The Fury / Dark Reunion

The Vampire Diaries #3-4

by L.J. Smith

LOVE CAN KILL

Elena: transformed, the golden girl has become what she once feared and desired.

Stefan: tormented by losing Elena, he's determined to end his feud with Damon once and for all - whatever the cost. But slowly he begins to realize that his brother is not his only enemy.

Damon: at last, he possesses Elena. But will his thirst for revenge against Stefan poison his triumph? Or can they come together to face one final battle?

Collected here in one edition are the third and fourth volumes of The Vampire Diaries, a riveting conclusion to the tale of two vampire brothers and the beautiful girl torn between them.

Genres: Young Adult, Vampires, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural, Fiction

520 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

I have a new blog about my Vampire Diaries fanfic.
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...

L.J. SMITH, Lisa Jane Smith, is the New York Times #1 Bestselling author of The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle, The Forbidden Game, Dark Visions, Wildworld and Night World series. She has written over two dozen books for children and young adults, and has enjoyed writing every one of them. She lives in the Bay Area of California, with a backyard that is full of flowers, which she adores, especially with many different shades of roses.

She loves to visit a friend's little cabin in the Point Reyes National Seashore area, which has lots of trees, lots of animals, lots of beaches to walk on, and lots of places to hike. Once, while hiking, she saw a snow-white buck which allowed her to follow it nearly half a mile. She also likes to collect things: angels (they remind her of her late mother), tiny boxes from different countries or of fanciful shape, nineteenth century children's literature, and books about quantum physics--especially about the mystery of the dark energy in the universe. A militant optimist, she is also part of the Velociraptor Sisterhood (a fancy way of saying that she likes to read, write and discuss books with strong female characters), and she has traveled extensively in Europe and the Far East. The two countries she loves to visit most are Great Britain, with its historic monuments and amazing country landscapes, and Japan, with its bustling urban life and exquisite mountain scenery.

Her favorite current writer is Terry Pratchett, the author of the Discworld series, for its wild and witty satires on life, death, war, love, assassins, coppers, and Australia. Her favorite classical writer is Jane Austen. Her favorite poets are Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson. Her favorite movies are The Seven Samurai and Avatar (analyze that!). She doesn't have a favorite TV show, because she doesn't have time to watch TV (and only owns one for playing movies).

Her favorite people are her readers, each of whom she cherishes with deep and lasting affection.

Note: L. J. Smith wrote books 1-7 of The Vampire Diaries series. After that, a ghostwriter took over the rest of the series. L. J. wrote books 1-3 of The Secret Circle series. After that, a ghostwriter took over the rest of the series. L. J. did not write any of the Originals or Stefan's Diaries. These were written by Kevin Williamson and/or various ghostwritters.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't let the 4 out of 5 stars fool you into thinking this is good, inventive writing. I picked these books up for nostalgic purposes. Back in the early '90s, when I was an adolescent (oh how I date myself), I read and reread these books. They were so romantic and exciting. I remember even then being annoyed by the hack writing, but overlooking it because of the fantastic nature of the stories. I mean come on, who wouldn't fall for a tall, dark handsome vampire with an Italian accent. I'm only human.


Reading them again as an adult was part experiment but mostly fluff fun. For whatever reason, I'm seemingly incapable of getting through "beach reads" or other books with no real substance and sub par writing...with the exception of Young Adult books. There is a soft spot in my heart for those angst-ridden horror-lite, forbidden romance themes that weave their way through the pages and into the minds of pre-teen girls that are waiting to have their braces taken off and dream of such huge life events like homecoming and (take a deep breath) prom. I am not criticizing girls for this. As I've already implied, I was one of them.



My peeve with this particular series is really more of a concern. The greatest attributes of the primary characters are their beauty, elegance and grace. Love is always a reaction to someone's beauty or passion. The protagonist is "queen of the school". In short, each book is like reading a 250 super model photo shoot. There's just no way you'll ever be these fictional characters. Perhaps that is part of the allure for many kids who read these, but I distinctly remember talking with my friends about which character in the book we'd want to be...and frankly, all are either shallow or wracked with glamorized self-loathing.



