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    The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening
    The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening
    The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening
    Audiobook6 hours

    The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening

    Written by L. J. Smith

    Narrated by Rebecca Mozo

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 27, 2009
    ISBN9780061988288
    Author

    L. J. Smith

    L. J. Smith has written over two dozen books for young adults, including The Vampire Diaries, now a hit TV show. She has also written the bestselling Night World series and The Forbidden Game, as well as the #1 New York Times bestselling Dark Visions. She loves to walk the trails and beaches in Point Reyes, California, daydreaming about her latest book.

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    Reviews for The Vampire Diaries

    3.5/5

    961 ratings57 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Alot differ from the show I love it. Its well read too.
    • 3/5
      I love the show! I think with watching the show first rather than reading/listening to the books first has maybe swayed me with my rating. Book 1 is already so different from the series.

      But this was ok, I do like a good vampire novel and I’m looking forward to continuing on with this series.
    • 4/5
      I didn’t hate this voice as most of the reviews say, it just takes a bit of getting used to. Stefan and Damon are voiced in a strange Italian accent and their last name is pronounced wrong, but those are my only qualms. Nice easy read
    • 3/5
      I approached this book primarily from two perspectives: a more generic point of view that judges this book stacked up alongside every other book I have ever read and one that judges it primarily within the genre that it was written in and the audience its meant to serve. I think the second perspective is probably the one that is the most fair to criticize it through, and from that perspective it is at least an average-to-fair quality book, but it's very hard to look past the glaring faults and nonsense that litters the pages. Then again, I'm not coming, perhaps, from the audience that the author intended to market to.If you're looking for an easy teen paranormal romance I can see how this would be incredibly satisfying. The characters, while not immediately likeable, do grow and change significantly considering the short word count, and yet not so much that it is hard to get a grip on. Elena, the main character, begins the book somewhat selfish and spoiled, and while she has begun to develop a sense of empathy and concern for others by the end of the story, she is STILL a very self-centered and egotistical person. Stefan, the obligatory reluctant vampire, seems to move through waves rather than undergo actual changes as he fluctuates between being cold and emotional responsive to Elena despite feelings for her that apparently drive him to uncharacteristic behaviors. He was perhaps the least likeable character in the story.The side characters are more charming than the protagonists. Elena's friends are kind and have distinct interests and personalities that I would like to see developed further. Damon, though his appearances are brief and he only receives any real attention in the last 10% of the book, hints at a depth of character that Stefan, so far, touches only superficially. The romance scenes are forced and quick to the point of embarrassment, quaint enough to carry a reader that doesn't expect much more than a suggestion of emotional weight but not capable of eliciting much more excitement than that. Smith is good, however, at creating a sense of mood and atmosphere. This slim book abounds with fantastic, melodramatic descriptions of scenery and Fell's Church begins to acquire a characterhood that is not often attained by the settings of most YA romance novels. This book is worth a read for those that are interested in getting a grip on this past decade's fascination with vampire romance or YA supernatural romance in general. If you're able to put aside your harshest expectations it may even provide some occasional moments of legitimate enjoyment.
    • 5/5
      I love this series and this is such an easy way to "read" it!!!
    • 2/5
      I have to say, the narrator did an amazing job!...and that is the only good thing I can say about this book.
    • 3/5
      I appreciate that L.J. Smith was writing young adult vampire novels twenty years before it became over-popular and overdone. This book started out like addictive candy that I couldn't get enough of, but quickly became less and less interesting. Stock characters, flat plot, and the whole thing felt inevitably dated. I had to force myself to finish, and now I'm done . . . I'll still finish out the trilogy, though. I'm that dedicated.
    • 3/5
      This was a good read, but I thought is was nothing like the TV show. I mean I know that book and their TV shows will be different but there was a lot of differences that I notices from the books and the TV shows. No offense to the author, but I kind of liked the TV show better. In the book, I believe Elena is a blonde and I don't picture her at a blonde. In the TV show she had dark hair. I think that Elena looks better in the show. Same with some of the other characters: Bonnie, Caroline, etc. I enjoyed reading this book though, because I love vampire stories. I would recommend this to anyone who likes vampire stories but just be aware of the changes if you have read the books AND watched the TV show.
    • 1/5
      I came to listen to this after finishing the TV show for the 4th time... I made it through 10 torturous chapters before having to give up for my own sanity. Elena's character is so self-absorbed, a bully and completely unredeemable, like I have no idea how the reader/listener is meant to feel anything but disdain for her. Bonnie is basically just they're for Elena to push around and bully. The writing feels so shallow and clumsy. Stefan and Damon are full-blown Italian (as opposed to of Italian descent) which would be fine if it wasn't for the narrator's horrendous attempt at an Italian accent... It's so cringey.

