Vampire Academy

Vampire Academy

Vampire Academy – book 1
Author	Richelle Mead
Genre	Young adult, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher	Penguin Group Razorbill

Vampire Academy is a best-selling series of six young-adult paranormal romance novels by American author Richelle Mead. It tells the story of Rose Hathaway, a seventeen-year-old Dhampir girl, who is training to be a bodyguard for her Moroi best friend, Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir. In the process of learning how to defeat Strigoi (the undead and evil vampires) in St. Vladimir's Academy, Rose finds herself caught in a forbidden romance with her handsome instructor, Dimitri Belikov, while having an unbreakable bond with Lissa, her impulsive nature also causes alot of suspition towards rose which causes trouble along the way.

The book is narrated from Rose's point of view. Due to her her mysterious bond with Lissa which links to the forgotten element spirit, Rose is able to slip into her mind, which enables her to read her mind and feelings.

Books

There are six books in the original series, which will be followed by a spin-off series consisting of six more books. As of December 2010, there were more than 4.5 million copies of Vampire Academy books in print.

Books in Order

1. Vampire Academy, 2007, ISBN 978-1-59514-174-3
2. Frostbite, 2008, ISBN 978-1-59514-175-0
3. Shadow Kiss, 2008, ISBN 978-1-59514-197-2
4. Blood Promise, 2009, ISBN 978-1-59514-198-9
5. Spirit Bound, 2010, ISBN 978-1-59514-250-4
6. Last Sacrifice 2010, ISBN 978-1-59514-250-5

Spin-off series

1. Bloodlines, to be released August 23, 2011

The series made its first appearance on the New York Times Best Seller list at #4 with the release of Shadow Kiss. It has since made the list with each new book release, including an appearance at #1 when Spirit Bound was released.

Adaptations

Film

In June 2010, Preger Entertainment optioned the film rights to the Vampire Academy series. On July 6, they announced that producer Don Murphy joined them to help bring the series to the big screen. Larry Clark is scheduled to direct the film adaption of Richelle Mead's novel Vampire Academy.

Graphic novel

A graphic novel of the first Vampire Academy book is scheduled to be released in August, 2011. According to a preview of the front cover, the graphic novel is adapted by Leigh Dragoon and illustrated by Emma Vieceli.

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. Her birthday is at the end of March. She died in the same accident as Lissa's parents and brother in the past, but Lissa unknowingly brought her back, making her a "Shadow-Kissed" Dhampir. Because of this, she has a one-sided 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, while in the process of falling in love with her mentor, Dimitri Belikov. Rose is described as beautiful with 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. She has a strained relationship with her mother, the famous Guardian Janine Hathaway. She is accused of murdering Queen Tatiana at the end of Spirit Bound but is later revealed to be innocent, the real culprit being revealed as Tasha Ozera. She enters into a relationship with Adrian after returning from Russia and denies her feelings for Dimitri throughout the course of Last Sacrifice. Nearing the end of the book, she is surprised to learn of Dimitri's strong feelings for her, feelings he had previously denied. To Dimitri's disbelief, she returns his feelings and they reunite once more. She loses her bond with Lissa in Last Sacrifice when Rose almost dies but comes back on her own, rather than being brought back by Spirit. The series ends with Rose officially starting her relationship with her true love, Dimitri, her future looking bright.

Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir (Vasilisa Sabina Rhea 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, along with Rose, died in a car accident when she was fifteen, but Lissa unknowingly brought Rose back from the dead, creating a bond between them. Lissa is described as beautiful, with long, platinum blond hair and jade green eyes. Her element is the extremely rare "Spirit" like St. Vladimir's, which is a psychic element that comes from the mind and soul. Before she left the Academy, she was in a relationship with Aaron, who Mia Rinaldi started dating after Lissa left. She develops feelings for Christian Ozera in Vampire Academy and starts dating him later on in the same book. Lissa later discovers to have a half-sister, Jill, by her father and subsequently is crowned Queen. She loses her bond with Rose in Last Sacrifice when Rose almost died but came back on her own, rather than being brought back by Spirit. The series ends with her coronation as queen.

