Stefan's Diaries: Vol. 5 The Asylum by L.J. Smith

Release Date: 17th January, 2012

Publisher: 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

The Hunters Vol. 1 Phantom by L.J. Smith

Release Date: 25th November, 2011

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 416pgs

The Story

Since meeting the irrestistible vampire brothers Stefan and Damon Salvatore, Elena Gilbert has been to hell and back. Now that she her friends have saved their hometown from a demonic spirit, everything can finally go back to normal. But Elena should know better than anyone that Fell's Church will never be normal. In Phantom, a dangerous new threat sets its sights on Elena. And this time she can only count on one Salvatore brother to protect her.

The Review

A big thanks to HarperCollins Australia for sending me a review copy of this book!

I admit I was a little afraid to read this book considering all the rumours that have been flying around - the ones surrounding L.J. Smith no longer being the writer of this series. To me it was a real shame for us fans and I know a lot of readers were upset by this news. But since I've already read the whole set of the Vampire Diaries series and since the last book left Damon dying (I know it was a total bummer and so wrong because we love Damon) and so on, I'd decided to continue and read this book anyway to see what would happen to our dearly beloved characters and to the storyline itself.

Supposedly L.J. Smith was 'fired' due to the whole Damon and Elena relationship thing - leading them to end up together - and to me it sounds absolutely ridiculous if that was the cause of this uproar for the author. But since we don't know the whole story, I'll have the benefit of the doubt. For those who know me well enough, I can say outright that I love Damon. Whether it's in the books or on the popular tv show that I'm a great big fan of - I love him to bits. I love the idea of Damon winning Elena's heart but I'm also a fan of Stefan, too. Especially in the books. After reading this one, you can see Stefan and Elena (or as fans put it Stelena) are meant to be. It's always the first love that truly hits home. Their relationship in THE HUNTERS VOL. 1 PHANTOM is what keeps the story going and I'm happy to say . . . despite my skeptism, the ghost author had the same writing style as L.J. Smith's and for that I was truly grateful for. Whoever wrote THE HUNTERS still managed to keep most of L.J. Smith's characters in check however there were only a couple of problems for me - mainly Damon and the overall cheesiness.

Firstly, Damon's character wasn't the same Damon I know him to be. He was just . . . different. Maybe it was just me who felt this. His character for some reason didn't have the same snark as Smith had written him but beggars can't be choosers I suppose, and after all, it's a ghost author that we're working with here. As for the cheesiness of the story, there's a lot of cheese. That being the cheesy lines (the romance and such). But that wasn't the only problem. There was too many descriptives regarding the characters looks and some bits of repetitiveness that clearly weren't needed. Also I'm kind of over the fact Elena is panting for both brothers and I want her to make a final decision soon, even though it's clear to me who she loves more than the other. But other than that, the ghost writer did a pretty good job of continuing this series and it'll be interesting where this series is heading towards, though I do hope it ends very soon and doesn't turn out like the House of Night series with far too many books in its wake.

Overall THE HUNTERS VOL. 1 PHANTOM, the first volume of this new Vampire Diaries series, was a fast-paced read and had the right amount of deceit, love and gore to keep its readers invested in the storyline. While it had a couple of flaws and a couple of ups and downs, but regardless of them, I really enjoyed this book and if you were like me with some concerns, then be sure to check this one out (give it a go with an open mind) because I was pleasantly surprised by it and how everything turned out.

The Rating 3/5 stars