Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle Book 1 and 2 by LJ Smith

 So even though my TBR list is taller than the house, I decided to go back and read some of my old stuff again and see how close it still is to how I remember feeling about it. I think I started buying the books while watching the series, but the moment you read about Elena being blonde and she’s a brunette in the series, I wondered how different it was going to be. I’m actually glad the books and the series veered off in different directions because the books got really weird.

 

In the first two books we meet Elena (spoilt, snobby, mean girl of the school who is all about herself and writes tragic diary entries), Bonnie (her very immature and constantly prone to weeping friend who is discovering she has witchy powers) and Meredith (loyal, steadfast, logical, and the one who keeps them all together). Elena was going out with Matt (read high school football) but when she claps eyes on Stefan (broody stranger who joins their school, wears leather and sunglasses all the time, and doesn’t want to interact with anyone) she decides she HAS to have him. Poor Matt. On the sidelines are Caroline (a sort of friend who wants Stefan for herself and now can’t stand Elena’s constant need to be #1) and Tyler (dodgy, let’s get drunk and take advantage of girls). We find out a big secret later about Tyler – but with the mention of the big, bright teeth and the moon rising over his family’s grave, you can kinda figure it out already.

 

So, long story short – Stefan is a vampire (surprise) and into the picture comes his brother, Damon (also a vampire). Turns out Damon hates Stefan for something that happened a long time ago with a girl called Katherine who was in their lives. So now, in the town of Fell’s Church (apparently close to ley lines so strange things happen) there are about to be attacks on people and a murder or two. You’d think those would be the important things. But apparently not, because Elena’s diary has been stolen and she is freaking out about secrets being made public at her coming out ball.  

 

During all this, Elena manages to seduce Stefan and they go from fighting and avoiding each other, to being in love and cannot be without each other (within the space of probably three seconds), to getting engaged (she is seventeen). Add in some action sequences where Stefan and Damon are beating the @$#% out of each other, and a twist at the end where “old power” affects one of the characters in a bad way, and you have a teenage angsty recipe that could go either way. The story could get better, or Elena’s whining and the eyebrow-raising plot could spiral into a pit of despair.

 

Definitely one to read with your brain turned off.