Vampire Academy (novel)
Encyclopedia
Vampire Academy is the first book in the Vampire Academy
Vampire academy
*Vampire Academy , a paranormal romance novel from Richelle Mead.*Vampire Academy , the novel series of Richelle Mead's novel.*Vampire Academy , a Romance Fantasy drama film based on the novel....

 series by the American author Richelle Mead.

This book chronicles the life of 17-year-old Rosemarie Hathaway, commonly known as Rose, a dhampir
Dhampir
A Dhampir in Balkan folklore is the child of a vampire father and a human mother. The term is sometimes spelled dhampyre, dhamphir, or dhampyr. Dhampir powers are similar to those of vampires, but without the usual weaknesses...

 and her Moroi
Moroi
A moroi is a type of vampire or ghost in Romanian folklore. A female moroi is called a moroaică...

 best friend Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir after being brought back to their school "St Vladimir's Academy" after being on the run for two years.

Plot

Guardian in training Rosemarie "Rose" Hathaway and Moroi princess Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir are brought back to their school, St. Vladimir's Academy, after running away two years previously. On returning, Guardian Dimitri Belikov, who was the leader of the team of guardians sent to retrieve the two, is assigned to be Lissa's guardian. He offers to mentor Rose in her guardian training as he feels she has potential and with training can make up for the years she has lost. He also believes Rose can be an excellent guardian to Lissa due to the presence of a rare one-sided psychic bond to Lissa which allows her to know the latter's emotions, thoughts, and whereabouts. Rose agrees, knowing this is the only way she will be allowed to remain, and on graduation be Lissa's guardian.
Though they soon fall into the academy life, they find that Lissa has lost her social standing among the other Moroi royals owing to her running away. They decide to keep company with Lissa's "cousin" Natalie Dashkov, who is the daughter of sick and dying Victor Dashkov. On the very first day back they find that another Moroi student, Mia Rinaldi, who is dating Lissa's ex-boyfriend Aaron, holds a grudge against Lissa (and by default Rose). Mia finds every opportunity to insult Lissa and is in turn insulted and threatened by Rose.

Lissa finds a friend, Christian Ozera, much to the ire of the ever protective Rose. Christian's parents had turned Strigoi
Strigoi
In Romanian mythology, strigoi are the troubled souls of the dead rising from the grave. Some strigoi can be living people with certain magical properties. Some of the properties of the strigoi include: the ability to transform into an animal, invisibility, and the propensity to drain the vitality...

 (undead vampires) of their own will for immortality and had been killed by guardians. Rose mistrusts Christian because of his family history. It is also implied that she is jealous of Lissa's interest in him. Rose, in turn, starts falling for Dimitri.
Things start getting worse when Lissa finds dead animals in her room along with threatening letters. Lissa starts going into depression and engages in self mutilation. It is revealed that though she has not specialized in any elemental magic (Air, Water, Fire, and Earth), she has a miraculous ability to heal, which was witnessed by Rose and their teacher Ms. Karp two years back. Rose finds out that this gift is shared by Ms. Karp, who is then taken to a mental institution. They find out that Lissa has affinity for Spirit, that might just be dangerous for her and Rose. This incident along with her increasing depression was what had caused Rose to run away with Lissa. While attending Sunday service, Rose hears that the Moroi saint St. Vladimir could heal people, and suffered from some form of depression. Also, he was protected by his loyal companion the "shadow kissed" Anna with whom he shared a bond.
On returning from a shopping trip with Lissa, Victor, and Natalie, Rose has an accident and on waking up deduces from what Dimitri tells her (that she had a miraculous recovery) that Lissa had healed her. She reaches into her bond and finds that Lissa is lying on the attic of the Church bleeding from self-inflicted cuts. Her reporting this incident causes a slight break in their friendship.

Somehow discovering this, Mia insults Lissa, calling her unstable, causing Rose to punch Mia and break her nose. Detained by teachers and guardians, Rose is unable to follow Lissa; she reaches through her bond while confined to her room and finds that Lissa is being kidnapped by some guardians who assault Christian when he tries to save her.
Rose tries to go and warn Dimitri and instead ends up nearly having sex with him. They stop when Dimitri unclasps a locket gifted by Victor from her neck and he manages to throw it away. It is later revealed that Victor had charmed the locket with a lust charm which causes people to act on already existing attraction, letting go of inhibitions. Through the bond Rose finds out that Victor is the one who kidnapped Lissa and plans to use her to heal his genetic disease. He reveals that Natalie was the one who left the animals in Lissa's room to see her heal them after accidentally catching her doing so. He also reveals that Lissa had specialized in the rare fifth element Spirit, and that her bringing back Rose from the dead after the accident was what caused them to have a bond. Using Spirit is what was causing Lissa's depression. Though Lissa heals Victor for the time being, the school guardians are able to reach the place and rescue her.
On returning, Victor convinces Natalie to turn Strigoi by killing while feeding and gets her to break him free. She injures Rose who was visiting Victor, but is killed by Dimitri.
Dimitri reveals that he too feels for Rose but cannot have a relationship with her because of their age difference and because he won't be able to guard Lissa wholeheartedly if she is near him.

