The Vampire Academy Series
Reviewed by Libby, age 14, Wisconsin
There's high school for humans, and Hogwarts for wizards, but who ever heard of a school for vampires? Richelle Mead has created her own in her Vampire Academy novels. In her world vampires, or Moroi as she calls them, must complete a standard education just like humans do. It's also there that they prepare guardians, half Moroi and half human. The guardians can't drink blood or perform magic like the Moroi can. Instead they are trained to guard the Moroi, as they are faster and stronger than any Moroi. It's at the academy that both Moroi and guardians are prepared for a lifetime of choices, dealing with both good and evil.
Vampire Academy
Rose Hathaway has been friends with Lissa Dragomir forever. But there is a vast difference between the two. Lissa is a Moroi princess, and Rose is just a guardian. Being royalty, Lissa needs even more protection from Strigoi, the most dangerous and brutal vampires who can't die. After escaping from the academy together Lissa and Rose are found and forced to return and resume their training. Rose takes extra lessons with Demetri, Lissa's guardian, in order to make up for the work she missed. Rose must fight a forbidden romance, while keeping Lissa out of reach of Strigoi who want to kill her now more than ever.Frostbite
As the secrets of the bond between Rose and Lissa are revealed, the Moroi world begins to fall apart in Frostbite, the second novel in the Vampire Academy series. More and more Moroi are being killed by Strigoi, a group of former Moroi who not only drink human blood, but kill their victims, an act that is forbidden for Moroi to do. As more are killed Rose fears Lissa may be next. But Rose has her own problems. The guy she likes has his eyes on another girl, and her best friend may very well be in love with her. To top it all off, more security has been put around the academy after Strigoi attacks, and Rose's mother, a legendary guardian who abandoned her for a life of guardianship, has been sent to the academy. A school ski trip in Idaho seems just what she needs, but could Lissa's life be more endangered there even with the guardians?
I'm thoroughly impressed with Richelle Mead's writing in the Vampire Academy novels. There is plenty of laugh-out-loud humor, as well as edge-of-your-seat suspense. Personally, it's a combination of both that has left me craving more. What I loved most were the characters. They seemed so real that I thought I could find someone like them walking the hallways in my school (minus the vampire part).
Luckily, the next book in the series, Shadow Kiss, comes out this month on the thirteenth. The fourth book in the series, which is still untitled, comes out next year, followed by the fifth installment in the series, set to be released in 2010. I'm certain that the Vampire Academy will not close its doors anytime soon.
I recommend the first two books in the Vampire Academy series with 4 stars (of a possible 5).
