# Vampire Academy
**Vampire Academy** is a series of six young adult paranormal romance novels by the American author Richelle Mead, following Rose Hathaway, a [Dhampir](https://www.edgepedia.org/dhampir) guardian-in-training who protects her best friend Lissa Dragomir, a Moroi vampire princess, at the hidden boarding school St. Vladimir's Academy.[1](https://www.supersummary.com/vampire-academy/background/) • [2](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/226071/richelle-mead/) The first book went on sale on August 16, 2007, from the Razorbill imprint of Penguin Young Readers, and the series became an international #1 bestseller that also reached the New York Times bestseller list.[3](https://assets.penguinrandomhouse.com/book-resumes/Mead_VampireAcademy_20251001.pdf) • [4](https://services.phaidra.univie.ac.at/api/object/o%3A1298297/get) It has been adapted twice: a 2014 film and a 2022 Peacock television series co-created by [Julie Plec](https://www.edgepedia.org/julie-plec) and Marguerite MacIntyre.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/vampire_academy/s01)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Author and genre | Richelle Mead; young adult paranormal romance, first of a six-book series[1](https://www.supersummary.com/vampire-academy/background/) |
| First book publication | August 16, 2007; Razorbill / Penguin Young Readers; ISBN 9781595141743; ages 12 up[3](https://assets.penguinrandomhouse.com/book-resumes/Mead_VampireAcademy_20251001.pdf) |
| Premise | Rose Hathaway, a Dhampir, trains as the bodyguard of her best friend Lissa, a Moroi vampire princess, at St. Vladimir's Academy[2](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/226071/richelle-mead/) |
| Central antagonists | The Strigoi, described as the world's fiercest and most dangerous vampires, who threaten to make Lissa one of them forever[2](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/226071/richelle-mead/) |
| Sales | More than 8 million copies worldwide as of 2013[6](https://uploads.strikinglycdn.com/files/dcb35697-5028-44cb-b041-15ab8ac139c6/fumenav.pdf) |
| Screen adaptations | A 2014 film, and a 2022 Peacock series adapted by Marguerite MacIntyre and Julie Plec that serves as a reboot[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/vampire_academy/s01) |
| Spin-off | The Bloodlines series, six books published from 2011 to 2015[7](https://www.embernovels.com/series/vampire-academy-books-in-order) |
## The novels
The first book opens with Rose and Lissa on the run for a mysterious reason before they are returned to St. Vladimir's Academy, a hidden school where vampires are educated in magic and half-human teens train to protect them.[3](https://assets.penguinrandomhouse.com/book-resumes/Mead_VampireAcademy_20251001.pdf) • [8](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/vampire-academy) Rose is a Dhampir, a half-human guardian, and Lissa is a Moroi, a living vampire of royal blood; the threat against them comes from the Strigoi, the undead and bloodthirsty vampires of Mead's world.[2](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/226071/richelle-mead/) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/vampire_academy/s01) The story is told in first person from Rose's point of view and centers on her fierce loyalty to Lissa, alongside forbidden romance and the academy's ruthless social scene.[9](https://yabookscentral.com/vampire-academy/reviews/top-reviewers/) • [2](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/226071/richelle-mead/)
**World and themes.** Mead's vampire society is built around class divisions among the Moroi, and the later book *Frostbite* elaborates the hierarchy and a magic system of five elements: air, water, fire, earth, and spirit.[10](https://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-vampire-academy/themes.html) • [11](https://riomaisseguro.rio.rj.gov.br/Download_PDFS/virtual-library/6uWeCW/Frostbite_A_Vampire_Academy_Novel.pdf) A scholarly treatment describes the society as an allegory for human social structures layered over a variation on the classical high school story.[4](https://services.phaidra.univie.ac.at/api/object/o%3A1298297/get) Common Sense Media summarizes the tone as roughly "Mean Girls meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and notes the books contain violence, drinking, sex, and strong language despite a publisher's age range of 12 up.[8](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/vampire-academy)
**Publication and reception.** The series ran to six novels published between 2007 and 2010, and had sold more than 8 million copies worldwide by 2013.[12](https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?doi=2cba6b0c0e2c0bfd76283f6aa5ed6b602550d472&repid=rep1&type=pdf) • [6](https://uploads.strikinglycdn.com/files/dcb35697-5028-44cb-b041-15ab8ac139c6/fumenav.pdf) Reader ratings have stayed strong: the 10th anniversary edition holds a 3.89 average across roughly 7,460 reviews on The StoryGraph, and the first book rates 4.4 out of 5 from 43 reviews on YA Books Central.