Dimitri Belikov – A well-respected twenty-four year-old Dhampir of Russian origin from Siberia, assigned to be Lissa's Guardian along with Rose. Dimitri has a slight Russian accent, and likes old western novels. He is 6'7", has brown eyes, shoulder length hair a few shades lighter than Rose's dark brown hair, and tanned skin. He is sometimes described as a 'god,' in reference to his reputation as one of the most skilled and 'badass' guardians around. He is also Rose's mentor and love interest. He returns Rose's feelings but attempts to stay out of a relationship with her for most of the series, since it would interfere with his guardian duties. He is turned Strigoi at the end of Shadow Kiss and is later turned back by Lissa near the end of Spirit Bound. He becomes increasingly depressed after being turned back to a dhampir, riddled with intense guilt over the things he did while he was Strigoi. He helps Rose break out of prison in Last Sacrifice and goes on the run with her. Throughout the journey, he slowly starts to open his heart and discover life and love again. Though at first claiming to have lost his love for Rose, he later admits otherwise and they begin a relationship nearing the end of Last Sacrifice.

Christian Ozera – Lissa's primary love interest. He is an outcast because his parents (Lucas and Moira) 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. After his parents were killed, he was raised by his aunt Tasha Ozera. He is left devastated at the end of Last Sacrifice, when it was revealed that it was his aunt that killed Tatiana.

Adrian Ivashkov – A royal Moroi and great-nephew of the queen. He has messy but stylish brown hair, emerald green eyes, and high cheekbones; 6'2 to 6'4 tall. He, like Lissa, is a Spirit user and suffers the same side effects as she does. He numbs the effects by drinking alcohol and chain smoking. He and Lissa start to explore the different abilities Spirit users have. Adrian has the ability to "walk dreams," which he often uses to visit Rose when they are both sleeping. Rose meets Adrian at the ski resort in Frostbite where his feelings for her are no secret. He enters into a relationship with Rose in Spirit Bound, but is broken-hearted at the end of Last Sacrifice, when Rose reveals she still loves Dimitri and is unable to continue their relationship.

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 was imprisoned for torturing Lissa into curing his disease with Spirit in Vampire Academy and is later broken out of prison by Rose, Lissa, Eddie, and Mikhail in Spirit Bound. After a Strigoi attack, they lose Victor and his brother Robert Doru in a Las Vegas casino. Rose unintentionally kills him at the end of Last Sacrifice.

Natalie Dashkov – A royal Moroi with jet-black hair and jade green eyes who specializes in earth magic. She is very awkward among other royals and is known for talking a lot. She was once a good friend of Lissa's but later becomes Strigoi to rescue her father Victor from the Academy's jail. Dimitri kills her in Vampire Academy after she tried to kill Rose. In Spirit Bound, it is implied that Victor had her turn Strigoi because he hoped his brother would be able to turn her back after she broke him out.

Mason Ashford – A Dhampir who is one of Rose's best friends, and also a novice Guardian like her. He frequently helps out Rose throughout the series. He is interested in her romantically, and Rose eventually attempts a relationship with him, only to find it fall apart because of her unbreakable connection to Dimitri. He dies in Frostbite while the others (except Rose who is fighting alongside him) escape. His ghost continues to aid Rose in Shadow Kiss and finds peace at the end of Shadow Kiss.

Mia Rinaldi – A non-royal Moroi whose element is Water. Mia holds a grudge against Lissa (and by default, Rose) because of how Lissa's older brother, Andre, used her and broke her heart. She is described as having a soft face and curly blond hair that makes her look very young and almost doll-like. Her parents work for one of the royal families but she prefers to keep it a secret; however, Mason found this out in Vampire Academy and told Rose. After she saved Rose's life in Frostbite, she ends up becoming friends with both Lissa and Rose.

