Young Adult Book Reading Challenges discussion

Hello,
I was very curious about this series. I would love to hear others opinions on it. See if it is worth my time :)

Im not really sure if im aloud to start a new topic/discussion thing. So sorry.

But I would still love to hear your thoughts on it!

I thought this series was really good. I have read all of the ones that are out and cant wait for the other one to come out in Dec. There is another group that has discused these books in depth, check it out. It is under the Vampire Addicts Group.

Vampire academy is my favourite series. I loved it, from the first chapter of the first book I was hooked!! The characters are loveable and I have reread all the books(I normally dont reread books, so thats saying something haha). I absolutely recommend reading them =)

There are so many good things to say about VA, it's hard to know where to start. Rose Hathaway, the protagonist of the series, is instantly lovable for her fierce loyalty to her friends and her vulnerability. It's this dichotomy that made me fall in love with Rose as a character. I see in her a faint echo of Sydney Bristow from the TV show Alias, which is another one of my favorites.

And then of course there's Demitri. I've been sitting here for like the last 20 minutes, trying to think of something that can do justice to him. Nothing came to mind. So I guess I'll just be cliche, and say "swoon"!!

The series is the prefect balance of romance, drama, action, and political intrigue. It's got a little bit of everything for everyone. Even the secondary characters play an important role in adding dimension and depth to the VA universe, that makes the series really stand out.

I don't want to spoil it too much, except to say that you won't regret your decision to give it a shot!

Okay, Awesome!

Andrea, I will definetly check out that group!

I think im pretty much convinced :P

VA is REALLY good!!

I just read the first book and I am instantly HOOKED! It's really amazing. The author weaves the story perfectly.

This is my favourite series right now. I can't wait for the last one to come out in November. I am chewing off my nails waiting!

I just read the first book. Although it may start out a little slow, the overall story is very developed by the end, and will have you anxious to read the next one! I would reccommend it if you like Twilight/fantasy books.

It's so much more than just a teen read kinda book!! Its series name: Vampire Academy can be pretty off-putting, especially with all that hype about vampires and all but thing is, once you start, YOU CAN'T STOP.

VA is truly breathtakingly, fantastically, wonderfully, AMAZING. One of the best best BEST series I ever read. To be honest, the idea of anyone disliking the series or finding it boring is pretty much inconceivable. It is definitely not a series to be missed; I just can't WAIT for Last Sacrifice!!!

Love this series! Even though it's YA, it is definitely a sexy series. I highly recommend Richelle Mead's other two series - Georgia Kincaid books (centuries old Succubus who lives in Seattle. There's vampires in this one but not the same type as the VA books) and Dark Swan books (faeries in this one)

Have to agree with everyone LOVE the series and counting down to dec. Has anyone heard what will be in the last one?

Celine wrote: "I just read the first book. Although it may start out a little slow, the overall story is very developed by the end, and will have you anxious to read the next one! I would reccommend it if you l..."

This series drop-kicks Twilight in the rear, then stomps it into a mucky puddle! Did I mention I loathe Twilight?

Courtney wrote: "This series drop-kicks Twilight in the rear, then stomps it into a mucky puddle! Did I mention I loathe Twilight? "

Ditto. Even comparing the two series is an insult to VA.

VA is one of my top vampire series to read. I would say it is tie between VA and the Blue Bloods sereis. I likethe both for different reasons.

One of the reasons I like VA so much is that Rose is such a strong person, sure she may whine and complain a bit, bbut truly, who doesn't.

I say give it a try!

Best series ever. People will hate me for this but I love Adrian. I use to love Dimitri but he's too self-righeous for me and because he's so self-righteous, he keeps repeating the same mistakes. Push Rose away, tell her he doesn't care, oops! Rose is in danger, admits he loves her, circle starts again.

VA series is awesome!!!!!

Sarah wrote: "Best series ever. People will hate me for this but I love Adrian. I use to love Dimitri but he's too self-righeous for me and because he's so self-righteous, he keeps repeating the same mistakes. P..."

