If you want to read the Vampire Academy books in order, start with Vampire Academy and finish the six original novels before beginning the six-book Bloodlines series. This guide also includes the optional short stories, graphic novels, companion books, and screen adaptations.
Richelle Mead’s series follows Rose Hathaway, a dhampir training to protect her best friend, Moroi princess Lissa Dragomir. Moroi are mortal vampires who can use elemental magic, while Strigoi are immortal undead vampires who hunt Moroi and humans. Dhampirs have both human and vampire ancestry and often train as guardians.
Jump to:
- Vampire Academy Reading Order
- Vampire Academy Graphic Novels
- Vampire Academy Companion Books
- The Vampire Academy Adaptations
- About Richelle Mead
Vampire Academy Reading Order
The simplest reading order is to read the six Vampire Academy novels first, followed by the six Bloodlines novels. The main books move forward in publication order, and Bloodlines assumes you know how Last Sacrifice ends.
The optional stories are nested beneath the novel after which I recommend reading them. You can follow the complete story through the 12 novels without them.
Vampire Academy Main Series
- Vampire Academy (2007)
- Frostbite (2008)
- Shadow Kiss (2008)
- Blood Promise (2009)
- Spirit Bound (2010)
- Sunshine (2010) (Short Story)
- Last Sacrifice (2010)
- Adrian’s Lost Chapter (2011) (Deleted Chapter)
- Homecoming (2012) (Short Story)
- Vampire Academy 10th Anniversary Edition (2016)
- The Turn and the Flame (2016) (Short Story)
- From the Journal of Vasilisa Dragomir (2016) (Short Story)
- The Meeting (2016) (Short Story)
- Hello, My Name Is Rose Hathaway (2016) (Short Story)
Sunshine appears in the anthology Kisses from Hell, while Homecoming appears in Foretold: 14 Tales of Prophecy and Prediction. Adrian’s Lost Chapter is Richelle Mead’s discarded original opening for Bloodlines, told from Adrian Ivashkov’s point of view.
The four stories nested beneath the Vampire Academy 10th Anniversary Edition are included with the original first novel in that expanded edition. They were also collected in the UK ebook Vampire Academy: The Untold Stories. The two editions contain the same four bonus stories, so you don’t need both.
Bloodlines Books
The original series ends with Last Sacrifice. There isn’t a seventh novel under the Vampire Academy title. The story continues in Bloodlines, which follows Alchemist Sydney Sage and brings back characters from the first series.
Read the Bloodlines books in publication order. Starting them before finishing Last Sacrifice will reveal major developments from Rose’s story.
- Bloodlines (2011)
- The Golden Lily (2012)
- The Indigo Spell (2013)
- The Fiery Heart (2013)
- Silver Shadows (2014)
- The Ruby Circle (2015)
Richelle Mead describes both six-book series as finished. She has left open the possibility of returning to the world someday, but there is no additional novel in the published reading order.
Vampire Academy Graphic Novels
Leigh Dragoon adapted the first three novels into graphic novels illustrated by Emma Vieceli. They retell the same stories rather than continuing the series, and no graphic adaptation was published for Blood Promise or the later books.
- Vampire Academy: A Graphic Novel (2011)
- Frostbite: A Graphic Novel (2012)
- Shadow Kiss: A Graphic Novel (2013)
Vampire Academy Companion Books
These companion books are optional and don’t continue the story. Read them after Last Sacrifice if you want to avoid details from the original series.
- Vampire Academy: The Ultimate Guide (2011)
- Vampire Academy: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion (2013)
The Ultimate Guide, written by Michelle Rowen with Richelle Mead, covers the characters, history, and mythology of the books. The Official Illustrated Movie Companion by Brandon T. Snider focuses on the making of the 2014 film.
The Vampire Academy Adaptations
The series has received two screen adaptations: a feature film based on the first novel and a television series that reworked characters and events from across the books.
Vampire Academy Movie
Vampire Academy was released in 2014. Zoey Deutch stars as Rose Hathaway, Lucy Fry plays Lissa Dragomir, and Danila Kozlovsky plays Dimitri Belikov. The movie adapts the first novel. A sequel was discussed and a fan-funding campaign was attempted, but no second film was produced.
Vampire Academy TV Series
The Vampire Academy television series premiered on Peacock in 2022. Sisi Stringer stars as Rose, Daniela Nieves plays Lissa, and Kieron Moore plays Dimitri. Peacock canceled the series in January 2023 after one season, and no second season was produced.
About Richelle Mead
Richelle Mead is the author of the Vampire Academy, Bloodlines, Georgina Kincaid, Dark Swan, Age of X, and The Glittering Court series.
Her interest in fantasy and science fiction began when her father read Greek mythology to her and her brothers introduced her to Flash Gordon. Mead later studied folklore and religion, interests that helped shape the mythology in her books.
Looking for More Books in Order?
If you want more fantasy authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Fantasy Books in Order index.