Review: Stefan's Diaries v.5: The Asylum

Stefan's Diaries: The Asylum

Release Date: UK 5th April 2012 (Paperback) | US 17th Jan 2012
Pages: 221
Publisher: Harper Teen
Author: L.J. Smith
Source: Bought (from Amazon US)
Purchase book: Amazon UK | Amazon US

Goodreads
The hunters become the hunted. . . .

Driven from their hometown of Mystic Falls, both Stefan Salvatore and his brother, Damon, arrived in Europe looking for a fresh start. But Samuel, a wealthy and cunning vampire, has other plans for them. First he ruined Stefan’s peaceful existence and now he’s framing Damon for the most gruesome murders London has ever seen.

United against their common enemy, Stefan and Damon are stunned when they realize that the source of Samuel’s rage lies in their past—tied up with the woman who forever changed their lives. Haunted by the memory of Katherine, the brothers find that their uneasy alliance is tested. Can they overcome their rivalry to defeat Samuel before he exacts his final revenge?

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 Asylum is the 5th installment in the Stefan's Diaries series. Continuing from The Ripper, Stefan and Damon have now come to an understanding, joining forces as brothers to defeat the enemy Samuel, who is tormenting them all over London, framing Damon as Jack the Ripper and killing off those close to Stefan.
With Violet's sister Cora in tow, the trio are heading back to London to find a way to get Violet back and rid the world of Samuel. Unfortunately for the brothers Samuel seems to be an indestructable vampire that just wont die, leaving Stefan and Damon to come up with a variety of ways to bring him down.

Now that Damon's reputation is on the line and the entire London police force is looking for him, they are left to go into hiding while planning their attack on Samuel. Thankfully, while Cora may be human, it is her emotional strength and spirit that keep the group together. She appears to be the first woman after Katherine that has the respect of both brothers with no need to fear for her own life.

While at first you may think its a simple seek and destroy vampire story, it's really seek and attempt to destroy, try again, someone dies, fail, try again, someone dies, fail, try again..... you get the idea. It goes on and on until you wish you could go and destroy Samuel yourself.
The great thing about this book is that readers get the chance to learn more about Damon and Stefan's relationship and another side of Katherine's secret life that not even the brothers expected.

Cover:
Similar to the previous book, it maintains a cool look. I bought the US edition, but it is exactly the same as the UK edition, just with different fonts and chapter designs. I am not entirely sure if this is Katherine or Elena on the cover. It may not make a difference either way.

Final Comments:
Continuing from the 4th book, it doesn't progress very far. As I mentioned early, the seek and destroy vampire sequence goes on and on, spiraling out of control. If it was shortened and merged with the previous book, I may have enjoyed it more, but to be honest, it does drag on a bit. Nevertheless if you are a TVD fan, there are some things you would love to know in this book, which I won't spoil.
It doesn't come out in the UK until April, but if you are desperate to read it, the US edition is available online. Keep in mind if you are keen on keeping your collection the same, the cover is slightly different and the US don't have a glossy cover like the UK - It may not be a big deal, but I hated the feel of the US edition.

Rating: