Vampire Academy reading order
Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy novels in publication order, then Bloodlines — the spin-off labeled so Sydney’s book one is not Rose’s book one.
Start here
Vampire Academy
It is book one (2007). The five sequels assume that first academy year. Bloodlines is a later six-book spin-off. It spends Rose’s ending. Do not start there. Do not start with the film or the TV series.
Two finished six-book runs in one world. Mead’s site is blunt: Vampire Academy is finished; Bloodlines continues the same world with different narrators. Publication order across the universe is the path.
Vampire Academy
| # | Title | Year | Notes | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Vampire Academy | 2007 | Start here. | Amazon |
| 2 |  Frostbite | 2008 | Amazon | |
| 3 |  Shadow Kiss | 2008 | Amazon | |
| 4 |  Blood Promise | 2009 | Amazon | |
| 5 |  Spirit Bound | 2010 | Amazon | |
| 6 |  Last Sacrifice | 2010 | Ends Rose’s six. | Amazon |
Read them in this order. Graphic-novel adaptations of early books are the same cases in another script. They are not a shortcut around novel one.
Bloodlines — after Last Sacrifice
| # | Title | Year | Notes | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bloodlines | 2011 | Sydney Sage. After Last Sacrifice. | Amazon |
| 2 |  The Golden Lily | 2012 | Amazon | |
| 3 |  The Indigo Spell | 2013 | Amazon | |
| 4 |  The Fiery Heart | 2013 | Amazon | |
| 5 |  Silver Shadows | 2014 | Amazon | |
| 6 |  The Ruby Circle | 2015 | Closes the spin-off. | Amazon |
House rule: read Rose’s six. If you want Sydney and Adrian’s run, read Bloodlines after Last Sacrifice. Do not open Bloodlines because it says book one.
Mead has said she might return to the world someday and had no concrete plan when last checked. A later novel will not be Vampire Academy 0.
Georgina Kincaid is a different Mead series.
Common mistakes
- Starting with Bloodlines because the spin-off is “more adult.”
- Starting with Last Sacrifice because it is the payoff.
- Using the film or the later television series as a table of contents.
- Treating the graphic novels as the reading order.
What to read next
- Twilight (Stephenie Meyer) — If you want the other 2000s vampire door people still start on a novella.
- Shadowhunter Chronicles (Cassandra Clare) — If you want another long YA hidden-world shelf with a second cycle that looks like book one.
- All Souls (Deborah Harkness) — If you want adult witches-and-vampires with a trilogy that later kept going.
- Black Dagger Brotherhood (J. R. Ward) — If you want the long adult vampire house whose Legacy door is not book one.
- Stop after Last Sacrifice. The original six are a complete visit.
FAQ
Do I need Bloodlines?
No. Rose’s six end.
Bloodlines first because Sydney is the new cover?
No.
Is the academy series finished?
Yes. The spin-off is also finished.
Movie or show first?
Cousins. Not a book order.
Sources
- Richelle Mead — author site: six Vampire Academy novels, story continued in Bloodlines, both runs finished. Opened 2026-09-13.
- Penguin Random House, Bloodlines — publisher series page for the spin-off. Opened 2026-09-13.
Same shelf
