Customer Reviews

The Vampire Diaries: The Hunters: Phantom

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

***Spoilers***...not to many but some!! Im really pretty disappointed, even a bit depressed about where this is going. Like a majority of you I was and still am very upset about L.J. being fired from her series. The way she was treated was horribly and completely wrong, but I couldnt just leave it at Midnight I still wanted to see where they would take these books, to see if maybe they could do the series a little bit of justice even after what they did to L.J Smith, but I don't think they did. The plot of the book was pretty good overall, a little dull though. The most important thing to me in a book is the characters. And no matter what side of the fence your on (team Bamon, Stelena, or Delena) when L.J. was writing you could tell that she LOVES ALL of her characters with a passion, and that passion really brings them to life & makes them vibrant and wonderful. Most of the characters seemed to be fairly different in this one. Meredith was good, I liked her, she didnt change to much and Alaric too, we get to see more of him! Matt was fine & good ole' Mrs. Flowers was as wonderful as ever. But everyone else seemed to be a bit different in ways that were unnerving at times. That is the plot though a Jealousy Phantom is messing with there emotions and thriving off them. So by the end Stefan was pretty much back to his old self and Damon grew some and changed a little. But Elena and Bonnie's characters seemed to be back tracking rather than growing. If your a Delena fan, well there is some delena moments but it looks as if they are going to turn that into a friendship only. If your a Bamon fan your going to be very disappointed, there was no Bamon what so ever. It almost seemed like they were trying to make Bonnie and Matt a thing, which I disagree with. I don't really understand what the publisher/ghost writers plans are for Damons character if he isnt going to be with Elena or Bonnie or trying to pursue them. Its not like they can just write his character out of the books, that certainly wouldnt be good for book sales. They didnt really try to turn it into the tv series, if anyone was worried about that. There were some disappointments, but I dont regret reading it, the book was alright and I will probably read the next one and see where they go with it, without any help from L.J.'s manuscript.

Something I do think the ghost writer should do, is go back and read all the books again. Did anyone else notice that apparently she thinks Meredith's last name is Suarez? Haha she changed Meredith's name from Sulez to Suarez....yeah major oops there. It would be great if she could manage to get all the characters a little more spot on. I think that L.J. Smith certainly messed up some things in The Return series, with the whole love quadrangle, and the dynamic in the relationship between Elena, Stefan, and Damon...but as far as all the individual characters go, in my opinion L.J. Smith wrote them a little better.

Unlike other reviews on this site, I have actually purchased and read the book. L. J. Smith /did not/ write this book, but she has encouraged her readership not to boycott the book, and I think that was a pretty classy move on her part; and because of that, I did buy it to compare the writing styles.

At first glance, the book maintains the core story, a girl with a passionate love for two boys, and her love for the town, her family and her friends. So, the core story is there. But that's pretty much all it's got going for it.
To summarize the plot: A new big bad comes into town, that plagues the main characters and the town they live in. The big bad started showing itself early in the series, when the group goes to pick up Alaric and Celia from the train station. Bonnie pricks her finger, and the name Celia is written in blood. They don't know what this means until Celia's scarf is caught in the train, and spells out the name of the next victim after they manage to save her. They must work together to find out what's going on, in order to save themselves, and the town.

While the plot is a sound one, the story itself was stilted, and it felt unfinished. It was as if the writer rushed through the book and didn't take the time to sit back and really consider or get to know the characters. The characters shown in this book are two dimensional and largely superficial. I don't relate to them, I couldn't get close to them, and I didn't really care about them ` and this is a big failing in a book where you want readers to care about the characters. This is a character driven story, where the plot revolves around them and what happens to them. The characters lacked strength, and purpose. They existed simply because there was a plot that needed to be written.

In comparison, L. J. Smith's writing is rich with detail, and the motivations between the characters; their inner desires are fully fleshed out and they seem like real people, rather than cardboard cut-outs. However, this book is missing all of this detail, the meat and the heart of the characters, and I strongly feel that the story itself suffers from this lacking. In short, I was hugely disappointed in the book. But, others might find enjoyment in it. I will likely buy the other books in the series, because I hate not finishing series ` but I certainly hope the caliber of writing and character content goes way up, and that the Ghostwriter, or at least Alloy, really considers making the characters three dimensional once more, and truly integrating them into the story again.

