Customer Reviews

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening And The Struggle

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I couldn't stop reading this book once I started. The story is about a popular girl named Elena and a mysterious quiet boy named Stefan. This novel tells the story from both points of view making the reader able to understand the characters more and to make the reader truly care about both of the them.

The story begins with Elena, who wants Stefan more than anything but for some reason Stefan wont show interest in her and tries his best to avoid her. Elena doesn't understand why he's like this and begins to wonder why he seems to hate her so much. Stefan has his own reasons for not going near her that revolve around his mysterious past that is shown to the reader throughout the novel, and because he is a vampire.

This series was so good, and anyone with a love for vampire novels will be hooked! I especially reccomend this book for people who have also loved books such as Twilight, By Stephenie Meyer, and Blue Bloods, By Melissa De La Cruz.

I spent a summer in Long Island and during this summer, I came upon this series in a library in 1998-1999.
I began reading and became mesmerized by Stefan Salvatore dark past and how it would effect Elena. I couldn't stop reading and within two days, I was back at the library borrowing the second book.
These books were hard to come by around those times because they were mainly out of print.

Having read the Vampire Diaries as a child, I couldn't help but notice so many similarities that it had to Stephanie Meyer's trilogy. I decided never to read the twilight series because my sister told me all about it and I thought it was a knock off of LJ Smith's Vampire Diaries.
It's sad that the Twilight series rose to fame so rapidly within the short period of time that it had been released, while LJ Smith had to wait around 20 years for her Vampire Diaries to be known.

I really enjoyed reading the books....and it brings back a lot of childhood memories.
I don't really like that the series has turn into a TV show, which has completely changed the story line. Sometimes it's better for books to remain books so we, the readers, can perceive them the way that we had always imagined them to be as a child.

Okay the first and second books of the series combined into one book. Elena meets both brothers. Falls in love and really starts up the series, good book overall easy read and you will read it right through no problem, I sat and read it all one afternoon about 15 years ago :0
and a few times here and there since. GREAT BOOK :)

I am a huge fan of the supernatural literature, and an a huge fan of theTVD. I must say, that after reading about 3/4 of this book so far (which was painful to get through, the pace and over all writing quality was shockingly bad) I had to force myself to finish the remaining pages. The overall pace of the storyline is extremely rushed, and there is no real character development. Now, I am not expecting the book to be a true extension of the television series or vice versa, and I can even put up with the fact that their leading lady Elena in the book is truly an unlikeable character, but what i cannot accept is the fact that this book barely kept me awake to turn onto the next page. This book lacks in all areas, and will not recommend it as a must read.

This book does not draw you into their world as did Anne Rice, Suzanne Collins Hunger Games, or Charlaine Harris' True Blood series, and dare I say it... yes... the Twilight Series (I read each book in about 5 days each). The Vampire Diaries: Awakening and the Struggle, was truly a struggle to get through. I will not be continuing onto the next book. I will just continue to watch the television show to get my TVD fix, and move onto another series.

Also, I must add that I did read this book prior to the television series...and missed the 1st season debut as I could not stand the novel. The television series truly surpasses the book, a rare instance in most cases.

this was a good vampire series focused on a main character that i expected to hate. In the beginning of the series i was somewhat hesitant to like elena because she is one of those self centred, bossy personalities one usually acquaints with the antagonist, Elena herself was oblivious of the fact that she was so selfish of course. but even though she was so unforgivingly forward, the reader is compelled to appreciate her personality and interpret her methods of accomplishing something as strength. the first task we see her trying to accomplish is the wooing of stephan, and though this plot development seems typical, the way in which elena throws herself whole heartedly into what she wishes to accomplish really connects her to the reader and makes the reader want to support her. she has this energy and strength of will throughout the entire series. She also grows tremendously. in the beginning, as i've said, she's somewhat focused on herself, but as the series progresses, her focus shifts to those around her and to those she cares about. all in all elena was a very proactive heroine and i recommend this series to those who appreciate a good vampire romance.

This is one of the rare cases where the TV series outdoes the book - by a long shot. Elena is one of the worst main characters I have had the misfortune to read in a long time. She is selfish, arrogant and petty. Stefan and Damon's story is much better in the TV series & so are Bonnie & Caroline. Overall - big disappointment. I only finished it because I was hoping it would get better in the end, but no such luck. Stick to the show if you want a better storyline.