[13](https://app.thestorygraph.com/book_reviews/64a8aa93-e7fd-43b6-b806-cc8e7d741b3d) • [9](https://yabookscentral.com/vampire-academy/reviews/top-reviewers/) [Graphic novel](https://www.edgepedia.org/graphic-novel) adaptations of the first two novels appeared in 2011 (*Vampire Academy*) and 2012 (*Frostbite*); the rest of the series was not adapted into graphic format.[1](https://www.supersummary.com/vampire-academy/background/)
**Spin-off.** Mead continued the universe in the Bloodlines series, six books published between 2011 and 2015: *Bloodlines*, *The Golden Lily*, *The Indigo Spell*, *The Fiery Heart*, *Silver Shadows*, and *The Ruby Circle*.[7](https://www.embernovels.com/series/vampire-academy-books-in-order)
## The 2014 film
The first screen adaptation, released in 2014, was based on Mead's popular young adult books.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/vampire_academy/s01) Its cast included [Claire Foy](https://www.edgepedia.org/claire-foy), Sarah Hyland, Cameron Monaghan, and [Dominic Sherwood](https://www.edgepedia.org/dominic-sherwood), and it was written by Daniel Waters.[14](https://www.tvline.com/interviews/vampire-academy-peacock-series-book-changes-explained-1234872372/) The film did not succeed either as a standalone movie or as a franchise springboard, despite a game performance from a young [Zoey Deutch](https://www.edgepedia.org/zoey-deutch), according to TheWrap's review of the later series.[15](https://www.thewrap.com/vampire-academy-review-peacock-series-julie-plec/) Mead herself said at the time that the adaptation made small changes for the screen but that no major plot lines had been tweaked.[16](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vampire-academy-author-richelle-mead-weighs-in-on-film-possible-sequels/)
## The 2022 television series
A television reboot premiered on Peacock on September 15, 2022, with four episodes released that day, adapted by Marguerite MacIntyre and Julie Plec, the latter best known for [The CW](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cw)'s adaptation of *The Vampire Diaries*.[17](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/the-vampire-academy-tv-adaptation-stars-daniela-nieves-and-sisi-stringer/) Plec stated that the only similarity between her earlier franchise and this show is the word vampire in the title.[17](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/the-vampire-academy-tv-adaptation-stars-daniela-nieves-and-sisi-stringer/) The cast includes [Sisi Stringer](https://www.edgepedia.org/sisi-stringer) as Rose Hathaway, Daniela Nieves as Lissa Dragomir, Kieron Moore as Dimitri Belikov, André Dae Kim as Christian Ozera, and [J. August Richards](https://www.edgepedia.org/j-august-richards) as Victor Dashkov.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/vampire_academy/s01)
The season follows Lissa and Rose at St. Vladimir's Academy as they navigate romance, class politics, and ancient magic while a mysterious bond forms between them and the undead Strigoi threaten from outside.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/vampire_academy/s01) The leads described the friendship between the two women as the show's true love story, and Plec said she had wanted a television version since 2015 but waited until production could support what she called a miniature [Game of Thrones](https://www.edgepedia.org/game-of-thrones).[18](https://www.tvinsider.com/1060646/vampire-academy-different-the-vampire-diaries-julie-plec-daniela-nieves-sisi-stringer/) The adaptation deliberately changed book material; the showrunners explained that they backed up the beginning of the story to center the girls' friendship while keeping elements specific to the first book.[14](https://www.tvline.com/interviews/vampire-academy-peacock-series-book-changes-explained-1234872372/)
**Reception and cancellation.** Season 1 holds a 77% Tomatometer from 13 critics' reviews and a 44% Popcornmeter from more than 2,500 audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes; the critics consensus calls it "mostly all bark" but with "enough bite to leisurely entertain."[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/vampire_academy/s01) On Metacritic the season scored 59, labeled mixed or average, from seven critic reviews, with individual scores ranging from 91 (Collider) to 20 (the i paper).[19](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/vampire-academy-2022/critic-reviews/) Reviewers singled out the class-conflict themes and the second-half twists as strengths, and clunky early world-building as a weakness.[19](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/vampire-academy-2022/critic-reviews/) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/vampire_academy/s01) The series was canceled after one season, a decision Plec cited alongside the cancellation of Legacies when describing her move toward realistic dramas.