I read Vampire Academy (2007) by Richelle Mead after hearing about it from some Cannonballers and thinking that it sounded like a fun read. And for the most part it was quick and entertaining. Sure, it sometimes made me feel old. I thought that Rose was sometimes a bad role model, acting like a “mean girl” without remorse, but on the whole I enjoyed it.
There’s a lot of teen vampire books out there, and in this one Mead switches things up by creating three different types of vampires. The Strigoi are the fiercest and most dangerous. These are vampires who lost their souls by killing a human while feeding on them. The Strigoi are in constant battle with the Moroi and the Dhampirs. Moroi are pure vampires and the ruling class while the Dhampir are half Moroi and half Dhampir. Dhampirs cannot have children together, so Moroi are required for their continued existence. Dhampirs do not have the same powers of the Moroi, but they are quick and powerful and make for good bodyguards.
And that brings us to the story. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir with an intense connection to Lissa, a Moroi Vampire princess. Although they are both in high school, Rose acts as Lissa’s protector and bodyguard. In addition to the normal high school drama, Lissa is struggling with her own demons as well as someone who is deliberately harassing her. Rose is also distracted by a deep attraction to another Dhampir, Dimitri, who is Lissa’s official bodyguard and Rose’s trainer. This attraction is taboo because Dimitri is in his early 20’s and is, officially, a teacher.
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