Treasured Thursdays: Most Treasured Vampire Series

Treasured Thursday is a weekly event created by Touya over at The Reader's Garden that is all about our most treasured. I'm hosting it here now, for those of you who are interested in joining me. This week our topic is our most treasured vampire series.


Now, stay with me here guys, I know the vampire stuff is a bit outdone now. There is one series that I can reread over and over again and NEVER get sick of it. It has everything a GOOD vampire series needs, in my opinion: super scary villains, action, romance, humor & a super kick ass heroine! There is obviously only one series I could be talking about; that's right, Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy. I LOVE it! 

Here is a quick synopsis of the 1st book, in case you haven't read them yet: 

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. (from Goodreads)

My very favorite part of this series is the main character, Rose Hathaway. She is such a wonderfully strong and independent heroine and she's hilariously sarcastic. I adore her. I think we need more characters like her in the ya genre, honestly. 

“Lissa and I had been friends ever since kindergarten, when our teacher had paired us up 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 out 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.
Lissa and I had been inseparable ever since.”~Vampire Academy

Close second as far as favorite things about this series are concerned is the love story that unfolds as you read the books. Dimitri and Rose have the kind of relationship that girls dream of, sort of. They have their issues, of course, but I'm talking about how completely in sync they are, the closeness they share with each other. It's really moving.  Here's a little snippet:

“No," Dimitri interrupted gently. He moved his face toward mine, our foreheads nearly touching. "It won't happen to you. You're too strong. You'll fight it, just like you did this
time."
"I only did because you were here." He wrapped his arms around me, and I buried my face in his chest. "I can't do it by myself," I whispered.

"You can," he said. There was a tremulous note in his voice. "You're strong—you're so, so strong. It's why I love you.” ~Rose & Dimitri, Shadow Kiss

This is my most treasured, what's yours?