-First its a good read. Hats off to the ghost writer. LACK of passion aside chapt 1 though
-second it doesn't have the LJ spark that made me love it. I read for Delena thats why I loved it. Take that away, and no real passion for me. We've been over and over with Stelena. No more twilight endings please.
-Third it has a good plot but its its own series now don't expect the old

Having a few friends, we all chipped in and will pass this amongst us. I figured I'd review the book based on itself, how it compares to the original and return series and then add spoilers for those who won't read it.

The book itself was pretty decent and easy to read. it flowed and didn't overly repeat itself and smoothed out previous points with much needed clarity. As you all know this was writen by a ghost writer who I believe was the old editor. When reading I found that the book retained its old feel from the first three books. It seemed to lack some of the fire that LJ wrote though. The characters were more like their old selves, and yet, seemed odd and empty. Like they were coated over. I believe the author did a pretty good job of retaining the sense of the story, the characters of old, but I cant help but feel we went backwards some. Elena is more hesitant which is good, and yet seems so very odd in certain places. Everyone played a good role...Alaric was good, Merideth had a nice part, matt reflect and not much with bonnie. Bonnie herself will begin more witchy stuff and there seemed to be no Bamon. ALOT of jealousy but this is a main feature of the story I will not spoil till later. Many of Damon's fans will be happy and yet sad at the same time.

Overall the series is much more straight forward, not overly descriptive and yet lacks something intense and deep. Fans of the old will find the read more to their content as far as the format. Its tone is much similar. As compared to the return series, it lacks a shine or power. Overall i liked it and wish the company would add the new author on the book (even if they keep created by lj smith). now on to spoilers

***Spoiler zone****
Ok it was well written, but the steam wasn't there for me. I do confess to being a Delena fan more than any other but not limited to. This is why I felt it went backward. If they undo all that...I dunno. Its part of why I stayed with the series so long. Elena needed to have a sense of control and she does still need to address it. She addresses that she feels love for both, and guilt. The guilt makes me feel like she wants to tell stefan she loves him more, first, or is her one true love. It makes for a good read as she works though it and won't dodge it so much. BUT It makes no sense...you can't deeply love two people equally. As wrong as it may be they are related, your heart sometimes dictates love. or in that you will always love one more than the other. I see a chance that she can love damon that he has changed, but I don't want this to go backwards after all their development. IT will not make sense nor work for me personally. But i felt glad that she knows and seems to try whereas before she just gave in all the time. Push and Pull is great.

In the least, let them have their time even if Alloy doesn't want to pair them in the end. it works this way for both groups of shippers to have it end in a way that closes the door. Of course I love who I love, and I do hope they make their way there. It will definitely be a chore. Stefan really does love Elena and you really feel that beyond words. And that is sweet to see and really feel. So is the fact that Elena was able to step back. I have to say delena makes me want to read, and without them its kinda meh. But as long as the plot stays good and we work through the issues I think some may keep reading. I read it in 4 hours.

Hardly any bamon, a bunch of stelena but with grief and much questioning and heart aching. YES DAMON IS BACK. Sad part is that Elena seems to pull away and remark to Stefan how she loves him tinkering on "more". Damon makes a startling good change so we see our guy really becoming all friendly and caring with the group.

The phantom is a being that elena set free when she blew up the moon. while returning there is getting old, it was well done and not so detailed that it bothered me. the reason they re all jealous is because the being is feeding off their emotions. Bonnie is very jealous, damon is, stefan is severely, and elena is feeling guilty.

My sense was that Elena and Stefan felt like they had been through more, and i was kind of glad to get this feel and to see his jealousy. of course our boys fight in there. I sensed elena unsure of stefan's darker side, and of herself, and kind of awed by the change in damon. The only part that bugged me was her dreaming of him...its never mentioned whether he remembers it or not. It does feel like there is an added connection because of it. Damon does call bonnie his red bird but i don't feel he means it the bamon way. he does mention that she is his girl, but i got the impression that it was like his human that he cared and watched over for. There is no reminiscent kissing or adoring with them. Perhaps a Bamon fan will interpret it differently though. not much romance, but she is very jealous in this book. If you are a bamon fan this may be a big thing. The girls are jealous of one another when concerning Damon for sure so glad to see it come out. as a Stelena fan you feel their connection and wonder how they will work through it, and feel the love and its cracks now. As a delena fan you are happy he is back, but sad because elena pushes him away. also loved how they feel about one another. She is less like return elena and more controlled like first series elena.

