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A review by notanotheremptyskull
The Vampire Diaries Vol. 1 by Colleen Doran
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
☆5 Stars☆
NOTES & THOUGHTS
• This Graphic Novel is amazing! I’m not usually much of a comic/graphic novel/manga fan, because I much prefer a novel. I find that I don’t appreciate anything with images or artwork to visualise a story enough, as I fly through the writing and don’t pay attention to any of the accompanying graphics, as reading and looking at the graphics doesn’t come naturally to me. Because of this, a comic, manga or graphic novel has to be something really special in order to hold my attention in all aspects, rather than just the written elements. For me, this graphic novel did exactly that; I was so drawn into the storyline that it was easy to pay attention to the graphics as I didn’t want to miss anything.
• The artwork throughout this graphic novel was stunning, but fortunately not in a distracting way (when reading some comics and graphic novels in the past, I have found the graphics so visually pleasing that I have the opposite problem than my usual one; I get so distracted looking at it that I don’t pay any attention to what is happening at all). Having non-distracting yet still visually pleasing graphics is a huge complement.
• Now I have discussed my usual problems with graphic novels (and that I didn’t face any of them with this absolute beauty), I will discuss more about this graphic novel below.
• This graphic novel was unlike any that I have read before. Where most follow one singular storyline throughout its entirety, this was made up of multiple different storylines, that didn’t particularly relate to each other (other than that they were about some of the same characters: the ones we know and love as The Vampire Diaries fans).
• This storyline had great pacing - some stories were faster paced, while others were slower, but overall this was the exact pace it needed to be. It was so easy to get hooked on the storylines and fall in love with the characters all over again, and the pacing throughout really helped with that.
• There are so many other amazing things that I could say about this graphic novel, but overall I just want to recommend it to anyone who enjoys The Vampire Diaries. It's quick and easy to read, although there's a lot going on, and it is so enjoyable as well. The Vampire Diaries (books and series) are a comfort for me, and this Graphic Novel is no difference - it has (and probably always will have) a special place in my heart.
HIGHLIGHTS
• I loved that this storyline was made up of lots of different storylines, rather than one main one. I thoroughly enjoyed all the storylines as well, as they gave us back stories, side stories and other stories about the characters we know and love. Some of the stories are ones I had wished I could read or watch (and I am so glad that I did), and others were stories I didn't even know I needed until I had read them.
• I enjoyed the variety of storylines in this book; some are longer while others are shorter, some are emotion, others are more light-hearted, and some contain some dark themes. There isn't a focus on specific characters either - the majority of them feature on at least one of the stories this incredible graphic novel it made up from.
• There are gorgeous graphics in this graphic novel, which clearly depict the characters and the storyline. I really enjoy the fact that they are not at all distracting from the main storyline, as well as being distracting enough for me to pay attention to them.
DOWNFALLS / NOT AS GOOD
• I don't know if this can really be counted as a downfall of this book, but I really wish there were so many more of these. Honestly, it inspired me to want to write my own The Vampire Diaries story!
READING DATES:
First read - 14th - 15th August 2018
1st January 2021 (read in 1 day) ** review written after this read-through
BOOK ASPECTS (potential spoilers)
• A graphic novel compiled of short stories set in the universe of The Vampire Diaries and including the characters we know and love from the TV show and books.
• Not a chronological storyline, but a book made of separate stories.
• Gorgeous graphics.
READING FORMAT:
Paperback (graphic novel)
NOTES & THOUGHTS
• This Graphic Novel is amazing! I’m not usually much of a comic/graphic novel/manga fan, because I much prefer a novel. I find that I don’t appreciate anything with images or artwork to visualise a story enough, as I fly through the writing and don’t pay attention to any of the accompanying graphics, as reading and looking at the graphics doesn’t come naturally to me. Because of this, a comic, manga or graphic novel has to be something really special in order to hold my attention in all aspects, rather than just the written elements. For me, this graphic novel did exactly that; I was so drawn into the storyline that it was easy to pay attention to the graphics as I didn’t want to miss anything.
• The artwork throughout this graphic novel was stunning, but fortunately not in a distracting way (when reading some comics and graphic novels in the past, I have found the graphics so visually pleasing that I have the opposite problem than my usual one; I get so distracted looking at it that I don’t pay any attention to what is happening at all). Having non-distracting yet still visually pleasing graphics is a huge complement.
• Now I have discussed my usual problems with graphic novels (and that I didn’t face any of them with this absolute beauty), I will discuss more about this graphic novel below.
• This graphic novel was unlike any that I have read before. Where most follow one singular storyline throughout its entirety, this was made up of multiple different storylines, that didn’t particularly relate to each other (other than that they were about some of the same characters: the ones we know and love as The Vampire Diaries fans).
• This storyline had great pacing - some stories were faster paced, while others were slower, but overall this was the exact pace it needed to be. It was so easy to get hooked on the storylines and fall in love with the characters all over again, and the pacing throughout really helped with that.
• There are so many other amazing things that I could say about this graphic novel, but overall I just want to recommend it to anyone who enjoys The Vampire Diaries. It's quick and easy to read, although there's a lot going on, and it is so enjoyable as well. The Vampire Diaries (books and series) are a comfort for me, and this Graphic Novel is no difference - it has (and probably always will have) a special place in my heart.
HIGHLIGHTS
• I loved that this storyline was made up of lots of different storylines, rather than one main one. I thoroughly enjoyed all the storylines as well, as they gave us back stories, side stories and other stories about the characters we know and love. Some of the stories are ones I had wished I could read or watch (and I am so glad that I did), and others were stories I didn't even know I needed until I had read them.
• I enjoyed the variety of storylines in this book; some are longer while others are shorter, some are emotion, others are more light-hearted, and some contain some dark themes. There isn't a focus on specific characters either - the majority of them feature on at least one of the stories this incredible graphic novel it made up from.
• There are gorgeous graphics in this graphic novel, which clearly depict the characters and the storyline. I really enjoy the fact that they are not at all distracting from the main storyline, as well as being distracting enough for me to pay attention to them.
DOWNFALLS / NOT AS GOOD
• I don't know if this can really be counted as a downfall of this book, but I really wish there were so many more of these. Honestly, it inspired me to want to write my own The Vampire Diaries story!
READING DATES:
First read - 14th - 15th August 2018
1st January 2021 (read in 1 day) ** review written after this read-through
BOOK ASPECTS (potential spoilers)
• A graphic novel compiled of short stories set in the universe of The Vampire Diaries and including the characters we know and love from the TV show and books.
• Not a chronological storyline, but a book made of separate stories.
• Gorgeous graphics.
READING FORMAT:
Paperback (graphic novel)