Vampire Academy

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with an unbreakable bond to the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest and most dangerous vampires--the ones who never die.

The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a Dhampir; she is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making her one of them.

After two years of illicit freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. Rose will continue her Dhampir education. Lissa will go back to being Queen of the elite Moroi social scene. And both girls will resume breaking hearts.

Fear made Lissa and Rose run away from St. Vladimir's--but their world is fraught with danger both inside and out of the Academy's iron gates. Here, the cutthroat ranks of the Moroi perform unspeakable rituals and their secretive nature and love of the night creates an enigmatic world full of social complexities. Rose and Lissa must navigate through this dangerous world, confront the temptation of forbidden romance, and never once let their guard down, lest the Strigoi make Lissa one of them forever...

Vampire Academy is an awesome book by author Richelle Mead. It follows the story of Rose Hathaway as she prepares to spend the rest of her life protecting her best friend, Lissa, who she shares an unbreakable bond. After an accident that claimed the lives of Lissa's family, she developed abilities that no one else has seen for centuries. Like bringing the dead back to life.

While back at the Academy, Rose and Lissa face new obstacles. A rivalry with a girl who hates Lissa for reasons unknown to her as well as forbidden love. Rose is forced to train with her mentor, Dimitri Belikov, who she has fallen in love with. And Dimitri isn't indifferent to her. But the fact that both will be Lissa's guardians once she graduates. As if that wasn't enough, there is the little problem with their ages. Rose is 17 and Dimitri is 24.

For Lissa, things have not been easy. She is attracted to Christian Ozera, an outcast royal, but she is dating another guy. And her problems don't start there. Someone keeps leaving dead animals in her dorm, bent on driving her to use her powers. How will these girls deal with the problems that they will face.

I really enjoyed this series because the characters are awesome. Rose is a punch first, ask questions later type of girl. She is truly admirable and very brave. I love how she always puts Lissa's happiness before her own. And let's not forget about her Russian love interest Dimitri. He is most definitely an awesome character. Although their love is impossible, one can't help but cheer them on.

The Dark Divine

A prodigal son

A dangerous love

A deadly secret . . .

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared—the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in blood. But she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night really held. And when Daniel returns three years later, Grace can no longer deny her attraction to him, despite promising Jude she’ll stay away.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, her actions stir the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind Jude and Daniel's dark secret . . . and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it—her soul.

Okay, so when I first started reading this book, I must say that I was hooked. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain is truly DIVINE! I really enjoyed reading about the life of a pastor's daughter. Grace is an admirable girl who has choices to make that affect not only her life but the life of others. And her choices can either mean life or death and good and evil. Being a pastor's daughter isn't easy at all. Everyone expects her to be perfect: the perfect daughter, the perfect student and all around the perfect human being. Her name is a huge burden--Grace Divine-- because she feels as if too much is expected of her and she sometimes doesn't feel like she can live up to it.

This is especially true when Daniel Kalbi, a boy that she had a crush on since they were children mysteriously reappears in her life, two years after he had disappered from her life. Since the night that her brother came home near death, she had no idea of what happened. But his return causes old feelings to resurface. And as she tries to solve the mystery of that night and figure Daniel out, Grace discovers more than she originally bargained for. Meanwhile, her brother Jude spirals out of sync with his life, slowly becoming and unknowingly becoming what he fears. A monster.

Dark and obscure werewolf lore if you ask me. The Dark Divine is a masterpiece. I was definitely wowed by Grace's feelings for Daniel as well as her loyalty to her brother. I wouldn't want to be in her shoes because having to choose between love and family isn't easy. But Grace seems to realize that her choice could save Daniel from the monster that Jude believes him to be (and that he tries so hard to suppress). The choice is hers and hers alone. After all she is grace.