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In my hunt for good things to read, I have discovered a surprising source: the YA section of the library, untapped by me even when I was YA. I mostly skipped, going from the Children's section and straight into Adult. There are duds and there are gems, just like with any other segment of literature, however, since last year, I've been exploring the YA section with great interest and quite a bit of success. Unfortunately, it is kinda slow going. Hampered by my Twilight induced skittishness, gorgeous, atmospheric, artsy covers leave me cold and books with titles like Vampire Academy leave me positively frozen.
Me reading Vampire Academy is a bit of a fluke. My co-worker was recommended the books (it's currently a four book series with the fifth book releasing this April) by one of the receptionists. I have been loaning her books since November and in turn about, she offered to let me peek at the books first. She was in the middle of Linda Howard's Mr. Perfect, anyway (a book I had loaned her, btw). Since I read much faster, I decided to give the books a shot, although I did not expect much. The receptionist had the first three books (Vampire Academy, Frostbite and Shadow Kiss) and I took them home. I was done in less than two weeks. They are easily digested, lamentably written in first person and feature a flawed, head strong, likable and kick ass heroine named Rosemarie (Rose) Hathaway.
The books revolve around Rose, her BFF Vasilissa (Lissa) Dragomir (a Moroi princess and the last of the Dragomir's), a big evil lurking half in shadow, and Rose's developing feelings for her hot mentor, Dimitri. I really like that Dimitri is only a component of the story, a lot of what happens in the series features Rose's dedication to her BFF with whom she is linked, her duty as an up and coming guardian, and the negotiation of their world (and their respective places within it) as it conflicts with and changes their relationship.
What you should know:
There are two types of vampires: the living, magic using Moroi and the immortal, soulless (hence no magic) Strigoi. Moroi are born, Strigoi are made (by force or choice) from humans, Moroi or Dhampirs. Strigoi are ten times stronger and faster than Moroi and eight times stronger and faster than dhampirs. They also LOVE the taste of Moroi. Strigoi are classic vampires. Sun, stakes, churches, the whole nine yards. The only way to kill them is to stake them directly through the heart, burn them to a cinder or decapitate them. Dhampir are half-human and half-Moroi, and they are bodyguards for the Moroi. They have the enhanced faculties of the Moroi, but the stamina and hardiness of good old human blood. Where the Moroi are tall, slender and dainty, Dampers are big and strong. Now, here's the funny part: Moroi + Moroi = human; Moroi + Human = dhampir; Moroi + dhampir = dhampir; dhampir + dhampir = 0. So, in this world, the dhampir need the Moroi to reproduce and the Moroi need the dhampir to stay alive. Of course this leads to all sorts of fun, unbalanced socio-political shenanigans.
Vampire Academy very obviously sets up the series. Most of the ground rules are laid out pretty quickly. It's standard fair. Rose and Lissa have run away from St. Vladimir's Academy (tucked away in the wilds of Montana, who the fuck knew?) after some Shady Events and have been on-the-lamb for two years. The book opens with their capture and return to the Academy, which they pretty much take in stride. There is a big evil (the same evil, as it turns out, that had them making a break for it), new love, high school jealousy, a little torture, and an almost prom.
Frostbite, the second book in the series, is like The Girls of Canby Hall on holiday. After a massive Strigoi attack on one of the ruling Moroi families, a ski weekend is arranged for the students and their visiting families with the assumption that it will be easier to protect everyone if they stay together as opposed to dispersing to their respective homes during the winter holidays. So, off they go. Of course, things Go Wrong and an industrious and inappropriately enthusiastic trio of bone head students decide that they are prepared enough to kill them some Strigoi, so they head out to the urban wilds of Seattle in hot pursuit of a nest of Strigoi. They are Fooled! and end up in jeopardy instead. I make mock of the story, but Frostbite is actually better than its prequel. The ending, if nothing else, makes it so. I very rarely cry over books. I am touched, I am emotional, but I don't actually make with the tears. Frostbite, however, got me all choked up and I cried because, in the end, it really is a series about kids who are unprepared for the way the world of Adulthood will try and beat them down.
Shadow Kiss is the point where the series really begins to feel like its gotten its legs. It's almost as if everything that has happened before was all leading to this one book. Hopefully, that is true, cause I am looking forward to cracking open Blood Promise way too much. Shadow Kiss contains big adventure and big revelations. To say anything more would give it all away.
The books are fun, easy reading, obvious in a lot of ways, and written in first person, but it's turning out to be a good series. Now, I read the first three books back to back and it saved the series for me because if I had just read the first book, I probably would never have picked up the other two. Not that the series is bad, the first two books just don't necessarily stand out as well as I would have liked. Well, at least until you get to the last eighth of Frostbite in which big and surprising things happen!
The writing is solid, and Our Heroine is a little on the thick side (the author pretty much lays out everything you need to know, and *you'll* figure it all out before Rose ever does), but the books are, again, fun and energetic. It's got the socio-political oppression thing going, gender politics, a little star-crossed action and a feisty, sometimes tormented, as mentioned, a little bit thick, I-will-kick-your-teeth-in-and-ask-questions-later heroine. If Buffy and Faith had a love child, she just *might* be Rose Hathaway. I like that Rose is active. I like that she learns from her mistakes. I like that sometimes she's petty, sometimes she's vindictive, she has a smart mouth, that she likes the boys, and that the boys like her.