As a delena fan, yes she is still with stefan but she is wondering in several parts. As a bamon fan, not much there in this book, stelena's dunno if the couple is strong but you def feel the pining of stefan knowing he is aware how much elena loved damon, and how she keeps that part from him.

It was just so much easier to follow and understand like the old books it felt like home. but LJ still has the creative spark over all. I hope she does get a better editor for her future endeavors. I do not think these characters are but 80% of who they were in the first books and even less of the return. There is extreme lack of passion. The ghost writer did a very nice job generally speaking but it still seems like a fog which is not her fault. It just happens with two separate writers. I was sad, and let down some. I suppose if my couple goes bye bye so will I. Plot alone is not enough after all that. I feel stelena is tossed down my throat as other shippers may feel opposite about their team. Together, suffering, near death, after death....

I did buy via amazon kindle
i tried the ghost writer and think its good but it lacks
will be passing the copy around several people who will not pay for book
thanks for your time guys hope u enjoyed and got some answers

I was skeptical about getting this book because to be honest, the others got so weird they kind of confused me at points or lost my interest. To be TOTALLY honest, I've had the previous book, Midnight, since it came out...but only read one chapter so far. It's just that things she explains gets so weird, complex, and hard to follow. Maybe it's just me, but my best friend who reads the books also has the same problem.

So, I went into Phantom without reading the previous book but it didn't take me long to figure out what has happened in Midnight. I was worried that there would be parts I wouldn't understand because I didn't read the book before, but for the most part, this book just briefly touches on what has happened. This book didn't have as much "weird" stuff for me. The story reads good, however, there are occassions were it seems to read a little flat. I loved the parts with Damon and Elena, but that could be because I'm a Delena girl. :

I must say I was sceptical at first about reading this new Vampire Diaries book because LJ Smith did not write it and there were numerous rumors flying around about how the series should be written and how it should end.......With that said.

I thought the first chapter was absolutely beautiful. Sparks were flying between Damon and Elena and I could FEEL the emotion......

As for the rest of the book....It was pretty good. I noticed alot of people talked about how it had the original series feel to it...yeah I would say that sounds about right.......But at the same time I feel like we took a step back with some of the characters......mostly Elena. Her character seems a bit off, and hesistant or at least she was once Damon got back. Which was weird to me consider how she had no world without Damon.....I was expecting more progress between the two lovers.

I'll be honest I DO NOT want a Stefan and Elena ending. There is something very bland about this pairing, I feel NOOOO sparks whats so ever.......Their relationship has been ran itself into the ground and it has no where to go......Besides that I don't want another Twilight ending...Bella and Edward only worked for the Twilight story.......Vampire Diaries is something totally different and I honor LJ for that. It doesn't bother that there is a ghost writer, per se, but I want the story to move forward and achieve something or reach a point.....I'm sorry but Stefan and Elena together for 8 books is just getting worse and worse each book. Their relationship plateau a long time ago and doesn't make for good reading..........Damon and Elena's relationship however is on fire!! in the books and television show.............You can not mistake the difference. I just wish the writers or publishers would see this.......

I hope the writers in the next book take a closer look at Damon and Elena's relationship......Because their is something definitely missing between her and Stefan and I hope that Elena will get it together and figure it out real quick.

This review is for the older fans, the ones who read the original books when they were new, supported L.J. during her 10-year hiatus, have continuously begged for her to finish Strange Fate, but LOATHE the Return trilogy with a fiery passion. I'm sure I'll get many "unhelpful" votes, but please keep in mind: if you were born after 1990, only read the books after getting hooked on the show, have EVER used the phrases "Delena" or "Stelena" (gag), or love the Return trilogy, this review is NOT for you. If you refuse to read this book because L.J. was fired, this review is NOT for you. If you think Ian What's-His-Name is the perfect Damon, this review is NOT for you. These aren't the droids you're looking for; move along. Now, on to the review. (SPOILERS>>>>>>)

Let me start by saying: if this had been the first book L.J. published after her return to the writing world, I'd still be annoyed. I firmly believe that the Vampire Diaries series was finished after Dark Reunion. Elena and Stefan were meant to be soulmates, Elena was back from the dead, everyone was happy. To me, no matter WHAT the continuing adventures are or who wrote them, they feel like a tacked-on afterthought. We all know that someone (Alloy? Harper?) is trying to wring every last cent they can out of this series.

