Vampire Academy (June Group Read)

[Char]

This is were people can discuss VA and what they thought about it.

Book synopsis:

St. Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school; it's a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They've been on the run, but now they're being dragged back to St. Vladimir's; the very place where they're most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy's ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi; the world's fiercest and most dangerous vampires make Lissa one of them forever.

The rules are the same as last time:

1. Be polite, people have differing opinions, it doesn't mean anyone is wrong.

2. Try and keep it spoiler free if you do have to use a spoiler please use < spoiler > *insert your spoiler and then* < / spoiler > (view spoiler)[Also when doing the spoiler thing don't leave any gaps between the things. (hide spoiler)]

3. If you like, I can see if there are any questions online for you to answer about the book so we can see how our opinions differ.

[Chris]

One of the best series EVER!!!

[Rea, Ghost]

You remember you were telling me about that slapper in House of Night, Char? Yeah, Rose is a slapper too. She annoys me a lot.

I'll give my opinion on the book closer to the middle of the month when people have had time to get the book and read it.

The writing isn't fantastic. I'm pretty sure there wasn't any serious editing done for this book. Frequently there are sentences where the syntax is most certainly not English. But it's better than in Twlight.

Plot is also somewhat iffy. There's an awful lot of filler. The blurb on the back of the book is for the whole series, too, and not for this book in particular. Protect Lissa from immortal vampires... yeah, none of that in book 1. Immortal vampires don't even make an appearance in book 1!

[Char]

Yeah Zoey from HoN. Is she really? I hate teenage slappers.

I'm expecting the iffy plot, that happens too much with YA nowadays. Really? The blurb isn't for the book? That's just annoying. Grr.

[Rea, Ghost]

She's not I-have-four-boyfriends bad, but she's often busy getting it on with one guy while thinking about another guy. She's also really boss. Sometimes I just wanted to reach in and slap her around.

No, this book is really just about their return to the academy, and how they fit back into the scene, and discovering Lissa's powers. There's a bit of excitement towards the end, but not much. It's a bit of a dry plot really. Hence why it only got a 3 star from me. (There are other reasons too, but I wanna give you some time to do some reading before I bring them up).

[Char]

I think I know the kind of character you're talking about.

I'm probably going to start it tomorrow, maybe tonight. I've nearly finished my Kelley Armstrong book.

[Rea, Ghost]

Pay attention to the scene where Dimitri is introduced - it's only a couple of pages in - and let me know what you think. It really bugged me.

Yey! I'm still on Christians. Though they're talking about Muslims now.
"For Charlemagne's great Christian army fought those dirty Muslim pagans who worship Mohammed and Apollo!"
mediaeval Christian propaganda rules!

[Char]

Okay, I will do.

Hmmm. If that had been written in a book this century, all Hell would have broken loose.

[Char]

I've got to say, I wasn't pleased with Dimitri's entrance. Something was off. I'm not sure what.

As predicted I detest Rose. If I was in that book, she would have died a horrible death. I am going to have to find the words though for my review. (Aaah well, I have another 200 pages to figure them out.)

[Rea, Ghost]

It REALLY annoyed me. She's trying to escape an attack and she stops to comment on how "hot" Dimitri is and describe all his features? What sane person would? Mead should have left off on the description of him until later.

Yeah, I dislike Rose a lot, too. She's a whiny b****. I do like Dimitri though (I feel it should be spelt Dmitri, though). I don't find the books to be amazing or even very well written but I have to know the ending. Damn my inability to let a series drop.

[Char]

I know. She should have described him when he sat next to her on the plane.

I know. I'm the same, I'm now committed to buying the rest of the series. Sugar plum fairies.

[Rea, Ghost]

Yup. But it seems to be the thing to describe the male interest as soon as he enters the scene. Why? This style of writing bugs me so much. You should introduce character attributes slowly. The reader's going to have their own idea of what each character looks like anyway. Like my Dimitri has short hair, even though she frequently mentions it being shoulder length.

I'm getting to the end of book 3 now. Rose and Dimitri (view spoiler)[just had sex and he's about to get turned into a Strigoi. Poor Dimitri :( (hide spoiler)]

[Char]

She didn't even like him like that at first. I know, my Dimitri isn't a giant, he's about 6ft as opposed to 6ft7. He's very tasty though.

Noooooo! I read that and everything. Oh well, maybe you can just tell me how it all ends lol =P

[Rea, Ghost]

Yes, my Dimitri is very tasty too! He's my favourite character. He's the best one of the lot and he puts up with all Rose's childishness and loves her despite of it all.

I did put spoiler there!! :p It'll save you like 20 quid on books, though. :p I can already tell you how it'll end. Mead is very obvious with her plotting. Like the scene with Lissa and the Queen? (you might not be there yet, can't remember how far in it was - not too far) That snide snub? It'll end up with that Queen dying in the war with the Strigoi and Lissa becoming Queen instead. I'll wager money on it.

[Char]

Dimitri is really good. It's worth reading the rest of the stupid series just for him.

I know, but it's a button and I like pushing buttons =P I know what you mean. Of course Lissa is going to get her happily ever after. She's been set up to be the mad woman that overcomes it all.

