The vampire fiction genre dominated the young adult fiction market for years before dystopian tales of teen brilliance took over, and one that flew under the radar. In contrast, Twilight dominated the market was Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series.
Released between 2007 and 2010, this six-book series followed the interpersonal drama and political intrigue of the vampire race, the Moroi, who possess elemental powers and don't kill humans to feed, and their protectors.
The Dhamphirs, half-human half-vampire forces of nature, who are highly trained from birth to protect the Moroi royals from the 'bad vampires.' The Strigoi, vampires who kill to feed and, like conventional vampires, are immortal and possess super-human abilities.
Already adapted once before in 2014 into a film that, while being fun, missed the mark in more than one area, the upcoming series is a chance at redemption and anticipation is high that producer Julie Plec will succeed with the new adaption.
The first book in the series, Vampire Academy, picks up with Rose Hathaway and Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir returning to their elite boarding school after running away and facing a different world to when they first left.
It has drama akin to Gossip Girl's early seasons and fast-paced action as Rose attempts to catch up to her peers and protect her best friend.
The catty shenanigans might slow down in the following books. Still, with every new book, readers are introduced to more colourful characters and challenging situations as they complete school and enter adulthood, maturing with the readers at the time of release.
Stay tuned for the recap at the end of September, where we look back at returning to the series after a decade and still see if it had the same hold on us that it did in high school.
If you want to watch the series later this month, it premiers on September 15th on Peacock TV in the US. For Australian readers, no date has been confirmed yet but expect to see it on Stan shortly.
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