The remaining question is why on earth after all this criticism did I give the books 4 stars. Well, they were a welcome regression back to days of summer reading, of staying up too late to find out if the heroine would get the guy and save the town against forces of evil. As simple, mindless entertainment goes, they work just fine. I don't know how a reader first approaching them now would feel about them, but with my childhood link to them, I was rather forgiving of the many glaring problems.



Apparently a new book will be coming out in this series early next year. I must confess, I will most certainly be reading it.

[J.Elle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am appalled that this is a TV series. I can think of countless other books that would have been a much better choice. The only thing that this has going for it is Hollywood’s penchant for taking a script and twisting it into something that isn’t even close to what it was. Since I haven’t watched the show, I can only hope that this is was happened here because the books are PITIFUL. In the Fury, Elena wakes up as a vampire and tells the feuding brothers that there was some other dark force that killed her. They band together to discover what it was and find out that it was Katherine (who had faked her own death). Katherine captures Elena, Stefan and Damon with plans to kill them. Elena manages to thwart her plans and kills Katherine, but dies herself. (Yay, I thought. No more Elena means no more books right? Wrong.) In Dark Reunion, Elena’s friends are receiving messages from her spirit. (Sigh.) They summon Stefan to help them fight some new evil and Damon tags along as well. Enter werewolves. What kind of vampire series would this be without werewolves? (I’d like to see someone TRY to write about vampires without bringing werewolves into it at some point.) The new evil ends up being the vampire who made Katherine a vampire, so he’s extra old and powerful. The stage is set for a final battle and everyone involved is mortally wounded. Luckily, weird spirit Elena heals everyone; summons an undead army and then COMES BACK TO LIFE. Son of a…
I won’t be reading any more of this preposterous series.

[Briynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is no denying that the Vampire Diaries novels get even sillier as the series progresses. I'm talking about things on the order of the spirit of a nineteenth-century town founder rising from the beyond to warn the main characters of their impending doom. They also suffer a bit from the "I've killed my leading lady repeatedly, now what do I do" syndrome typically only faced by soap opera writers, as well as from the problem of having to rehash old news for readers who have potentially jumped into the series in the middle.

But those things aren't really the point of reading these books. I had a great time. Plus the lights were flickering in the storm last night, which greatly added to the atmosphere. I'm as convinced as ever that a strong, steady diet of trashy YA novels from about 9-16 is about the best thing you can do to ensure you'll be a reader forever.

[Jenna Santero · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been whatching the vampire diaries on tv and I thought it was great. It had action and romance in all the right places. So I was super excited to read the books. I usually read the book first before I whatch anything based off of it to see the differences. Im glad I didnt this time or I would have never EVER have seen the tv show. I dont even know why i gave this book 2 stars. It doesnt deserve it. AT ALL. Where do I begin? Alright the characters.

Elena- She is a selfish BITCH! all I hear from her is I want I want I want. Like seriously? I don't know how her friends put up with her. I like meredith and Bonnie soooo much better. Another thing is the book kept trying to say she is independent and fierce. But then she just melts and cries any time something happens to her. Get it together! I also don't understand the Salvatore brothers fascination with her. So she looks like Katherine. And??

Stephan-I think the whole self-hating depressed thing is so overplayed. You're a vampire. Get over it.

Damon- In the tv show I REALLY like Damon. But in the book? He is not explained. At all. I understand the whole dark and mysterious thing, but you have to get some thoughts and feelings out of him.

Lets move on. This story has sooo much potential! L J Smith doesnt live up to it. Nothing is described. The action scenes are so short when your done you are like...... What the Fuck just Happened? Even when you reread it you still are so lost. Other parts are just so dragged out your just like OH MY GOD! Let me go drown myself. The way it was just written so amateurly. I just do NOT like LJ smith as a writer.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book in this bind up I enjoyed, but the second one not so much. Idk why, maybe because it took a while to get anywhere (atleast 1/4 of the book ugh) but I just didn't enjoy it as much as the other 3 I've read.

I listened to the audiobook for the last half, which was nice, definitely made me push through it quicker.

I'm glad the storyline is completely different than what I know now, but I'm not sure I'm gonna continue, thinking where it's going with it.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't remember much of this, but I remember how ridiculous I found parts of the plot. I'd say if you're going to read The Vampire Diaries, watch the show instead. (And I rarely say tv/movie adaptations of books are better than the book.)

