Vampire Academy: A Graphic Novel

This is a graphic novel adaptation of the entire first Vampire Academy novel. While I thought the original book was better, this wasn't all that bad.

My favorite thing about this adaptation was the artwork, which, other than a few odd-looking panels, usually looked really good - Vieceli's character designs were nice. Surprisingly, this adaptation was less shy about mentioning sex and showing skin than some adaptations of novels for adults I've seen (for example, the OEL manga adaption of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunters series). The scene with Jesse on the couch and the scene with Dimitri and the necklace were both included. I actually liked the scene with Dimitri even better in the graphic novel than in the original book, because it was show more clearer that something fishy was going on and that Rose's brain hadn't suddenly been overridden by her hormones.

While nothing was changed in this adaptation (as far as I can remember), a few things were definitely left out. For example, although the scene with Rose and Jesse on the couch was included, Rose's partying and drinking was completely cut. I didn't mind this, because I thought it made her seem more focused and dedicated to her goal of becoming Lissa's guardian.

However, the cuts did make for some confusing moments. At one point in the graphic novel, Rose is “exiled” in her dorm room. I'm pretty sure that, in the original book, Rose got in trouble and was told to stay in her room, but in the graphic novel there was no evidence of this. In fact, the one who'd just gotten in trouble was Christian. Another odd moment: the flashback to the scene with Lissa, Rose, Ms. Karp, and the bird was basically just stuck into the story – the scene in which the bird was brought back to life was left out, so the extent of Lissa and Ms. Karp's powers wasn't as clear as it should have been.

Also, it bugged me that the graphic novel never mentioned why Lissa and Rose decided to run away from the Academy. The closest thing to an explanation that readers get is that Ms. Karp told Rose they needed to run away – that's it.

In short, the artwork was nice, but the story was a little choppy and lacked a few necessary explanations. Fans of the original book might enjoy it, if they can get past the things that were cut. Vampire Academy newbies might be a little confused, but would at least get a taste of what to expect.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

It's been a while since I'd read Vampire Academy. I absolutely love the series but I think my love for it has been overshadowed by just how much I love the Bloodlines series and I'm still a little pissed at Rose and her treatment of Adrian (even though I think things are going to be way better for Adrian with Sydney). But this little graphic novel reminded me of my first love of the series. It was well drawn and there was just enough of the story there to remind me what happened and how it all began. I'm curious to see the second one.

This made me want to read the original books to see what happens but I have a sneaking suspicion that this isn't far from the original. It's an interesting story and an interesting premise.

Lissa Dragomir is a mortal vampire, part of the royal family and has to be protected from evil vampires, she has powers that she's cagy about using because they backlash. Rose Hathaway is Lissa's best friend, bodyguard and occasional blood source, their relationship is complicated and intense. They can sense each other.

It's not a bad book, I'm looking forward to more in this series.

I love VA.I had to make that clear.I am not sure about my feelings for the Graphic novel though.The cut out half the lipgloss scene :( .If you have read the books you know what I am talking about.The one where Dimka gives to Roza Victor's necklace and then a lip gloss he bought for her because the one she had was running empty.I love that scene!I made realise how sweet Dimka can be and how much he actually cares for her.The other thing I did not liked is they way the characters looked and especially Dimitri. Maybe it was because I had a different image in my mind or because they can not be drawed perfectly.The story prety much stays the same as I already ( and maybe you) knew. I still though turned every page eargerly waiting what was show more going to happen next.Only the most important events were transfered in this book and I was happy reliving it.It took me less than 1 to 2 hours to finish it and that made me think that the graphic novel is the best way someone can find to see what's going on with the VA books if he wants to see the movie but not read the books. show less

Vampire Academy is the latest young adult series to get the graphic novel treatment, as we have seen recently with the Twilight series. As Vampire Academy is a favorite series of mine, I have a picture in my head of what the characters look like and I wondered how the graphic novel would compare. The writing in Vampire Academy is so descriptive and vivid it would seem to lend itself well to this format. This graphic novel is a fast paced and quick read, and surprisingly manages to include the entire story of the first book in its slim volume. Recommended for fans of the series and for those who want a quick visual look at what the series is all about.