Tasha Ozera – Natasha "Tasha" Ozera is Christian's aunt. Like Christian, she has black hair, wintry blue eyes, and is a Fire user. She took care of Christian when his parents turned Strigoi. She has a scar across her face from the fight she put up when Christian's parents tried to turn him. She is romantically interested in Dimitri, and wanted to have a child with him, but he did not return the feelings because of Rose. She is revealed to be Queen Tatiana's killer in Last Sacrifice, her motive cited as her dislike for the age law. Rose later finds out Tasha still had strong feelings for Dimitri, who was unable to enter a relationship with her due to his love for Rose, explaining Tasha's desire to frame Rose for the crime.

Janine Hathaway – Rose Hathaway's legendary mother who is 5 feet tall, has curly auburn hair, brown eyes, and is very stern. She appears in Frostbite. She is a very 'badass' Dhampir, according to her reputation, who has killed many Strigoi. Her relationship with Rose starts off very sketchy but improves throughout the series.

Ibrahim 'Abe' Mazur – Rose Hathaway's father and a well-known Turkish mobster described as the 'knee cap-breaking' type. His physical appearance is tall (like any other Moroi), slightly broad, dark-haired and threatening, and is known for his unusual fashion sense, wearing bold colors and scarves with a beard and earrings to top it off. Rose once described him as a "pirate mobster." He is guarded by two Dhampirs and is known for making trades, blackmailing, and other illegal businesses. He also has many connections in the Moroi world. Rose meets him during her journey in Siberia in Blood Promise. After Rose was accused of killing Queen Tatiana in Spirit Bound, Abe offers to be her lawyer despite not officially being one.

Sydney Sage – An Alchemist who helps Rose find Dimitri's hometown, Baia, in Siberia. She is a human who knows a lot about Moroi and dhampirs but dislikes them. She has many tricks and techniques in getting rid of Strigoi bodies and is also equipped with a special potion that can turn a dead Strigoi corpse into a fist sized ball so it is unrecognizable. Sydney helps Rose escape from jail and find the last Dragomir in Last Sacrifice.

Queen Tatiana Ivashkov – Ruler of the Moroi and dhampirs. She was killed in Spirit Bound. Rose is accused of killing Tatiana, but she was actually killed by Tasha Ozera. She was also said to have a secret relationship with Ambrose and Blake Lazar. Her political views leaned away from Rose's point of view, causing bad blood between them.

Jillian "Jill" Mastrano – Jillian Mastrano is a Moroi, a water user who attends St. Vladimir's. She is 15, has green eyes and brown curly hair. Her mother is a ballet dancer, and they live in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She meets Rose in Shadow Kiss, and asks her how to fight the old-fashioned way, but Rose tells her to ask Christian Ozera. In Last Sacrifice, she was revealed as the illegitimate daughter of Eric Dragomir, thus the half sister of Lissa.

Eddie Castile – He is a Dhampir and is one of Rose's closest friends after the Spokane incident involving him, Rose, Mason, Christian, and Mia. He's loyal and after the book Frostbite it is told he matures a lot from Spokane. He was also the best friend of Mason Ashford. In Last Sacrifice, he kills a Moroi defending Lissa, and is tried for his actions.

Minor characters

Headmistress Kirova- Headmistress at St. Vladimir's.

Alberta Petrov- The captain of the guardians at St. Vladimir's. She is revealed to have known about Dimitri and Rose's relationship.

Stan Alto- A male guardian and teacher at St. Vladimir's. He and Rose often fought.

Aaron- Lissa's ex-boyfriend. He started dating Mia Rinaldi while Lissa and Rose were gone.

Ralf Sarcozy-member of the "Mana" club. He and Jesse invites Christian to join their club, but Christian refuses. Later, they invite Lissa to join their club. Lissa agrees, finding the invitation as a chance to spy on them. After they invite her, they attack her, and Rose comes to Lissa's aid. Due to Lissa's Spirit powers, Rose is persuaded to torture them, until Dimitri and Alberta arrive.

