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bahopkins's review against another edition
4.0
I find I give most books 4 stars, because my gut reaction upon finishing that last page typically is "I really liked it!" This first book in the Vampire Diaries series was definitely a "I really liked it" reaction, teetering on a "Wow!" The wow comes from the last page of the book. One word...cliffhanger.
If you have only watched the television show on the CW, I strongly encourage you to read the books. I read the series a long time ago, before the tv series and loved the books. L.J. Smith's characters are some of my favorite, especially Damon Salvatore. He is the king of attitude and I simply cannot get enough of him. Our heroine Elena, in my opinion, is annoying at best to begin with; such a self-centered snob, however, she does evolve nicely into a character you can believe and stand behind. Her best friends are some of my most favorite supporting characters. I just adore Bonnie's bubbly personality and innocence which balances nicely with Meredith's shrewd eye for detail. For those of you that watch the show, the original book Bonnie has very little in common with the witch Bonnie on tv. In addition, there are many differences between the show and books. They both have their merits and I encourage you to read the books to see how the original story unfolds.
So I haven't mentioned Stefan Salvatore, the book's tragic hero. I have to admit this is because in this series he has always been my least favorite character. To me, Stefan is weak and boring. I'd take a human Matt over the morose vampire. However, the love story between Elena and Stefan did grow on me as the book progressed. I can say that my ambivalence towards Stefan in no way deters me from enjoying the book. It's a good read and one I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys supernatural YA.
If you have only watched the television show on the CW, I strongly encourage you to read the books. I read the series a long time ago, before the tv series and loved the books. L.J. Smith's characters are some of my favorite, especially Damon Salvatore. He is the king of attitude and I simply cannot get enough of him. Our heroine Elena, in my opinion, is annoying at best to begin with; such a self-centered snob, however, she does evolve nicely into a character you can believe and stand behind. Her best friends are some of my most favorite supporting characters. I just adore Bonnie's bubbly personality and innocence which balances nicely with Meredith's shrewd eye for detail. For those of you that watch the show, the original book Bonnie has very little in common with the witch Bonnie on tv. In addition, there are many differences between the show and books. They both have their merits and I encourage you to read the books to see how the original story unfolds.
So I haven't mentioned Stefan Salvatore, the book's tragic hero. I have to admit this is because in this series he has always been my least favorite character. To me, Stefan is weak and boring. I'd take a human Matt over the morose vampire. However, the love story between Elena and Stefan did grow on me as the book progressed. I can say that my ambivalence towards Stefan in no way deters me from enjoying the book. It's a good read and one I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys supernatural YA.
gingarella96's review against another edition
3.0
I was a fan of the tv show first, so this is very different from the story i previously knew. not a fan of all the characters in this so far. going to check out the rest of the series and see how it compares.
juushika's review against another edition
3.0
A popular high schooler sets her sights on the new boy, who's actually an old, old vampire. Past me would have been "above" this, but, character growth: present me thinks it's pretty fun. It's distinctly schlocky, but in the interesting way that early examples of a trope or genre are, where they're establishing hallmarks but deviate from later examples on some key points. For example, the protagonist: far from relatable, she's entitled and selfish--and surprisingly this grew on me, and it plays well in the romance. Short and sweet, stupidly Halloweeny, pure brain candy; this is just what I hoped for and I will read more.
queenmother's review against another edition
2.0
I watched the tv series and heard that the books were much better due to vampires having powers, which wasn’t shown in the show. I gave this book 2 stars because there was no diversity in the characters, the name of the school and how they loved to glorify the civil war. I found it interesting that book Elena and Katherine were very different than in the show.
slpierce111's review against another edition
4.0
These were some of my favorite books as a teenager. They are about a high school student, Elena Gilbert, who is torn between two hot vampire brothers. Melodrama ensues. They are not the most mature books, but they are all about nostalgia for me. Of course, as I get older, I think that a lot of the things Elena does are downright stupid, but I still remember how romantic it all seemed when I was 14.
pineapple42's review against another edition
DNF, I feel like I lost valuable time reading something better or at least more entertaining and bearable. It wasn't even so bad it's good. It was just plain BAD.
artemisprime22's review against another edition
2.0
Well, it wasn't very good, but it wasn't terrible either. It did hold my attention enough for me to want to read the next book. If I could give it 2 1/2 stars, I would. I don't like it enough to go out and buy a copy of it for myself, so that's why I'm not giving it 3 stars.
shelleyd's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 rounded up. I could never get into the show past a certain point, but these? These im excited to read.