Published: August 16, 2007
Pages: 332
Source: Bought
Rating: 3 Stars
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.
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.
In short: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead ain't nothing special.
I will say though that I was quite impressed with Richelle Mead's take on vampires and the guardian system, as it was completely new to me. I always say that I am burnt out on vampires and am entirely bored by how repetitive vampire mythology seems to be these days, but Richelle Mead has created an entirely original concept and a very intriguing one, at that. That's not to say that the set-up of the concept was executed well though: the first section of Vampire Academy was info-dump-central and not at all subtle.
Actually, I was all around disappointed with the amateurish writing and execution of the plot. The exposition was clumsy and the plot was largely fruitless. Here we have a really cool concept and the introduction to these intriguing Strigoi beings. And for what? Almost the entirety of the story was spent on high school drama with characters I could not care less about. I can only assume the sequels will introduce story lines that are more directed and less trivial, but Vampire Academy left much to be desired, with only the very ending piquing my interest.
And I'm afraid I wasn't entirely taken with Rose's character. I found her a bit too obnoxious to be likeable. I do at least appreciate that she wasn't your typical clumsy and modest paranormal romance heroine though. And I have a feeling Rose will grow on me more and more as the books progress. And the romance: now THAT is the one thing in which I can totally understand the squeals and swoons of readers. It excites me to think about how that enticing chemistry between Rose and Dimitry is going to play out.
So overall, Vampire Academy ain't nothing special. But I had been warned by several people that that would be the case, so I wasn't disappointed. As I understand it, it is the sequels to Vampire Academy that really shine, so never fear: I will be reading them all! If nothing else, Vampire Academy was a somewhat entertaining read, despite its amateurish writing, poor execution, and trivial plot.
The trailer was released recently! What do you think?
Other Reviews:
Alison Can Read
The Perpetual Page-Turner
Vamps, Weres, and Cassay
Author Links:
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You know, I would have agreed with you the first time I read Vampire Academy. Actually, my initial reaction was even harsher than yours. But I soldiered on with the series and completely fell in love. I don't know if the writing improves or it's just because I got used to the style, but I think it much improves as you go on.
ReplyDeleteI actually still need to read this one! I can see how your tastes might have changed over the years, I'm not too sure about myself though. I used to be a heavy YA paranormal romance reader, so this one might appeal to me much more. But it's a shame how the concept was great, but the blatant info-dumping was awful! I'm surprised that the romance turned out to be the factor you liked in Vampire Academy. Good for you for reading the rest of the series though! I'll definitely be reading this one because of the movie, but hopefully I'll have more luck with it. Thanks for your honest thoughts! Fabulous review as always, Aylee!
ReplyDelete"I feel like my tastes have changed greatly and have perhaps matured beyond what Vampire Academy had to offer me." True. Sometimes I wonder if my favorite stories like VA would still hold the same resonance if I'd first read them now rather than earlier. Rereading parts of the series makes me happy but would that be the same case if not for the good foundation? I don't know - and I definitely agree with you that the market is saturated with teen PNRs. Very hard to stand out.
ReplyDelete"I always say that I am burnt out on vampires and am entirely bored by how repetitive vampire mythology seems to be these days, but Richelle Mead has created an entirely original concept and a very intriguing one, at that." <-- Very true. A few people have pointed out that it's a bit illogical, but I liked that it was developed enough over the series that she could explore the different dynamics and how that'd manifest today.
I don't remember the info-dump beginning o.O. That makes me think I definitely wouldn't have enjoyed it as much if I'd have read it now instead of three years ago because I mark books down for just that!
"Almost the entirety of the story was spent on high school drama with characters I could care less about." <-- The plot does thicken in later books, but this is always there. In this series and her other series. A lot of drama between the characters.
"And I'm afraid I wasn't entirely taken with Rose's character. I found her a bit too obnoxious to be likeable. I do at least appreciate that she wasn't your typical clumsy and modest paranormal romance heroine though. And I have a feeling Rose will grow on me more and more as the books progress. And the romance: now THAT is the one thing in which I can totally understand the squeals and swoons of readers. It excites me to think about how that enticing chemistry between Rose and Dimitry is going to play out." <-- YES YES YES. The romance is wonderful. Definite slow-burn over the series... and Rose gets better too :) though I did like her from the start more so, it sounds like, than you did. I do think that the books get better - that the third book is the best - so if you are going to keep at them... maybe until then? Though at least you did enjoy this one :).
As for the trailer... they're definitely trying to differentiate themselves from Twilight with the light, peppy humor, but I'm not feeling it. I'll still see the movie, but right now of all the YA book adaptations, the trailer that looks the best done is the one for The Book Thief, imo.
"And I'm afraid I wasn't entirely taken with Rose's character. I found her a bit too obnoxious to be likeable."
ReplyDelete^ This is exactly the reason why I couldn't get into the VA series. I tried reading book 1, but I didn't get that far in because for it's important that I actually like the mc in order for me to continue on. However, I love the spin-off series 'Bloodlines' the mc is so much more likable!
Great review. :)
Ah, too bad! I've been thinking about reading these but haven't made it a priority because I didn't expect anything special. I was hoping I was wrong though :)
ReplyDeleteFor me, in chrome, your red striped background isn't showing up. Perhaps an intentional change, but I thought I'd mention it just in case.