I feel like this little write-up is a little schizophrenic, but such is my relationship with the books. Still, I'm totally giving it a thumbs up. It way beats the Bella/Edward show over on the Twilight monster.
Me reading Vampire Academy is a bit of a fluke. My co-worker was recommended the books (it's currently a four book series with the fifth book releasing this April) by one of the receptionists. I have been loaning her books since November and in turn about, she offered to let me peek at the books first. She was in the middle of Linda Howard's Mr. Perfect, anyway (a book I had loaned her, btw). Since I read much faster, I decided to give the books a shot, although I did not expect much. The receptionist had the first three books (Vampire Academy, Frostbite and Shadow Kiss) and I took them home. I was done in less than two weeks. They are easily digested, lamentably written in first person and feature a flawed, head strong, likable and kick ass heroine named Rosemarie (Rose) Hathaway.
The books revolve around Rose, her BFF Vasilissa (Lissa) Dragomir (a Moroi princess and the last of the Dragomir's), a big evil lurking half in shadow, and Rose's developing feelings for her hot mentor, Dimitri. I really like that Dimitri is only a component of the story, a lot of what happens in the series features Rose's dedication to her BFF with whom she is linked, her duty as an up and coming guardian, and the negotiation of their world (and their respective places within it) as it conflicts with and changes their relationship.
What you should know:
There are two types of vampires: the living, magic using Moroi and the immortal, soulless (hence no magic) Strigoi. Moroi are born, Strigoi are made (by force or choice) from humans, Moroi or Dhampirs. Strigoi are ten times stronger and faster than Moroi and eight times stronger and faster than dhampirs. They also LOVE the taste of Moroi. Strigoi are classic vampires. Sun, stakes, churches, the whole nine yards. The only way to kill them is to stake them directly through the heart, burn them to a cinder or decapitate them. Dhampir are half-human and half-Moroi, and they are bodyguards for the Moroi. They have the enhanced faculties of the Moroi, but the stamina and hardiness of good old human blood. Where the Moroi are tall, slender and dainty, Dampers are big and strong. Now, here's the funny part: Moroi + Moroi = human; Moroi + Human = dhampir; Moroi + dhampir = dhampir; dhampir + dhampir = 0. So, in this world, the dhampir need the Moroi to reproduce and the Moroi need the dhampir to stay alive. Of course this leads to all sorts of fun, unbalanced socio-political shenanigans.
Vampire Academy very obviously sets up the series. Most of the ground rules are laid out pretty quickly. It's standard fair. Rose and Lissa have run away from St. Vladimir's Academy (tucked away in the wilds of Montana, who the fuck knew?) after some Shady Events and have been on-the-lamb for two years. The book opens with their capture and return to the Academy, which they pretty much take in stride. There is a big evil (the same evil, as it turns out, that had them making a break for it), new love, high school jealousy, a little torture, and an almost prom.
Frostbite, the second book in the series, is like The Girls of Canby Hall on holiday. After a massive Strigoi attack on one of the ruling Moroi families, a ski weekend is arranged for the students and their visiting families with the assumption that it will be easier to protect everyone if they stay together as opposed to dispersing to their respective homes during the winter holidays. So, off they go. Of course, things Go Wrong and an industrious and inappropriately enthusiastic trio of bone head students decide that they are prepared enough to kill them some Strigoi, so they head out to the urban wilds of Seattle in hot pursuit of a nest of Strigoi. They are Fooled! and end up in jeopardy instead. I make mock of the story, but Frostbite is actually better than its prequel. The ending, if nothing else, makes it so. I very rarely cry over books. I am touched, I am emotional, but I don't actually make with the tears. Frostbite, however, got me all choked up and I cried because, in the end, it really is a series about kids who are unprepared for the way the world of Adulthood will try and beat them down.
Shadow Kiss is the point where the series really begins to feel like its gotten its legs. It's almost as if everything that has happened before was all leading to this one book. Hopefully, that is true, cause I am looking forward to cracking open Blood Promise way too much. Shadow Kiss contains big adventure and big revelations. To say anything more would give it all away.
The books are fun, easy reading, obvious in a lot of ways, and written in first person, but it's turning out to be a good series. Now, I read the first three books back to back and it saved the series for me because if I had just read the first book, I probably would never have picked up the other two. Not that the series is bad, the first two books just don't necessarily stand out as well as I would have liked. Well, at least until you get to the last eighth of Frostbite in which big and surprising things happen!
The writing is solid, and Our Heroine is a little on the thick side (the author pretty much lays out everything you need to know, and *you'll* figure it all out before Rose ever does), but the books are, again, fun and energetic. It's got the socio-political oppression thing going, gender politics, a little star-crossed action and a feisty, sometimes tormented, as mentioned, a little bit thick, I-will-kick-your-teeth-in-and-ask-questions-later heroine. If Buffy and Faith had a love child, she just *might* be Rose Hathaway. I like that Rose is active. I like that she learns from her mistakes. I like that sometimes she's petty, sometimes she's vindictive, she has a smart mouth, that she likes the boys, and that the boys like her.
I feel like this little write-up is a little schizophrenic, but such is my relationship with the books. Still, I'm totally giving it a thumbs up. It way beats the Bella/Edward show over on the Twilight monster.
