Review- Vampire Diaries- The Awakening by L.J. Smith

I first read these books many many years ago when I was in middle school. I haven't read them in at least 15 years. I was so excited though when I saw that they were making a TV show based on the books. I tried watching the show but it was so different from the books. When I was a teenager these and the Anne Rice books were the books that cause a vampire craze with me. Recently Twilight restarted the vampire craze in people and I kept telling people to read the Vampire Diaries because they were so much better.

The first book in the series introduces us to Elena, the Queen Bee of her school. Her parents had passed away and her aunt is raising her and her younger sister. Stefan Salvatore is the new mysterious boy at her school. Elena used to getting what she wants has set her sights on Stefan but does not understand why he ignores her. Stefan is determined to avoid Elena at all costs because she looks just like his old love, Katherine. Stefan is also hiding the dark secret that he is a Vampire.

Ok so when I started to re-read this book I was well...disappointed. It just wasn't what I remembered it to be. Elena was whiny and well a bitch. She wants Stefan and cant have him so she plans and schemes and uses people to try and get what she wants. I literally found myself questioning how I ever even liked the book. I know that 15 years is a huge time gap and that now I'm in my 30's and back then I was just a teenager but sheesh! I had to force myself to keep going. But then something miraculous happened. I came to the part of the book with the dumb supper and memories flooded in my mind. I remembered sleep overs with friends and us doing silly things like trying to do a dumb supper. It brought a smile to my face. I remember my friend Michele and I obsessing about how if one of us ever became a vampire we would swear to turn the other one into one (so silly to think of now). While I'm not the person I was back then (who so wanted to be someone special) I finally could enjoy the book. More for nostalgia reasons. I will definitely check out at least the next book which I recall as being my favorite in the series. I think I also understand more now the teens that are obsessed with Twilight (sorry can't stand Twilight tried and just find it to be horrible lesson to girls that a stalker, obsessive, borderline abusive boyfriend is a desirable mate). So while the 14 year old me would have glowingly given this 5 out of 5 stars. The adult English Lit major in me gives it 2 out of 5 stars.

Challenges Fullfilled
Hogwarts Reading- mini challenge