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 I don't really know what to say about this book. 
 It was fast-paced, thrilling, sexy... the story was really fantastic! 
 But... I, as well as millions of others, have heard it all before. HELLO VAMPIRE ACADEMY NO. 2! 
 This similarities are way to common for it to be coincidence. I felt like I was reading VA again, which, in one way is a good thing because I LOVE VA... but reading it in another book by a different author was almost blasphemous! 
 How this book got past copyright laws is truly beyond me. 
 I understand that Jennifer claims she wrote this book way before she had even heard of Vampire Academy... and I would soo like to believe this because I love Jennifer's other work! The Lux Series <3 
 But considering the similarities, which I will list below, it seems unlikely. 
 WARNING!!! THE NEXT SECTION OF THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SERIOUS SPOILERS FOR BOTH HALF-BLOOD AND THE VAMPIRE ACADEMY SERIES!!! 
 (view spoiler)[ 
 All information relating to Vampire Academy will be in brackets (). 
 Alex (Rose), has brown hair, a curvy chest and is very troublesome to her teachers and the boys around her (um Rose again... duh!). She went to a school for the full and half-blood (Moroi and Dhampir) Hematoid's (vampires). Full blood's are blessed with the ability to control the elements (as are the Moroi) and the half-blood are sworn to serve the full bloods, either by slavery or physical protection (oh yeah... that what Dhampir's do too). Half-Bloods go to school to learn how to fight off Daimons (Strigoi) who can only be killed by titanium (a silver stake). They protect the full bloods (Moroi). This school is called the Covenant (Vampire Academy). Three (two) years before the first book starts, Alex (Rose) ran away from her supernatural training school with her mum (Lissa - her best friend), for unknown reasons. A freaky voodoo lady just told Alex's (Rose) mother that Alex (Lissa) had freaky powers and that they needed to leave. But at the start of Half-Blood (Vampire Acadmey), Alex (Rose and Lissa) gets found again by the Sentinels (Dhampir warriors) working for the Covenant (Vampire Academy) after her mum dies (this does NOT happen in VA! Our first bit of originality... but wait...). She is immediately drawn to the super-hot Greek-speaking (Russian) Aidon (Dimitri). Alex (Rose) is in trouble for leaving the Covenant (VA) and is taken to the Principal's office when she returns. The principal wants to expel Alex (Rose), BUT hello handsome rescuer, Aidon (dimitri) says that he can personally train Alex (Rose) to get her up-to-date. Alex (Rose) is greeted back at home by her old best friend Caleb (Mason) and an evil bitch Lea (Mia - HA! Their names even rhyme!). She quickly swings back into her old attitude, but she has to be careful or she might get expelled! 
 She practices with Aidon (Dimitri) almost every day and while she is cocky and thinks she is awesome, she kinda sucks. So while she works her butt of, Aidon (Dimitri) sits there and reads Greek Fables (western books). There are a few training-mat pin downs and close (and I mean close) encounters where the sexual tension develops between Alex (Rose) and Aidon (Dimitri).... BUT WAIT, their love is totally forbidden because Aidon is a pure-blood and pure's and half's (teachers and students - or dhampir and dhampir because they are supposed to produce children with Moroi and fight) are not allowed to be together!!! Tragic!!! 
 Alex (Rose) is approached by that same creepy prophet lady that told Alex's mum of Alex's (Lissa's) power (this is Mrs Carp btw). She is told that 'she will kill the one she loves'. Umm I am pretty sure Rose got told that she had little time with the one she loves or something like that... HELLO SIMILARITIES!!!! 
 Anyway, Alex soon finds out that her mum is actually alive after being attacked by the Daimons and 'killed'. 
 Okay so this is where the books swap. This is now similar to book 3 of VA where Dimitri is turned into a Strigoi. Now we have this covered... let's keep going! 
 Alex (Rose) is devastated that her mum (Dimitri) has been turned into a Daimon (Strigoi) and realises that it could be possible that she would have to kill her (him). 
 Rose is more decisive than Alex and goes after Dimitri straight away.... Alex waits a while and breaks down a little bit. So, let's skip back again! 
 Daimons (strigoi) attack a cabin of pures (moroi) and thier guards. This is very strange because daimons (strigoi) usually do not work in groups. It comes to Alex's attention that her mum was a part of the group that attacked (Victor was the cause of the attack). 
 Okay so now, finally, we discover something in half-blood that is unique. Alex is an Appollyon, a half-blood that has all the powers of a full-blood, plus more, way more. Then again... we could relate this to Lissa discovering that she has Spirit power, something rare and unheard of that binds her to Rose (just as Alex is bound to Seth in Half-Blood [he is another Apollyon]).... but maybe we should just give them this one victory... maybe... 
 Anyway, she runs to Aidon (Dimitri) in her time of need and they almost (no almost for the VA series... ;)) have sex in a cabin in the woods. 
 Fast forward a bit and Alex discovers that the daimons have discovered a way to turn half-blooods into daimons, which was previously considered impossible (The spirits power can be used to bring a strigoi back to life - God I hope that this idea isn't used to bring back Alex's mother... that would just be too much!). 
 Alex's mother (Dimitri) is looking for Alex and she (finally) decides to go after her mum (Dimitri) and kill her (him). But when faced her mum (Dimitri) she can't do it!!!! OH NO!!! And... oh dear... Caleb is with her... 
 Alex is knocked out and when she wakes up she is in a cabin with Daimons... (this sounds a lot like when, in Book 2 of VA, Mason and Rose (and eddie) are trapped in the house by Strigoi... I bet ya Caleb dies like Mason did...) 
 UPDATE... later that night... 
 OKAY! Sooo, Caleb didn't die!!! Whoop whoop! But... they were stuck in that house and drained, just like Rose and Mason... 
 And they were found by Seth (Lissa) thrpugh a special connection. 
 Is it just me or is the whole being able to turn half-bloods into daimons sorta lke the Victor thing... they even mentioned a court case where Alex (Rose) would have to testify! HA! 
 Final Character analysis: 
 Alex = Rose 
 Aiden = Dimitri 
 Mrs Crazy Face = Mrs Carp 
 Caleb = Mason 
 Seth = Adrian (hello crazy, power driven second love intrest) 
 Alex's Mum = Dimitri/Victor 
 And there you have it... the MAJOR similarities between the two... because I can tell you... there are a LOT more. 
 (hide spoiler)] 
 BUT... I really did like the book overall. Yet, I could not stop comparing it to VA throughout the whole thing, and, because I do like VA so much better... well... it sorta ruined it. 
 I am going to keep reading the series and hopefully hopefully HOPEFULLY! Jen can regain herself in the next books (considering how she has already exhausted all of the ideas from the whole series of VA by now...