The Vampire Academy follows Rose Hathaway and Lissa Dragomir who are seniors at St. Vladimir's Academy, a boarding school used to educate both Moroi and Dhampirs, who are each segregated into different dorms and classes. Rose must protect Lissa from forces who mean her harm, while also trying to navigate through the drama of high school. Having run away from campus two years prior, Lissa and Rose are captured and returned to St. Vladimir's Academy, to continue their studies. Trying to cautiously fall back into a routine, Lissa continues focusing on mastering her "element" as well as academic studies. Rose goes back to her guardian training as she tries to catch up with the rest of the novices.

Richelle Mead's novel, Vampire Academy, assumes the idea of the "Vampire" in a very different way than Stroker's gothic novel, Dracula. Deviating from today's typical pop-culture-vampire norm, Mead incorporates ancient vampyre lore as a way to explain the character relationships in this anecdote. ​

By adapting the folklore, Mead was able to create a diverse social hierarchy. She derived phrases Moroi and Strigoi from Romanian folklore/mythology, and the phrase Dhampir from Slavonic Gypsy Lore. The phrase Moroi is defined as the phantom of the deceased who chooses to leave his/her grave to draw energy from the living. Known as Night-Walkers, the Strigoi are malevolent creatures known to have been the original inspiration for the infamous blood-crazed vampires we know today. Taken from Slavonic Gypsy Lore, Dhampir was used by gypsies to describe the child of a vampire. 

Within the novel, the Moroi aren't spirits but born vampires who are mortal. Mead kept the meaning of Dhampir true but made them guardians of the Moroi. The Strigoi are still known as the Night-Walkers but they are the main villain against the Moroi, and who Dhampirs are trained to kill. By doing this Mead created a social caste system between the characters, segregating them into three diverse groups. Mead further extends the caste system by adding a monarchy within the Moroi community. Ruled by twelve royal families, the Moroi are led under the regime of the Royal Court, an order consisting of all twelve families and managed by a single King or Queen who is elected from one of the twelve families. Among the royals is Lissa, the princess and last remaining heir to the Dragomir line.

The main relationship outlined in this novel is the friendship between Lissa and Rose. With Lissa being not just a Moroi, but a Royal, and Rose being a Dhampir, Mead breaks the social rules within her own class system. Having met at the age of five, the girls became fast friends and Rose was welcomed into the Dragomir family with open arms. When the girls were fifteen, Rose accompanied the Dragomir family during their winter break that resulted in a car accident that left Lissa's parents and older brother dead, while the girls miraculously survived. Afterward, a psychic bond formed between the girls, allowing Rose to sense when Lissa is in danger, and at times allow Rose to step into Lissa's mind and see what she is seeing. This further strengthens the girls' relationship and becomes the very reason why Rose is the primary choice to become Lissa's guardian. 

By adding all these social elements, Richelle Mead created a universe that combines concepts from long ago with the modern world. Absolutely beautifully written start to a six-book series that I cannot wait to finish! I recommend this book profusely.