Two years after Twilight made teenage vampires a rekindled cultural phenomenon, Vampire Academy swept onto the scene. Richelle Mead’s six-book series is full of international intrigue and some truly Buffy-worthy vampire-slaying, but it’s the will-they-or-won’t-they romance between Rose and Dmitri that really gets readers’ blood pumping. If you’re in the market for more paranormal YA romance, we’ve got the 20 best books like Vampire Academy picked out for you below.
Published between 2007 and 2010, Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy centers on Rose, a Dhampir, who shares a psychic connection with her best friend, the Moroi princess Lissa. Rose’s half-vampire heritage makes her stronger than the average human and destines her to play a strategic role in vampire society. Rose is Lissa’s Guardian: the Dhampir entrusted to protect her from Strigoi. As such, she trains with other Dhampir at the eponymous school, St. Vladimir’s Academy, to become a fearsome Strigoi-hunter.
But what are the Dhampir, Moroi, and Strigoi? Dhampir are half-vampires who serve the Moroi—the so-called good vampires of the Vampire Academy world. Their enemies, the Strigoi, are ravenous undead. Unlike the Moroi, who are in control of their faculties and only feed on the willing, Strigoi are vicious predators…who used to be Moroi, once upon a time.
Vampire Academy (2007): in which Rose and Lissa return to St. Vladimir’s Academy after a two-year hiatus.
Frostbite (2008): the Vampire Academy sequel, in which Rose and her instructor, Dmitri, uncover an anti-Moroi plot involving Strigoi and humans.
Shadow Kiss (2008): the third Vampire Academy book, in which Rose begins to show symptoms of PTSD and feels conflicted over her duties to Lissa and Dmitri.
Blood Promise (2009): the fourth Vampire Academy book, which sees Rose leave Lissa’s side to fulfill a promise she made to Dmitri.
Spirit Bound (2010): in which Rose returns to St. Vladimir’s, knowing that her days may be numbered.
Last Sacrifice (2010): the final Vampire Academy installment, in which Rose is imprisoned for a terrible crime she did not commit.
Has Richelle Mead’s paranormal YA romance left you wanting more? Keep scrolling for a look at the 20 best books like Vampire Academy.
The Best Books Like Vampire Academy
The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh
The Beautiful is the first installment of Renée Ahdieh’s Beautifulquartet. The story here centers on Celine, a 17-year-old transplant from Paris, as she explores the rich and often deadly underworld of 19th-century New Orleans. There, she takes shelter in an Ursuline convent and finds work sewing dresses for a student of the occult. Celine quickly becomes enraptured by her client’s charismatic mentor, the wealthy Sébastien—who becomes her prime suspect when another girl from the convent is murdered.
Luna Wolf by G. Bailey and Regan Rosewood
A teenage shifter whose ability to shift never manifested takes center stage in Luna Wolf. With a war between the wolf shifters and werebears brewing on the horizon, 18-year-old Nyx’s inability to shift makes her a liability to her clan. She’s shipped off to Luna Alpha Academy—a school for shifters, demons, and other immortals—where she meets Atlas, the alpha shifter responsible for showing her the ropes. Fake dating, dark magic, and spicy encounters ensue.
The Stolen Heir by Holly Black
Holly Black returns to the world of her Folk of the Air series with this duology starter. Wren, the queen of the Court of Teeth, was exiled to the mortal realm after her mother, Lady Nore, seized power and began to populate their world with icy monsters. A chance run-in with her former betrothed, Elfhame’s infuriatingly handsome Prince Oak, sets Wren on a course that will inevitably lead her to confront her estranged mother, in The Stolen Heir.
Breakup from Hell by Ann Dávila Cardinal
From Five Midnights author Ann Dávila Cardinal comes Breakup from Hell. This YA rom-com follows Mica, who realizes too late that something might be disastrously wrong with her budding relationship with Sam. A vacationer who’s just passing through, Sam offers Mica a break from the mundanity of her tiny hometown, and his devil-may-care attitude is a welcome departure from her devout abuela’s household rules. Then supernatural abilities manifest within Mica and her friends. It turns out that Sam isn’t who she thinks he is, and there may have been a reason for abuela’s strict policies after all.
