In The Fury, Elena is recovering from the catastrophic incident at the end of The Struggle that turned her into a vampire. Damon and Stefan are trying to discover who is responsible for turning Elena when they get a visitor from their past: their lover. Katherine von Swartzchild, the vampire who turned the brothers, has come to Fells Church—and she bears a striking resemblance to Elena. In Dark Reunion, Elena's death has the Salvatore brothers distraught. They leave town, only to be drawn back by Bonnie, who has visions of Elena being tortured by Klaus, the Original vampire. As the town suffers under Klaus's attacks, the Salvatores try to come up with a plan to defeat him—even if it takes someone who is already dead.

What happens in The Return trilogy?

Following the release of Dark Reunion, author L.J. Smith took a 10-year hiatus from the series, so The Return trilogy wasn't published until 2008. In the first book, Nightfall, Elena has returned from the land of the dead and is human once more—but it's an adjustment. Evil forces possess Damon, and Elena and Matt find themselves in danger when Damon captures Stefan and uses him to lure Elena into a trap. Elena and Matt are successful in saving Damon, but they must rescue Stefan from the Dark Dimension. In Shadow Souls, the relationship between Damon and Elena heats up on the road to saving Stefan, and Bonnie and Meredith fight to protect Fells Church from a new evil that has descended. The characters face shape-shifters and other dimensions. Elena eventually manages to save Stefan—but Damon is turned human in the process. Midnight sees Damon desperate to regain his vampire status and bringing Bonnie along for the journey. Meredith comes into her own as a vampire hunter, and Elena finds herself working with Stefan to fight against the evil that has been plaguing their town. Ultimately, Elena makes a drastic choice to save Stefan from permanent death.

What happens in The Hunters trilogy?

The Hunters trilogy marks a shift in the series: it is the first arc in The Vampire Diaries story written by a ghostwriter (whose identity remains largely unknown). In Phantom, Elena's life is mostly back to what was normal before she died, thanks to the wish she made. But trouble is brewing when Alaric Saltzman returns from Japan and notices that someone has been writing the names of Elena, Meredith, Damon, Bonnie, and Matt in blood. The characters learn a phantom is plaguing them all, and the Salvatore brothers must confront their animosity in order to defeat it. In Moonsong, the characters head to college, where they make new friends and new enemies. Elena breaks up with both Stefan and Damon, and Matt gets inducted into a secret society whose true purpose is to raise Klaus from the dead. In Destiny Rising, Klaus is successfully resurrected, and the characters must work to try and stop him. But Klaus has compelled Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood to burn down the only thing capable of killing him. As they fight against Klaus's evil plan, which includes resurrecting Katherine, Klaus captures Elena and drinks her blood. He intends to kill her, but the tables are turned when Elena's blood kills him. In the aftermath, Elena chooses Stefan once and forever, and Damon and Katherine leave the country.

What happens in The Salvation trilogy?

The Salvation trilogy, written by ghostwriter Aubrey Clark, sees the characters somewhat happy for the first time in a long time. In Unseen, Elena, Bonnie, Meredith, and Matt are continuing their studies at Dalcrest. Elena and Stefan's relationship is going strong. And Damon and Katherine are traveling through Europe together. But then a new threat arrives in town—another Original vampire—while abroad, Katherine and Damon find themselves hunted by another enemy. They rush home, only to face the ultimate test. In Unspoken, Elena is bereft after a race of scientifically created vampires, immune to all of the weapons at her disposal, kills Stefan. Elena and Damon must work together to bring them down—and it's not long before she finds herself falling for her dead lover's brother. In Unmasked, Elena is struggling to keep the promise to the Guardians that Damon wouldn't hurt anyone. Finally, they offer her one last chance to prove that she can exist alongside them without a human dying: Elena must go back to her senior year of high school, when she first met the Salvatore brothers, and keep everyone safe.

How do The Vampire Diaries books compare with the television adaptation?

The Vampire Diaries series is rich with characters, conflict, and supernatural intrigue. Although it's impossible for any TV adaptation to capture everything the books cover, the CW series does a great job incorporating many of the characters and plot twists over eight seasons. Still, there are some notable differences: Elena is more of a girl next door than a queen bee, Meredith Sulez wasn't included in the show, and Alaric Saltzman is older and the love interest of Elena's aunt. Elena also has a brother only a few years younger, rather than a sister, in the show. But there is still plenty of drama and excitement, and book characters often pop up in surprising or exciting new ways.