Shadow Souls: Book 6 (The Vampire Diaries: The Return)

The book just prior to this one, Nightfall, had gone so far off track that I'd been quite worried for the series. I decided to keep reading because right at the very end of that book, we'd gotten hints of what would happen next. Aha! Is there hope that it will get back on track?Yes. And no. With this book, it did and it didn't. Some of what was so odd in the previous book is back. The wings -- they're still here. I guess once they were introduced it was too much to hope that some of the really more out there things would just be forgotten. There would be good reasons to forget some things or at least leave some things out. You see, it felt as though L.J. Smith perhaps crammed too many story lines in and yet why? Some seem to never go anywhere. I know, I know -- teasers for the next book perhaps? Sure. But again why?The book ended with one main event that could be the whole theme for the next book. Instead there are several story lines from this book leftover, barely touched, yet clearly major plots. They really did nothing for this book. For example, without giving spoilers: There's a somewhat major character who has what should be a major major storyline going on. It was basically mentioned in passing with only one real scene of the book devoted to it, after that - it's here, it's there, but it's treated very casually. No resolution but also no real build up to make me care even though it is so obviously a huge story, so I assume it'll be completed in the next book. But the way it was handled in this book? Well, I'm at the point where if it's never mentioned again I'd probably not care, why should I when it feels as though the author doesn't? The next book could start with that character just dying off and I'd shrug. Nothing was done to make me care. Not good when dealing with somewhat major characters and something that should be uber dramatic, potentially affecting the whole town.There were minor characters I cared for more than some major ones just because they were actually given more character / page time even though I find myself asking why.Ah, but the saving grace -- Damon. It's really his series now, even if it was supposed to be Elena's originally. And then Stefan's. And then Damon's. It's all Damon holding this series together now. The way he likes being a vampire and toying with people but in the end not really being cruel - that is just too fun. And maybe even Elena, she might still be helping this series too. I found myself asking "Okay Elena make up your mind -- Are you a good person or a horrible egotistical wench?" Those two things keep me interested -- watching Damon struggle with who he is and watching me struggling with trying to figure out who in the heck Elena is. Do I like her or wish they'd all run far far away from her?Everyone and everything else is so all over the place that it could be there or not. I do like when larger groups of the characters get together. Those dynamics are fun. But somehow every time it seems like that's just about to really go somewhere, it's rushed through and then back to Elena or Elena/Damon or Elena/Stefan. And the romantic aspect isn't working as much as just the individual aspects of Elena and Damon at this point.I thought that the original books were 5 stars. Nightfall was 3, though I was being generous and giving extra credit to the good parts and not dinging the bad parts as much as I should have. This? I'm torn. I have to rate it higher than Nightfall. If only there were 1/2 stars. I'm not sure if I should downgrade Nightfall to 2, so I can give this 3 -- or just cave and give this 4. I think I'll give this the benefit of the doubt and go for 4. But ONLY because Damon saved it some.I will read the next book. I want this next Vampire Diaries book only to see how it ends. It really is time for it to end. Or for Damon to just get his own series and stop pretending this is a series where the others matter, they obviously are after thoughts or word count fillers at this point

I have just finished Shadow souls and I have been left reeling, I will not say why though! ;)The book starts exactly where we were left off by L.J.Smith in the previous book Nightfall. Damon, Elena alongwith on the run Matt, head for a gate to the Dark Dimension to free Stefan after Misco and Shinshi tricked him along with Damon into going there on false pretenses. Damon, having seen what the two kitsune are capable of in the last book agrees to do anything to help Elena in her quest to the Dark Dimension to find the two halves of the fox key that will free Stephan from his cell there.Matt decides to go back to Fell's Church to help Mrs.Flowers and their other allies there and Bonnie and Meridith join Elena and Damon on the journey into the dark Dimension where Damon becomes their owner and them his slaves to fit in...of course all does not go to plan. Everything in the dark dimension is different and Elena can not stand to see the suffering of the slaves with one in particular who repays them in a way you can never imagine. Elena soon learns that she can not act like she did in her world here and begins to conform and play along in order to serve her purpose of freeing Stefan but it is much harder than they thought to find the two halves.I really liked the fact that this book concentrated heavily on the relationship between Elena and Damon. Having already had that can of worms opened in the last book, Damon and Elena have a number of close encounters where she see's his true side and I thought it was clear that Elena maybe even loved him and Damon her. This added a new layer to the Stefan, Damon, Elena love triangle while at the same time hidding it as Elena and Damon would not admit their feelings. I think partly because Elena does not want to admit it, maybe so but there are still a number of moments where she pulls it back for Stefan so we will have to see how Smith takes this in the next installment. I also really liked the cuts back to Fell's Church which allowed you to see what Matt and Mrs.Flowers were doing but the focus of the book was definately on the happenings in the Dark Dimesion which hogged all the action with four of the main characters.The ending was not what I expected, which I always like! And it poses a whole new set of problems for the brothers to come to terms with, I will say that I felt sorry for Stefan when I realised what Damon had taken...Overall, I loved this book and I love the whole series. I know others have said there is something lacking and I do agree with this but perhaps it is to be resolved in the next installment: The Return: Midnight which I have pre ordered and is out on the 3rd of March 2011!!! Cant wait!!!Cassandra220689

I loved the first four books of the Vampire Diaries, read them when I was 11 and now I am double that at 22. Damon was one of the first fictional characters (alongside Angel from Buffy, and to a lesser extent Stefan and Spike) that I fell completely in love with and I like that he features so much more in this book (incidentally, could they have chosen a better actor for the TV series? - thank you for existing Ian Somer-whatsit).I diverge...So... while I will always have a special place in my heart for Elena, Bonnie and Meredith, I do find that these later books seem a bit hurried, the plot not flowing as easily as those first four. If a little more time went into the writing and editing surely a better result could be achieved? Nevertheless I will press on and savour those Damonthought-Elenareaction passages that progress smoothly. Keep them coming, I am a shameless addict.