      I had to really force myself to get as far as I did. I honestly applaud Julie Plec for somehow having been able to take this pile of credo and turn it into such a great TV show (and it's spin-offs).

      If you are a big fan of the TV show and it's characters... Do yourself a favour and stay away from this drivel.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      This re-listen made me realize how annoying Elena really is lmao

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      this books is so bad is good lol the narration was great

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      It was ok. I'm a little disappointed. I love the TV show and thought I might get some insight into the characters from reading the books. However the characters seem undeveloped, and the relationships that exist between the characters in the show are either nonexistent in the books or shallow and petty. I'm undecided if I'll bother with the next in the series.
    • 3/5
      Interesting how the book and tv show differ. Had a hard time not picturing the actors while reading it. It was also a super fast read.
    • 1/5
      Couldn’t bring myself to finish the book. I became more and more annoyed with the characters the more I read. I was really looking forward to this book after watching the TV series but was kind of let down.
    • 4/5
      Wonderful fluff. Series that the Vampire Diaries TV show is based on. I enjoyed the novel but it's VERY high in teenage girl drama.
    • 1/5
      did not like it at all
    • 1/5
      I don't say this often, but I am going to say it now: The television show is SO MUCH BETTER than the book.There. That makes me feel better after reading this horrible book. In fact, I probably never would have given the television show a chance if I had read the book first, so I am very, very glad that I didn't bother with the book before jumping into the show. The show has issues, don't get me wrong; but the book is awful.Elena is relatively likable in the television show; at least I can understand where she is coming from most of the time. Elena in the book, however, is a vapid, shallow creature who only thinks of herself and her social position. Here is a quote that sums up book!Elena beautifully:After all, what was more important than boys? [HEAD MEET DESK] They were the mark of how popular you were, of how beautiful you were. And they could be useful for all sorts of things. Sometimes they were exciting, but usually that didn't last long. Sometimes they were creeps from the beginning. Most boys, Elena reflected, were like puppies. Adorable in their place, but expendable.So she USES people to shore up her self-worth and ultimately views them as expendable. Nice.Elena's ex, Matt, who was one of the "adorable yet expendable puppies" in Elena's life, tells her like it is at one point."You only want everybody and everything revolving around Elena Gilbert," [Matt] said bitterly. "You only want everything you don't have."Yep.And even Matt, who appears to be quite long-suffering, later says when he's pretty sure that Elena may be in danger from a classmate that he was rather apathetic about her safety and that part of him thinks she deserves whatever she gets. Oh, but it doesn't matter. Because Stefan ended up "saving" Elena. And how does Elena say thanks to him? Oh, she doesn't. Instead, she says: "I know I should be grateful to you for saving me tonight, but I don't care about that, either. I didn't ask you to save me."LOL. Okay then!And that's Elena, a selfish person who doesn't give a shit about anyone. At least she's consistent; she doesn't seem to give much of a shit about herself, either.Throw in some instalove, whitebread characters (the book has none of the diversity that the show has), and some more yawn-inducing moments from Elena, and I'm done with the series. I'll keep watching the television show, and each episode I will be thankful that it's not as horrible as this crappy book.
    • 3/5
      If you are a fan of the television show, The Vampire Diaries, then if it hasn't already, eventually your curiosity will get to you and you will want to read the books that started it all.

      I had actually read the first few of these books several years ago and then set them aside and haven't looked at them again, until now. I am so glad I came back to them because I can look at the differences and see how the story developed.

      In the books, the characters are vastly different than what they are in the television show and I find it interesting to see the similarities and differences and how the story plays out.

      I am not going to get too in depth about the differences because I don't want to give away the story, but the most glaring differences are Elena's family. You will have to read if you want to find out more about that, but let's just say it totally threw me for a loop. I understand why they changed it some for the show, though, because it plays out better in the show. There are also some characters in the book that aren't in the show and I do wonder why they were left out, but as I will likely never get the chance to ask the author about it, all I can do is speculate and wonder.

      The story is well written, albeit a bit thin on detail. The book does not tell you anything about what happened to Elena's parents. But conversely, the description of the vampires and what they are capable of is very different as well.

