Picking up where The Awakening left off, Elena confronts Damon about Stefan's disappearance. But when Elena stands firm on her rejection of Damon's romantic advances, Damon refuses to help her find Stefan. Elena must turn to her best friends, Bonnie McCullough and Meredith Sulez. Bonnie, who is believed to have psychic powers, uses magic to track down Stefan. The girls discover Stefan trapped in the bottom of a well, close to death. After Stefan's rescue, Elena offers him her blood to recover. Because of the belief that he perpetrated the horrific 'animal' attacks, Stefan still faces hostility in the town. And as the town's monumental anniversary, 'Founder's Day' approaches, Elena reaches her breaking point. Elena's adversary, Caroline Forbes, has stolen Elena's diary. Elena confesses all her secrets to her diary, and its contents can be read as evidence that Stefan is a violent criminal...

This book begins with the newly "turned" Elena watching Damon and Stefan engaged in a fight to the death. Initially, she does not recognize the brothers due to her confused state, having recently died and risen as a Vampire, but soon a flicker of memory causes her to realize the one she loves is hurt and needs her help. The reader is led to believe she is referring to Stefan. But instead Elena attacks him, and fully intends to kill him for hurting Damon. Stefan, upon recognizing Elena, doesn't fight back and allows her to bite him. Damon eventually commands her to stop and takes her in search of human blood. Stefan intervenes, not wanting Elena to kill someone, and instead makes her drink Matt's blood. Afterwards, Damon hides her in Alaric Saltzman's attic and once she has rested, her disorientation begins to lift. Elena is deeply bothered and upset about the way she attacked Stefan...

As a psychic, Bonnie has dreams of Elena in the Other World. But the dreams quickly turn frightening, which then causes the death of one of their friends. A source of power has infiltrated Fells Church, putting its inhabitants in danger. Not knowing what to do, Meredith, Matt, and Bonnie use a summoning spell to call for Stefan and Damon — but whose side is Damon on? This novel greatly expands Bonnie and Meredith as characters. Bonnie takes the leading role as she writes in the diary. She also finds a possible romance with Matt Honeycutt. After some research in the library Stefan realizes Tyler Smallwood is a werewolf. They concoct a plan and lure Tyler into the graveyard. After threatening him, Tyler reveals startling information about the killer.......

One week after Elena Gilbert has come back from the dead, she is in a childlike state, unable to read and almost completely unable to speak. Her understanding is impaired but not completely absent. Damon Salvatore watches outside Caroline's window as Caroline talks to an independent image of herself. Damon believes the mirror-Caroline to be a supernatural evil force that is playing some sort of trick on Caroline. He feels a sharp puncture on his neck while he watches. After the mirror-Caroline goes away, Damon persuades Caroline to let him into her bedroom. Stefan allows Elena's friends to visit her, including Caroline. When the four humans show up at Stefan's room in the boarding house Elena does not recognize any of them. She kisses Caroline, Bonnie, Matt and Meredith so she can recognize them...

Shadow Souls (The Vampire Diaries: The Return, #2)

Elena Gilbert's love, the vampire Stefan Salvatore, has been captured and imprisoned by demonic spirits who are wreaking havoc in Fell's Church. While her friends Bonnie and Meredith explore the evil that has taken over their town, Elena goes in search of Stefan. In order to find him, she entrusts her life to Stefan's brother, Damon Salvatore, the handsome but deadly vampire who wants Elena, body and soul. Along with her childhood friend Matt, they set out for the slums of the Dark Dimension, where Stefan is being held captive. It is rumored to be a world where vampires and demons roam free, but humans must live enslaved to their supernatural masters...

Midnight (The Vampire Diaries: The Return, #3)

With the help of charming and devious Damon, Elena rescued her vampire love, Stefan, from the depths of the Dark Dimension. But neither brother returned unscathed. Stefan is weak from his long imprisonment and needs more blood than Elena alone can give him, while a strange magic has turned Damon into a human. Savage and desperate, Damon will do anything to become a vampire again—even travel back to hell. But what will happen when he accidentally takes Bonnie with him? Stefan and Elena hurry to rescue their innocent friend from the Dark Dimension, leaving Matt and Meredith to save their hometown from the dangerous spirits that have taken hold of Fell's Church. One by one, children are succumbing to demonic designs. But Matt and Meredith soon discover that the source of the evil is darker—and closer—than they ever could have imagined...

Jenny and her friends are dealing with the aftermath of the events of the first book. No one believes them about their friend's death and the paper house is still missing. When they finally find the paper house it is ripped to shreds and they don't know if Julian was released or not. All is soon reveled and they begin a new deadly game where Jenny's friends are disappearing one by one. This book wasn't nearly as good as the first one. The first half of the book is pretty dull. The action does pick up but it's barley enough to make up for the first half. I did like how we got to know the characters better but I didn't like how little Julian there was. The book kind of struck me as a filler book but I'm sure the last in the series will be much better.