The Fury by LJ Smith (The Vampire Diaries: Book 3)

'The Fury' is the third novel in the 'Vampire Diaries', and starts immediately where 'The Struggle' left off. It is not that necessary to read the first two books, but it would help to understand the characters and plot more if you did. This novel is only slightly like the television series, and this makes it a lot better.

Elena wakes up and discovers that she is now a vampire. A lot of the book is about her dealing with this immense change in her life. Damon, Stefan's vampire brother, may not have been responsible for all the deaths in the first two books. He takes Elena under his wing, much to Stefan's annoyance. The rest of the novel's storyline is about the 'Other power', a great evil that has been plaguing Fell's Church and how it can be defeated.

This is a great book. The story moves along very quickly, and is a definite page turner. It feels like a completely different series to the first two books, it has finally come of age. There are some great character moments, especially when friends find out about Elena being a vampire.

There is a feeling of tension throughout, and there are some genuine shocks. Apart from the usual vampire feedings, there are some scary moments involving animals and these could cause some concern for younger readers.

The conclusion of 'The Fury' is done so well, that it came as a surprise that there are more books in this series. The novel does not end on a cliff-hanger, but make sure you have some hankies nearby.

8/10 Tension throughout with genuine shocks and scary moments.