**Read the book and watch the original TV series, now streaming on Peacock!** Join the legion of fans who skyrocketed this six-book series to the top of the charts. Start here, with the first book that kicked off the international #1 bestselling Vampire Academy series. Love and loyalty run deeper than blood. 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. **cover image may vary** "We're suckers for it."  - Entertainment Weekly Author - Richelle Mead Number of Pages - 352 Format - Trade Pbk Publisher - Penguin Young Readers Published - 2007-08-16