50 Books Challenge - # 29: The Struggle (Vampire Diaries # 2) by L.J. Smith

Title: The Struggle (Vampire Diaries # 2)
Author: L.J. Smith
Story: Damon is determined to make Elena his queen of darkness, he'd kill his own brother to possess her. Stefan is desperate for the power to destroy Damon, he succumbs to his thirst for human blood. Elena is irresistibly drawn to both brothers, her choice will decide their fate. The terrifying story of two vampire brothers and the beautiful girl torn between them.
Start: may 23rd 2011
End: may 25th 2011
Comment: Just for starters, I liked this one better then the first. Damon was one of then reasons. He had a bigger role in this story, which made this book more interesting and it had more tension and suspense. There was more conflict in this book. I liked Elena a bit more as well, but her friend Bonnie is my favorite female character. She's a real loyal friend. I can't really say much about Meredith, she's very one-dimensional. I still don't like Stefan very much, I can't explain why. I also liked Alaric, although he was only in it for a short part of the story. I'm still not a fan of the genre, but I'm getting in to it. I think I will probably read more of this series, just to see what happens next.
Rating: 3/ 5

50 Books Challenge - # 28: The Awakening (Vampire Diaries # 1) by L.J. Smith

Title: The Awakening (Vampire Diaries # 1)
Author: L.J. Smith
Story: A deadly love triangle. Elena is beautiful and popular, the girl who can have any guy she wants. Stefan is brooding and mysterious, desperately trying to resist his desire for Elena . . . for her own good. Damon is sexy, dangerous, and driven by an urge for revenge against Stefan, the brother who betrayed him. Elena finds herself drawn to both brothers . . . who will she choose.
Start: may 19th 2011
End: may 22nd 2011
Comment: Vampire books are really popular and I was never into vampires that much. I decided to give this a try. Off course I saw the TV show which is loosely based on this series, but when you start reading you realize the two are very different from each other. It takes some time before the story gets interesting. You have to be patient, because there's not a lot of coflict in the story. You're basically reading about Elena and her feelings for Stefan and vice versa. And her discovering who and what Stefan really is. The moment Damon enters the story is when it becomes really interesting. And that's only in the end. Damon was the only character that actually intrigued me. Not because he's so nice, but he's a well created character. He's the one you remember. I didn't really sympathize with Elena nor with Stefan. The book ends with a cliffhanger. I want to know what happens next and I want to read more about Damon's character. Those are the only reasons I want to continue reading the series. Maybe I will like the second one more.
Rating: 2/ 5