Vampire Academy

Vampire Academy
Richelle Mead

In a nutshell
Vampire Academy is set in an alternate universe where the vampire world is at war. The Strigoi—the stereotypical vampire, as they are immortal, drink blood and have excelled strength and speed—are closing in on the Moroi, a species of good vampires with magical powers that believe in peace. The only people in the middle of these two species are the Dhampirs, a breed half-human half-vampire people with the best characteristics of both. The Dhampirs are trained as bodyguards alongside the Moroi to save their own species (Dhampirs can only reproduce with Moroi). Morals and intentions are constantly questioned throughout the story, alongside with the politics and laws that are associated with these species.

At the centre of all this chaos is Lissa—a Moroi princess who is the last person remaining in her Dragomir bloodline—and Rose, her Dhampir best friend bent on protecting her at all costs. The novel begins with their recapture after two years of freedom from St. Vladimir's school, and their reinsertion into the Moroi and Dhampir cliques. Rose undergoes increased training by her mentor, Dhampir Dimitri Belikov, and Lissa traverses the Moroi royalty while hiding her self-abuse.

Things begin to get precarious as soon as it’s made clear that someone knows exactly what Lissa is, and exactly why she left the school two years ago—and are warning her to leave again.

What’s right with it
Mead established the perfect balance of plot and character development, while still giving attention to the quirks that come from being a pair of teenagers in a boarding school—like social problems and boy woes. The “bond” the Lissa and Rose share is a good vehicle in which to display multiple points of view, without jumping out of Rose’s head. You develop much more insight to the character of Lissa, and the troubles she goes through—such as her depression—without Rose actually being with her. Rose herself is a likeable character—she’s the good girl with the bad reputation, the one who always has the witty comeback and the strong fist, the one who is incredibly loyal to those close to her. Her relationship with Dimitri, her trainer, is also an intriguing one. It develops at the right pace, and the sexual tension between the two rolls off the page like smoke.

The surprises are consistent throughout the book, and with something always happening—whether it is training, learning or reckless behaviour—you never grow bored. Unlike a lot of books, which have a giant lead up to a mediocre climax, this book is a series of minor climaxes, before the big problem becomes apparent. It’s one of the best cases of who-dunit, and the culprit is a surprising one that even the most accomplished sleuth probably won’t see coming.

What’s wrong with it
The different species, different families, and shrouded past can become at times a little bit confusing for the reader. Not only are you trying to figure out who the characters are, and what they’re currently dealing with, you’re also trying to figure out what happened two years ago to make them leave the safety of the school in the first place, and how it relates to current events. I found myself re-reading passages, flicking back to previous chapters, or just shrugging off certain things I didn’t understand.

Last word
I loved this book. Being the first of three novels, to say I’m intrigued over what comes next is an understatement. In a post-Twilight world, with young adult vampire novels now more accepted, finding a good one is quite difficult. With this novel I can safely say it is one of the good ones. Period.

Scale-of-awesomeness
Freaking A!

The Secret Heiress

The Secret Heiress
Judith Gould

Ariadne and Nikoletta are beautiful identical twins—but opposite in every way. Groomed to take over her father's empire, Nikoletta will go to any lengths to get what she wants. Araidne, raised in obscurity and unaware of her vast family fortune, is generous and naïve. But when she agrees to a shady scheme—orchestrated by her late father's board of advisors—to take the place of the twin she has never even met, she becomes embroiled in a web of passion, deception, and untold danger.
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In a nutshell
The Secret Heiress is like Gossip Girl for the big kids. It’s filled with the same debauchery, drugs, alcohol and backstabbing, but filtered through a plot that is far more mature. One theme stands decisively clear throughout: exploring the issue of whether upbringing has impact on a person’s character.

This is demonstrated through the characters of Greek heiresses Ariadne and Nikoletta, twins raised apart that are as opposite as two sides of a coin. Ariadne is thoughtful, intelligent, modest and selfless. Nikoletta is a one woman army with an arsenal of selfishness, vanity and maliciousness. When Nikoletta’s board of advisors devise a plan to overthrow the spoiled brat poisoning her father’s company, they bring in the last resort few people were aware of—her twin sister. Ariadne, who is unaware of her heritage, undergoes intense training in order to successfully emulate her sister, so she can take over the company.

Throw in a few assassination attempts by a vigilante environmentalist group, a romantic subplot with a bodyguard, and a scaffold of social politics and you have a novel bubbling with intrigue.

What’s right with it?
Shock. The novel caught me by surprise at quite a few moments—whether it be sudden changes in pace, new revelations, or acts of violence, the surprises and shocks keep coming. The ending, especially, took me off-guard with its spectacular execution. I also found that even amongst all of the deliciously sinful behaviour, morality was questioned often. The consequences and repercussions of every decision were implemented upon—for good and bad—and the dilemmas of the good-natured Ariadne are almost as painful for the reader as they are for the character. Amongst it all, the glamour is maximised and the cattiness is in full-force. Don't say I didn't warn you.

What’s wrong with it?
In her effort to polarise Ariadne and her twin sister, Gould created an extremely unlikable character in the form of Nikoletta. Her selfish actions earned nothing but a snort of derision from me everytime she executed one of her schemes; I began disregarding her as a character, not really caring about her side of the story at all. In comparison with her twin sister, Nikoletta herself has absolutely no redeeming qualities. I found this to be a little unrealistic, even if it was necessary.

Last Word
A fast-paced, multi-faceted novel that deals with many themes, which has twice as much brain as the reader is first led to believe. The web of deception is only equalled by the precarious social politics of the characters. The makings of a Greek Tragedy, you say? The answer to that is so absolute the line is even uttered by one of the characters.

Scale-of-awesomeness
Not too shabby