“Love and loyalty run deeper than blood.”Book One – Vampire Academy
“Only a true best friend can protect you from your immortal enemies …”
After being on the run for the past two years, Vasilisa Dragomir, aka Lissa, a Moroi princess and her best friend and guardian-in-training Rosemarie Hathaway, aka Rose, are captured by Dimitri Belikov and returned to St. Vladimir’s Academy. Located in remote Montana, Rose quickly realizes that there is no chance of escape. They are paraded before the entire school before arriving at Headmistress Kirova’s office. Before the lecture can begin, Lissa is reunited with her “whole” prince Victor Dashkov, who is gravely ill. Even though Lissa takes the blame for the girls leaving school, Kirova punishes Rose by kicking her out of school. Lissa protests that her parents wanted rose to be her guardian before their deaths but Kirova stuns the girls when she announces that Guardian Belikov is now the princess’ sanctioned guardian. In a twist of fate, Dimitri takes up for Rose by saying he immediately realized she had a bond to Lissa and it is a gift to be nurtured. The best guardians have a bond. He eventually gets Kirova to relent but only if he tutors Rose with extra training sessions. Rose is also banned from all social activities.
Rose is a dhamper; half human, half vampire, who is in training to become a guardian, like her famous mother is. Moroi, or mortal vampires, are a dying breed being hunted by the Strigoi, who are immortal and evil vampires. Dimitri begins Rose’s additional training with conditioning exercises. Sore in the beginning, it doesn’t take Rose long to quickly gain strength, but Dimitri’s respect is another matter. After catching her making out with a Moroi male, Dimitri gives her a lecture on respecting herself and being dedicated to becoming Lissa’s guardian. Hurt and ashamed, Rose throws herself into her training.
Lissa on the other hand becomes withdrawn, especially when someone places a dead fox in her bed. Rose attempts to run interference but soon find Christian Ozera coming to her aid as well. A loner, Christian is osterized because his parents became Strigoi and were killed because of it. Rose is alarmed when she feels through her bond with Lissa that she is growing closer to him. Rose doesn’t trust Christian.
Rose does begin to find her feelings for Dimitri growing even though she knows she shouldn’t. She continually finds herself drawn to him. Despite constant troubles for both Rose and Lissa, Rose attempts to discover the mystery of Lissa’s powers and the bond between them. What really happened two years earlier at St. Vladimir’s that caused Rose and Lissa to run away? What is the extent of Lissa’s powers and is someone out to use her? Can Christian be trusted? Will Rose be able to fight her growing attraction to her mentor, Dimitri? And When Lissa finds her life in danger; will Rose be strong enough to protect her?
Book Two – Frostbite“When love and jealously collide on the slopes, winter break turns deadly …”
Rose Hathaway is going to take her Qualifier; part exam, part interview, which all novice guardians take during their junior year at St. Vladimir’s Academy. Since she was on the run with Lissa, Rose missed hers so Dimitri is taking her to a guardian off campus to administer the test. Arthur Schoenberg is one of the greatest Strigoi slayers in guardian history and was the former head of the Guardian Council and he will be giving Rose her Qualifier. Arthur is now retired and protecting the Bodicas, a royal Moroi family. Rose and Dimitri realize something is wrong upon their arrival. Dimitri finds the door ajar and tells Rose to stay in the car. Disobeying, she soon finds a silver stake in the yard and broken glass from a rear door. They discover the bodies of Arthur and the Bodica family inside and Rose and Dimitri slowly realize that humans may be helping the Strigoi.
In the aftermath of the attack, the Vampire world is too afraid to travel for the Christmas holiday. So the day after Christmas, a huge Moroi family-owned ski lodge in Idaho is being opened to the Academy students, their families and any other Moroi who wish to go. With everyone in one place with lots of guardians, it figures to be a safe place. Rose is a little excited to get away until her rarely heard from guardian mother, Janine Hathaway arrives at St. Vladimir’s for the holiday. Christian’s aunt, Natasha Ozera also arrives and Rose cannot help but admire her. Rose is a bit rattled to realize Tasha and Dimitri know each other, seemingly well.
