“We’re suckers for it.” — Entertainment Weekly Join the legion of fans who skyrocketed this six-book series to the top of the charts. Start here, with the first book that kicked off the international #1 bestselling Vampire Academy series. Love and loyalty run deeper than blood . 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. After two years on the run, best friends Rose, half-human/half-vampire, and Lissa, a mortal vampire princess, are caught and returned to St. Vladimir's Academy. Up until then, Rose had kept Lissa safe from her enemies; school, however, brings both girls additional challenges and responsibilities. How they handle peer pressure, nasty gossip, new relationships, and anonymous threats may mean life or death. Likable narrator Rose hides doubts about her friend behind a tough exterior; orphan Lissa, while coping with difficult emotional issues such as depression and survivor's guilt, uses her emerging gifts for good. Mead's absorbing, debut YA novel, the first in a new series, blends intricately detailed fantasy with a contemporary setting, teen-relevant issues, and a diverse, if sometimes sterotyped, cast of supporting characters. Occasional steamy sex and a scattering of vulgar language demand mature readers, but teens able to handle the edgy elements will speed through this vamp story and anticipate the next installment. Rosenfeld, Shelle “We’re suckers for it.” —Entertainment Weekly “Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy saga is set to be the next young adult paranormal series to become a household name.” —The Huffington Post “…Mead knows her folklore, using it to great advantage in crafting a credible back story for the friction between her good and evil vampires.” —The Miami Herald “ Vampire Academy is on an entirely different playing field than Twilight…Rose shows no signs of codependency; she’s the Sasha Fierce of Vampires, kicking ass and taking names.” —Miami New Times   “[The Vampire Academy series] improves with each installment, as [Mead] keeps readers on the edge of their seats while adding unexpected twists.” —Associated Press   “Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy books are on Hollywood’s radar.” —Detroit Free Press   “[Richelle Mead] brings new blood to the vampire genre.” —Scripps Howard News Service    “ Vampire Academy …is taking a bite out of the publishing world.” —Associated Press “… Vampire Academy heroine Rose Hathaway [is] a combination of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider.” —The Seattle Times   “…An immediate hit, thanks to Mead’s writing talent [and] Rose’s charismatic character.” —Scripps Howard News Service Richelle Mead is the author of the international #1 bestselling Vampire Academy series, the Bloodlines series, the Glittering Court series, and the Age of X series. Her love of fantasy and science fiction began at an early age when her father read her Greek mythology and her brothers made her watch Flash Gordon . She went on to study folklore and religion in college, and when not writing, Richelle spends her time drinking lots of coffee, watching reality TV, and shopping for dresses. Chapter 1 I felt her fear before I heard her screams. Her nightmare pulsed into me, shaking me out of my own dream, which had had something to do with a beach and Orlando Bloom rubbing suntan oil on me. Images—hers, not mine—tumbled through my mind: fire and blood, the smell of smoke, the twisted metal of a car. The pictures wrapped around me, suffocating me, until some rational part of my brain reminded me that this wasn’t my dream. I woke up, strands of long, dark hair sticking to my forehead. Lissa lay in her bed, thrashing and screaming. I bolted out of mine, quickly crossing the few feet that separated us. “Liss,” I said, shaking her. “Liss, wake up.” Her screams dropped off, replaced by soft whimpers. “Andre,” she moaned. “Oh God.” I helped her sit up. “Liss, you aren’t there anymore. Wake up.” After a few moments, her eyes fluttered open, and in the dim lighting, I could see a flicker of consciousness start to take over. Her frantic breathing slowed, and she leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder. I put an arm around her and ran a hand over her hair. “It’s okay,” I told her gently. “Everything’s okay.” “I had that dream.” “Yeah. I know.” We sat like that for several minutes, not saying anything else. When I felt her emoti