Hahaha, and commenting reloaded the page... with the background. So nevermind!
DeleteI love this series as a guilty pleasure. I am NOT a fan of vampire books, but this one was fun to read. I am with you on Rose. I highly recommend the BLOODLINES series because Sydney is a character that I related to much more. One thin I did love about VA was the sort of Vampire ethnography that was embedded on the book. I thought the whole guardian or blood whore choice was really interesting.
ReplyDeleteKate @ Ex Libris
I forgot this was going to be a movie; I think I just learned that actually. At any rate, that's good you were aware the first book isn't that great but I hope the series gets better! I haven't read any of these. It does sound like something I'd have enjoyed more as a teen.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read this one yet, but I'm really not sure if I will. There are so many great YA books out there, so I don't know if I want to put in the time to rad a book that's not great, even if the later books in the series are better. Plus I'm on my second vampire book in the last couple weeks, so I probably should switch it up a bit.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I actually think I'd probably react similarly to this book if I re-read it now. I loved it at the time, but that was long before I had even really familiarised myself with the world of YA, so I guess I do understand where you're coming from. That trailer isn't really what I thought it would be like though. I'm not quite convinced yet... but I'll probably still see the movie. Lovely review, Aylee!
ReplyDeleteIt actually took me a 2nd try at reading before I fell in love with this one, and yes I think that it just gets better as it goes
ReplyDeleteI read this series really late as well (this year in March to be precise) and I actually ended up liking it. Like you said, the world created by Richelle Mead is very intriguing and unlike any other vamp world we've read before. And how right you are when you say that you would have enjoyed this book more had you read it as a teen (during the Twilight phase maybe?). I think so too. I would have given the series full 5 stars had I read it just a few years ago. But overall, this series is really good. Oh, and it does get better. The romance is very intense! I hope you enjoy the remaining books, Aylee. This was a very fantastic and honest review- I loved it!
ReplyDeleteSarika @ The Readdicts
It's funny how our tastes can change as we get older,so I completely get what you mean on that front. BUT, I was really hoping VA would blow you away, especially since we're probably the only two bloggers -(one now LOL) that haven't read it yet. I am encouraged though that you've heard the series improves a lot as it goes along. I even saw more references to that in your comments :D It's funny though because Richelle Mead is so rave-reviewed as an author for her writing skills and world-building but the one book I read by her failed to impress me in both of these respects...and reading about your issues with VA, I can't help but wonder a bit you know?! Anyways, thanks for the insight, now that I have a better idea what to expect, this one may sit on my shelf a bit longer.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you didn't like it more but I totally understand what you mean.
ReplyDeletethat's why I have stayed well away from this one :)
I thought I was the only one who felt this way about this book & Rose. Whew.
ReplyDeleteI never continued with it but I did like the tension/chemistry between Rose and Dimitri - but that was it.
Everyone says it gets better though.
Ohh you read it!! I love that I'm not the only one late to the party. Everyone read it so many years ago! I wasn't impressed by Vampire Academy either but was so surprised to see how awesome the series got with each new book added to it. Hope you enjoy the rest as much as I did:)
ReplyDeleteI'm really happy that you ended up reading this one! I can definitely see where you're coming from though, I read this back in year 9 and fell in love with the series, but my taste has definitely changed since then. Will you be reading the sequels?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! I do understand that they get better after all.
DeleteAw, it's too bad you didn't enjoy this one, Aylee. It's good though that you're planning on giving the sequels a try. Hopefully, you'll end up loving this series as much as I do.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping the movie doesn't disappoint because I am not a fan of the trailer. It seems super cliched to me.
Ok, nuf said, I'm not even going to try this one. I think it sounds like the writing style which is present in Twilight. Its just too young for my 47 year old self. Absolutely great review, though. You let me know enough specifics about the story that I don't have to wonder if I want to read it anymore. - Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOh, ugh, I abandoned this series pretty quickly because I just didn't *get* it, so I'm glad to see that I'm not alone. I thought maybe I was turned off by all the hype so it's good to know that there were legitimate problems with it. I'm *almost* tempted to reread it again to get a better handle on why it didn't work for me, but after reading Bloodlines, I'm off Richelle Mead for good.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to see there is a support group out there for all of us recovering potter heads. I recently re-read the whole series because I just can't seem to move on :( So glad I found your blog!! Looking forward to reading more.
ReplyDeleteI really want to read this so I'm disappointed it was only three stars for you! Too bad about Rose - I always imagined her to be those kickass, super good kind of character, but maybe the obnoxiousness makes her more memorable? But gah. The childish-like writing gets to me. Not sure if I'll check this one out now. Either way, this was a wonderful and helpful review, so thank you!
ReplyDeleteI have heard that this book is not very good and that the other books are what make the series. But I really don't want to waste my time on a book that is sub-par. The movie trailer also does nothing to make me want to read the book. I dunno. I am hoping to get to this someday, but I don't know that I can.
ReplyDeleteYour review had me chuckling though.
I think if I read VA for the first time now, I might have a similar reaction. I read it back when paranormal YA was still in its infancy, and you are right in expecting the next books in the series to be way better. Hopefully you'll enjoy them! Looking forward to the movie, because after six books this series has wormed its way into my heart (even if that might not have happened on quite the same scale if I'd just started them now). Lovely honest review!
ReplyDelete