Yep, me too. I heart Adrian! Just finished Spirit Bound and I cannot wait for the next book. I was taken by surprise by every plot twist in this one. Best book of the series!

I absolutely love the series and recommend anything by Richelle Mead. The VA series started out a little slow, but soon sucks you in (excuse the pun) and you'll want to read the books without breaks!

I think one of the best things about the series are the characters. The main characters are pretty well-developed and, my favorite bit, a lot of them are not perfect. There are a lot of gray areas in the VA world (both from decisions characters make to the actual VA world itself. Even though the reading is light and fantastic, VA does touch controversial subjects (freedom of choice, age and gender issues and even discrimination).

I have to put my two cents in and say that I've never really been partial to Adrian as a character. It doesn't have to do anything with Dimitri (which I believe will redeem himself in the last book). I just don't gel with him or his 'woe-is-I rich boy' persona. He has some excellent lines, though!

Lori wrote: "VA is one of my top vampire series to read. I would say it is tie between VA and the Blue Bloods sereis. I likethe both for different reasons.

One of the reasons I like VA so much is that Rose..."


Hmm.. I find that VA is so much more better than the Blue Bloods series.... Maybe 'coz I feel like the BB well.. just not as well written.. pretty good storyline but really, just too draggy for my taste. VA is in a world of its own.. :) Great writing, awesome characters, flawlessness personified. (Sheesh)

Hp, VA is right up there too, believe me
but it had already been recommended or I would have recommended it as well.

I love the series!! I have not finished the last book yet but im almost done. Can't wait to see what happens with the Rose, Adrien, and Dimitri, whichof them will end up together or if it will be forever complicated!

An AMAZING series! Nothing less! Probably my top 3 favorite series so far! I loved it. It's unbelievable and Mead is an excellent writer. It's one of those series that throw you into a different world. I was literally addicted! Awesome series and a must read for anyone!

Has anyone read the spin-off series? Bloodlines? Did you like it? I read the first book, but I did NOT like it!

I really liked this series, I borrowed the first book from my friend and after I read it I was like "Do you have the others?!" Lol, fortunately she had all six and she let me borrow them! Love, loved it. Although TODAY I just realized that Bloodlines was a spin-off of the series! Lol, I just put them on hold for myself at my local library :).

Mmm ok. Just waiting for Last Sacrifice. I'll come clean: I thought the series was ‘meh'. I read it because so many people recommended it & I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I'll try and keep this balanced & avoid spoilers.
Pros:
1. There does seem to be a genuine story arc by Mead- unlike HON which doubles back on itself..
2. If you like love triangles there's quite a good one between Mason/Adrian, Dimitri and Rose with a few steamy scenes and some illicit sex .
3. There's a fair few fight scenes, some of which are strong.
4. Rose is a kicking butt type of heroine.
5. It has a high school setting if you like that kind of thing.
6. Mead is pretty good at big showdowns.
7. If you like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dimitri's 'condition' follows the Buffy/Angel conundrum
Cons
1. The whole Moroi/dhampir thing is completely unconvincing- why do the dhampir s put up with being 2nd class citizens. They are stronger, bright and perfectly able to organise themselves. Revolt damn you!
2. What do the Moroi do apart from swan around and have 'parties'? I found them all irritating, self centred and pointless, including Lissa.
3. The female roles are heavily stereotyped.
4. I found the Rose/Lissa mind reading trick a really annoying narrative device.
5. The Strigoi are pretty straight villains - no subtlety there.
6. The book is heavily based around Rose and Dimitri. If you don't like them...you have a problem.
7. The first half of each book is pretty much a recap of the previous book. I felt I could start at p160 and not miss anything.

So if the pros outweigh the cons for you...have fun!

I love this series it is very good i could not put it down i love rose & lissa bound.lissa and her boyfriend,rose and hers

Anna wrote: "Mmm ok. Just waiting for Last Sacrifice. I'll come clean: I thought the series was ‘meh'. I read it because so many people recommended it & I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I'll try and ke..."

