Teen Tuesday #1

I decided to review Richelle Mead's novel Vampire Academy after I saw the movie. Just so this is clear, the movie was god awful. I didn't think any movie could be worse than the first Twilight. Alas, I read the book before I saw the movie and I actually enjoyed it. Here's a snippet of the synopsis:

"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."

So, I'll be completely honest, the first 50 pages or so are completely confusing. I almost gave up. Mead creates this entirely new world with:

Fact Sheet

Guardian Dhampirs are half human/half vampire and can only breed with vampires. They are expected to protect Moroi for life. (Yes, it's a lot like slavery.)

Photo Source: @VAOfficialMovie

Photo Source: @VAOfficialMovie

Moroi aka good vampires don't kill when they drink blood, can go out in daylight, and also use the 4 elements for magic. 

Photo Source: @VAOfficialMovie

Strigoi aka evil vampires kill when they drink, try to kill Moroi, are immortal and freaking strong. 

(Please ignore the grammatical errors in this picture. I did not create it.)

Did you catch all that?

One interesting thing that arose from this series is a lot of slut shaming. I'll be the first to say Rose is a bit promiscuous, but she's also a teenager. I really hated how Dimitri, Rose's love interest, was really heavy handed with the don't-be-a-slut lectures. It reminded me of Edward from Twilight and we all know that story had Mormon overtones. 

Overall, this really complex world makes for a pretty intriguing story.