Princess of Souls by Alexandra Christo
The Festival of Predictions offers those who dare to challenge it the chance to seize immortality from the King himself. To do so, they must survive the month-long festival and beat fate itself. You see, the King’s Witch has already seen how they will die, and no one has ever managed to outwit her predictions. As this year’s festival cranks into high gear, the Witch’s imprisoned daughter makes a prediction of her own involving one of the competitors. Little does she know, however, that she’s the first person on his hit list. Alexandra Christo’s Princess of Souls is a dark Rapunzel retelling that fantasy fans won’t want to miss.
Moonstruck by Grace Ellis and Shae Beagle
Moonstruck is a cozy comics series that follows Julie, a werewolf barista, and her friends as they try to stop a villain who is stealing magic from people in their idyllic college town. After her centaur co-worker gets cursed at a local magic show, Julie and her girlfriend Selena team up with another friend, Cass, to save Chet’s behind—literally. The centaur barista has been relieved of their centaur backside, thanks to some magical sleight of hand. Can the fantasy foursome set things right before more neighbors lose their magic?
Cruel Illusions by Margie Fuston
Vampires killed Ava’s mom, then disappeared. Ten years after the last recorded vampire sighting, Ava’s sights are still set on avenging her mother’s murder. She follows a trail of supernatural essence from a magic show to the secret society of magicians running it, only to find that they want her help. Turns out, Ava may have inherited the same magical abilities that power their show. They’re willing to help her hone her talents and find the vampire that killed her mom, but first, she must prove she can be part of their team, in Cruel Illusions.
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
Stephanie Garber’s Once Upon a Broken Heart centers on Evangeline, a devastated young woman who makes a desperate bargain with Jacks, the immortal Prince of Hearts, to stop her beloved Luc from marrying her estranged stepsister, Marisol. Jacks’ involvement creates a host of other problems, however, not the least of which is the fact that everyone in attendance at Luc and Marisol’s wedding is turned to stone. Evangeline makes a great sacrifice to save them and unexpectedly survives, but news of her ordeal leads everyone she knows—including Luc himself—to believe she may be the problem after all.
The Unwanted Student by Scarlett Haven
The Unwanted Student is a sweet paranormal romance about Tori, a dark fae princess whose father denies her an inheritance and carts her off to a magical school that has never accepted a dark fae student. At Shifter Academy, Tori meets Devin, who accuses her of casting a spell on him…and tells her he thinks they’re destined to be together.
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
This series-starter from Talon author Julie Kagawa centers on a teenage girl who’s pulled into the world of Faery when her kid brother is replaced with a changeling. The Iron King follows Meghan as she journeys into the Nevernever with her lifelong BFF—and secret fey—Robbie, in search of the brother she lost. As Meghan and Robbie pursue the villainous Iron King, they meet Ash: a prince of the Unseelie court, who is as beautiful as he is emotionally distant.
Only a Monster by Vanessa Len
Vanessa Len’s debut novel imagines a world in which a family of time-stealing monsters finally meets the legendary hero whose prophesied coming has haunted them for generations. Joan has harbored a crush on Nick for as long as they’ve worked together, but all her daydreams about their possible future together come crashing down the instant she learns that she and the rest of her family are monsters—and Nick is the hunter fated to kill them all. Can these star-crossed not-yet-lovers change fate itself? Find out, in Only a Monster.
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
The first installment in Kerri Maniscalco’s series of the same name, Kingdom of the Wicked follows a young witch named Emilia, who must tread carefully as she investigates her twin sister’s murder. As a streghe, Emilia is used to hiding her identity from the rest of the world. Humans hate witches, after all. Once she finds Vittoria’s body, however, this grieving sister is determined to do whatever it takes to bring her killer to justice, even if it means making a deal with a literal prince of Hell.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea retells “The Tale of Shim Cheong,” an anonymously written Korean novel dating back to at least the 18th century. The Sea God’s legendary wrath has left a nation quaking in the wake of war and natural disaster. To appease him, the people sacrifice one girl at sea each year, hoping to one day choose his so-called true bride and put an end to the violence around them. As the next sacrifice, Cheong holds her village’s hope in her hands. Things go sideways when her boyfriend, Joon, tries to stop her “wedding” to the Sea God, provoking his sister Mina to make her own sacrifice. Mina leaps into the ocean to save her brother from divine wrath—only to find that what her people believe about the Sea God may not be true at all.
These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan
Another tale of sisterly affections and duty, Lexi Ryan’s These Hollow Vows centers on Brie, an avowed Fae-hater, who makes a dangerous deal with the king of the Unseelie court to prevent his impending marriage to her sister. That deal leads her to the heart of the Seelie court, from which she’s agreed to steal three valuable artifacts for the king. To get there, Brie passes herself off as one of the girls who’ve come to win the prince’s heart. The closer she gets to Prince Ronan, however, the more she begins to wonder if she’s been wrong about the Fae.
