The Compelled is the sixth and final novel in the Stefan's Diaries series, which is a spin off series loosely based on the Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith. Non Spoiler Synopsis:This novel sees Stefan and Cora trying to get Damon back from the evil vampire Samuel. The pair enlist the help of a coven of witches and must get them on their side in order to get Damon back, and to save London from the plans Samuel has for total destruction and control. Loose ends are (kinda) tied up in this concluding novel such as: What happens to Damon and Stefan's rocky relationship? What fate does Cora meet? And will the trio along with their new witch companions be able to destroy Samuel and his plans for a city under his control...?Thoughts (Spoilers) Yay! I am so happy that I finished this series. Six books was way too many and the stories became very dragged out. As for this particular novel, it was boring and the ending was a major flop. Basically- Damon was taken by Samuel and in the beginning of the novel Cora and Stefan want to get him back. They use the witches and save Damon. They learn that Samuel needs the heart of a pureblood witch in order for him to be able to compel other vampires and have control over them. I found this aspect interesting. The rest of the novel follows many many many and I mean many plans and attempts to kill Samuel that end in failure. And boring failure at that. Of course there is the usual struggles with Stefan and his conscience which I got bored of back in book two. Enough already Stefan. I did enjoy the 'you're a mope scene' with Damon and found it pretty funny. Things go south with their plans to kill Samuel and in the process they lose the trust of the witch coven and a girl gets killed. This was about all the interesting action there was. Samuel gets the heart and is able to control others. Then, new plans are made to overthrow Samuel so he can't create an army of compelled vampires. But of course he does that and then more plans are made and by this time I want this book to be over. The Ending: Major disappointment and a flop of a conclusion to the series. Basically, Samuel compelled Stefan to kill Damon- and Stefan almost does. But then Alice the witch flies over the hill, burns Samuel to death and stops Stefan from almost killing his brother. All this talk about revenge and the brothers didn't even get to kill Samuel!? And the whole Ripper thing was never fully laid to rest and gah. Not satisfying. The witches of course forgive Stefan and trust him again. With Samuel dead, evil is no longer a threat in London. Everything was wrapped up too nice and neatly. Where's the gore?! Cora is on her way to America to start a new life. She was pretty cool as a character. Damon and Stefan end on good terms- I think? That was very unclear and it was almost like a joke ending. The brotherly drama was such a constant in all of the novels, but in the overall conclusion, it wasn't concluded. And as for Stefan, he goes off to another part of the world. The novel and series ends with his thoughts- he honestly did want to kill Damon. But he also wants a clean slate away from murders and lies and death. Um ok? This ending sucked. He just leaves to get away from all of his temptations. Cool.One huge question I was left with was whatever happened to Klaus? He was mentioned several times in earlier novels and I was hoping that storyline would go somewhere. But nope. Another aspect I really found was lacking was the Katherine one. They talked about her constantly- but she was hardly present! I enjoyed the show more when she was present, and would have liked the stories a lot better if she was around also. The whole coven of witches addition was a nice touch- more characters were definitely needed. I found it pretty strange that they were children though- in the other VD books and the show everyone is at least a teenager and I didn't enjoy that orphans were helping sexy and dangerous vampires destroy evil. Overall, it was boring. This specific novel had too much planning and talking and not enough action. I was expecting a lot more of the ending also. For this novel, I give it a 2/5 stars. Series Review:Overall, as a series I give it a 2.5/5 stars. It was an alright read- but I don't quite see how it completely tied in with the other VD novels, or the show. The beginning novels in New Orleans and New York felt completely disconnected from the last three. The characters got tiresome and annoying after awhile. Also the plot kept being recycled. I would not recommend this series. If you like the show and or the original four VD books- don't ruin their awesomeness by reading these. Not a great series. The Compelled is the sixth and final novel in the Stefan's Diaries series, which is a spin off series loosely based on the Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith. Non Spoiler Synopsis:This novel sees Stefan and Cora trying to get Damon back from the evil vampire Samuel. The pair enlist the help of a coven of witches and must get them on their side in order to get Damon back, and to save London from the plans Samuel has for total destruction and control. Loose ends are (kinda) tied up in this concluding novel such as: What happens to Damon and Stefan's rocky relationship? What fate does Cora meet? And will the trio along with their new witch companions be able to destroy Samuel and his plans for a city under his control...?Thoughts (Spoilers) Yay! I am so happy that I finished this series. Six books was way too many and the stories became very dragged out. As for this particular novel, it was boring and the ending was a major flop. Basically- Damon was taken by Samuel and in the beginning of the novel Cora and Stefan want to get him back. They use the witches and save Damon. They learn that