      Overall, I enjoyed the story. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger. The book is a quick read and a real page turner and you will find yourself unable to put it down.
    • 3/5
      "The Vampire Diaries" is in the same genre as the now-better known "Twilight" series. Unbelievably, this was not as well-written -- at least, comparing the first book of this series with the first book of Stephenie Meyer's series. The concept of the sibling rivalry / love triangle, in the YA genre, was fresh in the 1990s. But truthfully, this series was given a massive boost by the TV series, which, while trashy, is considerably more sophisticated (and better-written) than The Awakening, the first book of the series.
    • 2/5
      I read this in anticipation of the TV show and was surprised by how very Twilght-y it was. I gather that this was first published in 1991 so Smith was there first. There were a couple of lines in this that I swear I read in Twilight but I digress.

      Elena, who could double as Cordelia from Buffy, was a self absorbed evil teen queen then Stefan comes into her life and he becomes her obssession because no one turns down the high school princess. Perhaps she suffers from small-town syndrome where she wants to experience something different, exciting and exotic but rather than a boy I would recommend more holidays to France and other places rather than chasing down strangers. Anyway she chases him down and finally gets him. Nothing else matters to her once she has him, she doesn't care about anything but him even when she sees the monstrous vampire side of him, she accepts it. Even when he's suspected of murder and being associated with him threatens to ruin her reputation she's adamant and sticks by her man, that's growth I suppose.

      This is a super light fast read not to be taken too seriously.
    • 2/5
      What can I say? I was looking for some afternoon brain candy, and I definitely found it in L.J. Smith's The Awakening. I have been a fan of the t.v. show The Vampire Diaries since it first aired last year. The t.v. series seems to be loosely based on the books, but in this instance I have to say that I like what is on my television much better than what I read in The Awakening.

      The writing is a little dated, and use of some words and phrases really bugged me - that is until I realized that this book was originally published when I was a Freshman in High School! So, I tried to appreciate it from the perspective of a 15 year-old girl, which made it a little easier to enjoy. Unfortunately, the writing was just not that great, and no amount of me pretending to be a teenager again could make it any better.

      Because I love the characters of the t.v. series, I will trudge on and read a couple of more books in this series. I would like to see what is going to happen with Elena, Stefan and Damon - despite the fact that the characters in the book are incredibly unsympathetic and very different from the ones I've come to know and love on t.v. I really can't recommend The Awakening too highly - especially for fans of the television series. In this case, I'd say sick to the story on your t.v. and you'll be much happier.
    • 3/5
      Ok, so I started watching the Vampire Diaries TV series for a few friends and my sister, and I really liked it! So I got really excited when I found out that they were a book series before they were a TV show, and of course I hunted them down. I was pretty disappointed because this book was by far different from show and not in a good way. I found Elena irritating, self centered, selfish, and annoying. I couldn't get into the book.
    • 1/5
      When I finished reading this book I thought two things:

      1. This is the book that Kevin Williamson read that convinced him to turned it into a show?

      2. Stephenie Meyer is a clever plagiarist!

      Ladies and gentleman, this is where the horrible series known now as "The Twilight Saga" got its beginnings. This book was horrendous. I couldn't believe it because I once loved the show. Terrible characterization and plots.

      Basically, I blame this book for starting Twilight. Read The Awakening and then read Twilight. The similarities are uncanny!

      But there is good news, it does get better in the next three books.
    • 2/5
      The only reason I picked up this book was because I LOVE The Vampire Diaries TV show. I cannot believe that the book like this could give an inspiration to create such a great show... But I am glad that the show is based on this book very loosely. I am not sure if the book is worth even two stars, it's cheesy and annoying, and I finished it just because I didn't have to read it, I got it as an audiobook. Since I don't have anything better to listen right now and I really enjoy listening to the audiobooks (even as lame as this one), I am planning to continue with the book series. Hopefully it will get better.
    • 3/5
      I have to admit I didn't finish this book which is a rarity. I just was hung up on how self absorbed Elena's character was in the book vs the series. The show's writers have done a good job softening up her character.

