Nightfall

Vampire Diaries: The Return

By: L. J. Smith

Narrated by: Rebecca Mozo

Length: 14 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Elena Gilbert is alive - again. When Elena sacrificed herself to save the two vampire brothers who love her - the handsome, brooding Stefan and the sleek and dangerous Damon - she was consigned to a fate beyond death - until a powerful supernatural force pulled her back. Now Elena is not just human. She has powers and gifts that were bestowed on her in the afterlife.

What's more, her blood pulses with an overwhelming and unique force that makes her irresistible to any vampire. Stefan wants to find a way to keep Elena safe so that they can make a life together. Damon, however, is driven by an insatiable desire for power, and wants Elena to rule as his princess.

When Stefan is lured away from Fell's Church, Damon seizes his chance to convince her that he is the brother she is meant to be with. But a darkness is infiltrating the town, and Damon, always the hunter, is now the hunted; he becomes the prey of a malevolent creature that can possess him at will, and who desires not just Elena's blood but her death.

Listen to more Vampire Diaries.

©2009 L. J. Smith (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

Kinda lost me

I’ve really been enjoying this series but this book was a bit whack. I’m confused about several things. Great listen, just not as good as the previous books.

too much

I really liked this book, but there were somethings that I didn't like that much.
The thing that I didn't like most, was that there is demons and other strange stuff, somethings that I didn't like because of the other books, which are only about the vampires, witches and love.
If you have read the older books, you might find this one a little disappointing, but you also can love it because of the change; there is nothing written about what people should like or not.

Filler book

To me this book felt like a filler between stories. It kept my attention because after reading the previous books you have that history with the characters. The book series is entertaining, but if you watch the show you may be disappointed. This is one of the few cases where the film version is better than the book. I think that because the story jumps off the beaten path it becomes a little hard to believe. [I realize this is a book series about fictional creatures and it is not meant to be that believable, but i enjoy it when I am so sucked into a story that you feel like it is plausible. i/e Charlaine Harris] If you are a fan of the series this book is worth reading, but maybe waiting for a sale would be best.

Confusing

I like this series but this book left me confused. While it's part of the Vampire Diaries series, I guess you could say it's the first in the second arc of the series. The narrator, Rebecca Mozo's performance was okay for the most part but some of the character voices she used were so similar that at times it was difficult to tell who was speaking.

Also, there didn't seem to be any breaks between scenes. For example, there would be a scene involving one or more characters in one location then without a break it would move to another character in a completely different location. It was almost as though it were all one paragraph. That made it a little confusing.

The overall story though was kind of bizarre. I can't really go detail without spoiling the story but it involved snow globes, false realities, and weird creatures. This book definitely is my least favorite in the series thus far and I kind of feel like it was a wasted 14 hours. I'm very glad I used a credit instead of money but kind of wish I'd saved my credit.

Elena is back!!

I loved this book. It is so awsom to have all the characters in a new book. I can't wait for a new one to come.
Some times it is so scary and you sit there totally tense, because you wonder what's to come. In the next moment it's very sad etc.
The monologue is more straight forward then the previous novels. The characters are more rude, Caroline for example, is showing more how much she loathes Elena. Stefan is more cuddly towards Elena in the beginning. But that's because Elena is part angel and doesn't seem to remember things such as words and what to wear.
I really recommend you to read this next installment in the Vampire Diaries series.

Great book

The fourth book in the series struck me as a horror tale that was not written to scare. The story seems to be headed one way, and suddenly changes direction with Elena saving the day ....

Night Fall: The Vampire Diaries

I couldn't put it down. This 5th installment of the Vampire Diaries is proof that books are always better than movies or tv. L. J. Smith writes magic with her words and gives new meaning to vampirism and its relationship to life and death. She also shows readers why it's a bad idea to gossip by raising some hell with twin Japanese supernatural fox creatures. Now that Elena is back, she has to relearn everything and possesses the gift of white power like Bonny. It seems as if though the rivalry with Caroline will never end, and now, Caroline is taking her anger out on Matt and wants the others dead. Although Steffen is abscent for the second half of the book, the reader learns much more about his brother Damon and may even fall in love with him like I did. Mrs. Flowers reveals a few secrets about herself as well. The narrator is stunning and gives the perfect touch to the words of L. J. Smith by artfully designating voices to each character. Her Italian accent for the vampire brothers is spot on making this listen totally sexy from start to finish.

Vampire Diaries/ Return/Nightfall

The story was good although somewhat overwritten. Too long. The descriptions were way too long of the woods, the environment. We get it! However, the exchange between Elena, Damon, and Bonnie was good.

I returned this book that's how bad it was

first its nothing like the show or the original 3 from 1991 it's far out there there is supernatural fantasy then junk that makes no sense what so ever don't waist your time or money

Nothing like the series

Would you try another book from L. J. Smith and/or Rebecca Mozo?

Most likely not

Would you ever listen to anything by L. J. Smith again?

Most likely not

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Her female voices were decent but the voices for stefan and damon were terrible. I got used to it for the most part but it was quite annoying regardless.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment. I tried listening to a few books and hoped they would get better however they just seem to get worse. Listening to the first book I was thrown off by how different the characters are including some missing and others being added (how is matt not in the books?!) but it was somewhat intriguing due to it being so different. The story line is what made it terrible. It jumped back and forth and it's more of a supernatural vibe than the actual tv series of The Vampire Diaries. I've ended up returning every book I've bought so at this point I've given up on enjoying them as much as I do the tv series.

Any additional comments?

If you've watched the series you'll most likely not enjoy the books.