Vampire Diaries:The Awakening and The Struggle

Shayna:
Okay so i know i was reading Going Bovine by Libba Bray and it is good but I don't know why I just can't push through it and finish it. So i went to Borders and picked up 2 new books, the first installment of the Vampire Diaries and The Seven Rays. I am starting The Seven Rays after I do this post and I am really excited for it!
Okay so if you watch the CW show Vampire Diaries, from what i have read in the series it is much much different from the books. Yes Elena, Stefan and Damon are your main characters but they are different from the show. To start with, Elena Gilbert is a blond in the book and is most definately a brunette in the show... not a major difference but if you buy these books separtately now instaid of a volume on the cover are the TV show characters and TV show Elena and book Elena don't really look anything alike. Not a biggy, but whatever. Damon is the stronger and older brother, very deciteful and menicing. Stefan is the hopeless romantic and is dating Elena. Once you get started with the book you realize there is on big thing that they do in the book that isn't on TV but i won't tell you to spoil it.
But plot wise...
The Awakening is basically setting up for the rest of the series. You really see that Elena is head over heels for Stefan but doesn't understand why there is a distance between them(we all obviously know why). Stefan is tortured by his past love Kathrine (her story line is MUCH MUCH different from the show and in my opinion much better). you won't really officially meet Damon until The Struggle.
In the second installment it really starts with guns blazing from the end of the first, which i liked a lot! I dont want to say too much because i don't want to spoil it. But there is a lot of Elena and Damon tension. And in my opinion even thou Damon is very dark and has killed and is VERY dangerous. I almost like him more than Stefan. Stefan is just so... boring sometime. He will say very sweet things like when they talk about the vampire mirror myth, but he doesn't really do much. But I guess loving Elena should be enough but he is so tortured from his past... eh I don't knowmaybe I'm Biased becasue Ian Somerholder is Damon on TV and who doesn't love him... Oh Boone (LOST referrance).
Anyways...
i really really really enjoyed this book. i read it SUPER fast. i got it yesterday at like 5 then read it until like 2 in the morning then finished it this morning. So really fast, i couldn't put it down. L.J. Smith is a really good writer. she kept me hooked from the first sentence. She really has her characters evolve which is awesome. You can see where Stephanie Meyer may have gotten influences from this series because much like Edward, Stefan doesn't want to be with Elena because he is affraid she won't accept him and that he will hurt/kill her. But Vampire Diaries was released in 1991 way before Twilight was even a thought(strangely enought in the first installment they say Twilight a lot... weird)
So I high recommend this book I'm picking up the second volume with books 3 and 4 in it today because huge cliff hanger at the end of book 2!! And now understand why the TV show isn't like the book because of how the Struggle ended.
Next post I'll either give you something on the next Vampire Diaries or The Seven Rays.
So until next time...