s just the first.

What about scenes in the trailer that appear to be radically different from the book?

I stand by my earlier statement that this is very true to the book. There are some flashbacks, dream sequences, and background scenes that were added, and seeing snippets of those is what’s confusing some people. Watch the movie. It’ll all make sense.

Are there werewolves in this?

THEY'RE PSI-HOUNDS, modeled exactly off a drawing I made for director Mark Waters.

Is there going to be a movie of Frostbite?

That depends on the success of this one! If it does well, there’ll be a sequel (and hopefully more). Part of the reason such a young cast was chosen was because everyone hopes there’ll be six more years of movies! But this one needs to do well. VA has a big following, but it’s no Harry Potter or Hunger Games. Half of those series’ fan bases could stay home, and they’d still succeed at the theater. We need our full fan base and new people at the theater to be successful, which is why the marketing team has worked so hard to pull in new viewers who don’t normally go to paranormal films.

What’s the final word?

The final word is that I’m super thrilled with the way the movie turned out, and I think you will be too. I’ve seen jaded people comment that I HAVE to say I like it, but here’s the truth: you can believe what you want, but I have a very hard time lying to you guys about things. For example, when my publishers give me covers I don’t like (yeah, it happens), I can’t bring myself to tell you I think they’re good. So, I’ll find a different positive way to spin it, like, “My publisher worked really hard on this and is so excited about it!” That’s what I’d be doing if I thought this movie was bad. Instead, I can say to you straight on that I really love it and hope you guys will as well. From cast to dialogue to breathtaking visuals, they really outdid themselves. The future of the franchise is in your hands now, so go see it! See it on opening day, and bring a bunch of friends because those opening numbers are critical. And remember, a successful first movie means we could very likely see Adrian and Eddie soon... (hide spoiler)]