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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining read for fans of show, November 12, 2011
This is book 4 in the STEFAN'S DIARIES series. This series is not penned by LJ SMITH but by 2 other authors. 1 of whom works on the tv series (Julie Plec). Many are and are not fans. They feel it is an insult and sell out to the actual VD series by LJ Smith. I actually love this series & prefer it to TVD by LJ. LJ's books are rather good I just did not "connect" to them. I guess it could be because I watched an entire season on tv BEFORE reading them so Stefans Diaries felt more "real" to me. It is a light series based on the show itself and it supposed to fill in the gaps. The before Elena years gap. That appealed to me. One thing I love on TVD show is the history flashbacks. So, in book 4 we have followed Stefan & Damon from human to vampire and every place in between. Stefan has moved to England and is working on a farm. He is on the "bunny diet" as Damon affectionately calls it. He travels into London with his boss one day & decides to look up Damon. Stefan has heard via newspaper of a few grisly murders that he thinks may be connected to Damon. After a dramatic reunion & Stefan saves a human girl & takes her under his wing (again) the brothers try to figure out who is committing these grisly murders. Stefan believes it could be Damon & is going to stop him before he is caught. He wants to save him. Damon is Damon & while he is flagrantly abusing his "vampire powers" he assures Stefan he is NOT "The Ripper". A bloody message left on a wall leads Stefan to believe Klaus or another "Original" is after them yet once again. After a bit of bumbling around the inevitable showdown happens back at the farm Stefan has worked on for over a year. The ACTUAL "Ripper" is a complete surprise to both of the brothers. Yes, he is a vampire. Lives are lost. Tears are shed. Hands are wrung. Damon swears vengeance. Stefan falls in line. It was a very fast and entertaining read. If you like the show you will enjoy this series. Some may not like "The Ripper" being turned into a vampire & history twisted to make this happen. If you're not super concerned about that you will further enjoy the twists this story takes and the different view on "Jack the Ripper". The series does give us insight into the tv characters and their hundred some odd year long contentious relationship. We run into characters from the show that we love & hate and learn more about them. Basically the gaps are filled, in an entertaining way.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining but Lacked Some Depth, December 1, 2011
This review is from: The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries #4: The Ripper (Paperback)
Each book in this series gets better and better. This book was full of action, making me read it in one sitting. It does a great job putting more depth in the relationship between Stefan and Damon. My one complaint is that in places it seems to read like "this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened". More time could be taken to add description and really develop the plot. The ending was wonderful and the identity of the Ripper was a surprise. I'm eagerly waiting for the fifth installment of this series.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
If you watch the show don't let the title fool you..., November 10, 2011
This is not the Ripper you think of from the Vampire Diaries show... Nope, this is THEE ripper. And the brothers are wrapped up in the middle of it. Stefan has made a nice little life for himself outside of London. He knows it cannot last for long, but he'll enjoy it while he can. A trip to London threatens to shatter it all when he finds Damon's alias in the society pages and a horrific murder on the front page. Of course he needs to stick around, find his brother, and save London and the girl he's become fond of from the demon that is his brother - who else could do such a thing but a vampire. But is it Damon? Or is there another vampire behind it all? An ominous message in blood does point to the fact that someone could be after Damon or Stefan, or both. The good? If you've been reading the Stefan Diaries, you won't be disappointed. And yes, the brothers do find each other and we get the love / hate scenes between them that we've come to love. The bad? This really is half of a story. Which I hate, hence the 4 stars instead of 5. As in so much of a cliffhanger that the preview for Stefan's Diaries #5 reads like the next chapter. It truly will just pick up right where this book left off. You might be ahead to wait for the next one and read them together. Also if you're a history buff who doesn't appreciate real life stuff being twisted into fictional stories - well keep in mind, yeah they're turning Jack the Ripper into a vampire storyline here.
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