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Collects the final two volumes of "The Vampire Diaries," in which Elena sacrifices an immortal love to end the constant strife between two vampire brothers who love her, and then raises them from the dead to save her town from an unknown evil.Tags
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These two books really shouldn't be bound together. I seem to recall hearing that The Vampire Diaries was initially written as a trilogy, ending with The Fury. And it's a perfect ending: clean, complete, and emotionally satisfying. It's not a crowd-pleasing happy ending, but it's the right one. For the best resolution to the trilogy, you should stop here.
And stop reading this review too, because it contains spoilers beyond this point.
Unfortunately, L.J. Smith decided for whatever reason that she didn't want to stop at the natural end of the story, and instead continued on in a way almost reminiscent of fan-fiction. Our heroine had died at the end of the third book, in a beautiful moment of self-sacrifice. But hey--she's back! Needless show more to say, a lot of the impact of the story is lost. I can't properly express how moved I was by some of the final events of The Fury, like when Elena visits her little sister as a vampire before her final fiery death and convinces her that she's a guardian angel who will always be there watching over her. Needless to say, the strength of my initial positive feelings was matched by the strength of my subsequent disappointment, when it was revealed that meaningful events don't actually happen in this world, there are no final outcomes, and even death can be reversed for those who deserve it. It's just not satisfying to read about a world that has no rules, where actions have no permanent consequences. It undermines the whole story.
I say this even though I was a huge fan of L.J. Smith in elementary school. The Vampire Diaries was never my favourite of her trilogies, but I hadn't remembered the ending being quite so disappointing. Maybe it wasn't meant to be re-read by adults. I had decided to re-read the series in preparation for the new continuation (yes, there's still more!), but after seeing how badly Dark Reunion fit with the rest, I shudder to imagine how much worse it can get and haven't been able to bring myself to pick up Nightfall. I hope Smith will soon abandon this drawn-out series and move on to something new, though it seems there's not much chance of that. show less
And stop reading this review too, because it contains spoilers beyond this point.
Unfortunately, L.J. Smith decided for whatever reason that she didn't want to stop at the natural end of the story, and instead continued on in a way almost reminiscent of fan-fiction. Our heroine had died at the end of the third book, in a beautiful moment of self-sacrifice. But hey--she's back! Needless show more to say, a lot of the impact of the story is lost. I can't properly express how moved I was by some of the final events of The Fury, like when Elena visits her little sister as a vampire before her final fiery death and convinces her that she's a guardian angel who will always be there watching over her. Needless to say, the strength of my initial positive feelings was matched by the strength of my subsequent disappointment, when it was revealed that meaningful events don't actually happen in this world, there are no final outcomes, and even death can be reversed for those who deserve it. It's just not satisfying to read about a world that has no rules, where actions have no permanent consequences. It undermines the whole story.
I say this even though I was a huge fan of L.J. Smith in elementary school. The Vampire Diaries was never my favourite of her trilogies, but I hadn't remembered the ending being quite so disappointing. Maybe it wasn't meant to be re-read by adults. I had decided to re-read the series in preparation for the new continuation (yes, there's still more!), but after seeing how badly Dark Reunion fit with the rest, I shudder to imagine how much worse it can get and haven't been able to bring myself to pick up Nightfall. I hope Smith will soon abandon this drawn-out series and move on to something new, though it seems there's not much chance of that. show less
I went into this thinking that I wouldn't like "Dark Reunion" not just from the comments others have made on reviews here but because I knew it was an 'extra' book that LJ wrote after the 'success' of this series back in the early ninties. I ended up really enjoying it!
"The Fury" takes up right as the previous volume left off. Elena and her friends have to find out what is attacking their town. Is it bad boy brother Damon? He acts innocent of these particular crimes but he has a history of evil... The town thinks it's Damon's brother and Elena's true love Stefan. "The Fury" was over before it began and that is to the book's credit. It was very well written and absolutely addictive. The conclusion was believable (as much as a vamp story show more can be, I guess) and satisfying overall.
