Life was everything a high school senior could dream of. The most popular girl in school, Elena was used to getting whatever she wanted with just a snap of her fingers — until a new student arrived on campus.

Elena can’t understand how Stefan — dark and handsome, though perhaps not so tall, what any girl wished her boyfriend would look like — could resist her charm and beauty.

It is only when she is attacked in a graveyard that she realizes he was always right behind her.

Now that Elena has Stefan, she thinks her world is perfect. But then teens in her town are attacked, some even killed. Stefan’s only thought is that the evil brother he fled has followed him to his new life and is killing in revenge.

Elena is faced with the horrors of the life Stefan really lives, and she isn’t sure she can handle it. Elena has to face the difficulty of staying with Stefan, trying to resist his brother, Damon, and trying to conquer the evils in the world they live in.

When I first grabbed this book — actually two books in one volume — I wasn’t so sure I was going to enjoy it. The story started off slow, but I was determined to stay with it. When I least expected it, I got hooked.

These books fascinated me. I loved how the story was set to a modern-day theme, but back in the ’90s.

I fell in love with the characters and am sad to have finished these books. I would recommend them to anybody who enjoys a good, heartfelt book with a thriller twist.

• Tami Benedict has written reviews for Book Nook since she was in middle school. Book Nook is an occasional feature in Our Town. To submit a book review for consideration or to contact the reviewer of this book, write to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it