Samuel needs the heart of a pureblood witch in order for him to be able to compel other vampires and have control over them. I found this aspect interesting. The rest of the novel follows many many many and I mean many plans and attempts to kill Samuel that end in failure. And boring failure at that. Of course there is the usual struggles with Stefan and his conscience which I got bored of back in book two. Enough already Stefan. I did enjoy the 'you're a mope scene' with Damon and found it pretty funny. Things go south with their plans to kill Samuel and in the process they lose the trust of the witch coven and a girl gets killed. This was about all the interesting action there was. Samuel gets the heart and is able to control others. Then, new plans are made to overthrow Samuel so he can't create an army of compelled vampires. But of course he does that and then more plans are made and by this time I want this book to be over. The Ending: Major disappointment and a flop of a conclusion to the series. Basically, Samuel compelled Stefan to kill Damon- and Stefan almost does. But then Alice the witch flies over the hill, burns Samuel to death and stops Stefan from almost killing his brother. All this talk about revenge and the brothers didn't even get to kill Samuel!? And the whole Ripper thing was never fully laid to rest and gah. Not satisfying. The witches of course forgive Stefan and trust him again. With Samuel dead, evil is no longer a threat in London. Everything was wrapped up too nice and neatly. Where's the gore?! Cora is on her way to America to start a new life. She was pretty cool as a character. Damon and Stefan end on good terms- I think? That was very unclear and it was almost like a joke ending. The brotherly drama was such a constant in all of the novels, but in the overall conclusion, it wasn't concluded. And as for Stefan, he goes off to another part of the world. The novel and series ends with his thoughts- he honestly did want to kill Damon. But he also wants a clean slate away from murders and lies and death. Um ok? This ending sucked. He just leaves to get away from all of his temptations. Cool.One huge question I was left with was whatever happened to Klaus? He was mentioned several times in earlier novels and I was hoping that storyline would go somewhere. But nope. Another aspect I really found was lacking was the Katherine one. They talked about her constantly- but she was hardly present! I enjoyed the show more when she was present, and would have liked the stories a lot better if she was around also. The whole coven of witches addition was a nice touch- more characters were definitely needed. I found it pretty strange that they were children though- in the other VD books and the show everyone is at least a teenager and I didn't enjoy that orphans were helping sexy and dangerous vampires destroy evil. Overall, it was boring. This specific novel had too much planning and talking and not enough action. I was expecting a lot more of the ending also. For this novel, I give it a 2/5 stars. Series Review:Overall, as a series I give it a 2.5/5 stars. It was an alright read- but I don't quite see how it completely tied in with the other VD novels, or the show. The beginning novels in New Orleans and New York felt completely disconnected from the last three. The characters got tiresome and annoying after awhile. Also the plot kept being recycled. I would not recommend this series. If you like the show and or the original four VD books- don't ruin their awesomeness by reading these. Not a great series.
Do You like book Manipulés (2012)?
From the first day I picked up my very first Vampire Diaries book, back before the show was even a thought in anyone's mind, I always wanted to hear more back story on the brothers Salvatore. Within these 6 books, I got a piece of what I was searching for. Yes, these books are written with more of the show history in mind, but what doesn't change from the original books to the show is the way the brothers interact with one another. Reading these books was like taking a walk through episodes of the show, but it was also like being a fly on the wall and seeing just how much these brother's do love each other, even if they continue to deny it. It was well written, and quite easy to get lost in, in the manner that I didn't want to put it down for a second. It continues from the 5th book, where the brothers are fighting against the stronger, older vampire of Samuel, Damon still on the hook for the "Ripper" murders and at its conclusion, you feel like cheering. There's a mixture of witches, mortals, and vampires, in just the right dose. I would recommend reading this book if you are fan of the supernatural. It has every element you can imagine and keeps you hooked the entire time. Not to mention after reading all six of these, I think I'm enjoying seeing Stefan's start and history as a vampire, with Damon along for the ride in true Damon fashion =)
—trin
A final caveat is added to the Savatore's fight against Samuel,, and this time it's all to do with witches. Samuel's reasoning behind the Ripper murders is revealed as a quest for the heart of a pureblood withc, which (according to rumour) will give him the ability to compell vampires. I don't really approve of this ability being thrown about, since it was previously restricted to the Original vampires, who gained the ability only because they are the originators of the species. Having it stem from pureblood witches makes me doubt the author's integrity, as they are obviously ignoring their previously established plotpoints and this is just bad form!Other than that, the final novel was a decent read, with Damon and Stefan having a last brotherly fight and deciding to go their separate ways without too many hard feelings.
—saeedar
