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.