However, having said that...if someone had handed me this book and any book from the Return trilogy and asked which one L.J. wrote herself, I would swear it was Phantom. L.J. wrote 24 books before the Return trilogy, and Phantom reads much more like all of them than the mess that is the Return trilogy does. There's continuity. It's readable. And it feels more true to the originals.

THE PLOT: The gang is back in Fell's Church, which has been restored. All of the mayhem starting from Mr. Tanner's death has been undone. None of what followed...Elena as a vampire, Elena dead, the whole Return trilogy...ever happened (except they kind of did). The gang all have memories of those events, and Damon is still dead, but no one else knows about those events in the new reality. (Mostly.) The kids try to concentrate on enjoying the summer before heading to college. But, something has come back from the Dark Dimension with Elena, and it's stirring up negative feelings in everyone. All everyone's jealousies are brought to light, Alairic returns, and...oh yeah, Damon comes back from the dead. Surprise.

What I love about the book is that it tries to explain yet gloss over all the stupid crap that happened in the Return trilogy. It acknowledges (in plain English, even) the most important events and their consequences. So really, if you haven't read those books (and no one would blame you), you COULD skip straight into this.

I also liked that this was pretty much a self-contained story. There is no cliffhanger, although there are a couple of loose ends (Caleb? And will anyone ever check in on poor Caroline?) They really could stop with this book, even though I know they're not.

The characters act more like themselves, even with Meredith now a vampire hunter. At least they've undone the bit where she's part vampire. Bonnie is bouncy and energetic. I started to worry when she was acting all jealous of Elena...but that's part of the plot, so it was fine. I can see where they're trying to lay groundwork for Bonnie and Damon. I personally don't mind that. Some people said they see a Matt/Meredith pairing in the future, but I don't see that at all. Meredith and Alairic are pretty tight in this book. Based on this book alone, I'd suspect a Meredith/Stefan pairing faster than Meredith/Matt. (And wouldn't that be funny, after L.J.'s claims that she was fired for wanting Elena and Damon together, if Elena and Damon ended up together after all? Okay, not really.)

Progress was made in further reconciling Stefan and Damon, which is good...let's move on from that. At this point, though, Elena still obviously loves both of them.

Some people have mentioned that Elena and Stefan are boring. Yeah, they kind of are now, because they were meant to have their happily-ever-after four books ago. This is what happens when something goes on too long. It doesn't mean that obviously Elena was meant to be with Damon. It means Damon needed to go off and have his own adventures and divorce himself from this incestuous crowd. OR, it just needed to end.

BOTTOM LINE: Perfectly readable, pleasant, but unnecessary Vampire Diaries story. Really three-and-a-half stars. Far and away better than the gobbledy-gook of The Return. Too bad the ghostwriter can't finish Strange Fate; at least it would read like the other nine books in the series.

After reading all the negative reviews I expected much less of the book, but was pleasantly surprised. It's easy to read and not That Bad at all...Not that good as the previous ones, that's true, but worth reading.

Spoiler Free Review

I want to start off by saying I'm a big L.J. Smith fan. I almost didn't buy this book just because she didn't write it. I read a bunch of reviews here and was discouraged from buying it for a while because everyone said it was all about Stelena and barely any Damon. In the end I gave in and purchased the Kindle edition because I just had to know what happens with Damon.

From the start I was drawn into this story. It was extremely well written all of the characters integrity were kept intact except where the storyline dictated it to change. I don't want to spoil the story but just give my opinion. I really felt like whether you are a Delena fan (like me) or Stelena or even Bamon I felt that each was pretty evenly represented like they have been in the previous books of this series.

Overall I would and have recommended this book and I have to say that I'm really excited to read the next installment.

If you are a fan of The Vampire Diaries books but holding out or have reservations about buying this book because of the author switch I highly recommend that you give it a try. If you don't want to pay for it then go to the library it will definitely be worth your time.

I liked this book, alot, but did the writer even read the original series? I know they wren't big changes but she changed Meridith's last name. the book takes blace in 1991 months before the phantom comes they graduated the class of 91. Now they have camera phones? I know they are not a big change but it kind of bothered me.

This book was just okay. It read more like the original books, but something about the characters fell a little flat. Maybe it was because the point of view changed so many times, it was hard to get into any one character's head.

There are also still some continuity issues. Elena, Meredith, and Bonnie graduated in 1991. This takes place the summer after graduation, but Elena takes pictures with her cell phone.

This was much better than the last three, but still not as good as the first four.