Scan barcode
A review by bahopkins
The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L.J. Smith
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.