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Series · paranormal romance

Vampire Academy

by Richelle Mead

The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead has 6 known books (6 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with Vampire Academy (2007). Last Sacrifice is the latest book with a fully recorded publication date.

Books
6 known books (6 novels)
Published
6
First published
2007
Status
completed
Shelved under
Romance , Fantasy
Start here: Vampire Academy (2007) — then read straight through in publication order.
Book one
Cover of Vampire Academy
Vampire Academy (2007)

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.

  1. Vampire Academy

    Novel
    Vampire Academy is the first novel in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, a paranormal romance title, published in 2007 at 352 pages. It opens the series that ran from 2007 to 2010, and is followed by Frostbite.
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  2. Frostbite

    Novel
    Frostbite is the 2nd novel in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, published in 2008 at 327 pages. It follows Vampire Academy and precedes Shadow Kiss in the reading order.
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  3. Shadow Kiss

    Novel
    Shadow Kiss is the 3rd novel in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, published in 2008. It follows Frostbite and precedes Blood Promise in the reading order.
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  4. Blood Promise

    Novel
    Blood Promise is the 4th novel in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, published in 2009. It follows Shadow Kiss and precedes Spirit Bound in the reading order.
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  5. Spirit Bound

    Novel
    Spirit Bound is the 5th novel in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, published in 2010 at 496 pages. It follows Blood Promise and precedes Last Sacrifice in the reading order.
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  6. Last Sacrifice

    Novel
    Last Sacrifice is the 6th novel in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, published in 2010 at 594 pages. It follows Spirit Bound in the reading order. It's the final book in a series that ran from 2007 to 2010.
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Key facts about the Vampire Academy series

Our list has 6 books in the Vampire Academy series. Since all 6 are out now, you can read the whole list today.

Start with Vampire Academy, since it opens the publication order in 2007. Frostbite is book 2, from 2008. Shadow Kiss is book 3, from 2008.

Blood Promise is book 4, from 2009. Spirit Bound is book 5, from 2010. Last Sacrifice is book 6, from 2010.

The list keeps the books in date order, while each title links to its own page. Each book page shows its dates and editions.

Last Sacrifice is the latest book with a full release date, out on 7 December 2010. Since the catalogue marks the series as complete, we list no next book.

The books came out between 2007 and 2010, while their length runs from 327 to 594 pages. That is a run of 3 years.

Richelle Mead has 29 books on our list. Additionally, they write Georgina Kincaid, Dark Swan and Bloodlines, plus 2 more series. We shelve the books under paranormal romance.

About the Vampire Academy series

At St. Vladimir's Academy, a boarding school hidden from the human world, Moroi (mortal, magic-using vampires) are trained alongside Dhampirs (half-human, half-vampire guardians) who exist to protect them from the Strigoi -- vicious, immortal vampires who've given up their souls for eternal power. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir novice guardian-in-training whose fierce loyalty to her best friend, Moroi princess Lissa Dragomir, drives the whole series: the two ran away from the Academy together before the story opens, and are dragged back into a world of royal politics, magical bonds, and Strigoi threats that only escalate as Rose trains to become Lissa's guardian for life. Richelle Mead builds a detailed vampire caste system with real social stakes -- royal Moroi bloodlines, guardian duty, and the specific horror of Strigoi transformation -- around a fierce loyalty-driven friendship and a slow-burn, forbidden romance between Rose and her much-older mentor, Dimitri Belikov.

The series is known for prioritizing Rose and Lissa's friendship as much as any romance, a genuinely dangerous magic system (bond-sharing between Rose and Lissa has real psychological costs), and raising real stakes -- named characters die, and the series builds to a genuinely consequential finale. It helped define mid-2000s YA paranormal romance and later expanded into the six-book Bloodlines spin-off, which follows a different Dhampir character in the same world. Readers who want fierce female friendship at the emotional center of a vampire academy setting, real stakes, and a slow-burn forbidden romance are the audience.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Vampire Academy series?

6 novels: Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound, and Last Sacrifice (2007-2010).

What order should I read the Vampire Academy books in?

Publication order, starting with Vampire Academy. It's one continuous story that concludes at book 6, Last Sacrifice.

Is Vampire Academy finished?

Yes. The main 6-book series has a definitive ending with Last Sacrifice (2010).

Is Bloodlines a sequel or a separate series?

Bloodlines is a separate 6-book spin-off series following a different lead character (Sydney Sage), set in the same world and picking up right after Vampire Academy ends. It's meant to be read after finishing all six Vampire Academy books, not as part of this series.

Is Vampire Academy the same as the 2014 movie or the Peacock TV series?

Both are adaptations of these books. The 2014 film adapted book one; the 2022 Peacock series is a more expansive adaptation that changes and extends several plot elements from the source novels.

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