Rating: 1/5 stars

[Steph Sinclair · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm a bit confused as to why this series is so popular.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading the second bind-up of Vampire Diaries as soon as I finished the first one. I couldn't stop reading. Especially when The Struggle ends with Elena's death - theoretically. Because she actually transforms into a vampire. She was almost drown, and she kinda died, but she had enough of Stefan's blood in her veins to help her stay... un-dead. And.. whoa! She thinks Damon is her boyfriend. I still dunno why. Well, yeah, she finally remembered after about 4 chapters, but still... Anyway, it was a great story. The Fury means Elena's life as a vampire, trying to kill Katherine but, in the end, doing the most unselfish thing anyone could do, as Bonnie describes it at the end of book 3... she risks her life and slowly dies, transforming into ashes, but not before making Stefan and Damon promise they'll take care of each other.. Awww, how cute isn't it? And, finally, The Reunion is the part where Stefan, Damon, Bonnie, Meredith and Matt ally together to confront Klaus, an Old One (like original vamp, who never dies) and bring Elena back - yay! The Reunion is maybe the most thrilling book in the Vampire Diaries series (not talking about The Vampire Diaries: The Return series). When I finished this bind-up (after another week), I couldn't wait for The Return series - And now, as an introductory part, The Return series is awesome!
And, now really, what are you waiting for? Go. Read. It. At. Once! :)

So, I give this book 5/5 stars too, because it kept me breathless for 2 good weeks. Again, congratulations to L.J. Smith for her vampire story - the original one!

[♥ Rebecca ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is my favourite one so far. Both of them together, but more specifically, Dark Reunion. Its just a coincidence Elena isnt in that one. Its not because she is gone that I like it. I like Elena, but Dark Reunion is the most intense so far. It has the most going on and it is very exciting. Meeting the original Klaus. I tried to picture Joseph Morgan, but it was difficult. This Klaus is very different from the Klaus I am used to. But both are crazy and evil, and that is essential. :P

But these books are not developed as much as they could be. They dont really explain a lot, including character motives. There were several things that ppl did and I dont know why, which is kinda bugging me. And then at the end, wtf happened? I'm not complaining, but it was kind of a big deal and they didnt explain how it happened at all.

[Sarah Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fury and Dark Reunion by L.J. Smith

Third and fourth in The Vampire Diaries series

4.25 stars

Elena has changed and she’s no longer human. Stefan is tormented after losing Elena and determined to end the feud with Damon that’s been going on for centuries. Damon finally has claim over Elena. But enemies are popping up and will they be able to overcome their differences to defeat their enemy? The Fury and Dark Reunion are what I consider to be the strongest books in The Vampire Diaries series. There’s more action, it doesn’t drag, there’s swoon worthy boys, romance that’s sizzling, and a good plot and solid story. These two books were sooooooooo good. I read them forever ago, but I still remember them. I still remember the intense feeling of finding a book that I couldn’t put down and I constantly wanted more.

Whimsical Writing Scale: 4

The main female character is once again Elena. This Elena is very different from the previous Elena. I remember struggling to connect to her, but there were times when I could still see the human Elena shining through. I liked her, but not nearly as much.

Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 4

The main male characters are Damon and Stefan.

Yes please! Where do I sign up?

I know I’ve said this before but these boys are just so damn fine. I mean they are swoon worthy, drool worthy boys. Damon is especially swoon worthy, whether he’s in the books are the TV show I love him. Stefan though wasn’t nearly as likable for me in this book. I found myself liking Damon so much more and this is where I started to root for him.

Swoon Worthy Scale: Damon: 4.75 Stefan: 4.25

The Villain- Wouldn’t you like to know?

Villain Scale: 4

Bonnie is my favorite of Elena’s friends. She’s so bubbly and full of life. Meredith and Matt are also back. It was good to start to see Matt move on from Elena. Caroline is still causing trouble, but more this time. I enjoy the side characters and they made the book so much more interesting.

