The Awakening

Romance · Gothic

First published: 1991
Print length: 311 pagesHarperPaperbacks, 1991

Description

Elena Gilbert, a popular high school student in the town of Fell's Church, is trying to resume ordinary life after the deaths of her parents when the mysterious Stefan Salvatore arrives at school. Elena is immediately drawn to him, unaware that he is a centuries-old vampire struggling to resist human blood. Stefan's dangerous brother Damon soon follows, pursuing Elena while a series of attacks spreads fear through the community. As the brothers revive an old rivalry around a young woman who resembles someone from their past, Elena must confront the supernatural truth behind their attraction. The opening novel of The Vampire Diaries blends high school drama, paranormal romance, and menace into a story about desire, secrecy, and divided loyalties.

Reading profile

About this profile

Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).

Writing: How much attention the sentences and language require.
Ideas: How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
Structure: How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
Background knowledge: Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
Emotional intensity: Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.

Writing style

Atmospheric · Dialogue-driven · Direct

Pace

Brisk

Tone

Dark · Romantic · Suspenseful · Tense

Structure

Linear

Focus

Mystery · Plot · Relationships

Emotional intensity

4 / 5

Reading complexity

1–5 · higher means more demanding

Writing: 2 / 5
Ideas: 2 / 5
Structure: 2 / 5
Background knowledge: 1 / 5

Themes

BelongingGriefIdentityLoveMoralityObsession

About Lisa Jane Smith

L. J. Smith was an American author of young adult supernatural fiction, best known for The Vampire Diaries. She began her career as an elementary school teacher and left teaching in 1989 to write full time. Her first novel, The Night of the Solstice, was written during high school and college and published in 1987. The Vampire Diaries was commissioned in 1990 and later adapted for television. Its conflicts among Elena Gilbert and the vampire brothers Stefan and Damon show Smith’s characteristic use of direct storytelling, gothic romance, secrecy, rivalry, and divided loyalties. She followed the series with The Secret Circle, The Forbidden Game, and Dark Visions. After beginning a decade-long hiatus in 1998, Smith returned in 2008 with a new website and short fiction; The Return: Midnight, published in 2011, was the final Vampire Diaries volume written entirely by her.

Book details

For the print edition listed above.

Publisher: HarperPaperbacks
Language: English
ISBN: 9780061060977

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