"Dark Reunion" is a little disjarring when it switches viewpoints to Elena's friend Bonnie. This is a necessary thing although I suppose as others have suggested, it would have been ok to make the viewpoint Stefan's. But I liked Bonnie all the way through the previous three stories, and enjoyed seeing her viewpoints. I wanted the slightly dingbat psychic to come out ahead, in fact I found her easier to root for than Elena. The mystery was good, the murders more intense than ever. I missed Damon's involvement quite a bit and when he did show up I was confused a little. I made this a four star review because I found the ending of "Dark Reunion" over the top and not well explained. It was almost like LJ Smith had to write this one to appease a bunch of fans who may have been unhappy with the original ending of the trilogy. I also found that Eleana went from being a snot who 'ran the school' to a near saint a far stretch. I must point out that while I believe this book was written as an afterthought, the author did a fabulous job of linking everything back to the original books. She had an explanation or a referance to past ideas and occurances for the situations she created. I found these books to be extremely good and appropriate and entertaining for both older and younger readers. This book is not as good as YA vamp series "Morganville Vampires" by Rachel Caine, and far superior to the "Twilight" series. show less
"The Fury" takes up right as the previous volume left off. Elena and her friends have to find out what is attacking their town. Is it bad boy brother Damon? He acts innocent of these particular crimes but he has a history of evil... The town thinks it's Damon's brother and Elena's true love Stefan. "The Fury" was over before it began and that is to the book's credit. It was very well written and absolutely addictive. The conclusion was believable (as much as a vamp story show more can be, I guess) and satisfying overall.
"Dark Reunion" is a little disjarring when it switches viewpoints to Elena's friend Bonnie. This is a necessary thing although I suppose as others have suggested, it would have been ok to make the viewpoint Stefan's. But I liked Bonnie all the way through the previous three stories, and enjoyed seeing her viewpoints. I wanted the slightly dingbat psychic to come out ahead, in fact I found her easier to root for than Elena. The mystery was good, the murders more intense than ever. I missed Damon's involvement quite a bit and when he did show up I was confused a little. I made this a four star review because I found the ending of "Dark Reunion" over the top and not well explained. It was almost like LJ Smith had to write this one to appease a bunch of fans who may have been unhappy with the original ending of the trilogy. I also found that Eleana went from being a snot who 'ran the school' to a near saint a far stretch. I must point out that while I believe this book was written as an afterthought, the author did a fabulous job of linking everything back to the original books. She had an explanation or a referance to past ideas and occurances for the situations she created. I found these books to be extremely good and appropriate and entertaining for both older and younger readers. This book is not as good as YA vamp series "Morganville Vampires" by Rachel Caine, and far superior to the "Twilight" series. show less
Getting better as we go along. So much action and the new evil characters are very exciting. Elena is so much stronger in the books and it makes it so much more enjoyable to read. Don't get me wrong thou, I still like the TV show very much.
Getting better as we go along. So much action and the new evil characters are very exciting. Elena is so much stronger in the books and it makes it so much more enjoyable to read. Don't get me wrong thou, I still like the TV show very much.
Not great literature, but it doesn't pretend to be. Elena actually becomes much nicer and more considerate as a vampire than she ever was as a popular girl. There are two books in this volume. The first ending, of The Fury, is a downer. (Stefan's cry of "NO!" even in print is still more convincing than the "No!" in the most recent Star Wars movie.) But the second ending is much more upbeat; that's one of the nice things about fantasy. Dark Reunion even touches, albeit briefly, on important questions about good and evil; I was impressed.
I wasn't planning on finishing either one of these books quite so soon, but it just sort of happened. I was reading them between quarters during soccer games, in stopped traffic (I always put down my phone when it starts up again - I promise!!). Then, this morning, I was too lazy to go upstairs and get my other book, and since I had these downloaded to my phone, which is almost always near at hand, I had something to read without having to go upstairs. (I get the beauty of online books now.) Next thing I know, I've finished both books. It's a testament to Ms. Smith's books that I kept reading them without really noticing.
Since these are the third and fourth books in the series, I am afraid of spoiling something. However, I will say show more that Ms. Smith definitely takes the road less traveled and packs some very powerful surprises at the reader. I still do not really care about the individual characters (although I now have very distinct pictures of Stefan and Damon thanks to the WB), but the story itself is so...intriguing. It's definitely not Buffy or Twilight or any other vampire book I've read. I'll admit that I do not spend a lot of time trying to solve the mysteries; I read them purely to escape and pass the time. These definitely do the trick. I'm uncertain the direction the fifth book is taking, but as Ms. Smith has gotten me this far and I've enjoyed every minute of it, I'm going to trust her wisdom and continue to read the series. At this point in time, I have to find out what happens to Stefan, Elana, and Damon!