[Rea, Ghost]

It totally is. Adrian's also pretty cool. You'll meet him in book 2. He's kinda unhinged but I like him. I think he's supposed to be the romantic interest in the spin off series she's going to be releasing this summer. But it's all about Dimitri (I keep writing it Dmitri! Argh). I wouldn't mind a sexy giant of a Russian boyfriend... but with short hair! haha.

I know the temptation. I often fall to it too. I think she's going to manage to end up with her boyfriend too. They keep going on about how he's not "good for her image" but I think they'll pull through.

[Char]

Awesome. The series needs some more good characters. I'm going to add it to my Christmas list so then I don't have to buy them myself. =P Saying that, they have a few of them at the library. I wouldn't either. He could put me in his pocket and carry me around. XD

Believe it or not, I put that but then I got 'there was a problem saving your comment'. It's how it goes down in YA at the moment though isn't it?

[Rea, Ghost]

Ah, get them from the library and then if you really want them in case you ever wanna reread them put them on the list. I'm gonna keep my set, but it's all because of Dimitri. As the series goes on he's really quite a complex character - and I love that he reads those Western novels (view spoiler)[(even when he's evil!!) (hide spoiler)]

Yuppers. They've broken up for now, but according to the unspoken YA law they'll somehow manage to make it work out and get back together.

[Char]

That's what I'm thinking. I'm quite annoyed that they've changed the covers. Are they trying to annoy me on purpose!? Lol. I don't read Western novels, but maybe we should in honour of Dimitri one month. =P

Indeed, that law makes for many yo-yo romances. The Immortals is the worst for that.

[Rea, Ghost]

My book 1 is smaller than the other books in the series by about an inch -_- Couldn't they have kept with the same desgin? The Bulgarian covers are very pretty, though. http://www.google.nl/imgres?imgurl=ht... I think my favourite is the last one.

I like that idea of reading Westerns! I've never read a Western before, not a real cowboys one, though my gran reads them all the time. Then again, she is of the John Wayne generation. John Wayne was her Dimitri! XD

Yo-yo romances can annoy me. You're together or you're not. Figure it out. Never read the Immortals - that's the one with southerners calling everyone "luv", right?

[Char]

I have that with my Evernight books. I know. The Bulgarian ones are pretty. I agree that the last one is the prettiest though.

It was a joke but hey. We could add it to our unnamed challenge. As in read 5 Western books in honour of Dimitri. =D John Wayne. I've not really seen his stuff.

I know. Yes it is, and don't bother with them. The first one is pretty good and the rest are a let down. =(

[Rea, Ghost]

That sounds like a good idea! :p Go Dimitri! I haven't seen much of John Wayne's stuff, either, but then he is pretty much just an icon now. Johnny Depp or Brad Pitt is probably this generation's Wayne. His films are on the BBC from time to time, though. Usually in the middle of the day.

I hate how there always has to be love triangles too. You're inevitably setting yourself up to let down some fans with your final romantic interest choice, and in the case of VA you're putting a likeable character in an unlikeable situation. Honestly, I feel really sorry for Adrian. Rose was a real bitch towards him. She's always saying how much he means to her then spends her time thinking about Dimitri.

[Char]

Yay. We have our first mini challenge! Go Dimitri! I don't like Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp I love. I know, I don't tend to watch TV during the day.

That annoys me too. I just find myself wishing that the girl was on her own until the end. (I'm ignoring the last bit. My library doesn't have book 2 of VA until at least June 23rd.)

[Rea, Ghost]

One down, nine to go? :p Same, I don't like Pitt, even less since the Aniston / Jolie thing. I have no respect for the guy. I don't either, unless I'm at my gran's.

Agree. Or even pining after one guy so long as she doesn't string another one along too with the whole "I love you both!" BS. Adrian plays a more romantic role as of book 4. He and Dimitri are my favourite characters.

[Char]

Yep. We should add our Western mini challenge to our unnamed challenge thread. I know, I can't respect someone like that.

I know. I hate the whole 'I love you, but I love you too'. Choose FFS.

[Rea, Ghost]

We need a whole new thread for that! :p We've filled the old one with spam, haha. Me neither. Hence why I refuse to watch movies with him or Jolie in 'em.

Yup! You see it most often in YA too. In adult romance there's usually just one guy. But then, in adult romance there's generally clunky sex scenes too.

[Char]

Lol. We're terrible. =P I know.

I'd rather a clunky sex scene than thew whole YA shenanigans.

[Rea, Ghost]

We are but at least we keep conversations going!!

Same here, which is probably why I turned to clunky sex scenes instead of endless YA love triangles. In everything I have ever written there has never, ever been a love triangle. There have been multiple relationships but one, break up, another, break up. And it's never stringing multiple guys on. Which I suppose just goes to show my opinion on the subject.

[Char]

I know =D

It does indeed. I've not really done relationships. I did one scene where a girl was getting it on with the guy because he was after her secrets... it works in the book. My explanation is rubbish.

[Rea, Ghost]

I often have some form of relationship in it, usually as a background to the story. I think everything works better if it has a little romance in it. You mean he wanted her secrets so he was getting it on with her to try to get them from her?

