Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, Book 1) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Richelle Mead (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2009

Join the Vampire Academy and Experience Augmented Reality. Click here and put your face on the cover of a best seller book. Are you tempted? Watch the book come to life with your likeness! 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.

Watch a Video

Is your school a Vampire Academy? Take the quiz and find out!

if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('c31d616f-ba5c-41f0-bd5d- a8bc48d15dc6');Get the Spirit Bound Countdown widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

After two years on the run, best friends Rose, half-human/half-vampire, and Lissa, a mortal vampire princess, are caught and returned to St. Vladimir's Academy. Up until then, Rose had kept Lissa safe from her enemies; school, however, brings both girls additional challenges and responsibilities. How they handle peer pressure, nasty gossip, new relationships, and anonymous threats may mean life or death. Likable narrator Rose hides doubts about her friend behind a tough exterior; orphan Lissa, while coping with difficult emotional issues such as depression and survivor's guilt, uses her emerging gifts for good. Mead's absorbing, debut YA novel, the first in a new series, blends intricately detailed fantasy with a contemporary setting, teen-relevant issues, and a diverse, if sometimes sterotyped, cast of supporting characters. Occasional steamy sex and a scattering of vulgar language demand mature readers, but teens able to handle the edgy elements will speed through this vamp story and anticipate the next installment. Rosenfeld, Shelle --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

This story is no ordinary vampire tale. Mead has done her homework on Romanian folklore and Orthodox Catholic saints, and she uses it to weave a unique and mesmerizing mystery with a whodunit ending that even the most skilled detectives will not predict. With social angst that every teenager can appreciate and sexual tension that leaves Stephanie Meyer''s Twilight looking like a children''s book, this little gem is sure to be a hit.—VOYA

Mead’s absorbing, debut YA novel, the first in a new series, blends intricately detailed fantasy with a contemporary setting, teen-relevant issues, and a diverse…cast of supporting characters. Occasional steamy sex and a scattering of vulgar language demand mature readers, but teens able to handle the edgy elements will speed through this vamp story and anticipate the next installment.—Booklist

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 421 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press; Lrg edition (January 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1410410153
• ISBN-13: 978-1410410153
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (401 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,433,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intense. Dark. Fun., August 16, 2007

By 

JT (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, Book 1) (Paperback)

The problem with most Young Adult books is that talk down to the reader and treat them like a kid. Richelle Mead tosses that concept out the window and paints a vividly dark world without pulling any punches. Fans of the mysterious underworld will absolutely love this fantastic storytelling, filled with emotional strife, teenage crushes, and fiercely dedicated friendships. If you enjoy a realistic portrayal of interpersonal relationships set in a wildly fun and dangerous world with vampires, those who love them, and those who hate them, do not pass up this book. This is the first of a multipart series, and you definitely want to get in on this action-packed installment.

75 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book!, August 28, 2007

By 

Andrea M. Brokaw "lady_hedgehog" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, Book 1) (Paperback)

Vampire Academy sets up one of the most fascinating worlds I have come across in very long time. Richelle Mead's vision of vampires is fresh and intriguing. The story is well written with a gripping plot and characters that are both realistic and real. Not only do I feel as though I an starting to know these people and their world, I also find myself actually caring about what happens to them.

The novel is indeed darker than the average YA offering. But it is in no way traumatizing or depressing. It is simply placed in a world that is grittier and more dangerous than that of most people. It still covers common themes from high school. While not worrying about life and death, the leads still have to contend with attacks on their reputations and decisions of which is more important, staying good with the popular crowd or being true to your heart.

This new universe has seized my imagination and I am more than eager to see the next installment of this series.

80 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, August 17, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, Book 1) (Paperback)

Rose and Lissa are best friends who share an unimaginable bond, even by vampire standards. Now, after time spent on the run, they have been returned to the school from which they escaped to face ridicule, speculation, and danger.

Welcome to St. Vladimir's Academy, a private high school for vampires and the half-bloods who are bound to protect them. The Moroi are vampires, and the descendants of Moroi royalty are the social elite of St. Vladimir's. The Moroi are at constant risk, though. The Strigoi, the fiercest vampires, are out to get them, any way they can. The Moroi are protected by Dhampirs, guardians who are sworn to lay down their lives to assure that the Moroi bloodlines continue.

Rose is a Dhampir and Lissa is the last of the Dragomir line of Moroi royalty. Rose and Lissa share a special bond; one that nearly assures that Rose will be Lissa's guardian for life. Returning to school, however, proves to be more difficult than either of them imagined. The social politics have changed during their absence and Rose and Lissa are both the topic of several rumors. Their sudden disappearance, their time on the run, and their return are all subjects for speculation. In some instances, the truth may cause them more harm than rumors ever could.

In addition to the social pressures, Lissa may be in even more danger than anyone could have imagined. In addition to being Moroi and royalty, Lissa seems to have special abilities that haven't been seen among the Moroi in centuries. Abilities that make her an even more tantalizing target to the Strigoi.

VAMPIRE ACADEMY is a thrilling adventure that draws you along and makes you continue to turn the pages. As the danger to Lissa gets closer, it gets more difficult to put the book down. In a world that seems saturated with vampire books, Richelle Mead has created characters and a world that is both unique and believable.

Reviewed by: JodiG.