Like I said on Twitter, I did an all nighter for this book. I never anticipated that I will enjoy it this much. I can't believe nobody pushed me to read it sooner. I had my eye on this series for a long time now but I read the HON first and that one was horrible, when I read the back cover of the first book for both series, it sounded like the wanna be of each other, a vampire school, royal vampire blood, never ending gossip and politics... But yesterday fianlly I decided to read a chapter inside Barnes and Noble, the next thing I know I went ahead and bought it. And as soon as I got back from watching 2012 with my family, and after helping my with his human needs and tucking him to bed I read till I finish.Rose reminds me of my rebellious teenage years. The sneaking out to go to parties, the smart mouth, a bit disregard towards school authority (the principal-yes!!) and defending friends... that was my connection with this book and her character. Like Dimitri, I am greatly impressed at her will power and dedication in protecting her best friend / charge and Moroi Princess Vasalissa that I am a bit appalled that she is so weak. (I hope that improves soon) But that worked fine, it balances the characterization in the book. Even Jesse, Ralf and Mia's irritating antics and were in place. There are a lot of reason why this book is unputdownable:1. The storyline was intense.2. Dimitri Belikov.3. I cannot seem to stop reading until I find out why they ran away - the first part of the book.4. What's up with Mia? What's with all the hate?5. What exactly is/are Lissa's powers? and How is she connected with Ms. Karp and St. Vladimir.6. Teenage Hormones (well ok, ever since I read that article that this book is banned from a Texas library I wanted to find out where they got the ridiculous notion that this spreads evil amongst teens- the result? Whole lotta bull)7. Who the hell is pulling the atrocious animal killings that puts poor Lissa on the edge?8. The Vampire - Dhampir relationship in this book.So yep, I was sold. I am officially jumping on the bandwagon and I don't care what the haters say, I was greatly entertained, that I am reading the second book as soon as I finish this review. Highly recommended for both YA and adults. ( )

Rose and Lissa are more than best friends. Lissa is part of a royal vampiric but peaceful race; Rose is one of the few female guardians who protect them. And they share a deeper bond that was formerly only true in folktales. They are returned to the Vampire Academy after running away and surviving on their own for a time. Neither is terribly happy to be back in school but they find there is much to learn about themselves and each other. As they re-integrate into school society, Rose strives to keep Lissa safe and sane as they discover the depth of the danger they're in.

Rose and Lissa make an interesting pair. Teen girls will identify with the strong bond of a best friend and hopefully with the conflicted but smart and resilient personalities of the pair. ( )

I picked up this series merely because of the vampire suject and was pleasantly surprised. The books present a world where two kinds of vampires exist along with half-vampires, all unknown to humans. The series is a light read, entertaining and full of action. My only complaint is that there are several grammatical errors throughout the books which can be slightly annoying. ( )

I am not usually one who enjoys this genre of young adult books, but I enjoyed this one and will be reading the next one in the series. I thought this was much better than Twilight. ( )

I enjoyed this book. Even more than I actually expected. I liked the slightly different take on the world of vampires with the Miori and Strigoi and the damphir. And loved the use of the girls’ bond to create a pseudo omniscience. While the plot was fairly predictable (feeding my inner teen girl), there were a few twists in there that I didn’t see coming. I also enjoyed the early set ups for future important events. I really appreciate Mead for adding heat into this book without actually having to be gratuitous. This book gets a 4/5 for the entertainment value (read: crack like draw) and the scene where the teacher reads the girls’ note passed during class. It was nearly all I could do to write this quick review before jumping face first into the next book in the series. This was also my first electronic book experience. It’s no comparison for being able to curl up with a well loved paper text, but for brief computer time distractions, it worked well. ( )