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The Vampire Diaries #1-4

Vampire Diaries 4 Books The Awakening Collection Box Set by L. J. Smith

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Sink your teeth into the Vampire Diaries! This collection includes the first four can't-miss volumes from L. J. Smith.

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening: A deadly love triangle:
Elena: beautiful and popular, the girl who can have any guy she wants
Stefan: brooding and mysterious, desperately trying to resist his desire for Elena . . . for her own good.
Damon: sexy, dangerous, and driven by an urge for revenge against Stefan, the brother who betrayed him
Elena finds herself drawn to both brothers . . . who will she choose?

The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle: Torn between two vampire brothers:
Damon: determined to make Elena his, he'd kill his own brother to possess her
Stefan: desperate for the power to destroy Damon, and protect Elena, he gives in to his thirst for human blood
Elena: the girl who can have anyone finds herself in the middle of a love triangle . . . one that might turn deadly

The Vampire Diaries: The Fury: Love can kill:
Elena: with Damon at her side, and wild with her craving for blood, the changed Elena struggles to control her desires
Damon: his hunger for the golden girl wars with his hunger for revenge against Stefan
Stefan: tormented after losing Elena, he will do anything to get her back. Even if it means becoming what he once despised. . . .
Getting what they want may come at a deadly cost.

The Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion: The Final Conflict...The Last Deadly Kiss:
Elena: now she rises from the dead to recreate the powerful vampire trio
Stefan: summoned by Elena, he keeps a promise to her and fights the most terrifying evil he's ever faced
Damon: joining the brother he once called enemy, Damon battles this new horror with strength, cunning, and deadly charm.

Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

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About the author

L.J. Smith

330 books112k followers
Smith was born in Villa Park, Orange County, California. In interviews, she has said she realized she wanted to be a writer sometime between kindergarten and first grade, “when a teacher praised a horrible poem I’d written”, and began writing in earnest in elementary school. Smith received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1987, followed by teaching credentials in Elementary education and Special education from San Francisco State University.

She taught kindergarten and special education for several years before becoming a full-time writer. Her first book, The Night of the Solstice, was published by MacMillan in 1987, followed by, Heart of Valor in 1990, and the 4-volume Vampire Diaries series in 1991-2. Three trilogies followed: The Secret Circle (1992), The Forbidden Game (1994), and Dark Visions (1995). The first installment of her popular Night World series was published in 1996, followed by eight more over the next two years. In 1998, Smith began a decade-long hiatus from writing, returning in 2008 with a new Web site and a series of new short stories. The Vampire Diaries series was reissued in 2007, followed by re-printings of The Secret Circle trilogy and Night World series in 2008/2009. The Night of the Solstice and Heart of Valor was also reissued in 2008. Three new Vampire Diaries installments were published in 2009 and 2010.

Smith lives in the San Francisco Bay area “with one dog, three cats, and about ten thousand books.”

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5 stars
2,694 (44%)
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3 stars
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249 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 206 reviews
Profile Image for Nicole.
132 reviews13 followers
August 9, 2012
I wanted to read this book because I absolutely love the show. Yes, I love it. There's just so much drama to not love it. And Ian Somerholder, I mean come on! But this book was such a disappointment. Keep in mind that I am avidly against Twilight, and this book was very similar. Elena becomes so obsessed with Stefan that she loses all self-control. She's willing to die for him, accept almost immediately that he sucks the blood of little white doves, and flunk her classes because she can't stop thinking about him.

I can't stand it in these teen paranormal romances when the heroine is described as this amazingly strong and intelligent character, and then her actions reflect someone who is anything but. Elena is so desperate to win Stefan's affections that she makes up a fake French boyfriend who sends her flowers just to make him jealous. When he ignores her at a dance, she makes a stupid decision that puts her in severe danger. Um, girls, please do not go off on your own with a bunch of drunk guys to a cemetary. THIS IS NOT SMART! So basically, Elena does not seem like a great character at all. She seems flighty, spoiled, and entitled. This is not a good role model, and neither is Bella Swan.

Then there is Stefan. He likes to brood. The end.

Then there is Damon. He's the only thing I liked about this book, because he is the only character that acted true to form. He was supposed to be the rebel, and he acted that way.


