A few weeks back I confessed that I'd never finished the Vampire Academy series. Then Steph at TheFakeSteph tweeted back that she wanted to read the books over the summer, and Ashelynn of Gypsy Book Reviews tweeted us that she'd love to re-read the books.
And so St. Vladimir's Summer School was born -- or reborn? It's just like a John Hughes movie: we have fresh-faced new girl Steph, the slacker series drop-out (I guess that would be me), and Ashelynn, who apparently just can't get enough of school. Or vampires. Or both. Look for her in the front row for sure.
On Wednesdays this summer, we'll be blogging about our Vampire Academy journey. If you've read the books and want to chime in, or if you're curious about this much beloved series, we hope you enjoy following along. Who knows what could happen? There may be quizzes, Q &A, group discussions, and even detention for people who don't do their reading. If we remember to do it, look for tweets with the hashtag #vladass.
Week One: Welcome to Class! Assigned Reading: Vampire Academy, book one
Okay, I think I was the first one to finish the reading. What? I'm not the slacker! I'm the nerd! I decided I'm not going to do traditional reviews. This is summer school. I'm going to just tell you my impressions.
Here's what I love so far about Vampire Academy:
Misunderstood heroine:
I must feel misunderstood myself, because I do love a heroine who feels like everyone has the wrong idea about her. Poor Rose. She's so loyal to Lissa, and because she's a dhampir, people at St. Vladimir's assume all that she's all slutty and stuff, even though she's not. She did let Lissa drink her blood, but that was an emergency.
Forbidden love: Yes, Dimitri is all grown up, and quite a bit older than Rose. And they're both supposed to guard Lissa, so they'll get distracted from protecting her if they're in a lip lock. Forbidden love is great! And Dimitri is so hard to read. It's driving poor Rose crazy. If she could read his mind, this would be a whole different book.
Boarding school: Without parents around, you can get into all kinds of trouble...
Vampire lore: I'm still trying to master the dhampir/moroi/strigoi thing. Rose re-explans it in every book, so I think I'm getting there.
School dance:
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I need Steph to make one of her famous clothes collages for Rose's strapless black dress and diamond rose pendant. Above is my best effort. Whoa -- that pendant was EVIL!
(Dress by Herve Leger, necklace by Jewelry Kingdom. Click on images for more info.)
Complicated female relationships: A lot of books have three types of female characters: the heroine, the mean girl and the sassy sidekick BFF. The relationship between Lissa and Rose is such a messed-up mix of love and duty and obligation. Good stuff!
Have you read this series? Tell me what you loved about it, but don't tell me what happens next!
Then be sure to go over to see what Steph thought. Did she make me a clothes collage? Does Ashelynn need detention already?
I LOVE YOUR PENDANT!!!!! I made a clothes collage, but it is going to post on Saturday. And your pendant is WAY better than mine. It was so hard to find! And you're totally right about Lissa and Rose. As messed up as their relationship is sometimes, I loved seeing a relationship between two girls that was actually real. I feel like we only get friendship in books between boys or between a boy and girl (that turns into love). I was thinking about this while reading Throne of Glass, because there are two kickass girls who are becoming friends and it is refreshing and amazing!
ReplyDeleteI'm still seething in jealousy that you found the perfect pendant. :)
DeleteI think I just Googled "rose pendant encrusted in diamonds." People make fun of my Google searches but you need to be very specific.
DeleteI've never had much interest in these books (I don't like vampires) but I do love the boarding school setting-there is so much potential for young people to get up to mischief and it makes sense that parental supervision is nil unlike in so many contemporaries or paranormals set in the heroine's home where her parents are oblivious.
ReplyDeleteI don't LOVE vampire books, but these are just SO addictive!!
DeleteGreat thoughts!! I will eventually get around to this series. I really want to read them. What an awesome pendant!!
ReplyDeleteYou must read the series. I think you would love it!!
DeleteI just got the first book from my library. I am going to try to read it a few chapters at a time between books. I have three weeks before it has to go back. :)
Delete:P Hey, I'll try to be good in this school!
ReplyDeleteAlso, the thing I really do love about VA is that there *is* a friendship. With most PNR's it's either love interest + MC or MC and friend (although that isn't likely) and this one has it all. Which is why I really do love it!
and of course I love the forbidden romance. I am ALLLLL about the forbidden romance.
You know, I would so get into detention for lusting after Dimitri, I just realized. Hm, maybe you are on something. :P
Dimitri doesn't really do it for me. I mean, I like reading about him with Rose and all. I think I'd go for Christian...
DeleteI swear to you, this series just gets better and better. Of course, I am a total Richelle Mead fangirl. She is my favorite author and this is my favorite series. The forbidden romance gets juicier and forbiddener. And Rose--even more misunderstood. Just keep on because OMG THINGS GET EPIC!
ReplyDeleteForbiddener? Love that!
DeleteThis in interesting. I never got into this series, just wasn't that big into vampires. How is this series?
ReplyDeleteIt's really good. I think you'd like it. I'm not SO big into vampires, and I think I had trouble getting into the first couple books when they came out, but now that I'm at book three, nothing can stop me from reading the rest!!
DeleteThey sound OK but not enough to buy. Maybe one day I'll borrow or something.