Character Scale: 4.5

So this is obviously not a very good review, which I apologize about. I find it very hard to type right now. I popped a blood vessel in my left pinky and it hurts to type, but I wanted to write a review. I love The Vampire Diaries and I feel like this was where the series really started to flesh out. I can’t imagine how all those ninety’s teens went through that long excruciating wait because the ending of Dark Reunion was just shocking enough to cause cardiac arrest. I'm going to stop rambling now.

Plotastic Scale: 4

Cover Thoughts: Elena looks like she’s going to kill someone. It’s rather unnerving. I personally don’t like this cover all that much.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always found Elena to be selfish and I still do. Her personality changed a little in this book, so at least she's not that selfish anymore and she actually treats her best friends better. I wasn't surprised when the old power turned out to be Katherine, I saw it coming. The only problem I had was that they defeated her too easily, she was an older vampire and she just died so easy.
The second part of the book was better. Most of it was in Bonnie's POV and I liked reading hers. She's currently my favorite character. It was the same thing with Katherine though, Klaus was defeated so easily when he's an Original he shouldn't have been defeated so fast.
And now Elena is back, so now its going to be all about her even more.

[jolien L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Katherine", he said. He was still smiling.
"Yes." She leaned closer.
"Katherine..."
"Yes, Damon?"
"Go to hell.”

Ik kon gewoon niet stoppen met lachen. Het beste dat ik heb gelezen in een lange tijd. Het laat u zo fel meevoelen, misschien omdat ik de serie al een paar keer heb gezien. Ik vind deze echt geweldig misschien heb ik door de serie de personages al een beetje leren kennen maar zie het wel als 2 andere verhalen het lijkt niet zo op elkaar.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading the vampire diaries series for a while, that includes during the holidays and at school. I was drawn to this series because of it's unique book covers and blurbs, also the fact that many of my friends have already read it. I've finally finished the 3rd book! The book's storyline is very complicated but interesting. Once you get to know each of the characters "personally", you know how they think and how they act. This is what makes the ending plot twist amazing, the way how the writer made the unexpected really unexpected. It changed my mind about a character that I really hated. It's like times where you don't expect the people around you to do things that they do. The writer also uses the "show not tell" method all the time to allow readers to have their own imagination. "Show not tell" is an excellent method to use in writing (I like to use it a lot!), it gives readers space to imagine and also come to their own conclusions about situations. I especially love the part where the protagonists and the antagonist started fighting, the scene includes a lot of description and dialouge which allows me to imagine the scene very clearly in my mind. Although in my opionon, it's a really good book, it might not be your cup of tea because of it's twisted storyline, it's unpredictable and might confuse the readers easily. Some of the time, I need to re-read parts of the storyline so I can get what is happening in the scene. I still strongly suggest you read the series or at least give it a try!

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Elena died and became a vampire and she eats some of matt and it makes him go crazy. But she becomes herself and realizes that she loves stefan and always wants to be with him. But things so crazy when they realize that damon wasnt the one that did all the awful things to her and stefan. It was someone else. then dogs start attacking people and things start going really crazy.But in the end elena finds out that damon could be good and they find out the Other power is Katherine! She decides to kill stefan and damon and elena. Elena sacrifices herself to kill katherine. Next book.
so this book is mostly written by Bonnie and sometimes Stefan comes in. Bonnie takes up a journal and writes about elena. Its been 6 months and everyone is gone on as if nothing happened except for the few people involved. Meredith and Bonnie and matt are all messed up and viki and caroline and sue too. Stfean and damon are in venice and they are suffering as well. But the girls try to contact elena after bonnie has some weird dreams. Elena keeps talking to her. Something has come to the town and elena tells bonnie how to stop it but she needs stefan. Anyways the bad guy is Klaus and he wants stefan dead and to suffer bc he cant kill elena whos killed his precious katherine. But stefan and damon and matt and bonnie and meredith and caroline and with the help of ghost elena the bad guy goes bye bye. And in the end elena is made human. and she and stefan are reunited and damon goes off into the sunset all pissy i believe. ps tyler is an asshole and a werewolf.

[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big LJS fan, love her other series "Dark Visions" and "The Forbidden Game," and hate giving "Vampire Diaries" such a low rating, but I have to be honest with myself - this series just wasn't good. It obviously lacked planning, it was not very well structured and at some point got just plain bizarre. In fact, I am not quite sure why LJS decided to continue on with this rather weak series 15 years later.

