Move Over, Twilight: Try Vampire Academy

At this point, there are two kinds of readers (and media consumers) out there: those who can’t get enough of vampires and those who can’t stand to hear the word vampire.

That being said, like any genre, there are some fantastic books and some that just don’t quite make the cut. I enjoyed the Twilight series even though I was fully cognizant of its faults and irksome elements, one being its weak female heroine. (Don’t forget this post on what to read post-Twilight.)

Then I found local author Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series that feature a badass female protagonist, exciting plot twists and consistently solid writing.

The first book, Vampire Academy, introduces the two main characters, Rose Hathaway and Lissa Dragomir. Rose is a Dhampir, a race born of mixed human and vampire blood trained to protect the mortal vampires, the Moroi, from the vicious undead variety, the Strigoi. Lissa is a Moroi and a Royal, the last in her family’s line after her parents and brother died in a crash. Rose and Lissa left the safe confines of St. Vladimir’s Academy when Lissa’s life became threatened by Strigoi. They are dragged back where Rose is confronted with the repurcussions of their two years on the lam, and where Rose meets her handsome, steely tutor, Dimitri.

Mead plunges you into the action and into her intriguing world from the get-go and the romance is much less tame than in the Twilight books.

What makes Rose such a great character? She’s a rule-breaker and a risk-taker yet fiercely loyal.  She’s intelligent and strong-willed yet makes mistakes. She’s funny and disarming and ultimately a very real and complete character.

I just read the 5th book in the series, Spirit Bound, and it ends on such an unexpected cliffhanger, that I am waiting rather impatiently for the next installment. Book 6, coming in December, should be the last book about Rose. Mead plans on continuing the series as a spin-off featuring different characters.

I should mention that Richelle Mead also writes adult urban fantasy and that you can get signed copies of her books at the University Book Store, her favorite local independent.