Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
I think that, the series would have been it's best if she had stopped writing after the original four.
It's so ridiculous, some of the stuff. So many loose ends. So many things that DIDN'T need to be included in the first place.
Especially, (to point out a few) Meredith's brother. Meredith /all together/. So what if she's a hunter-slayer! That adds nothing to be book except make the reader disbelieving. Her brother, well. Geez. Don't get me started. Well--WHERE IS HE? They brought him up, made this thing about him; and then didn't do anything else. Meredith and her brother were seperated by Klaus. Meredith has kitten-fangs. Her brother is off somewhere. He's a full vampire.
Are you kidding me.
And the epilogue-type chapter at the end. I was glad Damon was dead, it added a more believe-able quality to the book. I would have HATED it if they all went home happily. Maybe that's just me, but it would have given it a more realistic quality. Okay kids, let's all go to the Dark Dimension again! Don't even worry about dieing, you WON'T. But no, Damon has to come back to life. Are they writing another book? I don't think so. Please, no. I really really really wish this book wasn't written. Please give me the original, and only the originals.
To continue my rant, I didn't like any of the characters in this book. Bonnie was annoying. Meredith was over the top. Elena, well, Elena. *sigh* No dear, it's not really possible to love two people at once. You may think so, but no. That just got unbelieveable. Choose ONE. Yes, that was the original point. Star-crossed lovers. How can I say this though? No.
It's so ridiculous, some of the stuff. So many loose ends. So many things that DIDN'T need to be included in the first place.
Especially, (to point out a few) Meredith's brother. Meredith /all together/. So what if she's a hunter-slayer! That adds nothing to be book except make the reader disbelieving. Her brother, well. Geez. Don't get me started. Well--WHERE IS HE? They brought him up, made this thing about him; and then didn't do anything else. Meredith and her brother were seperated by Klaus. Meredith has kitten-fangs. Her brother is off somewhere. He's a full vampire.
Are you kidding me.
And the epilogue-type chapter at the end. I was glad Damon was dead, it added a more believe-able quality to the book. I would have HATED it if they all went home happily. Maybe that's just me, but it would have given it a more realistic quality. Okay kids, let's all go to the Dark Dimension again! Don't even worry about dieing, you WON'T. But no, Damon has to come back to life. Are they writing another book? I don't think so. Please, no. I really really really wish this book wasn't written. Please give me the original, and only the originals.
To continue my rant, I didn't like any of the characters in this book. Bonnie was annoying. Meredith was over the top. Elena, well, Elena. *sigh* No dear, it's not really possible to love two people at once. You may think so, but no. That just got unbelieveable. Choose ONE. Yes, that was the original point. Star-crossed lovers. How can I say this though? No.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If I could give this 6 stars I would, let's start with that.
I've heard a lot of things said about The Return sequence of the Vampire Diaries. Some of it was even true. I don't agree with the people who say it's not worth reading, though. There is some silliness in these books, but I think Midnight restores the tone, and brings the series to an appropriate (if a little abrupt!) conclusion. I was gripped by this book from beginning to end -- like the others in the series, it's action-packed and unrelenting, combining heartbreak and euphoria in equal measure. Some of it is a little incredulous, but then, this *is* fantasy fiction -- willing suspension of disbelief is the name of the game, and this book does ultimately reward tolerance of its more outré moments.
Some of this book is (perhaps inevitably) a let down -- Damon's restored humanity was a wasted moment, I felt, but nevertheless in keeping with his character. After being set up as a formidable enemy, Shinichi's easy defeat was also a little grating, as was the miraculous restoration of the town. It's perhaps this that makes the ending seem slightly rushed, but it's still one of the most gut-wrenching I've read for a while.
If you're one of the people who wished they'd left Stefan and Elena at the end of Book 4, then Midnight might just restore your faith in the series. I won't say it's masterful, because it's not -- but it's definitely worth a read. On the other hand, if you're a fan of this series, or of vampire fiction in general, then don't miss Midnight -- it's certainly not as "final" as it might seem!
Some of this book is (perhaps inevitably) a let down -- Damon's restored humanity was a wasted moment, I felt, but nevertheless in keeping with his character. After being set up as a formidable enemy, Shinichi's easy defeat was also a little grating, as was the miraculous restoration of the town. It's perhaps this that makes the ending seem slightly rushed, but it's still one of the most gut-wrenching I've read for a while.