I agree

I thoroughly love this series.

Okay first of all, I was like you the first time i saw this book. I read the blurb at the back and I was like 'what the heck! this is confusing' so I didn't read it for a looong time. Then my school library got the WHOLE series and my librarian was like 'you should try this series' since I read like a every book she have in their and so I did. I became addicted OMG. You have no idea how addicted I became to this series. Whenever I had a chance to read it, I read it and the first thing I do when I go home from school is read it, that's why I finished the whole series in a week. It's really addictive. Haven't read the spin off called Bloodlines but I will soon :)

I hope you give this series a try. Because of this series I will never ever judge a book by its blurb or description ever again. One of my fave series ever.

Great series. Definitely worth reading.

It was stuck for a long time in my 'when i have time to read' pile but when I started reading it it was great. I am not so keen on vampire stories but VA is so different and engaging.

Great strong lead and nice supporting characters. I love all the plot twists and love the sassiness of the heroine.

Love this series. A must read!!

I'm with the group here. VA is simply superb, Rose is incredibly spunky and likeable, and even though sometimes the boy troubles are a bit cliche, overall, it's done tastefully. Dimitri is AMAZING and Adrian makes me smile. Lissa and Christian are adorable, and Sydney, who you meet later on, is another spunky, likeable character. The character's voices ring true throughout. Definitely something to read!

Okay just read it! like it's 2 good to explain. Just read the series!

This is one of my favorite series too. Out of all the vampire series, this one is the best for me.

great series. i also love the spin-off series, bloodlines.

Vampire Academy is a great series, although I love the spin-off Bloodlines even better. The characters are all well-written and the story continues to be captivating. Definitely a must-read!

Eef wrote: "Vampire Academy is a great series, although I love the spin-off Bloodlines even better. The characters are all well-written and the story continues to be captivating. Definitely a must-read!"

I agree that Bloodlines is even better than Vampire Academy. Love them both, though!

I got bloodlines but a friend of mine told me that I had to read the VA series in order to fully understand them.

Oh my. Anyone seen the movie yet? Made me cry and laugh hysterically but not because it was emotional or remotely funny. :/

Yeah, I haven't seen it yet, but the fact that is was described as mean girls meets vampire movie didn't sell it very well to me and here where I live, it wasn't even in theaters for a month...So that must be saying something. Lol.

It's bad direction meets murder of a good book meets Dimitri looks like a paedophile meets why are all the actors so not-good-looking. I'm currently in Indonesia and other than the 10 yo who kept laughing at weird bits -- don't know what his mom was thinking -- the other 8 of us in the theatre were just go smacked at *how* bad it was.

Ah,my thoughts have been proven then lol. When I first saw the trailer I thought it looked like someone was filming it through their phone or something, and YES! finally I am not the only one who thinks Dimitri is groddy looking, not good looking AT ALL!

Nice to meet you too Brittany. And not just Dimitri-- Lissa looks like a bad case of collagen injected lips, Mia Oh my god Mia, her nose! At the risk of sounding very superficial about physical appeal the cast was just not nice looking at all. Especially since in the book Rose keeps on about how model like and perfect the Moroi's are. Anyway. Wait for DVD release or a particularly depressive evening if you want to see it.

i loved the series and the characters (especially rose) until "the last sacrifice" and then i HATED rose, which was really unfortunate because i really respected her as a strong woman, but i really think adrian was right in his speech to her, she really screwed everyone over except herself, dimitri, and lissa. however, i am not judging the rest of the books by the sour taste this one left in my mouth, so i really really really enjoyed it, and highly recommend it!

The Vampire Academy was really the first series of books that let me dive into the reading world. I honestly love them to death! Rose was my favorite character, because I admired her for her strength as a person, even though she did make bad decisions a lot. I, bashfully, loved Dimitri through and through! I have a thing for bad boys. Adrian has always held a soft spot in my heart though..