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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
(Thanks to poor internet at the uni, my whole review got deleted -.-)
I only read the first book awhile back and I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.
Let's get one thing cleared: the book and the show are like two different things. Character look different, situations are different, there is no Jeremy!!, etc.
And maybe I'm so disappointed with this book because I saw the show first and fell in love with it. And to read the book and compare it to the show ... like I said, disappointed.
I only read the first book awhile back and I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.
Let's get one thing cleared: the book and the show are like two different things. Character look different, situations are different, there is no Jeremy!!, etc.
And maybe I'm so disappointed with this book because I saw the show first and fell in love with it. And to read the book and compare it to the show ... like I said, disappointed.
This book is another high school vampire/human romance that was originally published in the '90s. This is actually the first two books of the series published in one volume. I liked the overall story but the romance between vampire Stefan and human Elena was seriously lacking in chemistry and development. For one thing, they spend almost no time together because they are always being attacked, avoiding being attacked or recovering from being attacked. Secondly, Stefan is the wimpiest vampire ever! Most of the time Elena is rescuing and taking care of him. I'm all for girl power but he's a vampire for Pete's sake - he needs to buck up.
The book ended with a doozy of a cliff-hanger so I'll definitely read next installment of the series.
The book ended with a doozy of a cliff-hanger so I'll definitely read next installment of the series.
2009 review:
The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith, Volumes 2 (The Struggle), 3 (The Fury), and 4 (Dark Reunion).
I read these one right after the other just because I had them easily accessible, and they were such fast, easy reading. Because of that, I'm not really doing individual reviews for them because they kind of all run together. For the most part, I enjoyed/thought the same of these books as I did the first one. I enjoyed them while realizing that they weren't that good, and with occasional eye rolls. The worst one was probably #2, just because the main problem seemed flimsy, shallow, and a bit made up just to have a conflict in the book.
In Dark Reunion it was interesting to have such an extra emphasis put on someone besides the main girl-I enjoyed knowing more about the main character's friends. However, the ending of this bookw was probably the worst ending in a book I have EVER read. Awwwwwwwwwwful. The last, like, paragraph was actually kind of cute. But the stuff before that was really, really, unimaginably stupid. If I ignore that, these 3 books could probably share a 3 star rating. I'm excited to watch the CW series...
The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith, Volumes 2 (The Struggle), 3 (The Fury), and 4 (Dark Reunion).
I read these one right after the other just because I had them easily accessible, and they were such fast, easy reading. Because of that, I'm not really doing individual reviews for them because they kind of all run together. For the most part, I enjoyed/thought the same of these books as I did the first one. I enjoyed them while realizing that they weren't that good, and with occasional eye rolls. The worst one was probably #2, just because the main problem seemed flimsy, shallow, and a bit made up just to have a conflict in the book.
In Dark Reunion it was interesting to have such an extra emphasis put on someone besides the main girl-I enjoyed knowing more about the main character's friends. However, the ending of this bookw was probably the worst ending in a book I have EVER read. Awwwwwwwwwwful. The last, like, paragraph was actually kind of cute. But the stuff before that was really, really, unimaginably stupid. If I ignore that, these 3 books could probably share a 3 star rating. I'm excited to watch the CW series...
I like the TV series and thought I might enjoy the books as well. The books are a bit different but I kind of expected that. I just bought the next two books and look forward to see what happens to Elena.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Wowee, guys. I liked this book. Not really into the whole vampire hype thing anymore, but this is just captivating, but of course no one can expect anything less from LJ Smith. (if you're reading this LJ Smith, I am anxiously awaiting the conclusion to the Soul Mate themed book!) I really like how the main character is blond, we've all went a little bit overboard with having ALL of the girl heroines brunettes or redheads and blondes are now deemed stupid or useless. Elena's personality clashes with this fiercely. She is not normal. The characters are not normal. Nothing is normal in this! I love it. But, as mentioned beforehand, you can expect nothing less than excellence from LJ Smith - and no I am not just sucking up to her (if ever she reads this).
This was disappointing. Probably not worth the 1 star rating but right now all I can think are negatives. I watch the tv show and it’s better than these books – which is odd because I rarely say that about film adaptations of books!
But it is the same problem as Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, True Blood and Dexter: I’ve read these books and the tv series are better than the books. You can keep up with the twists more, they plot holes get filled in. I suspect the writers get caught up in the hype of the shows and it becomes a bit of ‘chicken and egg’ race to write the twists and turns for all the fans.
Anyone else agree? Maybe I’ll just go back to watching VD on tv…
But it is the same problem as Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, True Blood and Dexter: I’ve read these books and the tv series are better than the books. You can keep up with the twists more, they plot holes get filled in. I suspect the writers get caught up in the hype of the shows and it becomes a bit of ‘chicken and egg’ race to write the twists and turns for all the fans.
Anyone else agree? Maybe I’ll just go back to watching VD on tv…
Overall, this was a well done, supernatural romance, released before the fanatical uproar that Twilight caused. I read after This series after having read Twilight - and i was in a bit of a reading slump after Twilight, feeling that nothing could measure up. However, i thought this story was better written than Twilight. Though Elena pales in comparison to Bella. I distinctively remember wanting to b*tch slap this girl for her vanity. It was insufferable. But overall, a fun quick read. Four stars goes for the entertainment factor, which i was!
I read The awakening but couldnt get myself to read the struggle
I started reading this a couple of months ago and did not finish, not even close. I'm not completely sure how far I got but it could not have been more then 70 pages. Honestly, up till this point I had forgotten that I haven't written anything about the experience.
Now, The Vampire Diaries is by far a pinnacle of the paranormal vampire YA group, so I can't say I won't return to this. But from what I read, I just couldn't read any further. It surprised me to, because I like the genre, I like the premis, and from what little I've seen of the TV show, I expected to enjoy this.
My problem was mostly with Elena. I just couldn't see myself reading an entire story surrounding her narrative. She was overall rather vapid and I did not connect with her in anyway. When a character comes right out of the gate being so unrelatable it made it harder for me to find the motivation to keep reading. I remember thinking, I have nothing in common with this girl, I don't care what happens to her in the future, and I really would like her to stop talking.
Now, I will say again that I might take a second go at this sometime in the future, if only because I know that so many people have enjoyed the series. So for now I'll keep this as a maybe eventually.
Now, The Vampire Diaries is by far a pinnacle of the paranormal vampire YA group, so I can't say I won't return to this. But from what I read, I just couldn't read any further. It surprised me to, because I like the genre, I like the premis, and from what little I've seen of the TV show, I expected to enjoy this.
My problem was mostly with Elena. I just couldn't see myself reading an entire story surrounding her narrative. She was overall rather vapid and I did not connect with her in anyway. When a character comes right out of the gate being so unrelatable it made it harder for me to find the motivation to keep reading. I remember thinking, I have nothing in common with this girl, I don't care what happens to her in the future, and I really would like her to stop talking.
Now, I will say again that I might take a second go at this sometime in the future, if only because I know that so many people have enjoyed the series. So for now I'll keep this as a maybe eventually.