Rosemarie “Rose” Hathaway is the novel’s protagonist and narrator. She is a half-vampire dhampir in training to become a guardian, and she specifically wishes to guard her best friend, Lissa, against the threat of violent vampires called Strigoi. Rose is intensely loyal to those she loves, and particularly to Lissa. At the beginning of the novel, Rose has already spent two years on the run with Lissa due to a perceived threat in vampire society. (Over the course of the novel, she will learn that this threat has arisen because of Lissa’s rare “spirit” powers, which other, more powerful members of vampire society wish to harness for their own use).

After returning to school, Rose struggles with feelings of jealousy as she must share Lissa’s affections with others, illustrating key aspects of The Implicit Romance between Best Friends. Fueled by her bond with Lissa, Rose is occasionally hotheaded and impulsive, but these qualities hold less appeal for her after she shoulders the responsibility of protecting Lissa on her own for two years. Upon the girls’ return to St. Vladimir’s Academy, she struggles to navigate The Complexities of High School Dynamics and allows her feelings to get the better of her.