Review: Stefan's Diaries v.4: The Ripper

Stefan's Diaries: The Ripper

Release Date: 5th January 2012 (Paperback)
Pages: 272
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Author: L.J. Smith
Source: Bought
Purchase book: Amazon UK

Goodreads:
Haunted by the past . . .

The year is 1888, and the scent of blood lingers heavy in the London air. Stefan Salvatore thought he could escape his violent origins by settling in the peaceful countryside of England, but when a heinous murderer named Jack the Ripper surfaces, Stefan fears darkness will always follow him. Drawn into the investigation, Stefan assumes the worst: This is the work of a vampire. And the more he learns, the more he becomes convinced that the killer is someone close to him--and that he can never outrun his past.

Based on the popular CW TV show inspired by the bestselling novels, Stefan's Diaries reveals the truth about what really happened between Stefan, Damon, and Katherine--and how the Vampire Diaries love triangle began.

The Ripper is the 4th book in the Stefan's Diaries series. The book is written in the form of a diary, following Stefan's early days as a vampire as he tries to discover who he is now and how to deal with his new life, which is made difficult with his brother Damon tormenting him on all ends of the earth.

In this book, we see Stefan leave the US and try to start a life in England as a groundskeeper at Abbott Manor. After all the suffering in The Craving, Stefan finally thinks he is free and able to start a new life, make new friends and separate himself from the Salvatore name and vampires. Unfortunately for Stefan, when news of Count DeSangue (Damon's alias) in the society pages of the paper reaches him, he has no choice but to see what Damon is up to. To make matters worse, there is a "Ripper" running lose on the streets of London, killing women.

With Stefan's arrival in London, the line between human and vampire murderer becomes blurry. We are left to wonder if Jack the Ripper is involved or if a vampire is forgetting to cover his tracks. Stefan decides to investigate the murders and Damon's life and realises there is more to it than expected. There are new vampires with issues, holding a grudge against the Salvatore's, young human girls tangling themselves up in the story and a whole lot of action.

This is no longer a battle between brothers, but a fight to survive against new dark forces to stay alive.

Cover:
Slightly different than the first 3 books in the series. Where the first 3 had a warm tone, the new book has a cold filter, sending off a menacing look, giving readers a heads up that the new books will more action than before!

Final Comments:
After reading the first three books in the series, I wasn't too pleased with where it was going, however, I loved this book. Stefan finally grows up and learns to fight, no longer the whimp we have been following in the past. While we don't see any romance, the action in the book makes up for it. It had me on my toes for most of the book, wanting to know what happens next. The ghost writer has definitely made it up to me with this book. As expected, it ends on a cliffhanger, but that just makes you race to the store to buy the next book! Highly recommend this to TVD fans.

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