      Book starts out with her coming back from a stay in France to start school back at her old high school. She hasn't even officially met Stefan but is already telling her friends that "I will have him" sooo yeah not interested. Sorry everyone I wish I could give it more.
    • 1/5
      This was easily the worst book I have ever read in my life. Just like with the Sookie Stackhouse novels, I watched True Blood first. This have me unrealistic expectations, and left me very disappointed with the book. The same applies here. I've been watching Vampire Diaries since it first started. I found the first book on my nook on sale so I figured I would read it. Well that was the worst decision I've ever made. The entire first part of this book is dedicated to making the reader understand just how popular, and perfect Elena is. It just continuously reiterates that she can have every boy in the entire school, her life is amazing, she gets whatever she wants, oh but of course she's vulnerable because her parents are dead. I completely understand this is a YA novel, but this book is so high school it pained me to read it. I had to force myself to read the last 60 pages. I will never ever ever read this again. I don't even want to remember I ever read it.
    • 3/5
      I have a great deal of nostalgic fondness for L.J. Smith's Night World series, which was my introduction to vampire fiction, and which remains - to this day - my favorite expression of the genre. With strong female leads, appealing romantic heroes, and well-developed supporting characters, the Night World books often featured stories of overcoming obstacles and bridging differences on the road to true love, and I gobbled them down like candy. But despite that enthusiasm, which extended to Smith's Forbidden Game trilogy as well, I never got around to reading The Vampire Diaries, written a few years earlier. Recently, prompted by the recommendation of a friend, as well as curiosity about the forthcoming television adaptation of the series, I decided to correct that omission.The first of four volumes, The Awakening follows the story of Elena Gilbert, the proverbial "Queen Bee" of her high school in Fells Church, Virginia, who becomes entangled in a supernatural love triangle involving vampire brothers. Bitter rivals since their boyhood in Renaissance Florence, Stefan and Damon Salvatore are as different as two vampires can be. Tortured by guilt, and determined to do as little harm as possible, Stefan comes to Fells Church looking for a new life. There he meets Elena, who reminds him of his lost love. But Damon - reveling in his powers, and ruthlessly intent on getting what he wants - is not far behind...An entertaining supernatural love story for teens, this first entry in The Vampire Diaries is the kind of riveting melodrama sure to appeal to romantic girl readers. Elena is a somewhat unusual heroine, in that she first appears to be something of a snobby brat - the typical popular girl. Fortunately, Smith's penchant for writing strong girls wins out, and the character grows and deepens as the novel progresses. More episodic than the Night World series, where every book is a stand-alone story, The Awakening ends with a cliffhanger, so it's difficult to make any conclusive statement about characters or plot at this point. Suffice it to say, I enjoyed this installment, and look forward to the next!
    • 3/5
      Find this review and more at On The Shelf!Well, this wasn’t exactly what I was expecting it to be. I watched the first 3 seasons before I read this book. I love the TV series, but I wasn’t in love with the book. At least not this first one. It is quite different from the show!Elena was very different between the book and the show. In the show she is a caring person who puts others before herself, but in the book she was the queen bee at school and manipulated people to get whatever she wanted. I just didn’t like her very much.And this book was the worst I have read on insta-love. It was unreal how fast the insta-love was. There was no real connection between Elena and Stefan for me. I understand why Stefan would want Elena, but I don’t know why she wants Stefan other than she feels the need to take whatever she wants. There was no relationship development.Stefan on the other hand I actually did like. He is very mysterious and wants to protect Elena. We get a good history on him and he is a deeper character than Elena and has a better attitude.There was soooo many things that were different between this book and the show, I really wouldn’t know where to start with it. There are characters in the book not in the show and vice versa, characters who have totally different personalities and names where changed and mixed around. Gotta say I like the TV show better than what I have read so far. I will keep reading however because I want to see more of Damon (I’m Team Damon all the way) and hopefully I won’t be so annoyed with Elena past the first book.Annoying main female character, good writing, major insta-love, enjoyed the TV show better.
    • 2/5
      I started reading this series because I enjoyed the show so much I just had to read the books. What a disappointment. I know these were written pre-Twilight, but while reading this I felt like I was reading Twilight. It’s basically the same story, but the characters are not as likeable. Clearly Meyer ripped this one off but somehow she made the story more interesting, for me at least.

      The main problem I had with this story was that Elena was a hard character for me to like. She came off very bratty and selfish. Stephan never became a crush for me. He was way too aloof. The romance scene where both characters decide they like each other was not well developed. All of a sudden they went from avoiding each other to “I’ll die for you”…bleh! I just couldn’t help rolling my eyes as I got to the end of the story. Thankfully, the show made some changes to make the characters more likeable.
    • 3/5
      This was pretty unimpressive. It wasn't awful but it didn't really have a whole lot of substance. It started off pretty good- I quite liked the beginning. However, Elena and Stefan were declaring their love for each other after literally one conversation and it all got a bit silly after that and I found myself rolling my eyes a few times. One minute they had never spoken two words to each other and the next minute they were 'in love'. It was just kind of silly. The writing was easy and light and it was a quick enough read which made up for the lack of everything else.