Vampire Diaries 7: The Return: Midnight (Vampire Diaries: The Return) [Kindle Edition]

We begin with the aftermath of Damon's decision to stupidly open the black rose given to Stefan which was to restore his humanity and while this was Stefan's dream, we all know how much it was not what Damon had planned. After all, what is Damon, if not a mischievous vampire? Which is what Damon comes to the conclusion of, being a vampire is the very heart of who he is, or rather who he tries to pretend he is, and of course Damon wants this little 'inconvenience' of being human sorted asap.

This leads to another journey back to the Dark Dimension with someone he didn't exactly plan to take. While there, he comes up with a solution to sort the problem of being human in true cunning, mischievous Damon fashion but not without some serious consequences and a hello from the Kitsune foxes Miso and Shinchi.

Meanwhile, in true Vampire Diaries fashion, we switch between the goings on in the Dark Dimension and those in Fell's Church. And of course, from what we seen in the last book, the children of the town are still under the influence of evil Shinchi who seems more than ever set to destroy Fell's church after most of Miso's starball is used up. But while the once beautiful town of Fell's Church is slowly becoming a sight from a horror film, the crew start to uncover that Miso and Shinchi may not be the only ones set to destroy the town and its inhabitants and a shocking discovery shows that its not the first time this has happened in the world...

Cutting back constantly to the Dark Dimension where Damon is joined by Elena and Stefan, they set out on the search for treasure and a possible solution to the happenings back in Fell's Church but things are not what they seem and just when everything seems all right, tragedy strikes and things will never be the same again... Emotions run high and the consequences could be dire...

With an ending which is abrupt and isn't the full conclusion we might expect, we are left wondering if this really is the 7th and final book. The ending is not quite what seems to be an end. This maybe in part to having found out that Smith was going to continue the series, I had my hopes up, only for them to be dashed by her publishers who are not happy by the way she planned to take it. Sad really, but if your a fan of the series, like me, let it be known and we might get what we want...

Fingers crossed this isn't the last time we visit Fell's Church otherwise the ending is a little unfair to us fans.

Cassandra220689

I have absolutely loved the Vampire Diaries. The final installment in this latest trilogy left me a little disappointed and I really did not want to be as I have really enjoyed the story so far. I would highly recommended the entire series. I simply had to read it to see how everything ended but I felt the the storytelling was not quite as well executed as the other novels. It could be a little repetitive in parts and it felt like it lost direction at times. I still enjoyed the core story and was eager to know how all the characters fared in the end - Damon remains a fantastically entertaining character throughout. If you have started the the Vampire Diaries journey it is worth finishing it with 'The Return'....

The final book, and I must say it took my breath away!
I sometimes find that books towards the end of a series tend to flail and go dry, but I can happily report that this was not one of those cases. It was the perfect harmony of romance, danger, mystery and intrigue!
With both the Salvatore brothers back in (relative) safety, Elena has to not only figure out which will become her Prince, but also how to save her beloved town before 'the last midnight', when the twin Kitsune will unleash their true terror.
'Midnight' was beautifully written from start to finish, fuelling our emotions, and our need for more. I couldn't put the book down for the sheer intensity of it. The ending was, though highly traumatic and extremely tearful (at least for me!) amazing, and I have to say I felt very sad to be finishing it.
Although, maybe with that little quirk at the end... Is there possibly another story on the horizon?