If you're one of the people who wished they'd left Stefan and Elena at the end of Book 4, then Midnight might just restore your faith in the series. I won't say it's masterful, because it's not -- but it's definitely worth a read. On the other hand, if you're a fan of this series, or of vampire fiction in general, then don't miss Midnight -- it's certainly not as "final" as it might seem!
First of all, if you are still taking this series seriously, you should probably check yourself. I did. It allowed me to actually enjoy this fan-fictionesque fantasy of what happens in an alternate Fell's Church universe. My expectations were so low after the mish-mash of nonsense that was the previous book, this one couldn't possibly disappoint--hence two stars.
That said, there were still tons of loose ends that were never tied up, pointless diary entries that seemed to be thrown in just so we'd remember that it was The Vampire Diaries, and it was sorely lacking in the editing department. Characterizations continued to go downhill--it's like a new definition of character assassination.
I wish Meredith had been left alone, but we would never have been treated to the Spanish-language soap opera inspired scene between Meredith and her parents, a dramatic couple named Gabriella and 'Nando, who reveal that Meredith is not only a vampire slayer, but that she is also part vampire herself and has a twin brother named Cristian who was kidnapped by Klaus after he attacked Meredith's grandfather. W.h.a.t.?
There's a princess Damon uses to become a vampire; she is never heard from again.
Matt is put on trial for assaulting Caroline. He is rescued by Saber, Sage's giant canine companion, who is such an alpha wolf that Caroline and most of the courtroom morph into wolves themselves and try to befriend him. We don't see Caroline again.
There's an annoying appearance by Lady Ulma.
Mrs. Flowers becomes her younger self, "Theo," to defend the town from the evil machinations of Obaasan, who turns out to be a goddess or something. In destroying her starball on a distant, other dimensional planet, Damon dies. Only not. W-t-f-ever.
Elena is then stripped of her wings by the Guardian court or w/e. YAY NO MORE WINGS! Happy ending!
What made this fun were the out of context quotes that hinted at a dirty mind (whether both writer and reader, or just the reader, take your pick.) "Damon reared back, trying to force himself to swallow, determined not to spit. It wasn't...it wasn't *utterly* revolting." "Meredith would want to know how to make a quick escape mounting anything available." And Matt, on Stefan: "...the best tight end I've ever seen." *snicker*
This review is as slapdash as the book, only with less italics. The book is FULL of italics. Why? I do not know. The end.
That said, there were still tons of loose ends that were never tied up, pointless diary entries that seemed to be thrown in just so we'd remember that it was The Vampire Diaries, and it was sorely lacking in the editing department. Characterizations continued to go downhill--it's like a new definition of character assassination.
I wish Meredith had been left alone, but we would never have been treated to the Spanish-language soap opera inspired scene between Meredith and her parents, a dramatic couple named Gabriella and 'Nando, who reveal that Meredith is not only a vampire slayer, but that she is also part vampire herself and has a twin brother named Cristian who was kidnapped by Klaus after he attacked Meredith's grandfather. W.h.a.t.?
There's a princess Damon uses to become a vampire; she is never heard from again.
Matt is put on trial for assaulting Caroline. He is rescued by Saber, Sage's giant canine companion, who is such an alpha wolf that Caroline and most of the courtroom morph into wolves themselves and try to befriend him. We don't see Caroline again.
There's an annoying appearance by Lady Ulma.
Mrs. Flowers becomes her younger self, "Theo," to defend the town from the evil machinations of Obaasan, who turns out to be a goddess or something. In destroying her starball on a distant, other dimensional planet, Damon dies. Only not. W-t-f-ever.
Elena is then stripped of her wings by the Guardian court or w/e. YAY NO MORE WINGS! Happy ending!
What made this fun were the out of context quotes that hinted at a dirty mind (whether both writer and reader, or just the reader, take your pick.) "Damon reared back, trying to force himself to swallow, determined not to spit. It wasn't...it wasn't *utterly* revolting." "Meredith would want to know how to make a quick escape mounting anything available." And Matt, on Stefan: "...the best tight end I've ever seen." *snicker*
This review is as slapdash as the book, only with less italics. The book is FULL of italics. Why? I do not know. The end.
I give this book 3 stars purely for love of the show, not really the book. Can we just talk about Stefan and his fetish for saying "lovely love" and how disgusting that is? Like, no, Elena, go for Damon!
Where to even start?
Damon is human again, something he takes so negatively that he is deadlier and angrier than he ever was as a vampire. He bullies all the humans as the do what they can to simply take care of him in his new state - to the point that it should be considered emotional and verbal abuse. Elena and her friends are afraid to even take food to Damon. In attempting to return to the Dark Dimension and become a vampire again, which ends up being pathetically easy and a pointless plot line, Damon takes advantage of Bonnie's trusting nature and not entirely secret love for him to find out where Misao's starball is hidden. All of which ends up leading to Bonnie accidently traveling to the Dark Dimension with Damon. We've seen a small but budding rose that hints at a possible future between Damon and Bonnie through the books up to this point - from her thinking he is just gorgeous, to her calling out for him when they are attached by the malach, to his pet name of "Little Redbird" for her. One would think that this would be the PERFECT opportunity to give the two of them a proper romance, or at least attempt to explore these feelings... But no. Damon even seduces a vampiress who resembles Bonnie (a character who is around just to turn Damon into a vampire and then disappear as if she never existed) and fights the slave trade of the Dark Dimension to save Bonnie, then with deep remorse takes her to recover in luxury at Lady Ulma's estate.
Elena and Bonnie have an out of body experience together, from across dimensions, to watch over Meredith's boyfriend/almost fiancé. Alaric, who hasn't been seen since book four and mentioned briefly in the previous two books, is the team's outside researcher looking into case similar to that of what's happening in Fell's Church. Elena very unfairly judges Alaric's warmth toward a woman, and fellow researcher, who he meets to give him data on a previous site of destruction. Elena and Bonnie are able to send a ghostly message to Alaric to email the information to Meredith instead of waiting to hand deliver it - which results in him no longer being part of the story.
In an attempt to stop Damon from going to the Dark Dimension, we learn that Meredith is a hunter-slayer, or someone who hunts and kills creatures of the night. Something that she's trained for her entire life but conveniently just recently learned about herself. She does find herself in possession of a fighting stave that is actually the most interesting weapon of the series. Then we learn that Klaus not only attacked her grandfather, but her and a secret twin brother as well; which is a memory that she'd repressed being so young. The weird twist though is that Meredith herself is somehow part vampire, and has been fed small amounts of blood her entire life without her being aware of the fact, nor needing to continue consuming blood during her time at the boarding house.
Bonnie learns about the Seven Kitsune Treasures via starball or premonition, something that is left a little ambiguous, which leads her, Damon, Stefan, and Elena on a quest to find the largest starball to save Fells Church. The entire journey is filled with Elena and Damon having secret romantic moments practically in front of Stefan's face and the feelings between Bonnie and Damon are pretty much forgotten. The group arrives and the Gatehouse to learn that Sage is the son of the Devil - which was supposed to be some big reveal but doesn't really have much to do with anything. They run into Shinichi who confesses he and his sister were just following orders to destroy the town and dies anticlimactically by announcing that he regrets knowing and following the person really behind the destruction of Fells Church. Inari, or Grandma Obisan as she's known to everyone, is really behind everything (which Meredith all but deduced in a previous book and who Misao pretends to be at one point) is defeated by Elena's Wing Powers Destroying her giant starball.
Elena's true love for Damon finally comes to light for Stefan as Elena attempts to keep Damon alive after he was attacked by a tree while saving Bonnie's life. Bonnie and Stefan's grief over Damon's death are practically unmentioned.
Sage helps the remaining trio ransack the remaining six Kitsune Treasures to barter with the Guardians for Damon's life. The Guardians reveal that Elena was supposed to be one of them and they are the ones responsible for the death of Elena's parents, when they were supposed to have killed her so she could join them. Angrily, she forces them to turn back the clock so that she never died and so there was never any damage done to the town by Katherine, Klaus, or the Kitsune - though they are unable to bring Damon back to life. Oh and they strip Elena of the weird Wing Powers. They literally undo everything...
Now that there's no Damon in the picture and Stefan finally understands that the love of his life is in love with his late brother - Elena reveals that she walked away with a bottle of water from the fountain of youth and she and Stefan can live happily ever after.... Except no one stays dead in this series so Damon comes back to life and the sick and twisted love triangle with the Bonnie out liar can continue.