DeleteWHAT?!?!?!? I missed your confession!!!!!! You never finished the series?!?!!!?!?!?!?!?!!?!??!? Where did you stop! The fifth book had the hottest not-sex ever scene with Rose and Adrian! I hope you at least read that. I love this series. I need to go to the library and check them out. I only own the third one. I need to or on some Adrian posts. I'm helping his advocate and going to help bring him to victory in the YA Crush Tourney.
ReplyDeleteI can't explain it. I think I read books one and two and then just got waylaid with stuff in real life or something. But now that I finished book three -- whoa, baby. I'm in!!
DeleteOh, let me count the ways that I love this series. For mostly the same reasons as you.
ReplyDeleteLove this idea!
Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog
I can't wait to keep reading :)
DeleteI've actually never read this series, and have heard amazing things, so maybe I'll try to read along with you! So you are trying to get book two done for next Wednesday?
ReplyDeleteYes, we're trying to do a book a week so we can be done by the end of the summer. Once you start reading, it's hard to stop!
DeleteIf you are going to be handing out detention .. only I have bad memories.
ReplyDeleteMarybelle?? You were sent to detention?
DeleteMaybe it was that dry wit that got you into trouble...
Looooooove this series! I hope you love them too! And they are all out so you don't have to wait for anything!
ReplyDeleteI know -- I so rarely get to read a series one after the other!!
DeleteYOU DID NOT FINISH THE SERIES?!?! *gasps* I just read the series two months ago, and I literally finished it within a week- about a book a day or so. It was sooo good! I'm really happy that you enjoyed Vampire Academy- I totally did and it was so unlike anything else. Just wait until you reach the end of book 3- and I promise you that Blood Promise will rip your heart out and shred it to pieces. I'm not even kidding! ;) Ahh... I really wanna spoil it, but I won't. Just don't go to Goodreads and search for the summary. Super spoilery! :P Anyway, enjoy your summer school! :P (If this did exist, it'd be the coolest summer school!)
ReplyDeleteI know -- I don't know how that happened.
DeleteYep, I got to the end of Blood Promise and yeah, wow. That's some cliffhanger ending.
I love, LOVE this series. I will admit, maybe too much TMI, but Vampire Academy has been sitting in my bathroom as my go to reading. I can never get enough of Rose and Dimitri and I love that you guys are doing St. Vladimir's Summer School! I will definitely be following along. And your dress pick for Rose was spot on! Good Choice!
ReplyDeleteIt is such a fun series and I am really enjoying it!
DeleteSorry I couldn't comment on this yesterday...
ReplyDeleteBut O-M-G... I've read this series! Duh :)
LOVED IT!!!!
Some people said it was slow in the beginning, blah di blah blah... But since I'm the kind of person that likes things people don't, I loved every single book! The last book? I read in a day. I devoured that thick book!
I just finished Shadow Kiss and I can see that I'll be reading faster and faster every time!
DeleteWoop! :D It gets sooo much crazier after that so yes, be prepared to devour them all :D
DeleteI havee never read this series. But...I WANT THAT PENDANT! lol It's stunning! And love this post!!! It has so much of your personality in it! :)
ReplyDeleteI think you'd love the series. I know, no time....
DeleteThat's what must have happened to me and glad I can catch up this summer.
I love VA!! One of my favourite series!! :) I love Rose, she is really great kick-butt character!! :)
ReplyDelete*jaw drops*
ReplyDeleteYou never finished reading this series?! How is this even possible?! This series is one my most favorite ones of all time! I first read VA just after Frostbite was released & fell head over heels in love, BUT I then had to wait a debilitating six months to a year until Shadow Kiss with released. Then the wait began again for Blood Promise. Then Spirit Bound. Then the Last Sacrifice. Basically, a lot of waiting :D
I agree, Dimitri can be a little hard to read, but I think that just adds to his foreign-accent, forbidden-love, mysterious allure :D
I know, I know!
DeleteI think I must have stopped somewhere in the first two books. Because I just finished Shadow Kiss and nothing could stop me now!
I so rarely read a series without the long wait, so I'm loving this!
I haven't read the VA books and at this time I have too many other ones I want to read but I'm looking forward to your "classes'.
ReplyDeleteI think that's what must have happened to me. But glad you will stop in and join us!
DeleteI waited to read this series until they were all out and then I read them all in succession in a week or so (the best way to read a series I think). It was the second vampire series I tried after Twilight. The second one I tried - House of Night series - I couldn't stand. I liked the Vampire Academy series much better - happily. It isn't my normal type of book series as I definitely wouldn't describe it as clean, but it is very fun and I love the characters, which is why I stuck through it. I'll be reading her next set after there are more of them out. I'm looking forward to seeing what you think.
ReplyDeleteThis is my favorite series ever! I wont be reading it again because if I do, I'll get sucked right back to the world of Rose and Dimitri and there's no getting out of there for months afterward. I have enough books to read, and I don't want to miss my chance to read them if I get distracted by Dimitri..
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the story. It's different and it's fun and complicated. There's a lot going on and you should definitely continue reading it. It gets better and there are more challenges thrown at Rose..
The only bad thing about the series I can think of is that it's over.
Great post. I love the pendant.
I haven't read this series yet. In fact, I have seen it around everywhere for years but I wasn't interested enough to add it to my TBR list. But in the end of May (according to Goodreads) I gave in for some reason and added it to my TBR list. I can't remember why... But it does sound like a good series! Too bad I'm reading contemps right now or I'd join you guys!
ReplyDeletelove this review!
ReplyDelete