While I enjoyed "The Struggle" and "The Fury," the series went downhill in "Dark Reunion." Not to give anything away, I think the ending of "Dark Reunion" was crazy and incoherent, it came out of nowhere, nothing was explained and had too many ideas never introduced in previous books. In my opinion, this series should have ended on a high note with "The Fury."

From what I've heard, the new 5th book in "Vampire Diaries" series "Nightfall" is even more bizarre than "Dark Reunion." I think I will stay away from it, just don't want to taint my opinion of LJS any more. Maybe she just needs some more time to better her writing after such a long break. I will however read "The Secret Circle" and "Nightworld;" hopefully, they are better than "Vampire Diaries."

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volumes 3 and 4 definitely improve upon the previous volumes. The plot really got crackling, and I liked how the characters worked together to try to deal with their problems. Elena went in a direction I didn't expect. I liked the way her changes and problems were handled. Bonnie and Meredith really rose to the challenge. Bonnie remains my favourite character in the series, with her sense of humour and determination. I also liked the addition of Alaric. This series has much of what the Twilight saga lacks--real peril, tension, consequences, and satisfying closure regarding certain problems. The central romance isn't as strong here as it is in Twilight, and I'm fine with that for the most part. I rolled my eyes a lot less. But it's a little unfortunate that Stefan is rather dull in his nobility and reliability, while his morally-dubious brother, Damon, gets all the good lines. None of this series' major male characters come close to being as interesting as Jacob Black.

[Jennifer Hrabota · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was alright, not as fun as the first. It had it's moments with a nice creepy big baddie (although no explanation as to why one of the "old ones" would be wearing a tattered rain coat???) But the end fell apart for me, I'm sure it was intended to seem like Bonnie coming into her powers- but seemed a lot more like an easy way out for the author to bring characters she liked back. Ehhh. When this author is good, it's like watching classic Buffy, but unfortunately when she falters, you're left with some wishy washy crap.

[_przekartkowana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nie byłam gotowa żeby to się tak skończyło… Moje serce krwawi 💔

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Series: Vampire Diaries
Book: "The Fury"
# In Series: 3

Continuing directly from "The Struggle" Elena finds herself being drawn to the brothers during their fight. She starts to notice changes in her bodies perceptions such as not feeling the cold from the storm, and a nocturnal sense of vision being able to focus in the dark. She could sense their anger and hostility. She felt drawn in, drawn by him to help and protect him.

The first chapter is intense. You feel the pull from the story and know "this is where it's going to get GOOD".

There is further character development of Bonnie, as well as Meredith. We also get a look into this strange Alaric person who has come to take over teaching history. We learn a little more about Damon, but he still isn't what I would consider a main character.

Elena is starting to become more likable and caring, so she is more relatable than in previous books.

This is book is where the story really starts to get some meat on its bones and delivers a delicious climax, and you most certainly won't be disappointed. I was very surprised when finding out the identity of the Other Power. Overall I give it 3.5/5 stars and I can't wait to read the next one in the series.

The Series: Vampire Diaries
Book: "Dark Reunion"
# In Series: 4

It's been 6 months or so since the last events in "The Fury". We are met with Bonnie being pressured into keeping a secret that Caroline is throwing Meredith a surprise party. They seem to be friends again, and Bonnie seems to think it's possible Caroline has grown up, and matured since the last 3 books. Bonnie is being plagued by nightmares of Elena, in which it seems that Elena is trying to tell Bonnie something- but she can't make it out and wakes up in fear.

With the events at the end of the previous book, the story is mainly being told from Bonnie's point of view which is quite refreshing. I found Elena to be rather snotty and immature, where as Bonnie is far more likable. The story remains fast paced from the beginning to the end making it even easier to complete than the first three.

This book is very fast paced and full of action through every turn. It would have made sense to combine all 4 books into one giant book, and this would have been the epic climax. I was very surprised with the villains, even though hints were dropped not only in this book, but in previous books as well.

I wish we had some more of Alaric as I was really enjoying his character and would have liked to see his relationship with Meredith develop further.

