February 19, 2015

Nightfall (Vampire Diaries: The Return #1) by LJ Smith 2/5 stars

Hey, guys! Earlier this week, I reviewed the original Vampire Diaries series, so now it is time to review the first book in the first rebooted series.  Just so you guys know, this series was written a decade after the original series and is very, very different.  For one, the writing style changes drastically (I had to check to make sure the same author wrote it since it was so different). Also, the book is twice as long as the original books.
While I absolutely despised this book, Nightfall, the sequel, Shadow Souls, was much better (though still not necessarily good)
The Cover:

The Cover:
While this is a boring cover, it is a lot more modern than the original Vampire Diaries's 90's covers. It shows Elena... staring.

Official Description:
The first book in a new trilogy from L. J. Smith!
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.

My Review (taken from right after finishing Nightfall):
I'm not sure what happened to these books but I hated it. This was by far the worst book I've read in a long time. I expected it to be at least comparable to the other books in this series but no. This book was TWICE as long as the other books and THREE times as bad. 
It was a struggle to get through. First of all, it was as if the physics of the Vampire-Diaries-world randomly shifted. Now Elena can just randomly float and has wings? Seriously, what? And trees can now attack! And there are also these werefoxes because normal supernatural creatures aren't enough!Also, the characters all decided to get weird. Really weird. Stefan spent a lot of the book calling Elena his "little lovely love". To say that that creeped me out would be an understatement! You know what this book needed? TRANSITIONS! I was hopelessly lost in the plot at certain points. My timeline for Nightfall was warped beyond recognition. I was so disappointed in this book. In LJ Smith. In the publishing industry as a whole, since they allowed this book to be published without, as it seems, revisions. To be honest, I'll probably read the next book, but only in a last ditch effort to salvage the series, which I'm doubting can be saved at all. (UPDATE: While not necessarily saved, my opinion still has hope of recovering after finishing Shadow Souls)

I was disappointed in Nightfall.  I can't say that I would recommend it to anyone, but if you've already read the original Vampire Diaries and can survive 586 pages of disappointment, go for it.  I won't stop you.  Read Nightfall if you are curious, but be careful, your opinion of this series and these characters will probably plummet. 

Phrase:
Lovely love

PS After finishing this book, I went on a review reading rampage, where I discovered that I'm not the only person who hated this book.  In fairness, quite a few people rated it positively, as well, but the majority had some ranting review.  Just a word of advice, if you hate a book that you've read, go read angry reviews that others have written.  You will not regret it. 

Happy Reading!

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