Series or Stand-Alone: series, The Vampire Diaries: The Return, #3
Source: purchased
Buy It: Amazon / Borders / Barnes & Noble

The devil you know . . .

With the help of charming and devious Damon, Elena rescued her vampire love, Stefan, from the depths of the Dark Dimension. But neither brother returned unscathed.

Stefan is weak from his long imprisonment and needs more blood than Elena alone can give him, while a strange magic has turned Damon into a human. Savage and desperate, Damon will do anything to become a vampire again, even travel back to hell. But what will happen when he accidentally takes Bonnie with him?

Stefan and Elena hurry to rescue their innocent friend from the Dark Dimension, leaving Matt and Meredith to save their hometown from the dangerous spirits that have taken hold of Fell's Church. One by one, children are succumbing to demonic designs. But Matt and Meredith soon discover that the source of the evil is darker and closer than they ever could have imagined. . . --Goodreads

The gang is back, still trying to save their town from total destruction. Elena is still in love with both Damon and Stefan. New secrets about Meredith arise. Mrs. Flowers blossoms into something special. Damon, cursed with mortality, must travel to the Dark Dimension to find a strong vampire to change him back. He just happens to take Bonnie with him, by accident. On their adventure, Bonnie finds something remarkable that may even help Fell’s Church from the kitsunes’ damage. In this new installment, relationships will be tested, treasures will be discovered, and a truly shocking ending will leave you breathless. Readers of this series will not be disappointed.

I’ve been with this series ever since it started. Even though the story may be a little out there: Elena being a human, then vampire, dead, then back again; but no matter how different—one can say it’s definitely unique. This book was fantastic. The last book, Shadow Souls, ended with Damon turning into a human, a laughable situation if one knows his characteristics.

Damon has to be my favorite in this one. I love the differences between him and his brother, Stefan. Stefan’s character seems a bit changed in this novel. He seems simpler and a bit clueless that I wouldn’t really expect from Stefan. Stefan has always been a cliché, however. He was the perfect boyfriend: reliable, faithful, and loving. His sole purpose was to protect Elena. And even though I love Elena and Stefan’s relationship, I loved Damon and Elena’s more. I didn’t realize the potential of their being together until the last book, Shadow Souls, where Damon takes Elena to the Dark Dimension. Bonnie really never stood a chance. Still I was happy that she got to have the spotlight on the cover. “Little redbird,” Bonnie, shined in this one.

The plot—without giving too much away—always left me hanging. It was a constant question of what was going to happen next. It became something of a mystery with who was really in charge of the demolition of their town, Fell’s Church. The ending was mind-blowing and more than a bit confusing. It felt like Smith made a terrible mistake and instead of re-editing the scenes, she just made them magically reappear. But I’m definitely worried about the next book. Will the next be within Smith’s vision? Smith has left the ending wide-open, leaving it to readers’ interpretations.

L.J. Smith’s writing style is always fantastic. Whether I’m reading about witches in The Secret Circle, reincarnated beings in Night World, or just vampires in The Vampire Diaries—I always love Smith’s voice. It brings her characters alive, each page breathes with new life. (And even though the TV show does not stay with the plot, Damon is well-represented as the character in the book.)

If you are easily discouraged because of the page-length (some people are, my mom won’t read a book over 300 pages), don’t be with this one. Midnight is fast-paced, beautifully written, and definitely needs your attention. If you’ve read the rest in the series, you need to read this one.

Rating:

Characters: 5
Writing Style: 5
Cover: 4
Ending: 5