The Vampire Diaries, Book 1 cover art

The Vampire Diaries, Book 1

The Awakening

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About this listen

The New York Times bestselling series!

The first book in L.J. Smith’s New York Times bestselling Vampire Diaries series, the basis of the hit CW TV show starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and Ian Somerhalder.

Elena Gilbert is a high school golden girl, used to getting what she wants. And who she wants. But when the boy she’s set her sights on—the handsome and haunted Stefan—isn’t interested, she’s confused. She could never know the real reason Stefan is struggling to resist her:

Stefan is a vampire, and Elena’s in danger just by being around him. What’s more, Stefan’s dark, dangerous vampire brother Damon has just arrived in town. And wherever Damon goes, trouble always follows.

Fans of The Vampire Diaries TV show will find this book packed with the same kind of heart-stopping suspense, fierce romances, and jaw-dropping surprises that they know and love, all brought to life by New York Times bestselling author L.J. Smith.

 Horror Literature & Fiction Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Paranormal Romance Science Fiction & Fantasy Heartfelt
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books such a better story to the tv serise and also much faster pace than the first season they didn't need to change the story so much

much prefer the book to the tv series

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quite easy going vamp rom saga. not to dark or gory, will see what the others have to offer.

vamp rom saga

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If you've already watched the series, the book is not as good and the storyline is better in the TV show. Plus the reader keeps pronouncing Stephan's surname wrongly and keeps using a fake Italian accent. I wouldn't recommend.

Meh

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storyline is pretty dull, I was surprised at how different it is to tv series, which is great, go watch that instead!

Tv series way better!

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4 Stars ⭐️

Back in my teens, I was completely obsessed with the TV series! Somehow, though, I never actually read the books. Time to fix that, I guess!

Look, I’m not going to pretend The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening is some literary masterpiece. It’s not. The writing is, frankly, pretty bad. Elena is shockingly ruthless—like, Mean Girls could take notes—and Katherine, who I thought was the devil incarnate in the TV series, practically comes off as a saint. And yet, here I am, absolutely loving every page.

Why? Because sometimes life is just too much, and all you want is to crawl into a familiar rabbit hole filled with brooding vampires, dramatic love triangles, and gothic high school vibes. Right now, this book series is that rabbit hole for me. It’s messy, it’s predictable, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’ve binged the TV series a thousand times (no regrets), and reading the books for the first time is like hanging out with an old friend. A guilty pleasure read? Absolutely. But am I sorry about it? Not one bit.

Oh my, I think I just fell straight down the Vampire Diaries rabbit hole—and trust me, I can stay there for a looong time.

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