Tell me Something Tuesday: 10.24.2023 (Supernatural Creatures)

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Again, I don't think this is going to come as a shock to anyone, but I love vampires! If you had asked me this question several years ago, I probably wouldn't have had an answer. But then my wonderful daughter really wanted to read Twilight, and I had heard *things* from my adult friends about the series, and so I decided I would read it before my daughter. I was instantly hooked and have been a super-fan ever since. 

Once that fandom started to die down a bit, my daughter thought it would be fun to get me hooked on The Vampire Diaries, (the show), and again, I was hooked. I later tried to read the books and couldn't get into them. But the TV show?? I can rewatch that a million times and never tire of it. 

From here, my love of vampires was born. In fact, I even wrote an entire vampire romance series. The Cursed Series is a 7-book, young adult paranormal romance series that's been called, "the new Twilight for the next generation!" If you're interested, book 1 (Eternal Curse) is absolutely FREE on all vendors. 

A cursed vampire.

A coven hellbent on revenge.

And a human girl caught in the middle.

After pulling the plug on her mother's life support, seventeen-year-old Chloe Madison is forced to live with relatives she hardly knows in a town that’s barely more than a pinpoint on the map. She’s determined to get the heck out of there as soon as possible—until she meets the enigmatic new guy at school, Trent Halstead. Something intriguing hides beneath his quiet self-assurance and hero hair, but he’s keeping a secret, and now Chloe can’t leave until she knows what he’s hiding.

When a rash of unsolved murders leaves two of Chloe's classmates dead, she begins to see disturbing hallucinations that concern Trent. Not only does he appear to be a murderous vampire, but a coven of vengeful witches have burdened his family with an eternal curse: no Halstead will ever know love.

Desperate to find a way to break the curse, Trent knows his salvation will come at a cost—Chloe’s destruction—and that’s a price neither of them are willing to pay. But when one of Trent’s old enemy’s attacks Chloe, she must decide if her love for Trent is strong enough to withstand the danger. Only one thing is certain—if they can’t find a way to be together, they will be destined to be alone forever.

The Cursed Series is a binge-worthy young adult paranormal romance series perfect for fans of The Crave Series by Tracy Wolff, The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, and The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith.

GET MY COPY NOW!

What's your favorite supernatural creature? 

What are your favorite books or shows / movies that star your favorite supernatural creature?

Twilight vs The Vampire Diaries

For anyone who's been following along, you know I've been on a long quest to find a series that's similar to Twilight. (You can read that HERE.) Having recently read the first four and half books of the Vampire Diaries series, I thought I'd take a moment and compare the two.

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So, does The Vampire Diaries compare to Twilight? Not even close.

I love TVD the show, but I'm not super impressed by the books. The books skip character development in favor of action and conflict. They move at a lightning fast pace, which makes it hard to build up much anticipation because I often had to go back and re-read sections to make sure I understood what was happening, and I was still confused most of the time.

Twilight, however, builds very slowly. There's a lot of time to get to know the characters and become invested in all the different relationships before the action and danger started.

I'm not saying TVD is worse than Twilight--it's just different. I will always have a soft spot for TVD because it has Damon. But all the things I love about Twilight--the slow burn, the focus on the characters and relationships versus the plot, the innocence and simplicity--just isn't present in TVD.

So, what do you think? Have you read either series? How do you think they compare? Which is your favorite? Sound off in the comments!

The Vampire Diaries (Book 5): This is a joke, right?

*Deep breaths* 

Before I dive into the insanity of this book, take a moment to catch up on my personal vampire reading challenge:

• Post 1
• Post 2 
• Post 3

All caught up? Good. Let's get started then.

Book 5: The Return: Nightfall

I can sum up my thoughts about this book quite easily...

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Okay, so, a bit of context. The fourth book was supposed to be the final book, and it was released in 1992. The TV show first aired in 2009. This fifth book, The Return: Nightfall, was published in 2009-- SEVENTEEN YEARS after the series ended. See what happened here? The TV show was starting and so the publisher probably decided to cash in on that and publish new books in the series, and let me tell you, this book reeks of a money grab. It is so far beyond ridiculous that I actually stopped reading and DNF-ed it. (Which is something I almost never do!)

As you'll recall, at the end of book 4, Elena had come back to life--again--but now she's an angel. I think. Or she's something like an angel. She has some sort of energy / power in her veins that makes her irresistible to vampires (or any supernatural creature, really) and everyone wants to steal her power and kill her in the process. Stefan is protecting her. Damon is still trying to claim her and wants to share her power so they can reign together. Her friends are, as always, super supportive. And there is, once again, a dark, evil force in town that they need to fight as soon as they figure out what it is.

But here's where I have a major issue.... In the book, Elena is in a child-like state. She can't read. She can barely speak, yet she can still write in her diary (???) She needs help getting dressed. Even her thoughts are very innocent / confused / child-like. She floats and needs someone to keep her grounded (literally). In fact, at one point, Stefan ties a rope to her waist and takes her for a walk!

