Quickie Reviews: Vampire Academy and Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Publication Date: August 16th, 2007
Finished Date: May 19th, 2012
Publisher: Razorbill
Format: Paperback
Pages: 332
Series: Vampire Academy #1
My Rating: 3/5

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Blurb from Goodreads:
St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

My Review

Not bad! There was plenty of obstacles and trials for our two heroines, both in the form of mortal peril and high-school drama. However, one thing that derailed me from giving VA a higher rating is the heroine's, Rose's, for lack of a better word, bitchy attitude! She flirts and makes out with guys just for the fun of it, and she's too into revenges for her own good. But she did mature as the story progressed, and what she did for her friends, Lissa and Christian, at the end was really respectable.

Strangely addictive and exciting, though a little cliched! It has a certain similarity to Half-blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout, or rather, Half-blood has a certain similarity to Vampire Academy. The same running away and after that being hunted down and brought back to a school by a hot love interest, then being forced to be trained by said love interest because of how much schooling and training having missed and then having a final epic showdown.

My Rating

Publication Date: April 10th 2008
Finished Date: May 20th, 2012
Publisher: Razorbill
Format: Paperback
Pages: 327
Series: Vampire Academy #2
My Rating: 3.5/5

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Blurb from Goodreads: Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose...

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price...

My Review

Frostbite didn't fail to deliver! Vampire Academy was quite a good start to a series, and Frostbite had the same amount of danger and action that VA had, more intense emotions, heartbreaks and heartaches, more secondary characters and love rivals and interests come into play! I won't peg this as one of my favourite series, but there's just this something that makes it so addictive. I'm literally gobbling this series up one book per day! Which is seriously jeopardizing my exams tomorrow, but that's just it! It's too, goddamned addictive. (Sorry for the language.)

Might be Dmitri, might be the new hot guy in town, Adrian, might be how Rose knows how to kick some serious ass, might be how Rose's mom is THE coolest female dhamphir guardian in this era and she's now in the picture, might be...... As you can see, this book is packed with SO MANY awesome factors, so yes, it was a thrilling and gripping novel. In this cliched, vampire-novel kind of way. You might think this is a good thing, or bad, depends on how you see it. But now, there's no time to lose; I'm off to reading the next book, Shadow Kiss! ;)

P.S. For those who read my reviews regularly, I'm not going to be writing any full length reviews for quite some time cause Junior College life in Singapore is hardcore to the max. No time to do anything but MUG. Means studying and cramming over here, by the way.

My Rating