Book Review: Vampire Academy Graphic Novels by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy
Frostbite
Shadow Kiss
Author: Richelle Mead; adapted by Leigh Dragoon; illustrated by Emma Vieceli
Series: Vampire Academy: The Graphic Novel (Books 1 - 3)
Publication: Razorbill; Original edition (August 23, 2011), Razorbill; Reprint edition (May 24, 2012), Razorbill (December 31, 2013)

Description: Vampire Academy: 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.

Frostbite: Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose…
It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks.... This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price…

Shadow Kiss: It's springtime at St. Vladimir's Academy, and Rose is close to graduation, but since making her first Strigoi kills, things haven't felt quite right. She's having dark thoughts, behaving erratically, and worst of all ...might be seeing ghosts. Consumed by her forbidden love with her tutor Dimitri and protecting her best friend, the Moroi princess Lissa, Rose is in no state to see the deadly threat that will change her entire world - and make her choose between the two people she loves most.

My Thoughts: I need to start by saying that I'm not a big fan of graphic novels. I am not a very visual person and find it hard to follow a story that is mostly illustrations.Beyond the main characters, I often have trouble telling characters apart. These books were not exceptions to my previous experience. I liked the illustrations. I liked the color palette. I liked that I could almost always pick out Rose and Lissa.

It helped greatly that I have read the regular novels for these stories. It helped me fill in the character development that was mostly lacking in the graphic novels. The graphic novels did help me recall the stories that I read years ago. I thought the flow of each of the stories was good and that the major plot points were included. I liked the flow of the story on each page. It was easy to decide what to read and what to look at next.

These would seem to work best for readers who had already read the original stories though they might be a good lead in to the originals for readers who wanted to flesh out the story told in the graphic novels.

I bought these in 2014. You can buy your copy here and here and here.