A Ruinous Fate by Kaylie Smith
A team of intrepid heroes accompanies their unluckiest friend on a quest to change her stars, in A Ruinous Fate. Calla must hide the fact that she is a Siphon: a member of a dangerous and rare breed of magic folk, even in a world full of fae, sirens, and witches. When a misfortunate roll of her magical tattoo designates her as the Blood Warrior who will destroy magic in a Ragnarok-esque war of great powers, Calla sets out on a journey into the heart of the Neverending Forest for the chance at a fresh start.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Cemetery Boys follows Yadriel, a trans boy struggling to prove to his traditional family that he deserves to follow in their footsteps and become a full-fledged brujo. To convince them, he attempts to conjure up the spirit of his recently murdered cousin, who has not yet passed over to the afterlife. A twist of fate results in Yadriel summoning Julian’s ghost instead. His late classmate was their high school’s resident bad boy, and he has some unfinished business left to attend to before he agrees to cross over.
Crave by Tracy Wolff
A leader in the YA vampire Renaissance, Tracy Wolff’s Crave centers on Grace, an orphaned mortal who’s sent to a school for supernatural teens following her parents’ deaths. She has few allies in the academy. Nevertheless, she’s quickly sucked into Jaxon’s orbit. He’s an ultra-powerful vampire who has built plenty of mental walls to shield himself from caring about others. Is Grace the one worth breaking them down for?
The Witch and the Vampire by Francesca Flores
From Diamond City author Francesca Flores comes The Witch and the Vampire. Teen witches Ava and Kaye were once best friends. Now, Ava and her mother Eugenia have been turned into vampires, leaving Kaye to continue her magical studies alone. She’s on the cusp of becoming a trained vampire slayer when Ava escapes the house she’s been trapped in since she turned. Giving her former bestie over to the authorities is Kaye’s duty, but eliminating Ava may leave Eugenia free to destroy their entire town.
Saint Juniper’s Folly by Alex Crespo
Theo expects his senior year to be just as uneventful as all the years before. His Vermont hometown, Saint Juniper, is the kind of sleepy little hamlet every teenager is desperate to leave. The last thing he expects to find in the surrounding forest is a creepy haunted house holding a teenage boy hostage within its walls. Knowing the problem is too big to solve alone, Theo approaches Taylor for help. She’s the local witch, but she’s struggling to master magical traditions in the wake of her mother’s untimely death. Together, Theo and Taylor work to free the boy from the forest’s ghosts, in Saint Juniper’s Folly.
House of Marionne by J. Elle
J. Elle’s House of Marionne follows Quell, a 17-year-old witch who joins an Order of magical debutantes to hide from the assassin who’s been following her for as long as she can remember. Joining the Order will allow Quell to hide her aberrant magical abilities for good, but only if the group’s leaders don’t find out what she really is.
High School Bites by Rachael Alcobia
Megan wants to survive her senior year of high school, but the people and events happening around her are making things complicated.
One girl is convinced Megan is after her boyfriend and to top it off, Meg gets attacked by a wolf in the woods.
What is going on at this school? She starts having nightmares that she thinks will connect all these pieces. Read the entertaining novel, High School Bites.
Lightlark by Alex Aster
Lightlark seems like a lovely place to visit, except when the Centennial is played. Every 100 years, six rulers from different realms have an opportunity to break the curses of the realms.
The problem—one ruler must die. Everyone is counting on Isla Crown to break the curses. Isla may be strong, but she will have to act maliciously to be the winner. Let’s hope she doesn’t fall in love in Lightlark.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Imagine a world divided by blood. This is Mare Barrow’s world. If you are a Red, you are less than worthy and your job is to serve. The ultimate people are the Silvers, people with special powers.
Mare may be a lowly Red, but there is more to her than meets the eye. She has special abilities and is thrown into a world of Silver privilege as their Lost Princess.
Soon she finds herself in a romantic situation with one of the Silver Princes. Mare will need to pretend to be in love and at the same time will start a secret Red rebellion.
Read about the brave and beautiful Mare Barrow in book 1 of Aveyard’s series, Red Queen.
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Avery Grambs dreams of college scholarships that will provide a ticket out of town. Her luck changes when she is given a complete stranger’s entire inheritance.
