Shadow Souls, by L.J. Smith

Title: Shadow Souls (The Vampire Diaries: The Return, #2)
Author: L.J. Smith
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release: March 16, 2010
Source: Bought
Purchase: (RJ Julia | HarperTeen)

On the run . . . Elena Gilbert's love, the vampire Stefan Salvatore, has been captured and imprisoned by demonic spirits who are wreaking havoc in Fell's Church. While her friends Bonnie and Meredith explore the evil that has taken over their town, Elena goes in search of Stefan. In order to find him, she entrusts her life to Stefan's brother, Damon Salvatore, the handsome but deadly vampire who wants Elena, body and soul. Along with her childhood friend Matt, they set out for the slums of the Dark Dimension, where Stefan is being held captive. It is rumored to be a world where vampires and demons roam free, but humans must live enslaved to their supernatural masters. Elena will stop at nothing to free Stefan. Yet with each passing day the tension between Elena and Damon grows, and she is faced with a terrible decision: Which brother does she really want? Back in Fell's Church, Bonnie and Meredith have made some dire discoveries. They hastily try to follow Elena and warn her--only to be caught up in Elena's most dangerous adventure yet.

Having already read Shadow Souls once before, I thought I knew what to expect when I picked it up to read it again. Boy, was I wrong. Turns out I had forgotten most of what happened in this book, but it was great fun to get to read it all again. I loved having those moments of remembrance, where I’d read a scene and it would feel familiar to me.

Shadow Souls had a pretty slow start, a good fourth of the book I’d say is just exposition that didn’t really entertain me. However, once everything got going, I found myself enjoying my reading experience greatly. Even though I’ve read Shadow Souls before, I didn’t remember very much of what happened, so it was great to reread it all. I’ve heard others say that this book was super boring, but I disagree. The pace is definitely slower than a lot of books, but if you’re heavily invested in this series, it shouldn’t be a bother.

I’m sure you’re sick of hearing it, but L.J. Smith truly is my favorite author. It’s not that her writing is the best I’ve ever read, or her books even. Some of them are, but not all. The reason I say so is that out of all of her books I’ve read, I’ve never disliked one. There was one that came close to me disliking it, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. She’s a fantastic writer and an even better world builder. If you haven’t read any of her works, you’re missing out.

Fans of The Vampire Diaries series might be disappointed with their favorite characters in Shadow Souls. The decisions some of them, specifically Elena, made I really didn’t agree with. The characters in this series have never been the most dimensional, but they’re still very entertaining to read about and for me at least, it’s impossible not to get invested in their story.

If you’ve read the first five Vampire Diaries books, definitely check out Shadow Souls it’s not my favorite of the bunch, but if you truly enjoy this series like I do, read this installment. And if you haven’t taken a chance on this series yet, I really think you should. The Vampire Diaries series is very entertaining, and very fun to read.