Release Date: 17th January, 2012Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 288pgs
The Story
The hunters become the hunted . . .
Driven from their hometown of Mystic Falls, both Stefan Salvatore and his brother, Damon, arrived in Europe looking for a fresh start. But Samuel, a wealthy and cunning vampire, has other plans for them. First he ruined Stefan's peaceful existence and now he's framing Damon for the most gruesome murders London has ever seen.
United against their common enemy, Stefan and Damon are stunned when they realize that the source of Samuel's rage lies in their past - tied up with the woman who forever changed their lives. Haunted by the memory of Katherine, the brothers find that their uneasy alliance is tested. Can they overcome their rivalry to defeat Samuel before he exacts his final revenge?
The Review
A big thanks to HarperCollins Australia for sending me a review copy of this book!
Unlike the other original books in The Vampire Diaries series, these ones are not written by L.J. Smith herself. Yet again this matter is a real disappointment for me but I don't mind it one bit. And, another thing to take on board while reading these books . . . they are supposed to be based on the television series however they do not match the show's past time events. So for some readers, you may find these books disappointing or rather confusing at times, especially if you're a hardcore fan of the popular TV show as I am. But it was still a great book!
STEFAN DIARIES: THE ASYLUM picks up where volume #4 left off (please note I haven't read the previous book before this but you can still read this volume without reading the others), and now the handsome Salvatore brothers, Stefan and Damon, find themselves travelling across Europe and while the events of this series may be found hard to believe at times or that it doesn't quite match alongside the TV show's events, but either way I found this installment very entertaining and quick. Just the way I like it. But my only complaint would be Stefan (since Damon is always going to be Damon and fun as hell), as he's always brooding over Katherine and much like what you see in the TV show, I just really hope Stefan forgets all about Katherine - like she never existed - because there's only so much I can take of his brooding. Too many man woes. Other than that, this was a really cool addition to the series!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book but it's hard to talk about it without giving away a few spoilers - especially for a short read - so I'll just leave it at that. If you're looking for something light and entertaining, dark, edgy, and engrossing, or if you're like me and love watching the Vampire Diaries and reading the books in general (ones written by L.J. Smith or not), then this new installment of the STEFAN DIARIES: THE ASYLUM will definitely be your kind of read!
The Rating
4 1/2 / 5 stars
This sounds good... but confusing :S
ReplyDeleteIs it meant to be a prequel to the TV series, or happening within the current storyline?
I've been so tempted to read the TVD books, but there seems to be so many of them, I'm kind of confused at where to start, and what the deal is and... excuses, excuses, I know :S
It sucks that LJ isn't writing them herself after all that drama, but if they're still good, awesome! ♥
It IS confusing at times but these books are set before Elena ever came along, so around the old times. It sucks Smith didn't write them . . . just isn't the same.
DeleteOooooh, OK... BEFORE the show, but it's confusing, because they contradict canon according to the show? UGH. I hate that. What's the point? I mean, aside from the fact that I'm sure they're enormously entertaining to read.
DeleteI LOVE that, despite the fact Stefan and Damon supposedly hate each other, and Damon hates S, that they're always in the same place... I mean, I know it's deliberate on Damon's part, but still entetaining :D
My super-secret: I absolutely love (and I mean LOVE!) the TV show, but I've never read any of the Vampire Diaries books before! x) So the fact that Stefan's Diaries are based off of the TV show (even if it's not perfect!) makes me glad. Although I had no clue that L.J. Smith didn't write these books on her own -- that's kind of cool! :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome review, Erin! Even though I'm Team Damon too -- *high five* -- I'm still really intrigued by this! Am I going to read it? DEFINITELY! ;)
You see I read the books before seeing the show . . . but maybe it's a good thing you haven't read them considering the show doesn't follow the books. Only a little bit. Characters in particular have changed a lot from book to tv show.
DeleteAnyway, definitely read these!
I'm slightly confused as Sarah! So this does't follow the same timeline and history as the previous books? It's more like.... say a companion novel to the show, but not... exactly like the show? LOL now I'm confusing myself! I read the very first TVD book and... meh. Wasn't a fan but OMG I LOVE THE SHOW SO FREAKING MUCH!
ReplyDeleteI am perhaps interested in reading these ones based on the show though, to see if I like them a bit better than the others. You have intrigued me, Erin! Fantastic review!
Don't worry, I find myself confused to. haha. But these . . . I suppose . . . are prequels to the book series and the show and are set in the old times before the whole Elena thing. But the history and such isn't the same like seen in the show . . . but yeah.
DeleteHehe, I'm another one who is a little confused when it comes to the order of these books. I have read a few of them but I think I prefer the TV shows better. :D
ReplyDeleteStill, I'm glad you enjoyed this Erin! Great review.
WHAT! Apparently I wasn't following your blog before! That's crazy :( I loooove your blog, Erin <3 Oh well, fixed now.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the books and I've only seen like 2 episodes of the show (which I liked! I just didn't continue). This sounds good for members of the fandom though! Great review.
Sonia
I had to give up on this series because it was just crazy and then I found out they'd given L.J Smith the boot and I thought that was a bit awful :/
ReplyDeleteBut I like the idea of a book from Stefan's POV!