I'm not one to typically read young adult novels, especially when vampires are involved. I run the policy of "vampires are evil." So when this book was handed to me as a friend, I expected to hate it. If that doesn't say something about how good it is that I read through the series multiple times (and bawled the entirety of one book), I'm not sure what would.
First, the story isn't what you think it is at first. I mean, it presents itself obviously when you read it a second time, but at first I imagined a very different path. Two best friends running away from school, one's a fighter and the other's a "noble" of sorts, yeah I figured they'd do the standard "fight over a guy" trick but no, it's all centered around the magic that bonds the two. Without spoiling anything, the two are connected by both friendship and magic, and the latter results in a majority of the conflicts surrounding them. It is both a blessing and a curse to the two girls and presented rather well. I cannot say that it's perfect as it's centered around the idea that no one knew about it (a case that to me feels less believable as time goes on), but we're also dealing with the idea that people didn't discover vampires or an entire school filled with them so some leeway should be permitted.
Second, the characters are amazing. Well, that may be a bit too much to say as many are underdeveloped, including several key characters, but there are enough of them to keep the story strong and even those that aren't fully fleshed out are interesting enough. A good example is Adrian Ivashkov, who gets developed pretty well but not enough to be a (minor spoiler) love interest, in my opinion. Still, he helps pull the storyline along and is a strong support, as well as somewhat a problem, for the two main girls. And he does one of my favorite things a secondary love interest has ever done in a book. It doesn't just end with him either! Keep in mind, Rose is our main character but Lissa, while not sharing the same amount of spotlight, does a pretty damn good job of holding up a story of her own. She starts off as a "goody" girl but her development as she is revealed, to the readers, as something more. She is just as strong a main character as Rose.
Third, and keep in mind this is more for my own peace of mind, the lore and magic is well done as well. It's kept, for the most part, simple. The major elements (fire, earth, water, and wind) are involved and their uses are interesting most of the time. The other two (and for preventing spoilers, I shall keep it hidden) are shrouded in enough mystery that the facts become twisted. It's actually surprisingly well done. I'd talk about the convoluted idea of kids not even thinking of practicing magic offensively, but this goes along with the "cannot find a vampire school" issue. The lore is where I got really hooked. Moroi and Strigoi are actual vampire types from history. While they aren't defined the way this book defines them (it was more based on what they fed or how they were revived, including witch souls), it was interesting to see that there was more than just a "oh hey, vampires drink blood" concept behind it, and the two separations allowed for both the "good" and "evil" vampires to be represented.
Overall, I loved the story. I has most of the same standard issues that many young adult novels have, but it handles many of the ones I typically have an issue with rather well. The relationships are believable, for the most part, and the characters are strong even if they aren't all fully developed. There are a couple of storyline plot holes, but you can glance over them easily when something stronger than the missing link pulls the story along. And the romance between the two main characters, the strain that keeps them apart and the logic the two have that draws them to each other while telling them they can't be together is well written. A 4/5 and a highly recommended book to any young female looking for a darker, stronger story with a true feeling of love and magic.