Characters

Rosemarie "Rose" Hathaway - Rose is the seventeen-year-old, half-vampire half-human (Dhampir) protagonist of the Vampire Academy series and is best friends with Princess Lissa Dragomir. She has a one-sided connection (bond) to Lissa, allowing her to read Lissa's thoughts, sense her feelings and see through her eyes. Sarcastic and quick-witted, Rose is training to become Lissa's Guardian and fiercely protective of her. Rose has semi-exotic desert-princess features: big dark eyes, dark brown hair, and lightly tanned skin. She is 5'7 with an athletic but curvy figure (which is envied by the slim Moroi girls). Rose is usually impulsive and believes in physical combat rather than talk.

Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir - A seventeen-year-old Moroi princess and Rose Hathaway's best friend. Lissa is the last vampire in the Dragomir royal line, giving her the title "Princess". Her family died in a car accident when she was fifteen. Lissa is described as angel-like, with long, platinum blond hair and jade green eyes, and having the typical slim Moroi build that makes her look like a runway model. Before she left the Academy, she was in a relationship with Aaron, who Mia Rinaldi started dating after Lissa left. Lissa is usually perceptive and reasonable (due to her using compulsion), managing to think things through which Rose has never been able to do. She is also a very compassionate individual, knowing and wanting to help in the pain of others.

Dimitri Belikov - He is a well-respected twenty-four-year-old Dhampir of Russian origin, assigned to be Lissa's Guardian along with Rose. Dimitri has a slight Russian accent, and likes old western novels. He is described to be about 6 feet 7; has brown eyes, chin length hair dark brown hair, and tanned skin. He is sometimes described as a 'God', referring to his reputation as one of the most 'badass' Guardians around. He offers to mentor and train Rose after their return to the academy. He is described as serious and dedicated and slightly non-social, preferring the company of his western novels rather than socializing.

Christian Ozera - He is an outcast because his parents willingly became Strigoi. He's a royal Moroi who holds radical ideas about fighting against Strigoi. He specializes in Fire magic. His physical appearance is described to be tall with black hair and crystal-blue eyes.

Mason Ashford - a Dhampir who is one of Rose's best friends, and also a novice Guardian like her. He is interested in her romantically, but Rose prefers to see him as a friend. Though that doesn't keep her from flirting with him frequently.

Mia Rinaldi - A non-royal Moroi. Mia holds a grudge against Lissa (and by default, Rose). She is described as having round cheeks and curly blond hair that makes her look very young and almost doll-like.

Victor Dashkov - A royal Moroi with Sandovsky's Disease. He is Natalie's father and was a dear friend of Lissa's father. Due to his disease, he does not have a chance of ever becoming king of the Moroi. He is an individual highly respected and liked by Lissa.

Natalie Dashkov - A royal Moroi with jet-black hair,emerald green eyes and pale skin. She is the daughter of Victor Dashkov, friend, and "cousin" to Vasilisa Dragomir.

Reception

The book received pozitive reviews, with a Goodreads
Goodreads
Goodreads is a privately run "social cataloging" website started in December 2006 by Otis Chandler, a software engineer and entrepreneur. The website permits individuals to sign up and register books to create their library catalogs and reading lists. It also allows users to create their own...

 average of 4.26/5, based on 49,291 ratings. It was listed on the list of Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers and recommended by Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...

, teenbookstoo.com, and Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA). Vampire Academy was also voted number 4 after Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer is an American author known for her vampire romance series Twilight. The Twilight novels have gained worldwide recognition and sold over 100 million copies globally, with translations into 37 different languages...

, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a realistic fiction novel by Jeff Kinney. It is the first book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The book is about a middle-school child named Greg Heffley and his struggles in middle school. Greg also had problems with his best friend, Rowley Jefferson. The books focuses...

 on ALA's teens top 10. The Vampire Academy series was also one of the New York Times Bestseller top ten in the children's books series division..

External links


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