Meredith's character as a whole is still lacking development in my opinion. It's almost likely they could have cut her out of the story completely and it still would have been just fine, except for a few major points to help progress the plot.

The one small statement I would like to make that does compare against the TV SERIES is that I swear Matt always gets the short end of the stick. I can't help but feel sorry for him.

The ending was suspenseful, and I nearly had tears in my eyes. The story (within these 4 books) was great. I would definitely read them again.

Random Thoughts While Reading:
- I would like to see Damon and Bonnie together. It makes more sense than Damon and Elena as Bonnie has had more interaction with him.
- Matt seems a little possessive of Bonnie, maybe he's into her too. They would also make a good match.
- I still don't understand where a love triangle is a big plot. I went into this thinking there was going to be love drama, and was handed action a supernatural entities instead.

I give this book 5/5 stars, and the series 4/5 stars this far. This rating and review is based solely on my immediate feelings upon completion of the book, and is in no way meant to be in comparison with the TV series or other books I have read.

In consideration of the TV series let me state, for the record, the stories highly differ- and anyone expecting similar storylines will be disappointed.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second bind-up for THE VAMPIRE DIARIES. The Fury and The Reunion were originally published as two separate books; in fact, The Reunion was published some time after The Fury, which effectively closes the trilogy begun with The Awakening and The Struggle). In The Fury Elena, alongside her friends Bonnie and Meredith, struggles to control her nature and discover the source of the evil Power that is haunting Fell’s Church. She knows that the only way it can be defeated is if the two vampire brothers Stefan and Damon can put alongside their lifelong enmity and work together. In The Reunion Fell’s Church is once again being terrorised by an ancient evil. Damon and Stefan are summoned by Bonnie, Meredith and Matt to face down a powerful villain, who is determined to have Elena for his own.

I enjoyed Volume 1 of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES well enough, my biggest complaint being that the heroine Elena was very hard to take to. I had little sympathy for her plight, feeling that she brought a great deal of her troubles on herself. In The Fury and The Reunion, Elena is a far more well-rounded character — someone I delighted in spending time with. Her remorse for her previous actions is genuine and made me warm to her greatly, especially a very sweet and necessary scene with Matt:

“OK, so you���re here. You’re alive,” he said roughly. “So what do you want?”
Elena was dumbfounded.
“Come on, there must be something. What is it?”
New tears welled up, but Elena gulped them back. “I guess I deserve that. I know I do. But for once, Matt, I want absolutely nothing. I came to apologise, to say that I’m sorry for using you — not just that one night, but always...”

In fact, all of the characters are stronger and more developed in these two novels, particularly Damon, who changed from more of a pantomime villain who did evil because he is evil to a man who is conflicted over his relationship with Stefan and seems to want to do the right thing.

L.J. Smith evokes chilling situations with her flowing and very readable prose. We learn along with the characters the nature of the threat, and fear of the unknown creates plenty of spine-tingling moments.

In these two novels, my only complaint was that at times Smith employed deus ex machina to solve her characters’ problems or ensure that they understood what was going on. It smacked as slightly lazy, but could be forgiven when the actual story was so gripping.

Elena and Stefan remain an extremely likable couple in the world of YA vampire fiction. I think anyone who has tried and enjoyed Twilight will gain a great measure of satisfaction from the writing of L.J. Smith and her version of the vampire with the tortured soul. Readable.

[Anavie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve finally finished the original series of The Vampire Diaries and I can’t help but think why do most of the characters here in this series seem to be so judgemental towards Damon? They always blame him for everything, I know that he’s cold and everything but I think that he’s the kind of person who actually cares but he doesn’t let anyone see it. I really liked the part in the Dark Reunion where he helped Stefan when Stefan was about to be killed by Klaus.

“Stay away from my little brother.”

Ah Damon, so sweet, to think just minutes before they quarreled with each other. I realized while reading the series that I don’t like Stefan’s character, he might be gorgeous as described here, but I like Damon’s character way way better than him. I really hate the part where he always blames himself and wants to carry all the burden on his shoulders. I think that he’s being too self righteous and that makes me remember about things that should have long been forgotten. This book is from Bonnie’s perspective. It shifted from Elena’s dramatic cheesy narration to Bonnie’s own matter-of-factly way. I like this book way better than the first one, although I still want Damon and Elena to be together.

