This book is okay just to have fun with. The plot isn't particularly unique, but it is intriguing. It has enough supernatural romance and modern teen affairs to keep readers interested. The characters are strong, if a little stereotypical, and I look forward to see them progress later in the series. The writing itself needs a little work, for there was a lot of typos and grammar mistakes, but its easy enough to understand. This series has a lot of potential, and I believe it is better for vampire-loving girls than Twilight. ( )

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with an unbreakable bond to Rose. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest and most dangerous vampires-the ones who never die.

The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making her one of them.

After two years of illicit freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimirs Academy, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. Rose will continue her Dhampir education. Lissa will go back to being Queen of the elite Moroi social scene. And both girls will resume breaking Academy hearts.

Fear made Lissa and Rose run away from St. Vladimir's-inside the academy's iron gates their world is even more fraught with danger. Here, the cutthroat ranks of the Moroi perform unspeakable rituals, and their secretive nature and love of the night creates an enigmatic world full of social complexities. Rose and Lissa must navigate through this dangerous world, confront the temptation of forbidden romance, and never once let their guard down, lest the Strigoi make Lissa one of them forever.... ( )

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. ( )