The Vampire Diaries: The Hunters: Phantom: A Haunting Young Adult Romance of Forbidden Love and Deadly Demons

Spoiler Free Review I want to start off by saying I'm a big L.J. Smith fan. I almost didn't buy this book just because she didn't write it. I read a bunch of reviews here and was discouraged from buying it for a while because everyone said it was all about Stelena and barely any Damon. In the end I gave in and purchased the Kindle edition because I just had to know what happens with Damon. From the start I was drawn into this story. It was extremely well written all of the characters integrity were kept intact except where the storyline dictated it to change. I don't want to spoil the story but just give my opinion. I really felt like whether you are a Delena fan (like me) or Stelena or even Bamon I felt that each was pretty evenly represented like they have been in the previous books of this series. Overall I would and have recommended this book and I have to say that I'm really excited to read the next installment. If you are a fan of The Vampire Diaries books but holding out or have reservations about buying this book because of the author switch I highly recommend that you give it a try. If you don't want to pay for it then go to the library it will definitely be worth your time.

You can definitely sense the change of writing in this book. I enjoyed reading this book very much. I've heard that there is a ghost writer, but I can't confirm. I felt the storyline was very good and the way the characters worked throughout was great. While I am all for Damon getting the girl, I have a soft spot for Stephan, so I do want him to get the girl and FINALLY be happy! It is a great continuation of the series and, in my opinion, had one of the best stories of the series.

Book came in great condition!

I thought this book was pretty good; it had a similar feel to the rest of the series, but there were definitely some parts that needed to be worked on. First of all, they changed Meredith's last name. Small issue, but it was very obvious to me. Also, Elena, Bonnie, and Meredith graduated in 1991 (or 1992... I can't remember for sure) and this story takes place during the summer after graduation so how do they have camera phones? That really bothered me even though it didn't change the story at all. I also felt a sense of being rushed through the whole book instead of the author taking the time to develop events and ideas. LJ Smith has always developed her characters in some way in each of the books, but I didn't find any character development in this book except for Damon perhaps (but I definitely don't like the way he developed). The characters all seemed a little off to me. Granted their emotions were being played on by a jealousy phantom, the characters still weren't quite right. Elena wasn't as go-get-'em as she has been in other books. Damon was more reserved and quiet. Stefan was just boring. Bonnie was made to seem even more like a child instead of growing into a young woman. Also, the relationship between Elena and Stefan has gotten very boring and stale. In the next book they either need to revamp (pardon the pun) that relationship or push more towards a Damon-Elena relationship (which personally, I'm rooting for). The author also just kind of left Caleb in the dust... we didn't learn very much about him or find out whatever happened to him after the gang left his house. I also would like to know why he and Margaret have two sets of memories about the past few months, but no one else does. Despite all these flaws, I did enjoy the book and couldn't put it down. The storyline was similar to the rest of the series and flowed well, but it was too rushed. I also enjoyed the chapters (especially the first one) in which Elena was dreaming about Damon. The imagery and diction in those parts were awesome and really brought the reader into the story. I'm also glad that the books are still sticking to the series instead of the author trying to warp them to flow more with the TV show. I like how the books are more fantastical. Overall I liked the book; I just wish that the characters had been more spot on to how they were in the past books.

I read so many terrible reviews for this book, that I went in not really expecting much. However, it was so refreshing to see that in this book the characters started to realize what was going on around them. Maybe its because I have never really been an Elena fan, and maybe its because the plot included Jealousy, but it was nice to see the characters not fawning over Elena and questioning Elena's "perfection". In the earlier books I saw that Matt was very passive over Elena leaving him and ending up with Stefan, and in this book, it really brings out Matt, Bonnie, Merediths emotions. The characters have developed differently then they would have if LJ Smith was writing this story, but it seems like its more of a tangible personality now,and I for one liked it. I wanted to leave this review because despite all the bad reviews that were left, I really enjoyed reading this, and look forward to where this is going.

Loved this book! I was reluctant to buy it because of all the negative comments, but I was dying to find out more about Damon. This "ghost writer" is easier to read and less fragmented. I got the book on Monday and couldn't put it down! I love the tender moments with Delena and am relieved that Damon's character changed a little...the boy chained to the rock is gone and therefore he should be slightly altered by that. I recommend giving this book a chance. I will continue to be a Vampire Diaries fan and plan to get the next book, and the next...

I love this series! I'm hooked. I have even pre-ordered the next one that is to come out in March. They have great plots and character developments and I love when a new character gets introduced. These books are phenomenal. However, if you want to read these because you have watched the series, I think you will be sorely disappointed. The characters don't even look the same in the series as the do in the books. Since I read the books first, I simply cannot watch the series...very disappointing.

👍🏼

We all know by now that this is not L.J Smith's work, it is a ghost writer, but in my opinion this does not stop the enjoyment of the book, and I don't understand the negative press. I personally loved the book, as I have with all the others in the series and I cannot wait to read Moonsong and for book 10 to be released. This book is the first in another trilogy within the series and it begins with everything in Fell's Church as it would have been if the evils had not arrived, due to Elena, along with Stefan and Bonnie, having bargained with the Guardians of the Dark Dimension for the towns saftey. Damon is dead after saving Bonnie whilst retrieving the giant Star Ball that could save Fell's Church from the kistune silblings Shinichi and Misao, and Inari, their leader. Elena and Stefan particularly are stricken with guilt. I don't want to spoil the book but a lot happens on the subject of Damon, and as the last book ended with someone remembering his identity with just one word: 'Damon', I think you can guess what happens. The Stefan/Elena/Damon love triangle continues, albeit not as well as when L.J Smith wrote the books but nevertheless Elena is still torn, and does not make her choice by the end of this book, although in Moonsong she is said to decide between the brothers. There is a new evil present in this book in the form of, as the title suggests, a Phantom which feeds on your strong emotions, in this case jealousy. Therefore, we see envy towards each other from every character in this book, and in one of the final scenes of the book, and in my opinion the best, they try to defeat the Phantom by casting their jealousy out, along with a fight as usual. This once again could have been better written by L.J Smith but the ghost writer still does a good job. Overall, I was impressed with this book as I had been by all of the novels in the series and I really enjoyed it and could not put it down, so don't listen to the negative reviews and definitely read this.

Love the author, love the book. Even though this is written by a ghost writer, the author did a great job and it is only in minor details that the reader notices that this is not by L.J. Smith herself.

Ein super spannendes Buch. Leicht geschrieben und super fesselnd. Ich konnte es kaum aus der Hand legen und habe es binnen weniger Tage verschlungen.

first of all- many people are complaining that the book has gotten worse since the Ghostwriter had taken over, but if you ignored that fact, the books are still well written and interesting. I've been waiting so long for this book to come out, and i'm not disapointed, it's still all my favourite characters like Bonnie, Matt, Alaric, Meredith, Stefan and Elena. The story line is different to the other books but it's still as addictive as all the others. I do reccomend getting this book, it's really great despite what some people think : )