[Char]

Nope, I mean he wanted her secrets so she got it on with him to distract him because he fancies her. He's a bit of a womaniser. Although her best friend has a crush on her and she hasn't noticed. I don't think she will until the end of the trilogy.

[Rea, Ghost]

Aah. But will she end up with the friend? Sometimes I like best friend romances, not always.

[Char]

I'm not sure, I don't think she's the kind of girl for the happy ending. I'll see how I feel when I get there.

[Rea, Ghost]

If you don't give some form of happy ending the readers never forgive you. :p You ever read The Black Magician trilogy by Trudi Canavan?

[Char]

I'm going to hve a more generalised one. =P My mum has them but I've not read them. She loved them though.

[Rea, Ghost]

So long as there's hope for the future. Canavan's Black Magician trilogy left me devastated. I'll never forgive her for how she finished the last book. But I will still read all her work.

[Char]

Yup. Haha, I'll watch out for the ending then.

[Rea, Ghost]

I realised what the ending would be about half way through the third book and really slowed down with reading. I was so sad. :(

[Char]

Awww =( I hate it when books do that.

However getting back to VA I was really sad with the ending of this book because (view spoiler)[ I liked Natalie and most certainly didn't want her to be turned Strigoi. Her dad is evidently a bit loopy there. (hide spoiler)]

[Rea, Ghost]

Aah but he had a reason for it! You find out in book 5 or 6 (I think 5). Now you'll have to read it all to find out. :p

I agree with you about Rose. She is one of the most annoying characters I've read about. She's such a god awful bully, all the time.

[Char]

Aw, sugar plum fairies! They still don't have book 2 in the library and they have every VA book in Smiths... except 2. This is ridiculous! =P

I know, it's one of the things I hated most in the book, which is why I ranted about it in my review. =D

[Rea, Ghost]

Haha, Waterstones! They're on 3 for 2 in my Waterstones. Though they're like 13 euros here instead of 7 quid, which means I'm paying 4 or 5 quid extra! So I don't buy at Waterstones usually. I think my favourite part of the series was the second half of the third book (first half is that endless filler again).

Yeah, she never gets any better and she actually gets worse towards the end. She has no morals, no honour and she doesn't know when to shut up.

[Char]

Haha, it's £4 ish on Amazon, I just want to borrow it from the library because I'm not desperate to buy it. I don't buy at Waterstone's I have an aversion to buses.

Seriously? The author is just going to end up in my bad books forever.

[Rea, Ghost]

I got them for 10 euros each, which is about right once import taxes have been paid. If I wanna go to Waterstones I have to go into Amsterdam - bus to airport, train to Centraal, then walk all the way to the book shop (10 - 15 mins). Another reason to rarely go.

She's kinda in mine, but at the same time at the end of this series she does not wrap up all the story lines. There are a whole bunch left hanging that she's going to pick up again in the next series, so I suppose I'm going to have to read that one, too. -_-

[Char]

Yeah, fair enough, you still save a few euros a book. That's quite a major reason not to go. This is why people are turning to the internet. It's just easier.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! (Sorry that's just my despair at being financially tied to Richelle Mead for 12 books as opposed to 6.)

[Chris]

I loved VA but I don't think I'm going to read Bloodlines: I don't like Sydney that much.Bloodlines

[Char]

Really? I find that you only get half of a story by not reading companion novels. I'll be reading it even though I don't like VA.

[Alexandra]

Charmaine Elaine, have you read the whole series then? If you have, what about them don't you like? I'm interested to hear opinions...

I read all the VA a while ago and think they're a nice change from some of the more repetitive and "copycat" series that can be found around and about... :P

[Char]

I've only read the first one, they don't have book 2 in the shops around here or the library.

My main problem is Rose, she really annoys me. I think that bullies people and is just generally rude. I also don't feel that the relationship between her and Lissa is real. It feels like she just wanted to get in with the royals.

I thought Lissa was boring.

The plot dragged for me. The story was just endless filler and nothing happened until (view spoiler)[ Victor had Lissa kidnapped and made Natalie turn into a strigoi. (hide spoiler)]

I love the concept though with the moroi and strigoi and the magic. I also like Dimitri. I think he's awesome.

I think that with a better flowing plot and a more likeable main character I'd have liked the book more. There are worse series out there if I'm honest, I don't like Twilight, HoN was good to start with, Blue Bloods is pretty bad but my least favourite has to be The Immortals, which isn't vampires but still.

Sorry, that's quite long. =)

[Alexandra]

Oh, i totally agree with your initial rection, that's similar to what i thought when first reading them!

DW, it gets a LOT better in book two and even better in the others. The storylines go from strength to strength, so persevere :)

I also have to agree with the whole HoN thing; they are getting worse as the series goes on... I mean, how much longer are they going to drag the story out??? the last few books could have easily been one normal one!!

Immortals - just don't get me started on them. I gave them good reviews on this 'cos the writer is really nice and i had a sudden attack of guilt...

ANyway, enough ranting. Please don't lose faith in VA, much better is to come, trust me!!!