Vampire Academy

Book: Vampire Academy
Author: Richelle Mead
Audience: Teen to Adult
In a Nutshell: high society vampires and the almost-humans who love them

Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a slightly-more-than-human with enhanced speed and strength, who is sworn to protect the Moroi. Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir is a Moroi princess, pale, sensitive to sunlight, and lives on human blood. You know the type. But these aren't your ordinary blood-sucking fiends. In this story, there are two types of what we'd call vampires. Moroi feed only on willing humans (I guess the buzz is fantastic) and possess various types of nature-related elemental magic. Then there are the Strigoi, who have turned evil and bloodthirsty by misusing their power. They're very strong, but they've also lost their earth-mothery magic.

Rose and Lissa are students at St. Vladimir's Academy in a secluded region of Montana. Rose is in training to hopefully be Lissa's bodyguard. They already have a bond between them that's unheard of since the days of St. Vladimir (you know the one); Rose can read Lissa's emotions, and sometimes can even see from her perspective, literally- as if she was in her head.
There's a war building between the Moroi and Strigoi, and it's starting to touch the school in both small and deadly ways.

Let's not forget Dimitri, the hot, slightly older Dhampir who is training Rose so she can catch up with her class after returning from her and Lissa's time on the run. If you want to know why they were on the lam, you might as well read it.

I've got a thing for vampire novels, and I liked this one too. This twist on vampire legend was intriguing to me, especially the existence of both good and evil vampires. Heck, the Moroi are traditionally even Catholic, kind of. That whole burned by crosses thing not a problem here.

Book 2, Frostbite, is due out in April 2008. Strong start to a new series here.