This whole book seemed like a trainwreck of events to me. When I think back on the book I can't remember a single piece of the plot that kept my attention. Needless to say, I will not be reading the second book. The show did it better, guys, the show did it better.
Profile Image for Claudia.
1,010 reviews756 followers
January 18, 2025
Loving the show, I thought it would be a good idea to read the books that inspired it. Hell, no. Excruciating writing, cardboard characters, atrocious monologues and dialogues. Another example when the screen adaptation outclasses by far the book.

Gets 2 stars because without it there would have been no team Salvatore, Klaus or Elijah for me.
Profile Image for Mariah Roze.
1,056 reviews1,056 followers
January 21, 2017
Read this in high school and really enjoyed it! That's about all I can remember.
Profile Image for Lauren Elizabeth .
84 reviews38 followers
May 23, 2014
I'm really happy I decided to re-read this series, mostly because the last time I read it was during a sort of hard time in my life. I don't really remember much of it at all, I was also obsessed with the TV show which is worlds different from these books. Also, Damon Salvatore happens to be one of my favorite characters of all time.



I enjoyed this read quite a bit. Don't let the 3 star rating fool you, that's mostly regarding the fact that the first two books could have been put into one. I don't want to be too strict on this review, because I know the earlier books were written for younger readers.

Nothing much happens in this book, it's mostly all character development surrounded by Elena. I was excited when I finally started getting more into Stefan's back story with Katherine and Damon. But, that's pretty much where it ended.



I finished this book feeling a little disappointed, but I didn't hate it at all. I really love these characters and I can't wait to read more. I've only read the first 3 books, but I will be moving on with them all this time.

These books are NOTHING like the TV show. But don't let that stop you from picking them up and giving them a shot. I enjoy the book characters more than the TV show. Although, there's Ian....

Profile Image for Nikki ໒꒱˚。⋆.
160 reviews6 followers
June 20, 2021
I read these when I was in year 8... so long, long, LONG before the show was even an idea. They were possibly my favourite books that I had read at the time and I think I've re-read these books more than any other.

To me, Bonnie was a huge stand out in the books. I loved her. The bond that Elena, Meredith and Bonnie had was something I envied and wished I had in my high school years. Elena and Stefan's relationship definitely goes from zero to 100 pretty quickly, but I feel like they always do in these teen paranormal romance stories. I adored Elena in the books, she gave everything for those she cared about and was a lot less whiny than in the show.

Looking back at these now, they definitely aren't the best books ever written, and I wish they were a little longer, but I will always have a special place in my heart for this series. There's definitely some flaws, but I think they still hold up pretty well. Especially in comparison to Twilight.

Overall, I like the story, the characters and even though I can admit they aren't the greatest, most complex and well written books... I still love them.

(I have watched the show, and originally I hated it just due to everything that they had changed, not included or added to the story. But I gave it another chance recently and love it. I just think of them as 2 separate things.)
Profile Image for Anne Bollmann (Annelise Lestrange).
695 reviews76 followers
May 25, 2012
This is the better vampire series that i've read.

Everything fits perfectly and there is Damon.
He's the most adorable villain non-villain ever. He kills, he hurts, he mocks and I still love him... I'm so sick xD


L J Smith rulez!
Profile Image for Danielle.
12 reviews1 follower
April 26, 2012
The worst book ever...but that's what I get for reading a teeny bopper book.
317 reviews6 followers
Want to read
April 5, 2015
I've heard that the books are pretty different from the TV series but I've still got to read it!!!
Profile Image for Lisa.
328 reviews7 followers
November 29, 2010
I enjoyed reading Smith's Nightworld series (and I'm waiting for the last book to appear on bookshelves), but I'd never read the Vapire Diaries series so I decided to give it a go and bought the box set of the first four books in the series.

Book 1 (finished reading on 26/11/2010): Elena is a main character the likes of which I've not come across since Jane Austen's Emma. She is utterly selfish!

The love story between Elena and Stefan happened a bit too quickly and didn't have much of a grounding in the story's reality, I felt.

However, the most startling thing for me is how many elements and story ideas in this first book in the Vampire Diaries series, which was first published in 1991, made it into Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series! There's a love triangle; a psychic who is the heroine's good friend; vampires that don't eat humans; vampires that can go wandering about in the daylight; a non-typical family set up for the heroine...