The Awakening and The Struggle by L.J. Smith are the first two parts of the The Vampire Diaries. The writing was easy to understand and was written for a wide variety of audiences, thus a thirteen-year-old girl would probably enjoy it as much as a nineteen-year-old would. The novels were exciting to read because of the events that occurred and the emotions the characters felt. It is written in third person, so the viewpoint changes every once in a while to Stefan's.

*The Awakening*

The novel takes place in Fell's Church, Virginia. The protagonist is Elena Gilbert, who is now the high school senior of Robert E. Lee High School. Her parents are both dead; Aunt Judith is taking care of her and her four-year-old sister, Margaret. Elena has a strong personality, is beautiful, the queen of her high school, who can get any boy she wants. But, Stefan, the only boy she wants is not giving her any attention.

Stefan Salvatore is a vampire, who came to Fell's Church to rejoin the world of daylight. He used to hide in Italy, but he became tired of being alone. With wavy dark hair, an average height, and beautiful features, Stefan draws a lot of attention from the females.

Will Elena get Stefan? Why is Stefan avoiding Elena? There have been strange occurrences in Fell's Church; is there a sinister presence in town that no one knows about?

*The Struggle* (May contain spoilers)

The Struggle by L.J. Smith is the second part of the four part series, The Vampire Diaries. It was just as exciting as the first, and at the end of this novel, the series reaches its climax.

Damon is seen more frequently throughout this novel. Damon is stronger than Stefan, and can kill him whenever he wants, which is what Elena fears. Elena loves Stefan, but Damon wants her at any cost. Discover the secrets that Elena keeps from the one she loves...

After reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, I wished that The Vampire Diaries had been written in first person, since its less confusing when many people are being spoken of, but I guess when switching viewpoints often, it would become annoying. Unlike Twilight, the protagonist was a popular girl, thus her life without Stefan was also an interesting one.

This novel did not include any cell phones. I am very eager to read the next book in the series. I recommend this vampire romance to any teenage girl; they will surely enjoy it.

The Awakening introduces us to Elena Gilbert - the most popular girl in her small-town high school. We also meet her friends Matt, Bonnie and Meredith, as well as Stefan and Damon - estranged brothers with a dark secret. When strange attacks begin happening in their small town, the townsfolk blame Stefan much to Elena's dismay, and she and her friends take it upon themselves to get to the bottom of the story. The first book ends on a huge cliff-hanger, which I believe is the only possible reason anyone would ever read any more of this series.

I don't even know where to begin with what's wrong with this story. I guess the biggest issue I had is that I really didn't like Elena, who basically comes off as a manipulative, self-centered brat. The only character I actually enjoyed in the book was Elena's best friend Meredith. Along with the un-likable characters, there's clichéd writing and a complete lack of logic to round things out. I found myself saying, "But that would never happen!" more times than I can count. And I don't mean because there's vampires in the story. Here's a paragraph that should have tipped me off early on that this wasn't going to be good: "That was it; something was watching her. The sky overhead was not blue but milky and opaque, like a giant bowl turned upside down." Yep. That's a whole paragraph. I've read a number of reviews that claimed Twilight was a rip-off of this series, but this will have you wishing you were reading Twilight.

BUT here's the funny twist, despite really not liking the book, I do enjoy the television series. For those of you wondering about the books because of the show - stick with the show, you'll be glad you did.

I picked this series up because I was pleasantly surprised with LJ Smith's book "Dark Visions." I thought this series would be along the same lines, however, it's definitely a YA read: 20 years old and younger - an age group I haven't belonged to for quite some time. Elena is a typical self-centered, self-absorbed teenager that still makes silly girl pacts about boys and has temper tantrums. She's certainly not a character that the more mature person will be able to identify with anymore. A decent story, but the immaturity of the characters causes this story to be better suited for younger readers.

I was so disapointed! I finished to read the book only because I had paid for it.. Seriously, where is the story? There is just a selfish "oh so beautiful and popular" teenage girl and a boring and weak vampire! I thought there would be more suspense, action or something... at least! Uhh no, sorry!

Maybe some authors should take a break on vampire stories, there's too much. Find a new way to present it and maybe it would be better! Anyway, i'm the one who bought it..