Vampire Academy

I'm giving this one 4 stars, but it's probably more like 3.5. I really enjoyed it. Especially the first half of the novel. A lot of people told me to give this series a chance, despite the title and description not sounding very appealing. They were right. It was a lot better than I would have expected. I enjoyed it greatly and was sulked in immediately.
I really enjoyed the diverse group of characters. I especially liked seeing two female best friends playing the leads. Their dynamic was terrific and I really enjoyed it. The characters were deeply flawed, which always makes for fascinating stories. The mystery and conspiracy behind the novel was also very good.
The author also tackled ideas of misogyny. Having the misogynistic principles in the society as a major plot point and obstacle for our characters. At times this was done really well and I loved it. The characters struggled with the roles they were put in and also showed the problems of internalizing other people's ideas of who they should be, which I loved. Despite that, sometimes the book fell into the trap of prompting stereotypes, which undermined what the author seemed to be trying for. At times it seemed to fall into the stereotype of girls as caddy and backstabbing. The book almost seemed to prompt both that stereotype and that behavior at times. Other times there seemed to be a glimmer of subverting the stereotype, but it never fully committed to this. I am curious to see whether there is growth in the next novel, but it was a frustrating point in this one. That aspect of the book, which was pretty glaring toward the middle portion, was frustrating and pulled me out of the story.
I still am curious where it will go, and I plan to try the next novel at least.