Sunday, October 25, 2009

Chapter 1 is Read!

Okay, so the first thing I noticed is that it's a pretty easy read. Yah, I know a YA book should be an easy read for a college student. However, I have read YA books where I need to look up a few words. Books that are easy reads aren't bad per say, they just get you through them faster, but they can still give you more enjoyment from them.

The first sentence of this book, which is usually what captures the attention of the reader in any book, is actually really intriguing. Being able to fear another's fear usually indicates that you're really close to another person or you're empathic and can sense emotions from others.

I got bits and pieces of what happened in this nightmare that starts off the book: blood, fire, twisted metal, smoke, and some person named Andre. Other than that, I had to assume what happened and that something happened to these two girls who have been on the run for something. Of course, that's the main idea of these pieces of some puzzle

I got that they were vampires, at least I got that Lissa was. The words like dhampir and Moroi aren't explained, but that's what these two girls are. All that I really got was that at least Lissa was a vampire and that Rose was always trying to protect her from something, which includes some guys lurking in the shadows.

I really enjoyed the fact that Rose, the main character who's telling the story, explained things such as what compulsion is and the bond that she shares with Lissa.

One of my favorite lines would have to be Rose explaining how she and Lissa became friends:
Lissa and I had been best friends ever since kindergarten, when our teacher had paired us together for writing lessons. Forcing five-year-olds to spell Vasilisa Dragomir and Rosemarie Hathaway was beyond cruel, and we'd -- or rather I'd -- responded appropriately. I'd chucked my book at our teacher and called her a fascist bastard. I hadn't known what those words meant, but I'd known how to hit a moving target.
Rose isn't one of those girls you read about in fairy tales, who sits around, waiting for her prince to come. She's snarky and impulsive and will protect Lissa no matter the cost.

This man that is after Lissa and Rose without any explanation to the reader other than he had been watching them and was one of almost a dozen guardians. Guardians and novices aren't explained, but then again, you can assume what it means.

The explanation of Lissa being a princess had me going back and listening to the end of the first chapter in the audio book to make sure I hadn't heard it wrong. There's also the fact that they've apparently run away from school, which you don't understand either.

Overall, I'm enjoying the first chapter and I'll be onto chapter 2 some time this week after my Psychology test and English portfolio are done. So I'll probably write some time this weekend. I'm really looking forward to it!

Welcome


My name is Mandy and this is a start of a whole new journey!

I'm a college student double majoring in English and Psychology as well as a writer and I've been getting bothered by my friend Natalie to read the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead for quite a while. I've been trying to find time, but it seems like I just don't have the time with everything that's going on.

I have to admit that since I started listening to the audio books, I've become addicted. However, in my past experiences with the Harry Potter and Twilight series, I've learned that listening to audio books and reading a book are two completely different things. I own the first two books, but never touched them although now I have all 4 on my Kindle.

This being said, I've decided to make a blog/journal about my thoughts of the Vampire Academy series. Yes, I admit that Natalie and I were comparing this to Kaleb Nation's Twilight Guy website. However, I am not rich enough to buy a domain and host and I seriously have no idea how to do html (ask my friends, they'll tell you) so I'm stuck with Blogspot.

I'll probably psycho-analyze the characters as I get further into the books, but I'll try to keep it in as plain English as I possibly can. I'm telling you now, if you don't understand psychological terms that I'll probably use, let me know in a comment or something of the like and I'll be sure to clarify what I'm talking about.

On my mark, get set, go!

I'll be back to post again soon!