This is the first book in the Vampire Academy series. It’s about Rose Hathaway, a dhampir, and Lissa Dragomir, a moroi princess.

First recommendation, read the back of the book before starting the book itself, otherwise these words will get lost on you.

A dhampir is basically the ‘mule’ of the vampire world. They are half-human, half-vampire but with extra strength and speed and their main duty is to protect the moroi.

A moroi is a mortal vampire with magical capabilities. A breed of vampire that is becoming extinct.

A strigoi is an immortal vampire with no magical capabilities. They are also the bad guys. They feed off of anything living, but prefer moroi blood.

All new characters and definitions aside, this is a pretty decent book. Rose is training to be a guardian, and she’s pretty rebellious. She has an ‘act now, think later’ kind of attitude. She is bonded to Lissa. Rose can sense all of Lissa’s emotions and seems to know when she’s in trouble.

Lissa’s survival is dependant upon Rose’s intuition and strength. At the academy they are mostly protected from strigoi, but not from other students. And we all know how cruel kids can be, especially those with magical powers.

If you like vampire stories, this is just as good as any other. Despite the whole “school for vampires” storyline, it’s FAR BETTER than the house of night series. There is more character substance, more attitude, and it’s written with a certain style…

My only dislike for this novel is the constant mention of ‘the bond.’ I get it. They’re bonded. It’s one-sided. It doesn’t need to be constantly drilled in. I found myself skipping over all the “through the bond” and “because of the bond” comments. Just unnecessary.

I will, however, be reading book number two. It’s worthy of a second chance.

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