Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
In addition to the best-selling Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, Richelle Mead is another author who has topped the charts with her series of romance novels called Vampire Academy. The series includes six novels, Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound, and Last Sacrifice.The series tells the story of Rosemarie Hathaway, also known as Rose, who is seventeen and half-vampire-half-human. Rose’s job is to train to become a guardian for her best friend and Moroi Princess, Lissa. Rose must fight and defeat Strigoi, an evil group of undead vampires, while training at the Academy. At the same time, Rose gets caught in a romantic but forbidden relationship with her instructor Dimitri Belikov, who is also a Dhampir of Russian decent.
The Academy finds that Rose is the best candidate for becoming Lissa’s guardian because of their special bond and psychic connection. Rose can see Lissa’s thoughts and feel her emotions. While training to be Lissa’s guardian, Rose notices that Lissa finds a friend named Christian Ozera whose parents had once become Strigoi and were murdered by guardians. It seems that Rose becomes jealous of their relationship and does not trust Christian.
The series continue to chronicle the challenges Rose must face as a guardian and for falling in love with Dmitri. These novels have attracted a young audience and a graphic novel is scheduled to be introduced in 2011. A film adaptation is also in the works.