On a side note, I'm torn on the WB show. It has Boone from Lost - HUGE plus. And the guy playing Stefan? Hello!! But they've changed just enough that it bothers me. I'm pretty sure that they are not going to be able to follow the books at all, so it will be interesting to see the direction that the series takes.
This is just a fun series for any vampire/ supernatural/ YA fan. As I mentioned earlier, it isn't going to win any prizes, but it is a great way to pass the time. I definitely recommend this to any vampirophiles! show less
Since these are the third and fourth books in the series, I am afraid of spoiling something. However, I will say show more that Ms. Smith definitely takes the road less traveled and packs some very powerful surprises at the reader. I still do not really care about the individual characters (although I now have very distinct pictures of Stefan and Damon thanks to the WB), but the story itself is so...intriguing. It's definitely not Buffy or Twilight or any other vampire book I've read. I'll admit that I do not spend a lot of time trying to solve the mysteries; I read them purely to escape and pass the time. These definitely do the trick. I'm uncertain the direction the fifth book is taking, but as Ms. Smith has gotten me this far and I've enjoyed every minute of it, I'm going to trust her wisdom and continue to read the series. At this point in time, I have to find out what happens to Stefan, Elana, and Damon!
On a side note, I'm torn on the WB show. It has Boone from Lost - HUGE plus. And the guy playing Stefan? Hello!! But they've changed just enough that it bothers me. I'm pretty sure that they are not going to be able to follow the books at all, so it will be interesting to see the direction that the series takes.
This is just a fun series for any vampire/ supernatural/ YA fan. As I mentioned earlier, it isn't going to win any prizes, but it is a great way to pass the time. I definitely recommend this to any vampirophiles! show less
The Fury was great. A fabulous, heart-wrenching ending to a great trilogy. Sacrifices are made, plots are resolved, centuries-old vengeances are enacted, great ending to a great series.
Dark Reunion? No thanks. This was a tack-on to keep the series going even after a great end. SO unbelievable - especially the first quarter. I was like WTF for most of that time, it was that absurd.
Once again, even in Dark Reunion, Meredith and Bonnie saved the story for me. I enjoyed reading about them so much, and although the story itself was far-fetched bordering on the ridiculous, I did appreciate the inclusion of a relatively unknown mythology (the Kitsune).
Recommended for: Those who read the first books will need to read The Fury. Dark Reunion: show more Only try it if you've got nothing better on your TBR pile, or if you simply cannot bear to leave the universe created. show less
Dark Reunion? No thanks. This was a tack-on to keep the series going even after a great end. SO unbelievable - especially the first quarter. I was like WTF for most of that time, it was that absurd.
Once again, even in Dark Reunion, Meredith and Bonnie saved the story for me. I enjoyed reading about them so much, and although the story itself was far-fetched bordering on the ridiculous, I did appreciate the inclusion of a relatively unknown mythology (the Kitsune).
Recommended for: Those who read the first books will need to read The Fury. Dark Reunion: show more Only try it if you've got nothing better on your TBR pile, or if you simply cannot bear to leave the universe created. show less
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Contains
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Fury / Dark Reunion
- Original title
- The Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion,; The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall
- Original publication date
- 2007
- People/Characters
- Elena Gilbert; Stefan Salvatore; Damon Salvatore; Bonnie McCullough; Meredith Sulez; Tyler Smallwood (show all 14); Matt Honeycutt; Caroline Forbes; Alaric Saltzman; Mrs. Flowers; Katherine von Swartzschild; Robert Maxwell; Vickie Bennett; Sue Carson
- Important places
- Fell's Church, Virginia, USA (fictional)
- Dedication
- To my aunt Margie, and in memory of my aunt Agnes and Aunt Eleanore, for fostering creativity.
- First words
- Elena stepped into the clearing.
- Quotations
- "I know because I feel the same way," Stefan continued. "There's no excuse for giving up just because it looks like we're going to lose. We have to try---because the other choice is to surrender." p 361 [in conversation with ... (show all)Matt Honeycutt about the problem of evil]
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Dear Diary,
Oh, it's all too much to explain and you wouldn't believe it anyway. I'm going to bed.
Bonnie
Classifications
- Genres
- Teen, Fiction and Literature, Fantasy, Young Adult
- DDC/MDS
- 813.54 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 1900-1999 1945-1999
- LCC
- PZ7 .S6537 .F — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Juvenile belles lettres
- BISAC
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- 76
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