I don’t really get it, Damon is such a nice nice guy why did Elena fell in love with Stefan? I want to read the next volume, I want to find out if there’s a chance that Elena would fall out of love from Stefan and realize that the one she loves is Damon.

I think it’s sad that Damon has always been the one who’s left behind, the one who never felt his love was reciprocated. Like in the case of Katherine, Katherine was so attached to Stefan compared to him. And now Elena, he too wanted Elena but Elena wanted Stefan. I think that when you weigh things, I think that Damon has more substance than Stefan, I think that he’s more like the prince charming type. But no, he has to be the mysterious pitiful character in this story who people are always suspicious of. I think that deep inside Damon is actually a nice and kind guy. But I still think it’s sad for him to always get dumped. I think it would be good if both him and Bonnie be together instead. Although, I still want him and Elena together. Oh wait, I’m starting to hate Elena all over again. Oh well, I will not particularly care. I think that is the most rational thing to do.

[Yoon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an omnibus containing #3 and #4 of The Vampire Diaries (originally a quartet; there is now a #5, which I refuse to touch). Never let it be said that I read these books because they were *good.* This continues the angsty and overblown adventures of Elena, the beautiful, vain, spoiled, and extremely annoying high schooler who has been turned into a vampire; Stefan, the "good" vampire brother who loves her for her "strong spirit" (as far as I can determine, this means "spoiled rotten and also I like to mack on high schoolers even though I'm a couple of centuries old"); Damon, the "evil" vampire brother who is not as evil as he seems, although he is sarcastic and enjoys tormenting his brother (and given what a wet blanket Stefan is, I almost can't blame him), and who is, unforgivably, *also* attracted to Elena; and Elena's various friends, including will-do-anything-for-her former boyfriend Matt (he is a little short in the brains department), skeletons-in-the-closet but levelheaded Meredith, and impulsive but psychic Bonnie. (The TV show ditches Meredith, reinstates Caroline instead, and makes Bonnie a black character and a witch with ancestors going back to Salem. Among other things.)

The most notable thing about #3 is that Smith takes the unusual step of *killing off Elena.* The villain Elena kills is not terribly credible as a threat--she belongs to the class of not-terribly-bright-but-powerful villains who likes to brag about all their accomplishments just before they end up getting offed--and I had hoped Elena would be gone forever. But no. In #4, as frosting on the cake (one presumes), they manage to resurrect her after defeating the next big threat.

As I said, these are pretty terrible, and while they're amusing if you are looking for something to mock, I am kind of going to have to recommend that if you want something better constructed, you should watch the TV show instead. (I read #1, #2, and #4 before the TV show came out, and the books were still pretty terrible then, but the TV show, while it's not actually good TV on its own merits either, makes the books now look even worse.)

[Makenzie Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paranormal creatures could be presumed as real or fake.Nobody knows if they are actual living creatures or not. In the book The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion by L.J. Smith has mythical creatures. This is the third and fourth book of the series. The genre is paranormal fiction which means that that they use creatures like ghosts, vampires, werewolves and other creatures. Also that the book did not really happen. The characters are still very realistic and they go on many new adventures. This book has some realistic attributes that really tie the story together. The mystery and adventure really make the book engaging.

The characters that are from the first book are the same but they go through different changes and life experiences. From disappearances to reappearing, magic and many other things that happen while being in Mystic Falls. After a tragic event that happens people start to get away from Mystic Falls till they recover from the event. People show up from the past and it may not be a good thing that they came back or maybe it is the best thing that happens in the small town of Mystic Falls. The plot has many twist and turns that keeps it interesting and keeps the reader intrigued.

I give this book a four out of five starts. The reason for the rating is that there are too many important and big events that happen in the book, but it does keep the reader very intrigued. The end of the book really tied all the books to a close, but keeps you wondering if another book will come out to continue the story.All the twist and turns keep the readers guessing what's next. A supernatural twist to an everyday person's life always makes a book intriguing.

[Siobhan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sure that like a few people I picked this up after starting to watch the series. I know what you’re thinking (I think it myself) the whole ‘do not expect them to be the same’. But can I just say, wow. The differences were larger than I expected. I was shocked with the differences between the first two books and the show but even more so with these.