It's staggering.

Book 2 (finished reading on 26/11/2010): A bit slower going. Stefan is hurt, Elena rescues him, Damon tells Elena he wants her and will have her... And then there's trouble from a human rival and Elena has to try and stop her before she can cause trouble for Stefan.

Another story idea that made it into the Twilight series: the heroine is turned into a vampire.

Book 3 (finished reading on 27/11/2010): A real tear-jerker at the end but this book features a surprising little twist in the story that sees Elena, Damon and Stefan uniting to battle a dangerous entity hell-bent on murder. I didn't see the end coming and I'm wondering what Book 4 is going to be about!

Book 4 (finished reading on 28/11/2010): The worst that could happen to a heroine has happened - she's dead. But she stays in contact with her friends through Bonnie's psychic abilities and dreams and warns them about another dangerous evil that has come to the town. And then we have the last story idea that is also in the Twilight series - a werewolf bloodline whose members are human until something triggers their werewolf gene.

All in all, I have not enjoyed this series as much as I did the Nightworld stories (there seemed to be more emphasis on plot than characters), but it was a pleasant way to spend several days.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jana.
2 reviews
Read
October 4, 2012
So this is one of the books where there is a girl and a boy. Girl meets boy, they fall in love but this story was switched around a tad bit.
In the story the main idea is girl meets vampire. That makes this book different apart from others.
First, Elena Gilbert. Your average next door neighbor whose parents died in a terrible tragedy from a car accident. Which strangely she was in too but survived because "someone" saved her. She has been depressed since. As soon as she laid eyes on Stefan Salvatore, the new boy, her emotions have been changing. She falls in love with him, but he goes for her enemy Meredith... she's not giving up just yet. He eventually starts talking to her and falls in love.
Mysterious "animal attacks" have occurred in Fell's Church, which is the town where we lay our scene. Elena found Stefan guilty! She finds out later on that the guy she loves is a vampire. She is confused as to whether or not she should stay with him or let him go and not take risks.
However, later on, she makes up her mind after he has proven that his love for her is too strong and can with stand anything, even his urges of drinking human blood.
I enjoyed the book, I found it a nice romance/ fantasy novel and as much as I would like to continue on with the series I'm starting to get more interested in realistic fiction novels instead of fantasies so sadly I for now won't continue the series but have already started reading another book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Lara.
22 reviews
March 13, 2013
I really liked it, but I didn't like Elena's character in the beginning. She was too slutty and she instantly became obsessed with Stefan. And it really has too much changing for her - she was a human, then a vampire, then a ghost, ghostly human and then human with special powers.Otherwise, it was good and I enjoyed reading it. And, I have to mention it, I adore Damon's character. He is just awesome.
9 reviews1 follower
October 3, 2012
HERPER/level ?
10/3 100min.
Vampire, human, blood, worwolf, love, death, triangle,

Do you want to be a vampire?
No, I don't. Because they can't die easily, and get old.

If you love two men,or women, what do you do?
I'll date both of them at the same time.

1 review
March 19, 2014
Totally awesome book!!!!! Who ever is going to read dis book I should tell you dis its the best book EVER. Whoever is not reading dis book you better look for it somewhere n read it.
Profile Image for Lisa.
11 reviews
August 29, 2013
I did not like it.

And that is for several reasons.

I just didn't like Elena. God - she was a selfish little girl who thought she was the everything. She just assumed every fucking person in the world loved her.

I like books when I love the characters. That's the biggest pro in a book. Even when the story is crappy, I can still find myself reading the book because I love the characters so much.
But this? This was so not worth my time.

And besides that - how in earth can you write so many books with such pitifull characters? That must be a serious gift. I can't. It's really hard to read on if you hate the main character. I assume it's even harder to write about one.

But all hatred against our little Elena aside - god.
After a few chapters, you just get bored with the story. It's all classic cliches, the one predictable line after the other.

And the whole love-triangle with Stephan and Damon? A sweet guy who truly loves Elena, and a murderous creep who insults everyone on a daily basis. Even thought it's kind of weird - it's also not an original story.

No surprise I quit halfway through the second book, feeling absolutely mad at everything and everyone. (Okay, that's kind of a normal thing with books, but it wasn't because someone died or something in the book. It was because I found myself hating Elena with every second more and more.)

