For today’s post, I have decided to do a ranking of all of The Vampire Diaries novels. By all, I mean the first seven, as those were the ones actually written by L.J. Smith. The other six were ghost-written with a different plot because Smith did not own the rights to her characters and they were not very good, the last in the series was awful. I personally disavow them as not being canon at this point because they were taken away from the original author! Without further ado here’s the countdown.
Number 7: The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening (book 1)
~Although this is the start of the series, which makes it very important, it truly was a series that got better as it went on! This one is a strong start to the series but had yet to give much character development that made the others better.
Number 6: The Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion (book 4)
~The fourth book in the series is a strange one, as the central character is seen mostly in dream sequences. It is her working as a bit of a magical spirit guide to her friends. The ending sets up the plot for the rest of the series.
Number 5: The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle (book 2)
~This is where the series picked up steam, as it deepened our knowledge of Elena and her relationships with Stefan and Damon!
Number 4: The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall (book 5)
~The fifth book has some amazing moments between Elena and Stefan, as well as Elena and Damon. But, it shines through her relationship with her friends!
Number 3: The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Midnight (book 7)
~The book is beautiful and a bit tragic, but leaves the reader with an open ending to interpret how they see fit! In many ways, it is a fitting end to a tragically poetic series.
Number 2: The Vampire Diaries: The Fury (book 3)
~This one was actually the original finale before Smith decided she wanted to continue the narrative. It gives the reader a beautiful and bittersweet character arch for Elena, as she redeemed her vampire lovers!
Number 1: The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Shadow Souls (book 6)
~None of the others could have been my favorite! I have such great memories of my first time reading this aloud as a buddy read with one of my closest friends at the end of my senior year of high school. Beyond that, it has Blodeuwedd as a minor character, has an awesome plot line within the Dark Dimension, and has some of the greatest Elena and Damon interactions in the whole series! It really is one of the best young adult supernatural books I have ever read. Oh, and major bonus points for the deepening of Elena’s magical powers!
~I hope you have enjoyed this countdown. Where would you rank these books? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
White Rose of Avalon 