The Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith Complete Series Order
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I got really into Vampire Diaries my freshman year of college, so let’s discuss how to read the vampire diaries in order.
This book series was written by L. J. Smith (Lisa Jane Smith) and focuses on our main character Elena Gilbert who is an ordinary teenager living in Mystic Falls that finds herself in love with two vampire brothers, Stefan Salvatore and Damon Salvatore.
We’ve got our bad-boy vampire, Damon Salvatore, and the beautiful vampire Stefan Salvatore. Both brothers are centuries-old vampires who can never seem to get on the same page and are ready to fight it out over a girl they both seem to be falling in love with it.
This is considered to be an adult horror novel, and if you’ve seen the show, you’ll know how much L.J. Smith’s story does veer onto the adult side, even with Elena Gilbert technically being in high school.
Vampire Diaries Books in Order
There is a bunch of small arcs through this series, so that show I went and broke up the Vampire Diaries series.
The Original Vampire Diaries Books
- The Awakening
- The Struggle
- The Fury
- Dark Reunion
You can buy this arc in a four-book box set on Amazon.
The Return Trilogy
- Nightfall
- Shadow Souls
- Midnight
This arc can be bought in a three-book set on Amazon.
After this series, there is some fan fiction also written by L. J. Smith, which includes Paradise Lost, The War of Roses, and Into the Wood.
Stefan’s Diaries
This is actually a prequel series, so if you want to hold off on reading it until the end you can, but on release order, this is where this book series came out in the wash. This focuses on the backstory of brothers Stefan Salvatore and Damon Salvatore and their early lives as vampires.
- Origins (Amazon)
- Bloodlust (Amazon)
- The Craving (Amazon)
- The Ripper (Amazon)
- The Asylum (Amazon)
- The Compelled (Amazon)
The Hunters Trilogy
- Phantom
- Moonsong
- Destiny Rising
You can get this series in a box set on Amazon. Or, you can get the Hunters trilogy and the Salvation trilogy in a box set on Amazon.
The Salvation Trilogy
- Unseen
- Unspoken
- Unmasked
You can also get this complete series in a box book set on Amazon if you want to buy everything together.
One thing I really love about this story is that it’s more than just a school girl in a vampire love triangle, there are also vampire hunters, angel powers, and magic. it really has everything you could want!
If you haven’t seen these beloved characters in the TV show yet, I highly recommend it. I love this cast of characters and the actors that play them. Plus, it’s always nice seeing bestselling books getting turned into good TV shows as it gives me hope that we’ll see more books we love to get turned into shows.