And I was bored by all the cliches.

It was well written, all problems aside, but it wasn't enough. It didn't compare to all the hatred against Elena.
A waste of my time.
Pity.
Profile Image for 02KelsieW.
11 reviews
May 27, 2013
The Vampire Diaries, Book #1-The Awakening by L.J. Smith

Intended Audience is for Young Adults. The main issue that the book address is that Elena Gilbert falls in love with vampire brothers Stefan and Damon Salvatore.

The setting, varies with the same story line. The time is very important because they are vampires, and they can live forever.

The main characters are Elena Gilbert, who is beautiful and popular. Stefan Salvatore, a mysterious vampire, and Damon Salvatore, Stefan's older brother and rival.

Story Summary: Elena Gilbert and her friends start their senior year of High School at Robert E. Lee High School. She is having a hard time this year at school after breaking up with her long time boyfriend Matt, and fighting with her best friend Caroline over who is the most popular and they both want to be the Prom Queen. She then meets the new boy at the school, Stefan Salvatore. She decides she will go after him, but when she attempts to talk to him he makes it very clear he does not want anything to do with her. He is afraid he will hurt her. Although Elena's life seems very "tragic" she still finds time to go to her parents grave sites whom died years ago. When an unexpected guest pops into town, secrets are revealed, bodies are drained of blood and friendships are broken. You can find out more in the book Vampire Diaries the Awaking.
Profile Image for Graycie.
6 reviews
July 7, 2014
I absolutely love the show so I thought I'd give the books a try, typically the saying "the books are always better" is true, but not in this case. One thing that disappointed me were the characters, except for Damon. I particularly did not like how Elena was made to be stuck up, desperate, spoiled, and a wimp.

Throughout reading the books I did not find myself truly engaged once.
I found myself quite bored actually.

Maybe my opinion of these books would be different if I didn't watch the show and go into the books having such high hopes for them.

This is not a series I see myself continuing. I'll just stick to the show ( which I recommend because it is awesome and far different from the books).
Profile Image for Precious Anne Palma.
20 reviews10 followers
October 7, 2016
Before reading this book series, I became a fan of TVD series first. That's the reason I bought this. Gladly, it turns out to be as beautiful as the series. Although there's differences from the books and the series, I liked it. It's really a must haves for 'Vampire-addict' person like me. It all started with Twilight, but the story of this is much different. Other kinds of vampire but equally fantastic in my eyes.
Profile Image for Liv .
295 reviews29 followers
August 7, 2017
Book: The Awakening
Rating: 4/5 stars

I had high hopes for this book because I LOVED the TV series, and well the books are /usually/ better. This book is so cheesy, you could use it to make yourself a grilled cheese sandwich.

Being a fan of the TV SERIES I found myself able to completely disconnect the characters and story from the book from the series for various reasons. The first reason being the characters are so different.

Elena is a spoiled, and entitled little brat. It's incredibly hard to relate to her, but it's comical how much attention she thinks she deserves. She is the queen bee of her school, and gets seriously angry when the new guy, Stefan, doesn't pay any attention to her. And I'm Stefan's own words she is "quite underdeveloped". Whomp. Whomp.

Without really knowing anything about one another they are magically drawn to each other, in a super obsessive way, and I can't help but laugh at how "in love" they are with each other after a matter of spending all of like 6 hours with each other. Twilight fans will surely see a strong parallel between the Elena/Stefan relationship and the Bella/Edward relationship.

The edition I read promised a love triangle in its description, yet we hardly get to experience Damons character, let alone see any relationship developments between him and Elena. The dialogue is written in such a way that it presents itself like an after school special written clearly written by adults but meant to cater to teens, yet it doesn't quite work.




Book: The Struggle
Rating: 4/5

No SERIOUS spoilers

Continuing directly from "Awakening" Elena finds herself screaming for Damon to appear so she can confront him about Stefan's whereabouts. He appears and Elena gets what's seems to be her first real look at him. He looks like Stefan, with the same dark hair, pale skin and good looks. Taking it in she sees unlike Stefan his hair is straight, his eyes are "black as midnight" and he has a "cruel smile".