I have not read too many graphic novels, but I found the artwork to be striking, and show more the emotions of the characters came through the pages. It is a treat to revisit a familiar story in this visual format and see scenes from the book come alive in the pages. The characters that most lined up with my expectations are Rose, Christian and Mason. Rose looks physically as I would expect and her tough and feisty yet vulnerable demeanor shines through. Dimitri looks a bit different than I would expect. He is more bulked up than I imagined, but at least he’s wearing his familiar brown duster and reading western novels. Even though the characters did not always line up with my expectations, I enjoyed looking at the scenes in this visual format. It gave me the opportunity to view the book again with fresh eyes.

The adaptation is impressive considering most of the major plot points are included from the original 332 page book. The book moves very swiftly through the story so every scene is important. Due to the book’s length and pacing some of the plot details are not fleshed out, so you may get more out of it if you have read the book first. The graphic novel does do a good job with getting the main points across and with the character traits.

The graphic novel is recommended for young adults due to language and sexual situations, as in the original book. The colorful graphic novel will make a great addition to your Vampire Academy library and give you a new way to look at the story. Graphic novel fans should enjoy reading this to get a taste of the Vampire Academy world before diving into the books.

I'm giving away my copy of the book on my blog. Ends August 5. show less

For what I have come to know of graphic novels this version does not have much on the side of "novel". I have read the book, the first in the very well known Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead and was very much looking forward to see how it was interpreted into graphic novel form.

The first thing I noticed was the format of this particular book, it's glossy full colored pages are very detailed and eye catching I think the artist did a great job. What I was surprised to see was the lack of dialogue and "novel". The story has been shortened so much it just includes the basic points that drive the story, lots of drama and huge emotional scenes, and then it's over.

What this does lead to is a very fast paced action packed story. All key show more points are hit on and a great re-cap of book one of the series. It's a very short book at 144 pages it can be easily read through in one sitting. There is just enough intrigue and romantic influence that the reader can get a feel to the characters and the world. show less

Vampire Academy is the latest young adult series to get the graphic novel treatment, as we have seen recently with the Twilight series. As Vampire Academy is a favorite series of mine, I have a picture in my head of what the characters look like and I wondered how the graphic novel would compare. The writing in Vampire Academy is so descriptive and vivid it would seem to lend itself well to this format. This graphic novel is a fast paced and quick read, and surprisingly manages to include the entire story of the first book in its slim volume. Recommended for fans of the series and for those who want a quick visual look at what the series is all about.

I have not read too many graphic novels, but I found the artwork to be striking, and show more the emotions of the characters came through the pages. It is a treat to revisit a familiar story in this visual format and see scenes from the book come alive in the pages. The characters that most lined up with my expectations are Rose, Christian and Mason. Rose looks physically as I would expect and her tough and feisty yet vulnerable demeanor shines through. Dimitri looks a bit different than I would expect. He is more bulked up than I imagined, but at least he’s wearing his familiar brown duster and reading western novels. Even though the characters did not always line up with my expectations, I enjoyed looking at the scenes in this visual format. It gave me the opportunity to view the book again with fresh eyes.

The adaptation is impressive considering most of the major plot points are included from the original 332 page book. The book moves very swiftly through the story so every scene is important. Due to the book’s length and pacing some of the plot details are not fleshed out, so you may get more out of it if you have read the book first. The graphic novel does do a good job with getting the main points across and with the character traits.

The graphic novel is recommended for young adults due to language and sexual situations, as in the original book. The colorful graphic novel will make a great addition to your Vampire Academy library and give you a new way to look at the story. Graphic novel fans should enjoy reading this to get a taste of the Vampire Academy world before diving into the books. show less