Avery has no idea who Tobias Hawthorne even is. All she must do is move to his gorgeous home. But she doesn’t just inherit the home; Avery also gets to live with the old man’s four grandsons.
They are cunning, manipulative boys who are incredibly angry that a stranger is getting their inheritance. The boys will do what they must to get Avery out of the picture. If Avery is to survive she will need to play at their level and stop being a nice girl. Read The Inheritance Games.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
For the last ten years, Jude and her two sisters have been living in a foreign land where they have never truly been welcomed. After the girls’ parents were murdered they were taken to live in Faerie.
A place where everyone is beautiful and immortal. Jude is neither of these things. Human life is not valued or respected. In an attempt to save her life, as well as her sisters Jude becomes involved in the politics of the high court life. At the center of it all is Prince Cardan, the most evil of all beings in Faerie.
Jude must defy him if she is going to survive in The Cruel Prince.
Afterlove by Tanya Byrne
Ashana, aka Ash Persaud, has never had luck in love. Then, she meets Poppy Morgan and they immediately are super into each other. Ash is sure her love life is changing for the better.
But on New Year’s Eve, Ash is killed in a hit-and-run accident. Her life doesn’t end here though, she is given the role of the grim–reaper and her job is now to help lost souls cross over.
Ash is brought back into Poppy’s life. Ash doesn’t know if this is a second chance at love or if she is ending Poppy’s life. Read this romantic, emotional journey in Afterlove.
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Scarlett and Tella have never left their small island home. They are cruelly controlled by their father. The girls want to escape and experience the world, but time is running out as Scarlett is betrothed against her will.
Thankfully, a kind sailor helps the girls to attend Caraval, a yearly performance where the audience participates in the show.
What should be entertaining is not when Tella is kidnapped. The entire show will revolve around her being found. If she is not found by the fifth night she will be gone forever.
Suddenly, Scarlett’s dreams of freedom are thrown out the window as she must come to understand the rules and secrets of Caraval and save her sister’s life.
Evangeline has learned a lot since readers last saw her. She may have been deceived by Jack, The Prince of Hearts but she has her magic now and knows how to use it.
Evangeline is hopeful that she will be able to forget Jack and get back her chance at happiness. That is until a new curse emerges, but this time it is a murder curse. Her only chance at breaking it is to team up with her enemy…Jack.
Read about true love, epic battles, and the magic that lives within us all in book two of the Once Upon a Broken Heart series The Ballad of Never After.
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
Signa has been an orphan since she was a baby. Now, at nineteen years old she lives with the Hawthrones at Thorn Grove.
Signa is well aware that the family primarily cares about their wealth and reputation. Things escalate when their mother’s spirit appears claiming she was killed by poison.
Signa forms an alliance with Death to find the killer. Readers will be drawn to the dangerous connection Signa and Death develop in Belladonna.
Dead Girls Can’t Tell Secrets by Chelsea Ichaso
Piper is in a coma because of a hiking accident gone wrong. Her sister, Savannah believes there is no foul play, until she finds a note in her sister’s locker.
Savannah goes on a search to discover who wanted to harm her sister and get to the bottom of it. She goes on the same camping trip that her sister went on. Is there a murderer among them? Find out in this mysterious thriller Dead Girls Can’t Tell Secrets.
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
Harper is a teen with cerebral palsy, but her health challenges aren’t the end of her bad luck. Her mother is dying and her father left them a long time ago. It’s up to Harper and her brother to hold what’s left of them together.
Meanwhile, Prince Rhen of Emberfall is also not doing so great. Cursed by an enchantress, he relives the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over again—at the end of each autumn he is transformed into a vicious beast. Rhen wants to give up on life.
Harper is magically thrown into Rhen’s world when she tries to help someone. Why is Harper in this land of enchantment? Will Harper and Rhen be able to break the curse? The stakes are high in A Curse So Dark and Lonely.
The Promised Prince: A YA Dystopian Romance by Kortney Keisel
Renna Degray meets a handsome stranger and believes they are destined to be together. Until she learns he is the Prince. To complicate things even more, Renna learns the Prince is to marry her stepsister.
The marriage is not about love, only alliances. The Prince cannot screw this up. His heart wants Renna but will the Council of Essentials allow their world to fall apart in the name of love? Find out in The Promised Prince: A YA Dystopian Romance.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
A monster whisks Feyre off to the magical land of Fae after she kills a wolf in the woods. This is a land Feyre has heard about her whole life. But it is not the magical land of her dreams.