While she is trying to confront him about the murders and trying to get Damon to share Stefan's location- Damon uses his Power to try and make Elena forget Stefan and draw her in to him. Elena is strong and manages to resist him which just seems to make him more interested in her and her strength. He offers her the Power, eternal life and fulfilled desires trying to convince her that it will satisfy her. When she refuses Damon tells her that she will change her mind, and to not bother looking for Stefan, as he has killed him.

Bonnie is starting to develop her own psychic powers, and so far is one of the most likable characters in the series other than Matt. That being said, Matt seems easily manipulated and like he is definitely under Elena's thumb, and would probably jump off of Wickery Bridge if she asked him to.

Meredith seems like and unnecessary character as of right now, and was probably only added to help expand the ever popular Elena's friend group- either that or Smith just didn't feel like developing the character in any way shape or form.

Introducing Alaric. The new history teacher who takes over when the previous one is killed by Damon. He starts off his class by making the students talk about what happened, as if he is some type of grief counselor. I can't help but feel he is already crossing a line, and he's only taken over for all of 2 minutes . Then he takes it one step further by inviting them to come talk after school at the place he is staying at.

Elena still feels strongly connected to Stefan, even more so after he feeds from her. She thinks that knowing his secret has brought them even closer together. I have yet to find much of anything for them to build a relationship on, but my inner teen fan girl keeps jumping up and down happy that they are so "in love". I still find it concerning how quickly and easily she trusts him and honestly believes he will never hurt her.

Caroline and Tyler are out for revenge against Elena and Stefan. Damon is out to weasel his way into Elena's life. Aunt Judith is charmed by Damon. Chaos ensues!




Book: The Fury
Rating: 4/5

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.

Book: Dark Reunion
Rating: 5/5

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.




Can I just say that I HATE the original covers? I usually never buy tie in editions, but I couldn't bear to put the old homely editions on my self. I also hated how they did 2 new editions that included 2 books each. I like to read my books one at a time, and why have to carry around more pages than I have to.