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Yeah, I wish I was kidding. But oh! It get's worse! Knowing she's extremely child-like, you'd think Stefan would morph into a guardian / protector / parent role. And he does. But he does more than that, too! This is from page 95 of the hardcover version. Pay special attention to the sections in the yellow box.

HE ACKNOWLEDGES SHE CAN'T GIVE COMPETENT CONSENT AND YET HE DOESN'T STOP!!!!

But this is where I stopped.

Yes, I know what you're thinking. But Kara, in Twilight Jacob imprints on Renesmee and that's just as gross / creepy. Why is that okay and this isn't? Well, for starters, I never said it was okay in Twilight, despite how much I love that series. Secondly, in Twilight, we don't see Jacob kissing or hugging or otherwise having physical / sexual thoughts and/or contact with her. For me, that's the difference, and yes, it is a fine line. But it's still a line I feel was crossed in The Return: Nightfall.

I honestly have no idea what happens in the rest of the book, and I don't plan to keep reading to find out. I'm officially done with this series and plan to move on to the next series.

Up next is My Blood Approves by Amanda Hocking. Stay tuned!

The Vampire Diaries (Books 3 & 4): Maybe this isn't so bad...

To catch up on my personal vampire reading challenge, read Post 1 and Post 2.

THE FURY (Book 3):
So, at the end of book two, Elena had driven off a bridge. Book three, The Fury, picks up right were the previous one ended (again, making it feel like I was simply reading the next chapter rather than starting a new book). In this book, Elena awakens alone, confused, disoriented and as a vampire. This part really bugged me. She's stumbling around, confused, and very childlike in her thoughts / actions. Knowing she's been in love with a vampire for however long now, it seems like she'd be a bit more...grounded in what she is and how she became that way. But, having never been a vampire myself, what do I know?

Stefan, thinking it was his brother that caused Elena's death, goes after Damon and the two are in the midst of a pretty ugly fight when Elena stumbles upon them. Having more of Damon's blood in her system and seeing him as her creator, she attacks Stefan out of fear that he will hurt Damon. Even though, up to this point, she's hated Damon and loved Stefan. Confused yet? Me too!

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The fighting finally stops. Stefan is back to his whiny self, feeling bad for himself that Elena seems to have chosen Damon over him because she must love Damon more. No idea how / why he got that impression simply by her trying to protect her creator, but okay. Moving on.... They realize she's now a vampire, too, and they help her adjust.

There's a new vampire hunter in town--Alaric Saltzman (love his character!)--which adds to the conflict. While avoiding him, Damon, Stefan, and Elena attempt to figure out what evil presence is lurking in town. During Elena's funeral, some weird stuff begins happening, like all of the towns' pets turning on their owners. This is really where the story picked up for me, and I raced through to the end. We find out it's none other than Katherine causing all the trouble in town. She didn't die as Damon and Stefan had thought, and she's out for revenge against Elena for stealing the brothers' love. Elena feels guilty, stating she never wanted this to happen or to come between the brothers. She shoves Katherine into the sunlight and she dies. So does Elena. Again. (For good this time, right? Don't count on it!) But not before she makes Damon and Stefan promise to get along.

Overall, this book wasn't anywhere near as bad as the first two. Maybe because I was getting more familiar and comfortable with the characters. Or maybe because I was finally used to the author's writing style. Either way, I eagerly started book four...

DARK REUNION (Book 4):
At the start of this book, Elena is still dead, (it's been 6 months) and the story is told primarily from Bonnie's POV. I've never really been a fan of Bonnie (especially in the TV show), so this POV shift took some getting used to. Thankfully, it was fairly consistent, so that made it easier to stay engaged with the story. Like book three, I raced through this one. It was REALLY good! Probably my favorite of the series.

Bonnie and friends summon Elena using a Ouija board, and they make contact. Elena warns them of something evil. Bonnie then summons Stefan for help. Stefan returns, with Damon in tow. YAY DAMON! More weird stuff happens. We learn there's another (unknown) vampire in town, who ends up killing Vickie. We also find out Tyler is a werewolf and is in cahoots with this other vampire. We find out it's Klaus, one of the original vampires. He's just as evil in the book as he is in the TV show, but he's flat in the book. We don't get to know nearly enough about him or why he's in town causing trouble.

We get to the big battle at the end. Elena is there in spirit and calls upon other spirits to defeat Klaus. The good guys win, and it ends with Elena coming back to life as a....ready for this... AN ANGEL! Yes, you read that correctly. She dies as a human. Turns into a vampire. Dies again. Then is brought back as an angel. Everyone is super happy Elena is back. Happily-ever after. Roll the credits. The book is over.

