Enchanting Review: The Vampire Diaries The Return: Shadow Souls Vol. 2

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: THE RETURN: SHADOW SOULS VOL. 2
L.J. SMITH
YA paranormal
Harper Teen
ISBN# 978-0-06-172081-9
599 pages
$17.99
Hardback-Available now

Rating: 3.5 stars

Vampire Stefan Salvatore is imprisoned in another dimension while demons are causing serious problems in Fell’s Church. Elena and Damon Salvatore set out to find Stefan in the slums of the Dark Dimension where demons and vampires run free and humans are their slaves.

Elena will stop at nothing to free Stefan, even if that means battling emotions she has been fighting for his brother Damon. At times she finds herself forgetting who she really loves. Is it Stefan? Or really Damon?

I’m a huge fan of the CW series VAMPIRE DIARIES. The show is based loosely on the books by L.J. Smith. This book continues with what happens after Stefan is captured and imprisoned by the kitsune, an evil fox spirit from Japan. What works for this book is the description of the Dark Dimension. Smith paints a world that is creepy, intense, and dangerous. Elena struggles most with her growing attraction to Damon even though she knows she needs him in order to find Stefan. The sexual tension between her and Damon is heated. Also I liked how multilayered Damon is as a character. Smith gives him vulnerabilities that make it hard for the reader to hate him. If anything I like their relationship more. Plus, the ending is a huge surprise!

I did have problems with the dialog between Stefan and Elena which felt forced and to me wasn’t very believable. Also Stefan was missing a lot in this book. I think this was done to show the growing attraction of Elena to Damon. Still, it would have been nice to see more of him.

I’d recommend reading the first two books in this series. Especially to those who want to get into the books.

L. J. Smith has written more than two dozen books. She lives in the Bay Area of California. To find out more about her books visit www.ljanesmith.net To find out more about The Vampire Diaries insider info, new reads, and videos visit www.harperteen.com

Kim Baccellia
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
MARCH 2010