At the lodge, Rose attempts to make things work with Mason while trying to put thoughts of Dimitri out of her mind. That proves difficult when her mother lets it slip that Tasha Ozera has requested Dimitri be reassigned to her and become possibly more than Moroi and guardian. Depressed, Rose soon finds that trouble arrives in her life in the form of one Adrian Ivashkov, a wealthy Moroi royal whose reputation precedes him, just as her own does.
Who is behind all the attacks in the Moroi? Can everyone be safe at the ski lodge? Will Rose be able to have some sort of relationship with her mother? Can Rose put all thoughts of Dimitri out of her mind and seriously start dating Mason? What exactly is going on between Dimitri and Tasha? And is Rose playing with literal fire when it comes to Adrian Ivashkov?
“What if following her heart means Rose could lose her best friend forever?”
MAJOR SPOILER ALERTS from here on out. Beware!!!
It has been three weeks since the terrible tragedy in Spokane. Sure Rose not only made her first two Strigoi kills but Mason lost his life. Rose is feeling tremendous guilt not only in her perceived role in his death but the fact that she could not reciprocate his feelings. Everyone assumes they were romantically involved. Now it is time for the senior guardians to undergo their filed experience in order to graduate from St. Vladimir’s. Rose is incensed that she is assigned Christian to guard instead of Lissa. After a heated discussion, Rose slowly understands the reasons even though she is not happy. Unfortunately, Christian is the least of her worries. Rose begins to see Mason around campus as a ghostly apparition and it seems he is trying to tell her something. The icing on the cake is that Victor Dashkov’s trial is impending and neither Rose nor Lissa is called to testify.
Adrian Ivashkov is staying at St. Vladimir’s to work with the spirit magic he shares with Lissa and he is not letting up in his flirtations with Rose. Dimitri is determined to stand by and support Rose during her trying times. But as graduation looms, Rose is becoming conflicted about her future plans. All her life she was told the Moroi always come first, but Dimitri tells Rose that it doesn’t have to be that way. What happens when Rose has to choose between her best friend or following her heart?
“Dimitri’s heart has gone dark.”
Following Dimitri’s “death”, Rose drops out of St. Vladimir’s Academy and heads to Russia in an attempt to fulfill a promise. Once there, Rose goes on a quest of self-discovery that unveils an important piece of her past, tries to rectify the present and sets her future course. Also the minor character of Sydney Sage, the Alchemist, is introduced who becomes the main character in Richelle Mead’s new series, Bloodlines.
Book Five – Spirit Bound
“Rose’s life will never be her own.”
Rose has returned to St. Vladimir’s after her heart wrenching journey to Russia. It is not until her arrival back in the United States does she learn she wasn’t successful and Dimitri has promised to find her. Reenrolling in school, Rose sets out to graduate and become a promised guardian. Meanwhile Lissa dreams of college and reconciling with Christian. But once outside the confines of St. Vladimir’s, Rose and Lissa embark on a dangerous mission to provide that Dimitri’s soul isn’t lost. Can Rose and Lissa figure out how to turn Dimitri back to a dhamper before someone gets staked?
“It all comes down to now.”
Rose Hathaway has always been the strong one, the one to be loyal to her friends and would sacrifice her life for that of her best friend, Lissa Dragomir. Unfortunately the unthinkable has happened. Queen Tatiana id found murdered and someone has framed Rose. With an execution date looming, Rose will have to switch roles when her friends decide to protect her for a change and find the true culprit before she loses her life
This is a graphic novel retelling of the first book in the popular Vampire Academy series. True to the novel version, this version is a delight for fans. Plans are underway to bring to manga form the remaining five books in the series.
Visit Richelle Mead’s website.
Visit the Official Book Series Website.
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