I was torn whether to give this book two or three stars, mainly because I'm coming at it from the perspective of an adult who expects a bit more from her books, even if they are YA. This book (and I'm guessing the others in the series, though I haven't read them so I can't say definitively) does not cross over to adults the way the Harry Potter, Golden Compass and Twilight books do. For those of us looking for supernatural romance after Twilight, this will be a huge disappointment.
I'm well aware that LJ Smith and Stephanie Meyer are different writers and that you can't compare them, etc. etc. I'm writing this review for two reasons - one, to let other adults know that this will not impress them (especially if they've read Twilight) and two, the book is unimpressive on its own merits.
The characters are completely flat, two-dimensional and unrealistic. They do not behave the way real people do (as another reviewer pointed out); the dialog is stiff, awkward, choppy and superficial; the scenes cut in and out from one character's experiences to another's, much like a soap opera with about the same pacing and depth; and the love story is shallow at best.
My other complaint is that while the writing style is juvenile and not appealing to adults, the content isn't entirely appropriate for a younger audience either. I found the whole drinking, s3x and attempted rape in the graveyard scene to be a gratuitous and tasteless attempt at drama.
Overall, it's just not something I can imagine any adult enjoying unless they read it as a teen and have an affinity based on that. But even when I was a teenager, I think I would have expected more. |
The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle (Vampire Diaries) Books In Print, Audio Books.