Written by American author Richelle Mead, Vampire Academy is a young adult paranormal romance and stands as the first in a six-book series of the same name. The series follows best friends Rose Hathaway and Lissa Dragomir as they navigate a variety of challenges. Rose is a half-vampire, or dhampir, who is learning to protect Lissa Dragomir, a full-vampire Moroi princess. The two girls are bound by a psychic link that they will later learn is a result of Lissa’s rare “spirit” powers. As the series unfolds, Rose will eventually deepen her relationship with her mentor, Dimitri Belikov. Their relationship is initially forbidden due to their age difference, but they will eventually overcome this obstacle and become a couple by the end of the series. Lissa eventually learns that she can “heal” Strigoi, turning them back to their previous forms, and she will eventually take the Moroi throne as her community’s queen.

Vampire Academy (2007) is followed by Frostbite (2008), Shadow Kiss (2008), Blood Promise (2009), Spirit Bound (2010), and Last Sacrifice (2010). Beginning with Shadow Kiss, the later books in the series each hit the New York Times Bestseller List.

Mead also wrote a spin-off series called Bloodlines, which follows several characters introduced in the later Vampire Academy books.