Whew. Is that a long title or what? I didn't even include the author in my post heading - mainly because I'm not quite sure who wrote it. The cover says "based on the novels by L. J. Smith and the TV series by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec", and there's no other mention of who the author is. I'm not sure if this means L. J. Smith wrote it, but I'm assuming she didn't, because it's a total departure from her original Vampire Diaries books.
Stefan's Diaries is, as the name suggests, told from the perspective of Stefan Salvatore. It's a prequel to the TV show (which is based on L. J. Smith's books), telling more of the story that viewers have seen only glimpses of in flashback scenes. We see Stefan and his brother, Damon, meet the vampire Katherine; each fall in love with her; become vampires themselves; and end up hating each other (no spoiler alert is necessary because knowing that is kinda the whole motive for reading the book).
I picked this book up after experiencing major VD withdrawals (ahem, no pun intended) due to the show being on hiatus, and it definitely gave me the fix I needed (although I would have preferred a bit more Damon, but I'm biased). I loved the flashback episodes on TV, so it was a delight for me to be able to discover the whole back story in detail. The writing was adequate with only a few groan-worthy moments (actually less than I was expecting!), and even though I knew exactly where the story was going, I was excited to find out how everything would fall into place.
Being totally obsessed with the TV show, it's hard for me to say whether this would appeal to those who haven't seen it, because, to me, that was the whole appeal. It'd definitely be confusing if you've only read L. J. Smith's original Vampire Diaries books, because in those, the back story of the brothers is completely different (they're alive in the 1600s, not the 1800s, and are from Italy, not Mystic Falls, and, er, Damon is kinda evil from the start). If you are a fan of the TV show, however, I would say it's definitely worth a read. I totally want to rewatch the show from the beginning now, with all this knowledge of the characters' history and headspaces. Like I need an excuse.
Rating:3/5.
Talking Points
Although the writer attempted to go all olde worlde with the language, it was really jarring for the characters to refer to everyone - including people they'd just met and their elders - by their first names. I might be wrong (but I don't think I am), but that's a MODERN thing.
While we're on the subject, I also thought Katherine's character was a tad modern. I get that she's supposed to be a free-spirited, strong-willed vampire chick, but all the flirting/touching/swimming/running/skin-baring she does in public would have been just a bit more scandalous than it's shown to be.
I'd like to know more about Katherine's interactions with Damon. We get the full picture of how she got Stefan to fall in love with her, and how he turned against her, but we still don't understand exactly what she said or, ahem, did with Damon. She told Stefan that she treated him like a brother, but given Damon's feelings for her, I somehow don't think that's true. Damon's Diaries, anyone? *Wishful thinking*
(Minor spoiler alert) It was interesting that the writer introduced the crow at the end, and its apparent connection to Damon. The crow appeared in L. J. Smith's original books, as well as in the pilot episode of the show, but has since disappeared from the series without a mention. I wonder if they'll explain more about the connection in the other two volumes of Stefan's Diaries.
Which brings me to the fact that, yes, this is part one of a trilogy. When I first started reading it I thought that, while this book really appealed to me, I didn't really see the point of turning it into a trilogy, because the back story/love triangle is pretty much totally explained in this one. However, after finishing it - and reading the preview of the next book - I'm kind of curious to read the rest. It might be interesting to see exactly how Stefan found his way back to his humanity, Damon lost his, and they totally lost each other. And, of course, how they discovered the rumours about Katherine's whereabouts and what drove their return to Mystic Falls (assuming all that is covered in the books, of course).
Eye Candy
What the characters looked like was a bit of a no-brainer for this one, seeing as, y'know, it's based on the TV show that I'm just slightly addicted to. I even had the flashback episodes as a visual references for the old timey clothes. Not gonna lie, though - I pictured Stefan and Damon's modern hair. Their old timey hair just sucks.
Damon knows the trick to covering bad hair days...
...he never leaves home without a hat.
Otherwise people laugh at him. Oh Damon, don't look so concerned - you only have to wait 250 years for the GHD.
In the meantime, be grateful that your hair still looks better than Stefan's.
Hoorah for GHDs and hair gel!
Wait a minute, I don't remember a reference to Damon shirtless. *rereading*
Did someone say Damon shirtless?
Why, yes, I believe I did.
I think we need that from another angle. You know, for accuracy purposes. Or something.
I can't remember the last time a book made me feel so stabby.
