The Vampire Diaries By L.J. Smith

This was an awesome series by L. J. Smith, written quite a while ago, (1991!) but a great plot with nicely detailed characters. I had a really fun time reading this series. The book in the series that I'm reviewing now is the one I originally bought, though now I realize this is the first and second books (The Awakening and The Struggle) merged into one neatly combined stack of papers.

Elena Gilbert is ever so popular, beautiful, and loved at the high school she goes to in Fell's Church, Virginia (In the new TV series, they call it Mystic Falls). Her good friends, Bonnie and Meredith, are always nearby, while Caroline, her no-longer-best-friend, now considers Elena as competition. Matt, Elena's ex-boyfriend, is still slightly heartbroken. All in all, a pretty normal high school situation... except for the new boy, Stefan Salvatore, brooding, mysterious, and possibly the only guy who can resist Elena's charm. Or so it seems. Because of this fact, Elena wants him more than any of her other classmates. Well, you always want what you can't have. Eventually, (a bit later than it should have been, really) Elena discovers the secret that you and I have already guessed: Stefan is a vampire. Vegetarian, but a vampire. (I will say it again! People always want what they can't have!)

(When I started this book, it was after I finished Twilight. All I could think of was, 'this is such a Twilight ripoff! I can't believe it!' Then I checked the copyright date. That reversed my thoughts, but I still wasn't as mad at Twilight. Why? a) I love that series. b) The whole Veggie-Vamp-falls-in-love-with-human-girl is a pretty common theme. c)... I love that series.)

As the pair of them slowly fall into a vampire/human love, attacks begin to happen in Fells Church. ... ... Animal attacks. Do you know what I mean? At the same time, Elena is visited by a dark stranger. Coincidence? I think not. This stranger is Damon, Stefan's older vampire brother, and his diet is just, well, slightly different. About 150 years ago in Renaissance Italy, Stefan and Damon fell in love with the same girl, a vampire girl to be exact, on who looked just like 21st century Elena. That couldn't end pretty, do you agree? To make a long story short, she kills herself (for reasons you can find out on your own), Stefan and Damon 'kill' each other, but they had too much vampire blood in their system, so instead they both become vampires. Now, Damon is basically trying to ruin Stefan's life, while Stefan has just mysteriously disappeared. Wonder who to blame...

End of Book 1. *sigh* sorry, but I already gave away too much. Better stop right there...

(In this picture, Elena is in the center, Damon is on the left, and Stefan is on the right.)

So, I did hint at earlier the fact that there is a TV show. Thursday nights, CW, channel 18 at 7:00 central time. I highly recommend the show, with a few exceptions. #1, there are some creepy parts, so not for the easily scared. #2, it has a lot of extra events that were not in the storylines of the books, so if you see something you don't recognize (if you read the books), don't be surprised. #3, this show can be confusing without seeing past episodes. The two easy cures for that are reading the series (sometimes it helps) and going on hulu, it can be a lifesaver!

That was a lot of typing. Anyways, read the books, watch the shows, tell your friends, enjoy! ;)

-Sashanimal