In light of the most recent Vampire Diaries episode, which showed us glimpses into Katherine’s past, I thought it was the opportune time to review the newest Vampire Diaries book ‘Stefan’s Diaries #1: Origins’. This book, based on the characters by L.J. Smith, and with input from showrunners Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, tells the story of how Stefan became a vampire.
TV show tie-ins can often be hit or miss, especially if they don’t stay true to cannon or the spirit of the characters. However, ‘Origins’manages to do both. We’ve seen bits and pieces of Stefan’s birth as a vampire throughout various flashbacks on the show, but this new book really fills in the blanks. A lot of familiar characters also appear throughout its pages, including Damon, Katherine, Jonathan Gilbert, Stefan’s father and vampires Pearl and Anna. A bit of the history of Pearl and Anna is also revealed. There are a few inconsistencies between the show and the details in the book, but they’re not really glaring enough to detract from the enjoyment.
‘Origins’narrows in on a very specific part of Stefan’s history. Prior to becoming a vampire he had been forced into an engagement to a woman named Rosalyn by both of their fathers. He didn’t love her, but wanted to follow his father’s wishes, no matter how much he wanted to rebel like Damon did. The book takes place over several weeks (possibly even a few months), where Katherine arrives in Mystic Falls and starts getting under Stefan’s skin, even with his engagement. When tragedy strikes, Katherine is there to ease Stefan’s pain. Because the story is told from Stefan’s point of view, the story between Katherine and Damon is somewhat limited. We only really know what Stefan knows. That was really my only frustration with the book. I do wish parts of it had been told from Damon or even Katherine’s point of views so that we could have learned more about Damon’s backstory.
What I do like is that this book is the first of a three volume series, which are set to chronicle more of Stefan and Damon’s lives as vampires. The next book, ‘Stefan’s Diaries #2: Bloodlust'(to be released January 4) will chronicle Stefan and Damon’s tale shortly after being turned. That should actually give us more insight than ‘Origins’, because the show hasn’t really told us a lot about the early times of Stefan and Damon’s new lives as vampires.
‘Origins’just rocketed to the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller List for Children’s Books, so fans of The Vampire Diaries should definitely pick up the first volume of ‘Stefan’s Diaries’and check back in January for the next volume.
clarissa @ tvovermind.com
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