Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead.

Lissa Dragomir and Rose Hathaway are best friends and partners in crime. Lissa, being the gorgeous Moroi (meaning mortal vampire) princess, must be protected at all times from the dangerous Strigoi vampires who long to either kill her or make her one of their own. Rose, a dhampir (a mix between vampire and human blood), has a special bond with Lissa—she is able to go into her mind and be with her even when she is not physically there.

A problem arises and Lissa and Rose flee from St. Vladimir’s Academy for Moroi vampires and their guardians-in-training. They leave without permission from the Academy, and manage to stay safe for two long years. That is, until the Academy sends our their best guardians to retrieve them and bring them back. They succeed.

Now Lissa and Rose are back at the Academy, breaking hearts, training, and learning the basics of Moroi magic. In a world of forbidden romance, unspeakable rituals and betrayal, Rose must find a way to protect Lissa from the Strigoi and their minions before it’s too late…

Fast-paced and addictive, this young adult novel—Vampire Academy—will keep you reading until your parents come down and yell at you to go to bed. Rose is the seductive, dangerously mysterious girl every teen will love to read about.

Richelle creates a believable world that engulfs you quickly, drawing you into the magic of St. Vladimir’s Academy. The characters are not your average macho superheroes, but in many ways that’s a good thing. The reader is able to relate to the characters, find bits and pieces of their personality in theirs.

The series has made it onto my favorite books list even faster than Twilight did, which is pretty darn fast. The books are thought-out; they don’t leave you confused like many books today do.

So far there are three books in the series—Vampire Academy (book one), Frostbite (book two), and Shadow Kiss (book three). Book four is yet to be titled, and will be coming out sometime in 2009; book five will be coming out the year after.

This series is highly recommended to those who like suspenseful, slightly dramatic vampire books with an interesting twist.