• The Vampire Diaries, Book 1

  • The Awakening
  • By: L. J. Smith
  • Narrated by: Rebecca Mozo
  • Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
  • 3.8 out of 5 stars (1,853 ratings)

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The Vampire Diaries, Book 1  By  cover art

The Vampire Diaries, Book 1

By: L. J. Smith
Narrated by: Rebecca Mozo
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Publisher's summary

The New York Times best-selling series!

The first book in L.J. Smith's New York Times best-selling Vampire Diaries series, the basis of the hit CW TV show starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and Ian Somerhalder.

Elena Gilbert is a high school golden girl, used to getting what she wants. And who she wants. But when the boy she's set her sights on - the handsome and haunted Stefan - isn't interested, she's confused. She could never know the real reason Stefan is struggling to resist her:

Stefan is a vampire, and Elena's in danger just by being around him. What's more, Stefan's dark, dangerous vampire brother Damon has just arrived in town. And wherever Damon goes, trouble always follows.

Fans of The Vampire Diaries TV show will find this book packed with the same kind of heart-stopping suspense, fierce romances, and jaw-dropping surprises that they know and love, all brought to life by New York Times best-selling author L.J. Smith.

Listen to more Vampire Diaries.
©1991 Daniel Weiss Associate, Inc., and Lisa Smith (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

Featured Article: Stefan Salvatore—The Vampire Diaries Character Guide


Over the course of The Vampire Diaries series by L.J. Smith, Elena Gilbert is frequently torn between the Salvatore brothers. And if you're a fan, you're either Team Damon or Team Stefan. Stefan Salvatore is one point of the iconic triangle at the center of the books that made vampires swoony-worthy long before Twilight, and he's the ultimate dreamy vampire boyfriend. Here's all you ever wanted to know about Stefan Salvatore.

What listeners say about The Vampire Diaries, Book 1

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Used to love not sure what happened

I used to be obsessed with this book, but either my brain chemistry has changed or the audio narrator absolutely ruined it for me. While I know Elena is supposed to be the cool popular girl the narrator made her sound so incredibly whiney I could not finish the book. Wasted credit.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Tried to love it...

it was a great way to get me to rewatch the series... missing action and external drama. the story completely centered around Elena and Stefan with everyone else kinda thrown about here and there but their romance seemed rushed and forced in the book compared to the show..her first time dropping the love bomb was awkward to me. the way the show opened up the other characters was good and maybe there's hope in the other books.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Pretty good

Its a pretty good book so far. I was easy to get into and far to stop once I started. Would listen to it again and probably will😁

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointed and aggravating

the awful accents and the description of characters are so incredibly weak. just horrible

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very different than the TV series in a good way

I was captivated the entire time. I have heard great things about this book series but I had only seen the TV series. So I decided to read or I should say listen to these books while I am at work and I absolutely love them so far I mean I’ve only listen to number one anyway highly recommend.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

interesting

the main issue I have with the performance is the fake accent that was used for certain characters. it made it difficult to remain immersed in the story as every time I heard it, it felt comical and incredibly forced.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

just watch the show.

it's rare that I would ever say a show/movie is better than the book. However, this is one of those rare cases. I understand it's a teen novel and needs to be relevant to teenagers; but the characters are so shallow it's hard to get through. Not worth the time, or credit, to read/listen to. Just watch the TV show.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

This time-the show was better!

I made the mistake of watching the tv series before reading the books. Usually-the books were better-In this case, I’d say the show was better!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Nothing compared to the show

I was surprised how much I liked the show better than these books. The characters aren’t nearly as developed in the books. And the girl reading on here is terrible with accents. Stefan and Damon are supposed to sound Italian, but she gives them more like an Italian-Transylvanian accent. Picture Dracula working in a pizza kitchen. It’s almost too cringey to bear.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not impressed

As a writer myself I wanted to explore this series to find out what was so inspiring as to become the TV Craze we know and love. Unfortunately, in this case it appears, the writers and director of the Vampire Dairies were the cause of it's popularity. Not sure I can finish the series, but am considering it for further research.

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