45. The Vampire Diaries - The Struggle

Book 45: The Vampire Diaries - The Struggle by L. J. Smith (C+)

<3 Damon

Ok once again, WHAT? The television series just got that much better because this novel completely falls on its face. There must be one heck of a screenwriting team behind the TV show because there is no way they got the awesomeness of the script from the books. I am once again disappointed, and I don't think I'll be reading The Vampire Diaries original series anymore. I do have one of the spin-offs - Stephan's Diaries - that I'm going to give a try.
The Struggle took a deep downfall from The Awakening. At least with The Awakening, the reader was being introduced to the characters and learning about the town. Now with The Struggle, you already know the story and it's basically the exact same as the first book: Stephan has a wall up, Damon is pissed off, Bonnie talks in a scary voice whenever she gives a premonition, and Elena is just pathetic. Seriously, how can such an awesome, strong, confident character on TV be based off a materialistic, bitchy, mess of a girl from the book? It is so disappointing. I really don't understand how these books got to be so popular.
Out of 234 pages, only two major things happen: the emergence and development of the character Damon and trying to get back Elena's diary from Carolina before she outs Stephan as a murderer in front of the whole town during Founder's Day. The rest... blah, blah, blah, blah!!! 'Oh, Stephan, I love you!' 'Oh, Elena, we can't be together because it's too scary!' 'Oh, Elena, be my Princess of Darkness! And, don't ever talk to your friends or family again or I'll drain them of blood.' It gets old real quick! And then Stephan proposes and Elena accepts??!! Unrealistic and stupid!!!
These characters suck (no pun intended!)!! Watch the television series!