Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
5/5 stars
319 pages
source:Friend told me about it

The story:

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 thoughts:

       What make me love this book? Everything. I love the new take on vampires and how little Richelle Mead involves humans. I admire how she manages to balance romance and action. Rose is one of my favourite characters because she's strong, brave but also reckless and immature in the beginning at the same time. Dimitri intrigues me; he's the silent and brooding type but behind that bad-ass exterior he's quite cool. However Lissa's character has me conflicted; I get that spirit is messing with her brain and all but sometimes her behaviour is a little too scary. Mia is annoying and a bitch in this book and I honestly can't picture the whole "popular girl" thing going on in the vampire community, so I loved it, and I do feel a bit guilty about this, when she was knocked off the top of the social ladder.

      I also believe that Richelle Mead's writing is exceptional, one of the best in young adult.Of course I'll be reading the rest of the series and posting my reviews of it and I might even pick up 'Bloodlines' which is the series following this one :).

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor Review

Daughter of smoke and bone by Laini Taylor

5/5 stars
424 pages
source: Goodreads

The story:

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

The review:

My thoughts on this book? I loved it! 

     The preview of the book didn't really appeal to me because it's not anything I've ever read before, well other than the romance of course, but after reading a bunch of adoring reviews I thought I should read it for myself. I'm so glad I did!

Taylor's unique world is totally new for me and I had a great time trying to imagine what it would look like, were it real. Her writing is fantastic, didn't get bored for a second, and her characters are lovely. Karou is, by far,  my favourite character (which is saying something because I usually favour male characters over their female partners); she's strong, beautiful, witty and stands by her promises until the end. Thanks to Madrigal, her previous life, she's also brave, tragically in love with her enemy-Akiva-and has a dream for a better world. Akiva, for me, is absolutely adorable; when he first meets Karou, he's sent to kill her but stops because of one gesture: she cocks her head to the side like a bird and like the love he lost. That small gesture causes long-locked emotions to flow through him. Akiva doubts himself all the way, he accepts all the bad things as punishment but questions the good things he receives, thinking he does not deserve them. 

     I was a bit disappointed by the ending but I do understand why Karou pushed Akiva away after what he did but if they don't get back together I will personally hunt Laini Taylor down!

     Anyway I can't wait for the sequel to this book! It's one of the best books I've ever read and I recommend it with all my heart to people who like a burning romance with a lot of supernatural.