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. Anyone expecting these to be like the TV series will be upset as the story and characters are very different.
1 review1 follower
January 10, 2018
I liked the book ,but it's a lot different than the TV show.
Profile Image for Aya Lawliet.
221 reviews
July 13, 2015
Da completa profana dell'omonima serie tv, ho letto ogni genere di critica alla protagonista di questa saga; eppure, l'Elena Gilbert letteraria mi ha colpita davvero tanto. Entra in scena come un'egocentrica un po' snob (una ragazza consapevole del proprio aspetto e, pur soffermandosi di tanto in tanto a interrogare la propria coscienza, del tutto a suo agio nell'usarlo a proprio vantaggio: più realistica, per come la vedo io, di tante Mary Sue bellissime e dolcissime ma praticamente ignare di esserlo, e umanissima nei suoi difetti di orgoglio e testardaggine) per poi innamorarsi sì di punto in bianco, sì senza fondamenti validi, ma ben presto volenterosa di "dimostrarsi all'altezza" dell'altra parte, l'integerrimo Stefan Salvatore, e perciò imboccare un sentiero tutto in salita di miglioramento e altruismo, scendendo dal piedistallo che amava tanto, stando vicina a ogni costo alle persone più importanti per lei senza preoccuparsi di perdere per strada tutti gli altri, e arrivando poi a comprendere e proteggere appieno la propria umanità nel momento stesso in cui la perde - se questo non è universalmente riconosciuto come character development, allora proprio non so cosa voglia un pubblico da una protagonista inizialmente "antipatica".
I personaggi secondari poi sono tutti begli esempi di piccoli grandi umani; e se all'inizio Stefan e Damon appaiono come i più stereotipati, l'uno principe azzurro, l'altro tenebroso tormentato, il pregio principale del quarto volume è senza dubbio quello di mettere in luce le personalità di entrambi, da soli e l'uno in relazione all'altro, per non parlare di quegli stessi Bonnie e Matt e Meredith che qui si dimostrano in grado di brillare anche e soprattutto senza Elena, la cui assenza conseguente all'apice del suo percorso diventa il perno delle crescite personali di tutti gli altri.
Dopo 'I diari delle streghe', la Smith mi dimostra ancora una volta di saper costruire dei rapporti umani bellissimi tra personaggi estremamente credibili, anche andando oltre delle trame che a conti fatti non aggiungono nessun contributo definitivo all'universo urban fantasy. E questo primo ciclo de 'Il diario del vampiro' - che per ora, considerato appunto quel bel percorso di crescita, condito forse da un epilogo troppo buonista ma per me non meno emozionante, mi piace considerare come una storia conclusa e fine a se stessa - si è rivelato una lettura molto più piacevole di quanto mi aspettassi.
Profile Image for Cinzia Laviano.
255 reviews5 followers
February 4, 2014
Due sole stelline a questo romanzo... Ero indecisa se dargliene solo una ma, visto che dopotutto mi ha fatto compagnia per qualche ora, una stellina mi sembrava sul serio troppo poco.
Da dove parto a criticare?
Il libro si presenta bene. Bella copertina, cartonato, neanche costoso, bordi delle pagine rosse MA, è scritto larghissimo, le pagine sono spesse e si finisce molto più velocemente di quanto avessi immaginato.
La storia sa di già sentito, colpa di Twilight sicuramente... Ma qui i protagonisti mi risultano odiosi >_<
- Lei è miss perfezione! Reginetta del ballo, bellissima con, ovviamente, occhi azzurri e capelli biondi, stra amata da uomini e donne. La fidanzata del quarterback insomma. Una che vuole che anche il sole le giri attorno e, se glielo fai notare, si permette anche di rimanerci male!
- Lui è un vampiro depresso che si sente un'anima dannata e non merita l'amore e la felicità. All'inizio sembra che darà via la vita ma non il suo segreto ma poi si arrende troppo facilmente... Stefan poi, che nome dannatamente italiano! XD
- Il cattivo appare e scompare, seduce e prende in giro... Forse più simile all'immagine di vampiro che tutti conosciamo. Anche lui ha un perfetto nome fiorentino... >_<;;;;;
Mi chiedo come Stefan non l'abbia tanato subito... evidentemente oltre alla depressione soffre anche di idiozia.
La ciliegina sulla torta è il finale che non è un finale... Ti lascia a bocca aperta perchè sembra che qualcuno ti abbia strappato le ultime pagine dal libro. Va bene far capire che c'è un seguito ma questo sembra il fine primo tempo non un primo volume.
Di positivo ho trovato la velocità con cui si legge, è leggero ma niente di più. Un romanzo che tra qualche giorno scorderò e del quale non comprerò il seguito.
1 review
December 3, 2012
WARNING SPOILERS INSIDE:

This story is about a group of friends that kind of have feelings for eachother.They are just a group of teenage girls and boys who have vampire powers and write about them in a diary. Lastly they act like normal children by going to parties and other fun things that tennagers would do.But when they were at the party , they found out someone they knew was killed by drinkning a poisonous drink.

I think the book was very boring because it wasnt really any action until the end of the story. The charcters were realistic in a way because they acted like a normal group of teenage kids that had feelings for eachother.

The diolouge was interesting because they were talking to eachother like they were in a relationship. Also, because the characters go through drama like regualr people.Another reason the diolouge was intersesting becasue the characterswill tell eacother what to do or what they think they should do. That's why I think the diolouge was interesting.

It made me interested in a way because when some of the characters were at the party and they were hitting on eachother like they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

The only question i had for the book was why everyone acts like thety are a married couple.

I lost interest in the book because in the beginning because it was boring and made me not want to read it anymore. I would recommend this book to those who like vampire romantic stories. I would recommend this book to those who are 12-16 years old.

I gave this novel 3 stars because the author didn't keep the drama going throughout the story.
Profile Image for Nati.
126 reviews57 followers
November 16, 2014
Actual rating: 3.5

The last book of this series is pretty much where everything goes wrong.

I do not watch The Vampire Diaries series. I only watched the pilot episode and didn't care much for it. It doesn't seem bad,even though the fact that it changed everything that happens in the book made me raise my eyebrows a little.

I gave this 3.5 because,even though it has problems like the insta-love,the love triangles and the protagonist who simply can't decide what the hell to do with her amazing life and also seems to feel offended when people call her on her bullshit,It was an enjoyable reading. The characters where interesting. The plot was interesting and kept you stuck in it.

Elena is well...a spoiled brat. A blonde,hot,perfect looking spoiled brat. It's going to annoy most people,i imagine. It goes away eventually as she learns she isn't the most important woman in the world. I've seen people call her a slut,but i don't see how a single person being attracted to another single person makes the first person a slut,but okay.

Everything went down in the revival series,but I won't get on that on this review.

Anyway,i recommend this book for vampire romance fans looking for a series to spend their time. BUT I DO NOT RECOMMEND THE REVIVAL SERIES.
Profile Image for Szasz Hajni.
5 reviews13 followers
November 9, 2014
This was really bad. The first book was terrible, however it turned out to be almost ok by the time I finished the series.
As many people have said, Elena is a horrible person. I cannot understand how come she has any friends. There is not enough time for her and Stefan to fall in love either, so the thought of them being separated doesn't really affect me. Also, there is the forced love-triangle with Damon, which is unnecessary and basically happens in the few moments right after Elena becomes a vampire... some love, it lasted about... 1 day.
I suppose I like Damon, but that's mainly because I've seen the show first. It is just too boring and shallow, and then goes over-dramatic and downright pathetic by the end. I award that one star for Damon, at least he stays consistent as a character. I liked that we got a glimpse of his humanity, but then he stays true to himself, which means evil.

If you like an easy, vampire related read, go for it! However if you like quality and complex characters, pass!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Casey Carlisle.
615 reviews56 followers
February 19, 2016
I completed the novels some years ago, but in doing a comparison to the television series for my blog I gave them a second read…

I did like the darkness in the novels, especially in the debut, and the premise of the story has great potential. There are a great many elements I find intriguing in L.J. Smith’s books, but ultimately it was their execution, and possibly the writing style that fell short of making Stefan and company compelling for me.
Maybe I’ve grown out of any fascination for Smith’s world?

I will say I like the characters of Stefan and Damon who are wicked and mysterious; and even though they are aged vampires, they still manage to connect and project a lot of teen angst. As for Elena, she’s innocent, wounded and ballsy.

The style of the novels is more for a tween market as evident in the narrative, resulting in an easy and fast read. Though there are a great many unpredictable plot twists that kept me entertained.

An okay read, but nothing I would recommend to anyone over the age of fourteen.
1 review
December 16, 2013
If someone were interested in a science fiction book , the first one I would recommend would be The Vampire Diaries . This book is about a young girl who just went back to school after a terrible accident in where her parents die . She then starts to like a new boy at their school . He is very mysterious . They soon get to know each other and become friends . Their relationship then turns tables and they start falling in love with each other . The girl comes to find out the boy has a brother , who catches her eye even more . The brothers have a deep dark secret , they have been keeping from everyone and soon , elena finds out . I love this book because it does a great job of keeping you on the edge of your seat . It also , is a long series ! There really isn’t anything I dislike about this book . I would recommend this book to anyone who liked the Twilight series or anyone interested in Science Fantasy books or romance .
Profile Image for Yasmine Chloe.
3 reviews37 followers
June 1, 2014
I found these books very hard to finish. I first read these books a while back, before I'd watched the TV show, now after getting into the TV show a lot, I decided to give the books another go, to recap my memory of them. I enjoyed the first two books, but after that, I struggled to finish the other two. The plot line was just horrendous, and I'm so glad they changed the TV show a heck of a lot, because I dont think the storyline of the books would have completely worked as a tv show. Elenas character is so self centred, whereas, she's nothing like that on the TV, I prefer Elena on the TV show, also, I think the writing is very poor. I must say, they're not my favourite books, and I think if you can manage the poor writing,the dreary story line and a hugely up her own arse main character, then give these books ago.
Profile Image for Mackenzie.
17 reviews2 followers
October 31, 2014
Elana has it all. She is the queen of the school, how else would it be? But she dosn't feel that way. Lately she has been felling like she needs some where to belong. One day a mysterious stranger appears at school. Elana wants him to be hers. But he has a mysterious secret, and a brother who's out to kill him. Read the book to find out more!

I liked this book. The plot was good, and I didn't find any spelling errors. But the characters seemed kind of pathetic and self centered, especally Elana. I just can't relate to her. She just seem so ungreatful in the beginning of the book. I will admit she gets better as time goes on. But otherwise it was a great book, and I might check out the next one.
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