As with the first two what I loved about the books is that there are things which are hinted at in the show but never really crop up. Getting to read about these things in real detail is a great thing, a way to make you see what the show is really missing out on. I also love the focus there is upon other characters in the last book, but to say much more would be to ruin the surprises for you.

However, saying that there are aspects of the book which sort of disheartened me somewhat. I still found myself with my dislike for Elena, although I managed to battle through it. My main issue with these was how easily they seemed to overcome the big evil. After how big of a deal was made of the evils in the books the characters really did seem to come out much better than they should have, overcoming it in an overly simple way. In that regard I can understand a number of changes in the series.

That being said, it was a good read and really opens your eyes to the changes the show has made. Plus you’re getting two books in one!

[Rachel (The Rest Is Still Unwritten) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was as good as the other books in the series. I will admit i was shocked to discover that Kathrine was the Other Power, i honestly thought she was dead and in the past. Guess i was wrong lol.
I thought it was interesting having the second part of this book- Dark Reunion, mainly in Bonnie's POV. It showed more insight into the other characters, not being from Elena's.
I enjoyed how Stefan and Damon were getting along better, although i have a feeling that Damon hasn't quite given up on the hope that he will one day be with Elena.
I have two issues with this book: 1. How was it that Klaus was alive? Hadn't Kathrine supposedly killed him? They didn't explain how it was that he was alive. And 2. How was it that Elana became human again? She just popped from the sky, no explanation, no reason. Don't get me wrong i'm glad she's alive, again, but how exactly did that happen? And why?
I think that Bonnie will end up with Matt. It's pretty obvious that he likes her, and it's good to see that he's finally getting over Elena.
I'm interested to see what happened in the next book in this series.

[Susanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only reason I chose to read this series was because the TV show was on hiatus.

In the 3rd book "The Fury", Elena died, came back as a vampire, and had all the narcissistic plots evolved around her... In the end, she died again. In the 4th book “The Dark Reunion”, the gang, sans Elena, battled the evil force. This time, the focus was on Stefan. The similar villainous plots ensued and the gang was losing to Klaus (the Original). Then, lo and behold, Elena the spirit materialized with the unquiet spirits and saved the day. [?]. Then she exhausted her energy and vanished. [Finally, a character died and should stay dead.] Next thing you know, a flash from the sky blinded everyone and guess what, our beloved Elena returned as a normal human girl again [sigh…I’m an idiot for reading this series…]

Have to give myself prop for enduring this book series. It’s awful and un-relatable. Thank goodness the TV series revamped the characters (with less emphasis on how gorgeous the people look) and reinvented the whole storyline.

[Evilynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, if I only read books of this caliber, I'd probably hit triple digits in a year. ;) I read this (a two book omnibus) in a day, without spending the day reading, so for people looking for an easy read, this is it.

I'm not sure if this was a trilogy that accidentally became a quarter, but it sure felt like it. It was a little bit like the author decided that the ending of book 3 was "too tragic" and decided to put a bandaid on it. A bandaid that also included Civil War soldiers fighting on the same side. Hrrrrm. Oh well, at least it wasn't on July 4.

So, if she in book 3 said Elena understood Stefan so much better/they were really a part of one another when she was a vampire, what on earth will they do now that she's human again? And are they just going to go off somewhere else without her family knowing, or are they somehow going to go "Oh yeah, here I am. Resurrected. Surprise!" to the rest of the town? Methinks she could've scrapped the last book entirely.

[MissAnnThrope · Rating 1 out of 5]

Totally predictable. Absolutely absurd ending. If it weren't for Damon, I wouldn't have bothered finishing the book.

Gah! My damned OCD will probably push me to complete the series. I hope the next book will redeem this series just so that I feel better about myself for wasting precious time reading these ridiculous books.

I'm a glutton for punishment.

[Kushnuma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fury & The Reunion are books 3&4 in the series.

I'd forgotten how these books went and it didn't help that the TV show was very different to the books. I am glad I had read the books before the show and I think I will always think of the books and the show as separate stories; I enjoyed both of them in their own way.

[Alyssa Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well it was definitely more enjoyable than the first one to say the least lmao