Mundie Moms

Saturday, September 26, 2009

The Return: Nightfall by L.J. Smith


The Vampire Diaries

The Return: Nightfall

By: L.J. Smith

Publisher: HarperTeen, 2009

2 out of 5 stars


Book Description from HarperTeen's website:

The first book in a new trilogy from L. J. Smith!

Elena Gilbert is alive—again.

When Elena sacrificed herself to save the two vampire brothers who love her—the handsome, brooding Stefan and the sleek and dangerous Damon—she was consigned to a fate beyond death. Until a powerful supernatural force pulled her back.

Now Elena is not just human. She has powers and gifts that were bestowed on her in the afterlife. What's more, her blood pulses with an overwhelming and unique force that makes her irresistible to any vampire.

Stefan wants to find a way to keep Elena safe so that they can make a life together. Damon, however, is driven by an insatiable desire for power, and wants Elena to rule as his princess. When Stefan is lured away from Fell's Church, Damon seizes his chance to convince her that he is the brother she is meant to be with. . . .

But a darkness is infiltrating the town, and Damon, always the hunter, is now the hunted; he becomes the prey of a malevolent creature that can possess him at will, and who desires not just Elena's blood but her death.


My Thoughts:


L.J. Smith is working on a new trilogy in which she resurrects the characters from her original series, The Vampire Diaries. As someone who read that series as a kid and reread them as an adult, I was ecstatic about the news. I purchased the first book in The Return series when it was released in February. However, the book sat upon my bookshelf unread until recently for various reasons. After reading the book, I must say it was probably one I should have left on the shelf.


It saddens me to admit it, but I honestly just didn't like this book at all. Perhaps it is because I haven't re-read the original series recently and I was just out of touch with the characters and the plot line. I also suppose I had very high hopes since we haven't seen anything within this series in quite some time. I found the writing to be slightly confusing. The plot doesn't flow as smoothly as the storyline in the previous novels. I must say that in several sections I was downright bored; the book seemed to drag on forever. It also felt as if the author was trying way to hard to cram in too much information and plot twists – Elena as an infant angel, Elena waking up, Damon being possessed. The book was just entirely bizarre and felt very disjointed.


Sadly, I also just felt like the characters I had grown to love in the original series were emotionally flat in this installment. They didn't seem like themselves at times and I didn't rekindle my original connection.


After browsing online forums and blogs about this book, I did see that many people enjoyed the book while others share my opinion. I love L.J.'s work so I am bummed that this one just didn't do it for me. I honestly don't think I would read the remaining books in the trilogy. One disappointment is enough for me.

Borders Books Buy 2 Young Adult Books, get 1 free

Borders Books is still running their buy 2 Young Adult Books, get 1 FREE!!! This covers both hard and soft cover books. SO, if you're dying to get the rest of the MI series, looking to get Wake & Fade, want Lament or Shiver and need to have Wings, then hop on over to Borders. Of course they have a lot of great books by many of our favorite authors.

**Please check your nearest location to make sure they are doing this.
http://www.borders.com/online/store/SearchResults?keyword=Young+Adult&type=0&simple=1

Win a copy of Beautiful Dead by Eden Maguire






Something strange is happening in Ellerton High. Phoenix is the fourth teenager to die within a year. His street fight stabbing follows the deaths of Jonas, Summer and Arizona in equally strange and sudden circumstances. Rumours of ghosts and strange happenings rip through the small community as it comes to terms with shock and loss.

Darina, Phoenix’s grief-stricken girlfriend, is on the verge. She can’t escape her intense heartache, or the impossible apparitions of those that are meant to be dead. And all the while the sound of beating wings echo inside her head...

And then one day Phoenix appears to Darina. Ecstatic to be reunited, he tells her about the Beautiful Dead. Souls in limbo, they have been chosen to return to the world to set right a wrong linked to their deaths and bring about justice. Beautiful, superhuman and powerful, they are marked by a ‘death mark’ – a small tattoo of angel’s wings. Phoenix tells her that the sound of invisible wings beating are the millions of souls in limbo, desperate to return to earth.
Darina’s mission is clear: she must help Jonas, Summer, Arizona, and impossibly, her beloved Phoenix, right the wrong linked to their deaths to set them free from limbo so that they can finally rest in peace. Will love conquer death? And if it does, can Darina set it free?
 
Eden is a Brit, like me, so I thought it would be a good idea for a little contest.  Lovers of twilight, will love this book, with just enough fantasy and romance to keep you hanging on for book two.
 
You want to win a copy of this book? yeah, then here are the details:
 

  • Contest closes at 12pm EST on Friday 2 October


  • Contest winner will be announced Friday 2 October


  • Please leave your email address in the comments so I can contact you


  • Answer the question in the comments: What is the best book you've read this year so far?


  • For an extra entry, follow this blog, and let us know in the comments


  • Open to residents in U.S and UK

Good Luck

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