The Vampire Diaries by L.J Smith

I recently read the TVD series by Lisa Jane Smith. You guys already know that I'm a big big fan of the show (I really can't wait for Season 3!!) and I heard that the books were a lot different from the show. There were a lot of comparisons between the books and the show so curiosity drove me to read the books. I read all the seven books and decided to write a review of then all. Below I have written the summary of each book with a few lines about what I think about the book.

The Awakening:
Summary:
Elena is cool, blond and slender - the girl every boy wants and every girl wants to be. Always in control, no boy has ever stirred her innermost feelings - until she meets Stefan. Drawn to him with a frightening intensity, overwhelmed by desire, Elena knows that she must make Stefan hers.

But Stefan is hiding a terrible secret. Centuries earlier, his love for another left him with a terrible legacy, the curse of living forever as a vampire. Aching to respond to Elena, he struggles to resist. For if he and Elena should come together, he fears that his passion would demand the ultimate gift of love…

Review:
When I started reading this book I found my self comparing the actors from the show to the characters from the book. Obviously the first difference I noticed was that the book Elena was totally different from the show Elena. Personally I like the show Elena a lot better! Book Elena was a little too perfect. She was like the "queen bee" and I hate the 'queen bee' type of girls! Over all the first book was kind of boring for me. I liked it to some extent. But it definitely wasn't one of my favorite books (which include The Mediator Series, A Walk To Remember & Thirteen Reasons Why). Stefan was Stefan and there was too little of Damon which was a bummer for me because I'm totally in love with Damon! I liked the other characters too.

The Struggle:
Summary:
Centuries ago, two brothers - Stefan and Damon - fell victims to the power of love, their legacy being to live through the ages as the undead - vampires. And now the two brothers are in conflict - for Elena, ice-cool Elena, whose passion for Stefan has changed her life.

But Damon, prince of darkness, tempts Elena with his seductive promises of power and eternal life. As she struggles to choose between the two, Stefan knows only one way to gain the strength to save Elena from Damon. He must break his vow and taste human blood again…

Review:
I liked this book better than the first one. For one there was more of Damon in it. And for the other it was more interesting and mysterious. Especially when Elena wakes up in the end as a vampire and thinks she's in love with Damon.


The Fury:
Summary:
Centuries ago, two brothers - Stefan and Damon - fell victims to the power of love, their legacy being to live through the ages as the undead - vampires.

And now Elena, her lifeless body discovered in a river, walks the earth once more, sharing their fate - and causing brother to fight brother in an inhuman contest for her love. But when a terrible darkness rises from the past, a raging hatred that threatens to destroy all those she loves, Elena knows she must bring Stefan and Damon together again - whatever the cost to herself…

Review:
I think this book was ok. I liked Katherine but the book showed her only for a little while. I don't remember this book much so I can't really say a lot about it.

Dark Reunion:
Summary:
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.

Review: 
I disliked this book the most out of all the books. It was boring. I expected Klaus to be a lot better. I guess my expectations were higher because of the show. But I didn't like this book much. It wasn't that interesting. I didn't like the ending when Elena came back and stuff. Why did Elena die when she was going to come back to life anyway?? I hate this "coming back to life" stuff!

The Return: Nightfall:
Summary:
When Elena sacrificed herself to save the two vampire brothers who love her—the handsome, brooding Stefan and the sleek and dangerous Damon—she was consigned to a fate beyond death. Until a powerful supernatural force pulled her back.
Now Elena is not just human. She has powers and gifts that were bestowed on her in the afterlife. What’s more, her blood pulses with an overwhelming and unique force that makes her irresistible to any vampire.
Stefan wants to find a way to keep Elena safe so that they can make a life together. Damon, however, is driven by an insatiable desire for power, and wants Elena to rule as his princess. When Stefan is lured away from Fell’s Church, Damon seizes his chance to convince her that he is the brother she is meant to be with…
But a darkness is infiltrating the town, and Damon, always the hunter, is now the hunted; he becomes the prey of a malevolent creature that can possess him at will, and who desires not just Elena’s blood but her death.

Review:
The Return series were a lot better than all the previous books. Mainly because there was much more of Damon in them all and they were more interesting and modern and more of the type of books I like. I liked how Stefan called Elena 'lovely love'! It was really sweet. Though I prefer Elena with Damon. The 'Elena kissing everyone' stuff was a little too weird for me. I loved seeing more of Damon, getting to know him better. I liked how Elena's and Damon's relationship progressed. At the same time I felt sorry for Stefan. I liked the Shinichi and Misao plot a lot. Over all I think this book was good.

The Return: Shadow Souls:
Summary:
A penitent Damon, along with Elena, and Matt follow Stefan into the darkest dimension in an attempt to set him free from the prison he has found instead of salvation. Bonnie and Meredith join Elena as all three are forced to enter as slaves, the chained and leashed property of a vampire--Damon.

Review:
According to me this was the second best book out of whole of the series. I loved watching Damon and Elena grow closer. I loved the story. I like that little Matt/Damon rivalry in the beginning. It was fun to read about. I really liked Sage and Lady Ulma and some other new characters that Lisa introduced in this book. I loved the ending when (*spoiler alert*) Damon got turned into human. Over all I would give the book 4 out of five stars.

The Return: Midnight:

Summary:

In Midnight, golden girl Elena Gilbert is back from the Dark Dimension, having successfully freed her vampire boyfriend Stefan Salvatore from imprisonment. Saving Stefan had an unlikely consequence: his vampire brother Damon Salvatore has become a mortal. While the trio reels from this latest twist, they must still deal with the demons that have taken over Elena’s hometown, Fell’s Church. As in every L.J. Smith novel, no matter how dark the night, there is always a happy ending. MIDNIGHT takes Elena, Stefan, and Damon to their darkest moments yet… Danger, romance, and paranormal mystery will keep readers fascinated with this captivating finale to the New York Times bestselling series.

Review: 

I loved this book!! This book made all the previous books worth reading. Honestly I loved the plot, the twist that (*spoiler alert*) Obaasan was really the one controlling Shinichi and Misao! Great twist! And I liked Damon's and Bonnie's relationship in the book. It was so sad when Damon died! I cried so much while reading that! (I'm kinda sensitive about these kind of things) The twist about Meredith being a (*spoiler alert*) hunter-slayer AND a half-vampire was awesome!! I really came to like Bonnie a lot. I also started liking Stefan in this book. Not that I didn't like him before. I just didn't take notice of him that much before. This book really left me wanting more and I really can't wait for the next book, The Hunters: Phantom, to see what happened to Damon (*spoiler alert*) because at the end of Midnight Lisa hinted that Damon came back to life. And to know about this Meredith mystery (*spoiler alert*) and about her unknown twin brother made vampire by Klaus. If you were wondering, the next book will be published in October 2011.