Jesse Zeklos - Was caught by Dimitri for making out with Rose in Vampire Academy. A member of the "Mana" club. He helped Ralf attack Lissa in the woods.

Dr. Olendzki – A Moroi who is the doctor at St. Vladimir's.

Robert Doru – Victor's half-brother and a spirit user. He was apparently the first Moroi ever to restore a Strigoi back to Dhampir or Moroi. He made his first appearance in Spirit Bound.

Daniella Ivashkov -Adrian's mother. She appears kind towards Rose and oddly accepting of her and Adrian's relationship. She pays Joe, a janitor, to testify that he saw Adrian the night Tatiana was killed to cross Adrian's name out of the list of suspects. She is revealed to have known about Jill and stealing any of the Alchemist's records of her.

Emily Mastrano- Jill's mother who is a ballerina dancer. When she was young she worked in Las Vegas as a dancer, where she met Eric Dragomir and had a brief affair with him, thus creating Jill.

Sonya Karp – Former teacher at St Vladimir's. She is a skilled Spirit user, then she turned Strigoi after finding her Spirit powers as depressing. She is turned back by Robert Doru in Last Sacrifice and happily reunites with her lover, Mikhail. She aids Rose and Dimitri after being turned back, leading them to Eric Dragomir's illegitimate child, Jill.

Mikhail Tanner (a.k.a. Tomas Sanders in some international books) - Guardian at Court, former lover of Sonya Karp. He helps Rose in Spirit Bound and in Last Sacrifice. He is reunited with Sonya when she is turned.

Priscilla Voda- The Queen's best friend. Appeared in Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, and Spirit Bound. Killed by Dimitri's Strigoi clan in Spirit Bound.

Ambrose – Dhamphir lover of Queen Tatiana.

Rhonda – A psychic at the Moroi court. She is also the aunt of Ambrose. Her

Isaiah – An ancient, powerful Strigoi who kidnaps Rose, Mia, Christian, Eddie and Mason towards the end of Frostbite. He and Elena were Rose's first Strigoi kills.

Elena – Isaiah's second-in-command. She is a recently 'awakened' strigoi. She was killed by Rose.

Olena Belikova- Dimitri's Mother.

Viktoria Belikova- Dimitri's sister.

Yeva Belikova- Dimitri's Grandmother. She is known to have visions.

Karolina Belikova- Dimitri's sister. Has a son, Paul and baby daughter, Zoya.

Sonya Belikova- Dimitri's sister.

Oksana- Another spirit user (from Russia). Lives with her husband Mark, who is bonded to her. She gives Rose a charmed silver ring, infused with spirit, to help her hold back the dark side-effects of Lissa's spirit use.

Headmaster Lazar- The new headmaster in Blood Promise. He has two children; Avery Lazar, and Reed Lazar. He withdraws his position after his daughter's insanity caused by wielding Spirit, leading to her hospitalization in a sanatorium.

Avery Lazar- A royal Moroi who appears in Blood Promise when her father takes over as the academy's headmaster. She makes friends with Lissa and Adrian and expresses interest in Adrian, but after a while of being in Lissa's head, Rose determines that Avery is out to destroy her reputation by getting her to drink and thin down her spirit powers. Rose also figures out that Avery is a spirit user who wants to kill Lissa and make her "shadow-kissed" so that they could share a bond.

Simon – Avery's guardian who is also bonded to her. It is said that Avery found Simon dying after a battle and made him Shadow-kissed.

Reed Lazar – Avery's brother and is bonded to her. Reed is known to be very non-social most of the time. When he does talk he's very rude. He appears in Blood Promise, when his father was the new headmaster. Rumors said that Avery killed him, so that she could make him be Shadow-kissed.

External links

• Official website