So I said I wouldn't read this after being warned about 10 million times that they stop being worth the bother after book 3. I said it repeatedly, earnestly... and then I caved. I mean, what do you do when you've nothing ahead of you but a day at the library and when you turn around...dum, dum, dum... there it is, the internationally praised series that you swore you would never... but then what if you felt different?... how can you expect to deal with not finding out for yourself? So I guess I'm going to be the whole 'curiosity killed the cat' cliche when I get past book 3, not to mention the one about being a 'glutton for punishment'.But, as I've been told and as I therefore expected, this first book in the series I've been putting off was really good. I'm not surprised I liked the writing style seeing as I'm already a Richelle Mead fan after reading her Succubus series. She uses traditional urban fantasy features like supernatural creatures and mythology but has a very chick-lit feel to her books which I like. My favourite hobby is to read about spunky, sarcastic heroines who aren't afraid to express their sexuality. I expected Mead to be somewhat more vanilla in a young adult novel but she (not surprisingly) pushed the boundaries and made this quite a sexy novel.It's basically the vampire version of high school, complete with bitchiness, cliques and hot but obnoxious guys. I also found it one of the best depictions of friendship between two teenage girls that I've read in a long time, Rose and Lissa are simply delightful characters. It did make me really want to read book 2 but I will be progressing with caution throughout. I couldn't help myself, I've been warned countless times and read reviews that talk about Mead's later failures with this series, but I still had to find out for myself. I'm annoying like that.

So I watched the movie aaaaaand I hated it. I also made a comic review of the thing on the blog! But I'll also post it here for your reading pleasure. Warning: a lot of Dimitri shots.QUICK RANT: <--- THIS is the hot Dimitri?! THIS?! WHO THE HELL IS THIS. WHO THE FUCK IS THIS CRETIN. HE IS NOT THE DIMITRI I EXPECTED.I'm not sure I can endure the movie now.~End rant~And Bubbles makes her comeback yet again! I've been a fan of Richelle Mead since I started her Game of X series, but before that, I have never ever tried her much-popular Vampire Academy series... until today. My paperback copy has been waiting for me for two years, and I have finally given in and opened the first page! Bubbles will be sharing her opinion in my stead... get ready!

2.5 starsEhhhhhhhIt took quite a few chapters for me to get into this one, and even then it was pretty easy to put down.I'm not saying it was awful, but I really didn't feel much of anything for the characters. And for the first half of the book I kinda thought Rose was a lesbian.Not that there's anything wrong with that.It was just doubly confusing for me when she got the crush on her mentor...or whatever he is.But since everyone seems to think these books are The Greatest, I'm going to give the next book in the series a shot.PS - I read the rest of the books, and never really...Yeah, this series just wasn't for me.

I finally decided to bite the bullet and pick this series up. I'll be honest, I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did! So easy to read and Rose was a spunky, outspoken heroine and I love that Richelle Mead wasn't afraid to make Rose so sexually confident and confident in herself too. It was SO REFRESHING Full review to come (maybe.)

Vampire Academy is a series I am very familar with. This was a re-read for me considering I have basically been reading these books every year since I was 13 (meaning six years). Coming back to this series is like a warm hug as every character is familar, the plot is familar, the tone is familar. I was glad this re-read was successful as a lot of re-reads I have done this year have left me disappointed. Vampire Academy is a well-known series, whether becasue the covers are ugly or because of the kickass characters or the movie flop I don't know. This series, however, displays some kickass female characters and some kickass female friendships (which, how often do you really see in YA?) I won't even try to summarise the story because I'll probably accidentally throw spoilers in, I just recommend picking up this series. Ignore the ugly covers. Pick it up.As a warning this review will be short for two reasons. 1 - it's hard to express my feelings in words about this series so I will probably just use gifs. 2 - I am being barked at in the face right now as I type this out. Also, I am using gifs from the Vampire Academy movie, but that does not mean I really enjoyed said movie. CharactersRoseOh Rose, our kickass female main character. I could go on forever about Rose. About how absolutely empowering it is to have a female character who can and will kickass. I mean she's not perfect, she slut shames constantly and is a hypocrite in some aspects. But, she's a smart ass who will give a lashing to anyone who gives her crap and her main goal is to protect her best friend, Lissa. Rose is a Dhampir, which is basically someone who is half Moroi (vampire) and half human. She is one of the few females training to become someone who protects the Moroi, the rest labeled "blood whores" - most commonly so by Rose. I really enjoyed watching Rose train throughout the book and get her strength back, watching the devlopment she has from reckless teenager to dedicated warrior. DimitriDimitri is another Dhampir, someone who is an official Guardian (meaning he protects the Moroi as a career). I'll be the first to admit I'm not a Dimitri fan. I don't like him. At all. I find him creepy, unprofessional and slightly unnerving. He is painted to be a God. To be the best Guardian there is, basically. However, I found his stoic response a lot of the time an asshole move that had me rolling my eyes a lot of the book (and every time I read it). I also get slightly unnerved over his feelings for Rose, it is the student-teacher relationship that has me cringing at the pure idea their relationship. Now, thats not to say I don't ship Rose and Dimitri. I do, I love their progression through the novels and as I re-read this series I think that will become obvious throughout my reviews. It is, however, just the introduction of Dimitri that rubs me the wrong way every time I re-read this series. ChristianChristian is a Moroi who has the affinity over fire, and is one of my favourite characters in this series. He rivals Rose in every way and the pair of them are absolutely hilarious when they are interacting. I always get a good laugh from the banter exchanged from the pair of them throughout Vampire Academy. I can't say too much more about his character, however, without spoiling what happens in this particular book. I mean, I may be able to, but I don't really want to. LissaLissa is another Moroi, and Rose's absolute best friend. The pair of them have been through thick and thin, which includes being in the car crash which murdered Lissa's entire family. Due to this experience, or so it's hinted at, the pair of them have a bond. Now, I don't mean they've connected through the loss of people close to them. No. I mean, Rose can literally feel what Lissa is feeling. It is a big strange, yes, but the more we see it through Rose's perspective the more interesting it really gets. Lissa is an incredibly complex character, she has never developed a particular skill over one of the elements like Moroi are supposed to. She struggles with who she is and she has a stronger compulsion over people than others of her kind. Her progression, downfall, and rise throughout the book are incredible to watch and it only gets more intense the further along you get in the books. World-BuildingThe world-building in the book is incredibly easy to follow. It is set in modern society with a few twists to place the paranormal creatures. Rose also explains what each word means, which doesn't leave you confused and struggling to grasp what a "Moroi" is. PlotThe plot?WritingMead draws you in with her easy writing style, it's easy to fall in love with and easy to follow the story as it progresses. It's creative, of course, but it isn't complicated in the way you have to fully stop reading to understand the joke that is being made to you. She is also amazing at foreshadowing. OverallOverall, if I can continue to love this book after six years of re-reads I think I am highly advised to tell you to pick it up.