Demons & Damsels • Nightfall

Nightfall by L.J. Smith
Series: The Vampire Diaries #5
Previous Books: The Awakening + The Struggle, The Fury + Dark Reunion
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: March 16, 2010
Source/Format: Bought || Paperback

Elena Gilbert has been through it all: She has fallen in love, fought ghastly evil, become a vampire, died, and then returned from dead. And now, torn between the love of two vampire brothers, she must face an ominous new danger. A demon has descended on the quiet hamlet of Fell's Church and seized the minds of numerous young girls. As his power grows, it becomes frighteningly apparent that this infernal force will ultimate threaten the whole world. 

The Vampire Diaries is fast becoming one of my favorite book series, simply because I can't seem to get enough of it. I'm easily drawn into the world of vampires, demons and other otherworldly creatures in the town of Fell's Church and I actually like it that way.

The Return: Nightfall is an intriguing new addition to the series. Whereas the first four books dealt with the arrival of Stefan and Damon and what that meant for the town of Fell's Church, this book starts a brand new plot line altogether - about what happens after Elena's return to the world of the living.

I refuse to spoil the actual story so I'll leave it at this - I love how L.J. Smith weaves her mythology together in this one, especially since of my favorite cultures comes into play. There's elements of mystery, of the fantastical and of the real world brought together perfectly. I appreciated her descriptions and how they made the images come alive in my mind, which made the book just that much more gripping.

Elena was a brilliant character in parts of The Return: Nightfall (especially when she had first returned) and I love that L.J. Smith has made her character so special after everything that's happened to her. But my favorite female character is Bonnie, if only because I feel like if I were going to be anyone in the series, it would be her - with her witchy skills and her childlike personality.

Damon is still my favorite male character (although I thought Matt stepped up his game a lot this time around!) I have a soft spot for Damon in the TV series, and the same follows for the books. It's his magnetic, sarcastic, ice cold bad boy personality that both attracts and repels me (which I know sounds crazy, but I'm hoping you know what I mean) -- and I like that in this particular book, we get a view of his vulnerability and his true feelings for Elena. I'm dying to know how it all ends for him and I'm crossing my fingers that it's a satisfactory ending.

Even though reading The Return: Nightfall was such an emotional roller coaster for me with its ups, downs and twists, I really enjoyed it and I'm so psyched to move on to the next book in the series, Shadow Souls!