MC- The first book to keep me awake at night... ever

I was going to review another book... But I read this and had to talk about it.
(Sorry for last weeks absence- I was in Italy)

I have recently been pushing my first fantasy authoress on you all for a reason. After about 10 years without any books (I had begun to doubt LJ Smith's immortality) Lisa Jane Smith has had her books republished, made into TV series (see Vampire diaries on ITV in the UK... on some other channel elsewhere... or the internet) and re-bound. Her books are going to reach a whole new age group.

And for those who remember her first books (or slightly older first-time readers) there is this.

The original Vampire Diaries series contained sex. It did, but never specifically mentioned anything of the sort. The violence and horror were there, but softened so that the love story was more prevalent than the scariness of the situation going down in the small town of Fells Church.

THIS is a whole new thing.

Set immediately after the final installment of Vampire Diaries, which found Elena Gilbert reborn from the other side and gifted back to her friends and lover as a human, The Vampire Diaries, The Return is a new series continuing the story.

I admit, I put off reading it after I bought it thinking it might be better to let a good thing stay good, but I should have known better. LJ Smith never flounders with a storyline pointlessly, everything thats written is important, which is why all of her previous books are so short. This new novel racks up an impressive 586 pages, written in the same style.

It's definitely not of any lower quality than her 90s books, and I'd just like to say...

Elena is back with a bang.

The obvious problem with the continuation would be the date of release. Should Smith keep it set in the early 90s before mobile phones and internet? or does she manage to pull it forwards? Somehow, she manages to gloss over the time difference, and everything is natural. Meredith is on the internet, Stefan laughs at Bonnie's inability to think of a way to talk long distance when he says "I do have a cell phone now." (A little joke on LJ Smith's part? probably)

Anyway, I'm rattling on without telling you the real reason I'm reviewing this NOW.

No book, ever, has scared me like this one.

Fells Church is in trouble again as a new demonic terror has shown an interest in the young women, making girls as young as 11 hell bent on seducing every man in sight (there's some incestual hints here... as a warning) Stefan's is-he-evil brother Damon has allowed his jealousy over Elena to leave him open to the games of Japanese kitsune (fox spirit) twins. As Elena recovers from her ordeal, away from her friends, the situation gets steadily worse.

Prom queen Caroline (Elena's friend/rival) has been meddling with the new world of the paranormal, and has been possessed, passing on the demonic disease across town.

One particularly scary scene involved Caroline's limbs twisting impossibly as she attacks Bonnie and Meredith in a darkened house. The character's reactions are so realistic and un-super-heroey that I was firmly sat in the absolute centre of my bed so that Caroline couldn't grab my ankles. (I get involved in storylines...)

Another interesting thing was the relationships and how they develop over the book. More focus is allowed on Bonnie's love life as the only virgin of the group, and the way that Damon seems to be getting possessive of "his little witch" whereas boy-next-door Matt begins to protect her and try to move on from Elena.

It would be difficult to read this without reading the Vampire Diaries first, and that is a draw back, but I don't think it is simply a continuation of an old series. Smith is writing for a more mature audience, if not just in age (as sex and violence is less taboo than when she wrote the other books) she is incorporating a lot of Japanese culture as well (courtesy of the kitsune twins) revealing that Stefan and Damon are both much more well travelled than Italy-America.

The themes are older, the book is thicker, and in all I think it seems to have grown up in a way. Various quotes reveal that yes, Elena had slept with a lot of guys before she met Stefan, and yes, Meredith's relationship with the young teacher is slightly more than holding hands and talking, but it's not suddenly thrown at you, the change is noticeable, but not uncomfortable.

All I can say is- definitely read this on your own in the dark. My heart has never beat so fast in my life!

But maybe don't read it if you've got a lecture the next day. All my housemates are aware that I got NO sleep even after finishing the book.

And the next night I was attacked by possessed teenagers but que sera sera.

MC out!