Vampire Academy is a series of six young adult books written by American author Richelle Mead. The story follows Rosemarie "Rose" Hathaway, a dhampir girl, who is training to become a guardian of her moroi best friend, Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir. While learning how to fight strigoi at St. Vladimir's Academy, Rose develops a forbidden romantic relationship with her instructor, Dimitri Belikov. She also shares a strong, unbreakable psychic connection with Lissa.

The first book in the series, Vampire Academy, was published in 2007. The second book, Frostbite, was released in 2008. The third book, Shadow Kiss, was also published in 2008. The fourth book, Blood Promise, came out in 2009. The fifth book, Spirit Bound, and the sixth book, Last Sacrifice, were both released in 2010. By 2013, the series had sold 8 million copies in 35 countries.

The first book was adapted into a movie directed by Mark Waters. The film featured actors Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry, Danila Kozlovsky, and Dominic Sherwood. It was released by The Weinstein Company on February 7, 2014. The movie did not do well financially or in reviews. A new version of the story, in the form of a television series, was created by Julie Plec. It began airing on Peacock on September 15, 2022. The series was canceled after one season.

Overview

• Vampire Academy follows Dhampir Rosemarie "Rose" Hathaway and her best friend, Moroi princess Vasilissa "Lissa" Dragomir. After two years on the run, they return to their school, St. Vladimir's Academy. Rose and Lissa must deal with forbidden romances and the Strigoi, evil and dangerous vampires who want to turn Lissa into one of their own.
• Frostbite follows Rose and Lissa as they manage their complicated love lives, face a Strigoi attack that puts St. Vladimir on high alert, and survive a deadly Strigoi attack during a school ski trip.
• Shadow Kiss follows Rose and Lissa as graduation approaches. Rose begins having troubling visions and develops feelings for her instructor and mentor, Dimitri Belikov. The Strigoi attack St. Vladimir's, and Rose must choose between protecting Lissa or losing Dimitri.
• Blood Promise follows Rose as she deals with the aftermath of a recent Strigoi attack on St. Vladimir's. She must choose between keeping her life's vow and protecting Lissa, or leaving the Academy to hunt Dimitri, who has now become a Strigoi.
• Spirit Bound follows Rose as she returns to St. Vladimir's. While life after graduation awaits Rose and Lissa, Rose can't stop thinking about failing to kill Dimitri. Her fears come true, and Dimitri, now a Strigoi, hunts her, wanting her to join him.
• Last Sacrifice follows Rose, who is in prison waiting for a wrongful execution, and Lissa, who is trying to claim the Moroi throne. Both must do things that are very difficult to find freedom, relying on enemies and friends alike.

Main characters

• Rosemarie "Rose" Hathaway is the narrator. She is a dhampir teenager learning to be a guardian at St. Vladimir's Academy. Rose shares a special connection with Lissa because Lissa used her magic to bring Rose back to life. Rose develops feelings for her older mentor, Dimitri.
• Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir is a Moroi and the last member of the royal Dragomir family. She is Rose's best friend and has a rare type of magic called spirit. Lissa can bring the dead back to life, heal others, and use compulsion. She stays connected to Rose throughout most of the story.
• Dimitri Belikov is a 24-year-old Russian dhampir and guardian. He is Rose's main love interest.
• Christian Ozera is a Moroi and Lissa's main love interest. His parents chose to become Strigoi, which causes others to distrust him.
• Adrian Ivashkov is a Moroi who uses spirit magic. He dated Rose.
• Mia Rinaldi is a Moroi who uses water magic. She is an enemy of Rose and Lissa at St. Vladimir's Academy, but later becomes their friend.
• Abe Mazur is Rose's father and an influential Moroi. Rose did not know him earlier. He has unusual connections and helps solve problems for his daughter. Rose learns about him in the fourth book.
• Sydney Sage is a strict but kind alchemist. She helps Rose find Dimitri and later helps Rose and Dimitri escape. Later, she is detained because of her actions.

Publication history

The original series has six books. A new series called Bloodlines follows it (see below). As of 2013, the series had sold over 8 million copies worldwide.

• Vampire Academy (August 16, 2007), ISBN 978-1-59514-174-3
• Frostbite (April 10, 2008), ISBN 978-1-59514-175-0
• Shadow Kiss (November 13, 2008), ISBN 978-1-59514-197-2
• Blood Promise (August 25, 2009), ISBN 978-1-59514-198-9
• Spirit Bound (May 18, 2010), ISBN 978-1-59514-250-4
• Last Sacrifice (December 7, 2010), ISBN 978-1-59514-306-8

The series first appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list at #4 when Shadow Kiss was released. Each new book has been on the list since then. The book Spirit Bound reached #1 on the list when it was released.

Spin-off

A spin-off series named Bloodlines features characters from the Vampire Academy series and focuses on an Alchemist named Sydney Sage. The series includes six books.

The first book, Bloodlines, was published on August 23, 2011. It became number two on The New York Times Best Seller list in March 2013. The second book, The Golden Lily, was published on June 12, 2012, and reached number one on The New York Times Best Seller list. The third book, The Indigo Spell, was released on February 12, 2013. The fourth book, The Fiery Heart, came out on November 19, 2013. The fifth book, Silver Shadows, was published on July 29, 2014. The sixth book, The Ruby Circle, was released on February 10, 2015.

Adaptations

In June 2010, Preger Entertainment bought the rights to make a movie based on the Vampire Academy series. On July 6, they announced that producer Don Murphy joined their team to help create the movie.

On December 17, 2012, Daniel Waters was hired to write a script based on the first book in the series. On February 1, 2013, it was announced that Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry, and Danila Kozlovsky were cast as Rose Hathaway, Lissa Dragomir, and Dimitri Belikov, respectively. Filming began on May 28, 2013, in London at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England, and ended on July 20, 2013.

The movie was released in North America on February 7, 2014, and shown worldwide between March and July of the same year. It was distributed in the United States by The Weinstein Company. The film did not make enough money, earning only $15.4 million worldwide, which was less than its $30 million budget. This made the film a financial failure. It also received mostly negative reviews from critics.

Even though the movie failed financially, Preger Entertainment announced on August 4, 2014, that they had found investors to make a sequel based on the second book. To prove there was enough interest, they started a fundraising campaign on Indiegogo on August 6, 2014, and hired Piers Ashworth to write the script. The campaign did not meet its goal, and the project was canceled.

In May 2021, Peacock announced it would make a television series based on the books, created by Julie Plec. The series was canceled after one season.

A graphic novel based on the first Vampire Academy book was published on August 23, 2011. It was adapted by Leigh Dragoon and illustrated by Emma Vieceli. A graphic novel based on the second book, Frostbite, was released in May 2012.