But wait! HOW did she come back as an angel? WHY? What happens next?!?

via GIPHY

It's never explained. We are left with more questions than answers. I mean, I'm glad there was a happy ending--who doesn't love a HEA?--but seriously. To just end with a human turned vampire turned angel and not give us any explanations? Shame on you, Ms. Smith! Now, I'm already peeved with this ending, but if I had been reading these books as they released, I would've bordered on ragey. But, thankfully, it's not the end :-)

Stay tuned for my review of The Return: Nightfall....

The Vampire Diaries (Books 1 & 2): All Bark and No Bite?

Before I dive into my review of this series, I need to preface this by saying I've watched the TV show multiple times, so I had that version and those characters in my head while reading. And even though I'd been thoroughly warned that the books were vastly different from the show, I still wasn't prepared for how different they are. If you haven't watched the show or read the books but want to, I suggest you stop reading right now because there are going to be major spoilers!

THE AWAKENING (Book 1):
I really disliked this book. Really disliked it. If I had to give it a star rating, I'd give it a 1 -- And I cringe at that because I hate giving poor reviews. As an author, I know how it stings. So, why didn't I like it? Well... The pacing was crazy fast. There were characters I wasn't used to. And OMG the head hopping! GAH! The characters I did know (and love) were not the same people, and that felt like a huge betrayal. Then again, had I read the books first then watched the TV show, I probably would've felt the same in reverse. The entire series was very episodic (no wonder it translated into a weekly TV show so easily) with each scene / chapter moving quickly with a lot of conflict and action. As such, there was almost no character development.

Elena was a stuck up, selfish snob who had no consideration whatsoever for her friends' wants or feelings. She used them to get what she wanted and never thought twice about it. I had no sympathy for her whatsoever--unlike the show, which made her a very sympathetic character right from the start.

Stefan was weak. Pathetically so. I know he's weaker physically because he drinks animal blood rather than human blood, but emotionally and mentally he was weak, too. And so whiny! I've always been #TeamDamon, but at least with the TV show, there was a chivalry and silent strength to Stefan that made him a good hero. I mean, that love triangle? WHOA! I seriously wonder if the author even likes Stefan with the way he's portrayed.

The supporting cast -- Caroline, Bonnie, Meredith, Matt, Aunt Judith, et al.-- weren't bad, but there wasn't really much characterization for any of them.

The plot was your typical vampire-human romance. Hello, Insta-love, my old friend ;-) There weren't enough pages in this book to build a believable romance. But I'm able to get past that because of the supernatural elements, and because I already know and love these characters from the show.

Stefan is the mysterious, handsome new guy in town. Popular Elena wants him, but he won't give her the time of day so she schemes to get him, and eventually does, but only after she happens upon him feeding on a bird. (Side note: If he's a vampire with super senses, how did he not hear or smell her coming??) Now that she knows his deepest secret, he gives in to their attraction. A bunch of people die. The town points the finger at Stefan, but Elena realizes it's his evil brother Damon. Stefan goes missing. Elena refuses to believe he left town because he's guilty and worries he's in trouble.

I was convinced I was not going to read anymore in this series. But then I got the end and holy cliffhanger! It ends with Elena screaming for Damon to show himself. This in and of itself angered me, too, because it literally stopped in the middle of the scene. Of course, I had to read the next book to find out what happened...

THE STRUGGLE (Book 2):
This book starts exactly where the previous one ended. It felt like I was simply starting the next chapter rather than beginning an entirely new book. Good thing I didn't have to wait months or years in between releases. I really wouldn't have been happy then!

The characters in this book were slightly better--maybe because I was becoming used to them. Elena wasn't as selfish and she didn't use her friends as much, either. That was refreshing. Stefan's still missing at the start of this book, so he didn't annoy me with his whining. There was a lot more Damon, too, which I LOVED! He was the same sexy, arrogant bad-boy that he is on the TV show.

via GIPHY

The plot was a bit more exciting this time, too. Elena convinces Bonnie to embrace her budding witchy powers and tap into Stefan's mind in order to find him. She does, and they manage to find Stefan. With help from Matt and Meredith, Bonnie and Elena rescue Stefan. He's weak and badly beaten. They take him to his home, and Elena offers him her blood. He takes it. Then she takes a taste of his. She vows to keep his secret. He gets all better. Elena comes clean to her friends that Damon is the killer. They believe her without question. (Uh...okay??) She makes a deal with Damon and ends up sharing blood with him, too. Then she lies to Stefan about her encounter with Damon and his efforts to "have her." (That's true love right there!) Near the end of the book, Elena feels a presence in a brewing storm and while attempting to flee, she drives off a bridge.

Again, I convinced myself I wasn't going to read anymore, but then I was smacked with another cliffhanger, and I had to know what happens. It's so strange, because despite my complaints, I'm actually enjoying these books, and I have no idea why. Stay tuned for my reviews on the next two books: The Fury and Dark Reunion.

Have you read The Vampire Diaries? Have you watched the show? Share your thoughts in the comments!