Last Friday afternoon I was facing a two-hour train journey and had two books in my bag: A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and this little sucker (the red theme was pure coincidence). I first reached for Scarlet because I've been meaning to read it for awhile, but one sentence in and my Friday-arvo brain-mush was ready to fall asleep. So I turned instead to Red Riding Hood because a) A trashy read was just what I needed; and b) I was curious to find out who the damn wolf was after watching the movie trailer:
The introduction by director Catherine Hardwicke reveals that this novelisation (based on the Red Riding Hood sceenplay) is a more in-depth look at the characters and their back stories, which couldn't be shown in the time-limited movie (she also reveals the whole thing was based on an idea by Leonardo Dicarprio - random!). After getting halfway through the book on my two-hour trip, I was left thinking that maybe the movie will be worse than I anticipated, given that the characters and their back stories are basically non-existent in the book, and I'd hate to see what they look like with LESS development.
See, Valerie, our heroine, is different from the rest of the inhabitants of her village. We know this because we're told: "Even at the age of seven, she knew that, somehow, she was different from the other villagers." At the age of 17, she falls instantly in love when she sees her mysterious childhood friend, Peter, for the first time in 10 years. He's mysterious because we get approximately 12 words from him in the first 80 pages. Of course, she's betrothed without her knowledge to Henry Lazar, the son of the only rich man in town, whom every girl has the hots for. Except Valerie, of course. Coz, y'know, she's different. Oh, and there's a Wolf who's been terrorizing the village once a month for who knows how long (seriously, who knows? That back story is never explained). He (or she?) has been kept in check by animal sacrifices... until now. DUN DUN DUNNNN.
The first part of the book is quite slow and the flowery language is in full bloom; I have to admit that if I hadn't been stuck on a train I probably wouldn't have kept reading. Interestingly, after I went on a mad googling session upon finishing the book (more on that in a sec) I discovered that this part is the "back story" that was added by Blakley-Cartwright, which gives me hope for the movie after all. Because the story does pick up after that and becomes much more interesting and better paced.
The best part of the book (and also the worst, but I'm getting to that) is that I wasn't able to guess the identity of the wolf. Sometimes I thought it was Henry, then Adrien, then Peter, then Grandma, then Mother, then Father, then Grandma, then Peter... this thing keeps you guessing to the very end. Literally. Which brings me, finally, to why I felt so stabby and went on a Google bender: THERE IS NO ENDING. That's right, just an online pointer to a website that tells you that the final chapter WON'T BE RELEASED until March 25th. As in, after the movie comes out. Coz they don't want to spoil it and all. A fact which is especially frustrating when your primary motive for reading the book is to find out the ending of the movie. All I can say is: Grrrrrrrrrr.
Look, it won't stop me from seeing the movie. Or rushing online to read the last chapter when it's finally released. But the whole gimmick is just so insulting to a reader and seriously devalues the book. I definitely wouldn't recommend anyone else read it - at least until the movie/ending comes out!
Rating: 2/5
Talking Points
Did I mention the ending made me angry?
I seriously felt bad for Henry and preferred him SO MUCH to silent, broody Peter. There was so much more development to the Henry/Valerie relationship compared to the Peter/Valerie one. And no, vague flashbacks to when they were five and a random, silent, stolen horseback ride don't count as development.
I'd love to know more of the, ahem, back story about the Wolf - especially why, oh why, did the villagers not try to destroy it earlier? Or, I don't know, move away?!
I also want to know more about Grandmother. Like, why on earth is she living in a treehouse out in the forest all by herself with a Wolf on the rampage once a month?! Maybe this will be revealed in the movie/final chapter. Maybe it won't and I'll still feel angry.
What's the significance of the red cloak? Other than the title, obviously. It seems kinda mystical and was given to Valerie by none other than the witchy-possible-werewolf Grandmother. Once again, I hope the connection is explained!
Eye candy
Having already seen the movie trailer prior to reading the book, plus having Amanda Seyfried on the cover and all, it was kinda impossible not to picture her as Valerie. Which was fine, coz I think she's stunning.
Shiloh Fernandez (right) also kept popping into my head as Peter, which may have played a part in me not really rooting for him, coz I don't particularly find him attractive. From this picture I'm once again more drawn to Henry (played by Max Irons) - look at that jawline!
However, when I started reading the book I couldn't recall Henry in the trailer, and being on a train with no IMDB or YouTube handy, look who sprang to mind:
I still think Ben Barnes would be great, but from what I've seen of Max so far, I'm pretty satisfied with his casting. Especially after seeing this picture:
