This book has me torn on what to think of it. The big thing I noticed and DID NOT LIKE was that this book does NOT follow the books. If you read the first couple vampire diary books and read this hoping for a better understanding of the famous rift, forget it. Apparently this book follows only the televised version. I have not yet seen the show so I cannot saw, but the scenario of this book has turned me even further off the show. However, if you like the show, then you may like this. Heading off that rant for the time being...This book is written from the perspective of our vampire hero, Stephen Salvatore. Although, to start with, he is not yet a vampire in this book, but a young man set to marry a woman he does not love. Enter Katherine, a beauty to whom he is instantly drawn to. This book covers his relation to he, the vampire hunt in his town and a bit of Damon too.SPOILER WARNING FROM THIS POINT IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOKS OR SEEN THE SERIES!!!So in the books, both Damon and Stephen fall in love with Katherine and literally fight to the death over her and since she had been feeding off them, the both turned to vampires.Not quite so here, while they do both fall for her, as Stephen sees her true nature he is horrified and turns away from her while Damon accepts her. When the hunt is on, he helps Damon free her. Yet they fail, Katherine is apparently 'killed' as are Damon and Stephan by their own father. They aren't yet dead though, and are instead something between vampire and human. Stephen hunts down a young girl, feeds as he finishes the turn and giddily gives the same girl to his brother so they can be vampires forever together.So stopping there for a second...that does not even make much sense to me. Stephen was horrified by Katherine in the end. Utterly repulsed by her. So suddenly he is Gung-ho about being a Vamp? Makes no sense to me.Another big difference from the books is that Stephen is the one unhappy as a vampire and Damon glorifies in its power. in this, Damon didn't want to feed and live forever. So overall, the story was fun to read. Easy flow and nice characterization but is sways so far from the book and the books came well before the series. This ghostauthor should have followed the books, not the series! Otherwise, let this be an episode and not a book. Let a book follow a book. Sheesh! Okay, I am putting an end to this rant. But it is why I rated it the way I did. Even though the cover does say based on the show, I feel is should not have been so, and that, honestly, even the show should have followed the books better.
