Vampire Academy

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

My rating:  5/5
Summary (from Goodreads):  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.

My review:   Vampire Academy is one of the best books/series I've read in a while.  It doesn't quite beat Matched or The Hunger Games, but its pretty amazing.

The first thing I'd like to focus on is Dimitri.  He is one of the best male protagonists I've come across (besides Peeta, of course), and I love his battle skills.  I wish he wasn't so tall though. . . 6 foot 7?  Crazy.    Oh well.  He's still awesome anyway!

I really admire the author, more and more as the series go on.  I'm now currently reading the last book in the series, and it happens lots throughout the books.  Rose and Lissa have a bond that allows Rose to go into Lissa's head.  That must be quite difficult to write, because you're writing in the point of view of a character that's in another character's head.  Difficult, right?  I sure think it would be.

I love the idea; it's full of creativity and originality.  I like the idea of all those different types of vampires: Moroi, Strigoi, and Dhampirs.   Vampire Academy is a great choice for people who don't like typical vampire books!