[20](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/vampire-diaries-julie-plec-out-supernatural-game-rally)
## Place in the vampire genre
*Vampire Academy* appeared during the wave of vampire entertainment that followed the Twilight saga, a period commentators called the Vampire Renaissance; the series was adapted into a film in 2014 as part of that influx.[21](https://time.com/4061384/vampires-twilight-halloween/) Unlike the love-triangle structures of Twilight, True Blood, and [The Vampire Diaries](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-vampire-diaries), Plec and her cast positioned this story around the bond between two female leads rather than a romance between a heroine and two supernatural men.[17](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/the-vampire-academy-tv-adaptation-stars-daniela-nieves-and-sisi-stringer/) • [18](https://www.tvinsider.com/1060646/vampire-academy-different-the-vampire-diaries-julie-plec-daniela-nieves-sisi-stringer/) The books have maintained an active fanbase, with online communities and fan fiction continuing around the universe years after publication.[22](https://checkout.columbiacollege.edu/Resources/bbaOkE/5FE105/vampire__academy-series__richelle_mead.pdf)
## References
1. [Vampire Academy Background, SuperSummary](https://www.supersummary.com/vampire-academy/background/)
2. [Richelle Mead | Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/226071/richelle-mead/)
3. [Book Resume: Vampire Academy, Penguin Random House](https://assets.penguinrandomhouse.com/book-resumes/Mead_VampireAcademy_20251001.pdf)
4. [Diplomarbeit (University of Vienna thesis) on Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series](https://services.phaidra.univie.ac.at/api/object/o%3A1298297/get)
5. [Vampire Academy: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/vampire_academy/s01)
6. [Vampire Academy 1 (series overview document)](https://uploads.strikinglycdn.com/files/dcb35697-5028-44cb-b041-15ab8ac139c6/fumenav.pdf)
7. [Vampire Academy Books in Order: Complete Series Reading Guide, Ember](https://www.embernovels.com/series/vampire-academy-books-in-order)
8. [Vampire Academy, Parents' Guide & Book Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/vampire-academy)
9. [User Reviews: Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1), YA Books Central](https://yabookscentral.com/vampire-academy/reviews/top-reviewers/)
10. [Vampire Academy Themes, BookRags](https://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-vampire-academy/themes.html)
11. [Frostbite: A Vampire Academy Novel (world-building notes)](https://riomaisseguro.rio.rj.gov.br/Download_PDFS/virtual-library/6uWeCW/Frostbite_A_Vampire_Academy_Novel.pdf)
12. [Hugvísindasvið (thesis on the Vampire Academy novels, 2007–2010)](https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?doi=2cba6b0c0e2c0bfd76283f6aa5ed6b602550d472&repid=rep1&type=pdf)
13. [Reviews, Vampire Academy 10th anniversary edition, The StoryGraph](https://app.thestorygraph.com/book_reviews/64a8aa93-e7fd-43b6-b806-cc8e7d741b3d)
14. [Vampire Academy Peacock Series: Book Changes Explained By Creators, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/interviews/vampire-academy-peacock-series-book-changes-explained-1234872372/)
15. [Vampire Academy Review: Peacock Series Packs on the Plot but Struggles to Come Alive, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/vampire-academy-review-peacock-series-julie-plec/)
16. [Vampire Academy author Richelle Mead weighs in on film, possible sequels, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vampire-academy-author-richelle-mead-weighs-in-on-film-possible-sequels/)
17. [4 Things To Know About the Vampire Academy TV Adaptation, Rotten Tomatoes editorial](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/the-vampire-academy-tv-adaptation-stars-daniela-nieves-and-sisi-stringer/)
18. [Why Vampire Academy Is Dramatically Different From The Vampire Diaries, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/1060646/vampire-academy-different-the-vampire-diaries-julie-plec-daniela-nieves-sisi-stringer/)
19. [Vampire Academy (2022) critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/vampire-academy-2022/critic-reviews/)
20. [I Can't Believe The Vampire Diaries' Julie Plec Is Getting Out Of The Supernatural Game, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/vampire-diaries-julie-plec-out-supernatural-game-rally)
21. [The Vampire Craze in Popular Culture Isn't Dead Yet, Time](https://time.com/4061384/vampires-twilight-halloween/)
22. [Vampire Academy series (Richelle Mead), reader reception overview](https://checkout.columbiacollege.edu/Resources/bbaOkE/5FE105/vampire__academy-series__richelle_mead.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Creative written works and worlds › Prose fiction › Novel series and sagas › Children's and young-adult novel series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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