Review: Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1)

Title: Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1)
Author: Richelle Mead
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:
Vladimir's Academy isn't just 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 Priness. They've been on the run but now they're being dragged back to St. Vlahimir'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 ... 



My Take:
At first, I thought this book was OK. And then I started to reread Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare because Clockwork Prince comes out tomorrow, and I loved that book. However, I couldn't stop thinking about this VA story! I must have really liked it more than I thought I did.


The story was intriguing because it's original. At first it was a little hard for me to get all the different types, but eventually I caught on. It wasn't hard. The Strigoi are the bad guys, who try to kill humans, dhampirs (Rose and Dimitri) and vampires, some of who are royal. Rose is a vampire. 


Rose is Lissa's guardian and is training really hard to make sure she is assigned to her after school. She's being trained by the god, Dimitri. The scenes between them are sometimes my favorite. 


My favorite character overall was Christian. I think a lot of people fall in love with Dimitri because he's the dark, sexy type, but Christian was amazing in this story, and he was a minor character. A lot of the minor characters in this story are some of my favorites! Dimitri was great too and some of the situations Rose got herself into with them left me smirking and even laughing. I'm starting a soft spot for Dimitri as well! 


The character development in this story was great. Rose changes a lot and Lissa's emotions and moods switch so much but she eventually starts to learn some things. Lissa and Rose's friendship was really intense. It was great and I enjoyed reading about them together, because they acted exactly like my sisters and I treat each other.


I thought Rose was a little too brash sometimes, and Lissa was a little too crazy, but eventually everything really gets explained and it makes sense. 


This story wasn't lacking any action either. Trying to figure out everything that was happening between characters, besides there emotions because those stories were intriguing by themselves!, was enthralling. 


I'm actually stopping reading Clockwork Angel to start the second. I didn't think it would bother me that much to stop here in the series, but I can't stop thinking about what happens next!