Vampire Academy Review- Spoilers

  As fall wraps up,  I wanted to share my review of a fall-themed book, Vampire Academy.  Also, disclaimer, I read some of the book last year, but I ended up not finishing it. There were some parts of the plots that I recognized while reading. However, I felt like I read the book with a fresh point of view since it has been some time since I last read it.   Warning, spoilers below.

 What are the good parts of the book?

I was pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns of the plot. The book kept me on the edge of my seat.  I also enjoyed how the writer teased information over time, like with the reason why Rose and Lissa left the academy. It kept me hooked onto the story and wanting to read more. Most of the characters were likable. The author also did a great job with writing complex characters. 

What are the not so great parts of the book?

I found the main character annoying.  While I appreciate the effort to write a strong female heroine, I found the character cocky. It was annoying to repetitively read that she was aware of how attractive she was. Not only did I find her cockiness annoying, but it irked me that she was always ready to start an argument with anyone.  I found myself cringing every time she wanted to threaten someone. 

There were also scenes with someone cutting themself, and I was uncomfortable reading it. Granted, this book was published in 2007, so a lot of things have changed since then. Personally, if I wrote this book, I would not include self-harm scenes. The character eventually was hospitalized and received medications for her mental health. But even with this, I was not comfortable with the inclusion of self-harm scenes in this book. Especially if the friend’s response to getting mental health treatment is this: “I wasn’t a big fan of pills, but I’d cheer on anything that would help her.” I appreciate the sentiment in the second half, but I am so disappointed in the first half.

How was the romance?

I appreciate the slow burn of the main ML and I liked how the male lead was respectful of the FL. This is not your typical teen romance where you see the progression from first time holding hands to first dates, but I actually liked the development of the romance. There were some swoon worthy lines and scenes. I also liked the development of the relationship between Christian and Lissa. 

Final Thoughts

Overall, my rating for this book was 7/10. The plot was engaging and it kept me on my toes, but there were some things that did not sit right with me. I’ll read the second book eventually, and I’m curious to see what the characters’ journeys are in the next book. See you in the next review!