Vampire Academy Series - Richelle Mead

Synopsis of Vampire Academy (Book 1)

"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."

Jenn: I stumbled across these books pretty much by accident. I was intrigued by the back description and figured, why not? So I started reading and quickly became engrossed. The main character - Rose - is well developed and described (as were the all the other characters), and it was very easy to imagine her as I read. The books are written in first person persective so although Rose is a very individual character, I definitely felt like I was inside her head and feeling everything right along with her. She's funny and sarcastic and full of spunk, but still feels vulnerable and a little insecure, which made her feel very real. The stories in each book have a slight mystery feel to them, you don't really know what's going on so you try to figure it out right along with Rose. It's a little frustrating for me, but only because I hate not knowing what's going on, lol! There's a fair amount of "adult" language, and lots of sexual tension and some sex - but nothing explicit. The action scenes are well written without being overdone or hard to understand. I had a few "What?!" moments, and a few moments that made me cry, but overall, an extremely good series. I'm very excited for the next book.

*This series will have 6 books total - the first 4 books are available now, with the 5th slated to come out May 18, 2010.
**The author has mentioned that there may be possible spin-off series from other characters' POV's in the future.

The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare

Synopsis of City of Bones (Book 1)

"When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . ."

Jenn: I was a little confused through the beginning of the first book, but only because things were explained as they were encountered; but it helped me connect with the main female lead - Clary - since she felt that way too. But soon things were fairly well explained and the story was very enjoyable. There is a lot of "WTF??" moments though, and there's a lot of times when what you WANT to have happen isn't exactly what SHOULD happen. But that's the beauty of the story, because the main characters are dealing with the exact same thing - so you feel very connected to them, which is great. There's a fair amount of action in the books, and though they are well written, the only thing I didn't like was that during the ending action scenes, it would jump from one character's perspectives to the next and although it was nice to know what was going on with everyone, it had moments of feeling a little scattered. But other than that, it was a great series (all three books are out now), with everything thoroughly explained by the end so that I didn't feel confused and I was very satisfied with the ending. Just remember, if you read these books, you have to keep an open mind. : )

*This series contains 3 books, all of which are available now.
**The author is currently working on a "prequel" series - The Infernal Devices. The first book - The Clockwork Angel - has a tentative release of fall of 2010.