Damon is human again, something he takes so negatively that he is deadlier and angrier than he ever was as a vampire. He bullies all the humans as the do what they can to simply take care of him in his new state - to the point that it should be considered emotional and verbal abuse. Elena and her friends are afraid to even take food to Damon. In attempting to return to the Dark Dimension and become a vampire again, which ends up being pathetically easy and a pointless plot line, Damon takes advantage of Bonnie's trusting nature and not entirely secret love for him to find out where Misao's starball is hidden. All of which ends up leading to Bonnie accidently traveling to the Dark Dimension with Damon. We've seen a small but budding rose that hints at a possible future between Damon and Bonnie through the books up to this point - from her thinking he is just gorgeous, to her calling out for him when they are attached by the malach, to his pet name of "Little Redbird" for her. One would think that this would be the PERFECT opportunity to give the two of them a proper romance, or at least attempt to explore these feelings... But no. Damon even seduces a vampiress who resembles Bonnie (a character who is around just to turn Damon into a vampire and then disappear as if she never existed) and fights the slave trade of the Dark Dimension to save Bonnie, then with deep remorse takes her to recover in luxury at Lady Ulma's estate.
Elena and Bonnie have an out of body experience together, from across dimensions, to watch over Meredith's boyfriend/almost fiancé. Alaric, who hasn't been seen since book four and mentioned briefly in the previous two books, is the team's outside researcher looking into case similar to that of what's happening in Fell's Church. Elena very unfairly judges Alaric's warmth toward a woman, and fellow researcher, who he meets to give him data on a previous site of destruction. Elena and Bonnie are able to send a ghostly message to Alaric to email the information to Meredith instead of waiting to hand deliver it - which results in him no longer being part of the story.
In an attempt to stop Damon from going to the Dark Dimension, we learn that Meredith is a hunter-slayer, or someone who hunts and kills creatures of the night. Something that she's trained for her entire life but conveniently just recently learned about herself. She does find herself in possession of a fighting stave that is actually the most interesting weapon of the series. Then we learn that Klaus not only attacked her grandfather, but her and a secret twin brother as well; which is a memory that she'd repressed being so young. The weird twist though is that Meredith herself is somehow part vampire, and has been fed small amounts of blood her entire life without her being aware of the fact, nor needing to continue consuming blood during her time at the boarding house.
Bonnie learns about the Seven Kitsune Treasures via starball or premonition, something that is left a little ambiguous, which leads her, Damon, Stefan, and Elena on a quest to find the largest starball to save Fells Church. The entire journey is filled with Elena and Damon having secret romantic moments practically in front of Stefan's face and the feelings between Bonnie and Damon are pretty much forgotten. The group arrives and the Gatehouse to learn that Sage is the son of the Devil - which was supposed to be some big reveal but doesn't really have much to do with anything. They run into Shinichi who confesses he and his sister were just following orders to destroy the town and dies anticlimactically by announcing that he regrets knowing and following the person really behind the destruction of Fells Church. Inari, or Grandma Obisan as she's known to everyone, is really behind everything (which Meredith all but deduced in a previous book and who Misao pretends to be at one point) is defeated by Elena's Wing Powers Destroying her giant starball.
Elena's true love for Damon finally comes to light for Stefan as Elena attempts to keep Damon alive after he was attacked by a tree while saving Bonnie's life. Bonnie and Stefan's grief over Damon's death are practically unmentioned.
Sage helps the remaining trio ransack the remaining six Kitsune Treasures to barter with the Guardians for Damon's life. The Guardians reveal that Elena was supposed to be one of them and they are the ones responsible for the death of Elena's parents, when they were supposed to have killed her so she could join them. Angrily, she forces them to turn back the clock so that she never died and so there was never any damage done to the town by Katherine, Klaus, or the Kitsune - though they are unable to bring Damon back to life. Oh and they strip Elena of the weird Wing Powers. They literally undo everything...
Now that there's no Damon in the picture and Stefan finally understands that the love of his life is in love with his late brother - Elena reveals that she walked away with a bottle of water from the fountain of youth and she and Stefan can live happily ever after.... Except no one stays dead in this series so Damon comes back to life and the sick and twisted love triangle with the Bonnie out liar can continue.
Unless I'm mistaken, I think this is the last vampire diaries book written by the original author LJ Smith. I heard the series deteriorates after the ghost writer takes over but it surely must be an improvement.
This book is slightly better than the last one, hence the two stars, and it finally felt like this story now has a credible love triangle, as Elena is clearly actually now convincingly in love with both brothers.
Trust me the TV show is far better
This book is slightly better than the last one, hence the two stars, and it finally felt like this story now has a credible love triangle, as Elena is clearly actually now convincingly in love with both brothers.
Trust me the TV show is far better