Court of the Vampire Queen

Court of the Vampire Queen builds upon the legacy of several vampire series. In her dedication, Robert says, “To everyone who was Team Damon, Team Spike, and far too into Dimitri Belikov” (ii). Damon is a character from The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith, which was adapted into a television series. Elena, the protagonist of this series, is in a love triangle with brothers Damon and Stefan. This is reflected in the initial love triangle of Mina, Malachi, and Wolf in Court of the Vampire Queen.

Spike is a character in the television show and comic book series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Like Damon, Spike is a moody bad-boy type who can be contrasted with Angel, who is a nicer boyfriend. The protagonist, Buffy, dates both vampires. Dimitri Belikov is a character from Vampire Academy, a series by Richelle Mead that has been adapted into a film and a television series. He is the love interest of the protagonist, Rose. Rose is a dhampir, the offspring of a vampire and a human, like Mina. There is a large age gap between her and Dimitri, but the gap is smaller than the gap between Mina and her lovers.