April Spisak (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, November 2007 (Vol. 61, No. 3))
Lissa, a Moroi, and Rose, a Dhampir, are more than best friends, they are also bonded through their protective relationship: all Moroi, mortal vampires who draw on the earth’s magic to strengthen their abilities, receive Dhampir (human/vampire hybrids) guardians who spend their lives protecting their charge. The girls have also spent two years as runaways from St. Vladimir’s Academy, but now they’ve been caught. Back at the Academy, both girls chafe under the restrictions, class struggles, and high-school politics that led to their escape in the first place, though Rose is grateful that Lissa will have a structured space to develop her powers and extra guardians assigned to protect her from the Strigoi (evil immortal vampires) who are hell-bent on turning Lissa into one of them. Although the designations of humans, vampires, and various fusions of the two is complex, Mead’s lushly detailed settings and intricately developed characters provide an intriguing foreground against which to sort out this alternative world. In addition, Lissa and Rose are so different as to become narrative foils, offering two concurrent perspectives throughout the novel (Lissa is warm, sympathetic, and naïve while Rose is snarky, outspoken, and mistrustful). Although schools for the “others” have become almost commonplace, St. Vladimir’s, animated through descriptions of bloodsucking rooms, overnight classes, and daring high-school recreational activities, is a standout academy in the bunch. The snappy pace, flirty romantic undertones, and BFF heroines balance nicely with the thoughtful philosophical explorations of the ways in which one’s status at birth preordains one’s destiny Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2007, Razorbill, 332p., $8.99. Grades 9-12.

Erin Kilby (VOYA, August 2007 (Vol. 30, No 3))
Rose Hathaway, a mythical, half-human, half-vampire dhampir, bears the sole responsibility for innocent vampire heiress Vasilisa Dragomir, the last of the royal Dragomir line with whom she shares a rare and bizarre psychic bond. After being dragged from their secret lair by ruggedly handsome guardian Dimitri Belikov to the Vampire Academy, Rose must face rigid academy rules, brutal physical conditioning, and severe punishments in order to be rated a sanctioned guardian who can protect Lissa from the deadly Strigoi and an unknown predator who seeks to destroy the Dragomir line for all eternity. Mead bleeds black for fans of the gothic vampire novel and adds a touch of the sexy with sassy, sly, and hard-hitting Rose. But Rose puts her rogue urges on hold when it comes to her best friend and charge, Lissa-Rose's polar opposite who is in possession of a gift that puts her in danger and demands that her guardian be the most disciplined and altruistic around. This story is no ordinary vampire tale. Mead has done her homework on Romanian folklore and Orthodox Catholic saints, and she uses it to weave a unique and mesmerizing mystery with a whodunit ending that even the most skilled detectives will not predict. With social angst that every teenager can appreciate and sexual tension that leaves Stephenie Meyer's Twilight (Little, Brown, 2005/VOYA October 2005) looking like a children's book, this little gem is sure to be a hit. If readers can get past the trite title, the pages will surely turn themselves. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2007, Razorbill/Penguin Putnam, 330p., $8.99 Trade pb. Ages 12 to 18.