Her captor is sometimes a faerie and sometimes a wicked beast. There is ancient darkness clouding the land of Fae and if Feyre doesn’t stop it, it will pollute the faerie land forever.
The fifth novella in the Shatter Me series is Believe Me. It is the love story of Juliette and Warner after they have taken down the Reestablishment.
Even though their world continues to be chaotic—they fight every day to rebuild what was lost, Warner wants to finally build his life with Juliette.
He proposes and they work on planning their happily-ever-after, but the forces of the world are still keeping them apart. Will Juliette and Warner be able to say “I do” or will war continue to wage?
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Bella Swan moves to Forks, WA. after her mother remarries. Her father is the police chief of this gloomy, small town in the Pacific Northwest.
Bella is immediately captivated by Edward Cullen, the handsome boy with the piercing eyes. One minute he seems drawn to her, and the next minute he seems repulsed.
She can’t stop thinking about him and after he saves her from a car accident Bella notices there is something strange about Edward. She discovers Edward is a vampire and she’s in love with him.
Bella’s boring life becomes dangerously thrilling as she navigates a world of vampires and secrets in Twilight.
Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain
La Cachette, Louisiana is a small southern town, but what makes it special is it’s the psychic capital of the world. Nothing terrible can happen if you already know what the future will be.
This is not the case and seventeen-year-old Grey is starting to think something really dangerous is going on with the town. Her best friend, Elora, goes missing and people are hiding deadly secrets, especially the stranger from the bayou.
Caitlin Paine is adjusting to teenage life at a new school in New York City. The only saving grace is Jonah. He is nice and seems to instantly like Caitlin.
New York City has secrets and so does Caitlin. She finds herself changing—superhuman strength and wanting to feed. She soon finds out there is a vampire war going on underneath NYC. Caitlin is indeed a vampire and she gets caught between two vampire covens.
She is also dealing with forbidden love. Fans of Twilight and Vampire Academy will ravish and devour Turned.
Wait for Me by Sara Shepard
Seventeen-year-old Casey Rhodes is in her sophomore year at NYU and she makes school and the social scene look easy.
Her perfect world falls apart though when Casey starts hearing voices. She goes to Avon Shores in an attempt to gain some peace and perspective. The voices get worse though and to top it all off she starts seeing visions of people and places she’s never known.
One of the visions is of a man named Jake. Despite being terrified by all this, Casey is drawn to him and feels an instant connection. Will Casey be able to figure out her past and who Jake is in Wait for Me.
Final Thoughts
We hope you’ve enjoyed this list of paranormal YA romances like Vampire Academy. Bummed about the series adaptation’s cancelation? Get all the deets in our Vampire Academy FAQs below.
FAQs
Why was Vampire Academy canceled?
Peacock canceled its Vampire Academy TV show in early 2023, after only one season on the air. According to Deadline, the series “just didn’t find the requisite audience to justify further seasons,” despite being a critical success. Showrunner Julie Plec tweeted shortly after the cancelation announcement that she and co-creator Marguerite MacIntyre “will absolutely be knocking on doors to find a new home for [Vampire Academy],” adding that she “just can’t fathom a show…with so much story left to tell not having a chance to do so.”
What is the most famous vampire book ever written?
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is the most famous vampire book ever written, hands down. Stoker’s 1895 epistolary novel transformed the vampire from a shadowy figure in Eastern European folklore to the romantic, tormented bloodsucker we know today.
Why is the Vampire Academy show so different from the books?
Peacock’s Vampire Academy made a number of interesting departures from Mead’s series. E! noted several major changes in 2022, including making the power dynamic between Rose and Dmitri less problematic, changing the locations of both St. Vladimir’s and the Moroi Court, and inventing a vampire language.
What should I read if I liked Vampire Academy?
Some good choices for fans of this series are Sunshine, Twilight Series, and Fated.
What is a good book if you like romance and vampires?
The Vampire Diaries, Vampire Academy,Twilight Series, and Dark Lover.
Who are the best paranormal romance authors?
Some of the best authors in this genre are Karen Marie Moning, Stephenie Meyer, and Anne Bishop.
Who are the best YA romance authors?
Sarah Dessen, Veronica Roth, Jenny Han and Lexi Ryan are all popular YA romance authors.
What is the most popular YA genre?
Dystopian, fantasy, romance, and contemporary fiction are all popular YA books.
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