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14 points/100 (¾ stars/5)
Warning: Cliffhanger (Status: Jesus wept, seriously?)

Elena, Stefan, and the rest of the crew are off to the local college to start new lives. When they get there, they find it isn't all they were expecting. There is death and disappearance everywhere.

Yes, you read that right. Not even a full star.

This is the second book that is released by a ghostwriter for L.J. Smith and the first full book written by one, and it really shows. This is a completely generic "going to college" story set in a world with supernatural beings. The personalities already established for every single character was ripped out and replaced with something useless. There are actually times when I wasn't certain I hadn't seen this book as a Buffy episode.

In fact, this book is exactly like the book embodiment of the "Beer Bad" episode of Buffy the Vampire slayer. I don't mean the story, exactly, though there are definitely elements of that episode in this book. No, what I'm talking about is that Beer Bad and Moonsong are both stories about a girl who is just going away to college, a girl who is seeped in the supernatural world, and just wants to be normal. She wants to be normal, but every time she turns around, there is a new supernatural bad thing to deal with and she just wants to go crazy from it all. They are also both the worst in the lot. Beer Bad is infamously bad, and in the 5 or so times I've watched Buffy through, I've only seen it once. If I were to ever reread this series (and I probably never will), I would skip this book without any problems.



To start with: the story. It is truly an incredibly generic story where someone goes off to college. We have the fear and the excitement, and the not really fitting in. We have the old and new friends, and the distancing between friends. We have it all. Only, because this is a supernatural world, apparently the college is also ground zero for the worst mass murdering spree in the history of this world. I lost track of how many students went missing and were killed during the course of this book. Probably at least two dozen. In a month. This story doesn't work at all on that simple fact, because if that many people disappear or are killed on the college campus, things would be shut the fuck down quickly in the real world.

It doesn't make any sense. Even worse, it is utterly predictable even from the very beginning. I was impressed by the last book because of how subtle it was, even though I could see what it was doing. This book has all the subtlety of a jackhammer.

More to the point, though, the people: Every single person in this book has had their personalities from the previous books completely removed and replaced with air. Not a single character acts the way they used to. Hell, most of them don't even do the same things they used to. For example, Bonnie doesn't even really use her psychic powers at all in Moonsong. Damon is only a shadow of himself: the complete opposite of everything that made him Damon, made him good. It is disgusting how he has changed between the last series and this one. You might as well have just called him something else and introduced him as a new character for Elena to love. Not this horrifying mess.

Which brings me to Elena, Stefan, and Damon's relationship. This is the worst thing about this book. The one thing about the Vampire Diaries, the ONE THING about it that people could all agree on that would never change would be Stefan and Elena's relationship. And whoever ghostwrote this shit all over that relationship. It was the worst 180 I've ever seen. Nothing was written like it would have been before. I've been actually really happy with the way their relationship was going before this book. I hate love triangles that pit the three people against one another. The way this has been going, I've actually been really excited for what looked like a true love trio. Then the ghostwriter decided things were going too well, and in the middle of the book, after the slightest provocation (after everything they have gone through together, that little disappointment on behalf of the boys for her liking both of them would not have done this), she broke up with them both and ran away. What??? Every single absolute thing I know about every single one of these characters tells me that this would never happen in a million years. So why did this happen? It is the worst.

That isn't even to talk about the rest of the characters. Randomly, even though everyone has different plans, they decide to make it so that everyone stays in the area and goes to the same college, even though it means really limiting their futures. From Kent State on a football scholarship, from Harvard to no-name local school? Gimme a break. If you are a teenager and reading this review, and anyone tries to talk you out of going to the college of your dreams, to not do the things you want to do just so you can stay together as a friend group or boyfriend/girlfriend: don't listen to them. If there are other important circumstances, sure. But not to stick together as a group. Especially if it means turning down Harvard. This is so irresponsible of the ghostwriter.

Also, everyone who doesn't already have someone to love gets someone to love. Only that isn't the whole case. Those new people are all weird and have weird things going on with them. Everyone has to be special. And also all their personalities are changed so this can all happen. "Oh no, this poor person, without someone to love, better give them the weirdest options that they never would choose for themselves. That'll make them happy". Yuck.

This was just a dreadful book to read. Everything that made The Vampire Diaries the Vampire Diaries was stripped out and replaced with nothing special. I'm really upset. This wasn't my favourite series. I was only moderately enjoying myself reading these. Yet, I'm still upset. I had hoped for more. ( )

Elena and her friends have all enrolled into Dalcrest college and after defeating the Phantom, they were hoping to get on with their lives as normal college students. However, things are never that easy for them… Love, learning, life, lust and the constant drama that seems to follow these Fell’s Church residents have moved with them to college and this time around they realise what their duties are and take them on without hesitation. That being said, the mysteries seem to go deeper than Elena ever expected, especially regarding her own family. It’s up to her to not only keep the peace between her friends, but also between the brothers that she love. College may not be all it’s cut out to be…

The Vampire Diaries: The Hunters: Moonsong is the ninth book in the series and although L.J. Smith‘s name is on the cover, she’s not the one who wrote it (how sneaky of those publishers, hmm?). To those who haven’t heard this dreadful news though, don’t worry, Moonsong is much better than the previous two books and it sets up an interesting premise for the following books as well. Frankly, it kept me glued to the edge of my seat as I read about the adventures of Elena Gilbert and the sexy Salvatore brothers. What’s more is that Bonnie gets a bit of an edge and Meredith seems to grow some more emotion. Damon’s growth as a character is also very prominent, but he keeps that quirky naughtiness that readers have loved from the beginning.

Without giving away anything, readers can expect a little action, drama, mystery and even read about some myths that get a whole new twist, which is surprisingly good. The editing in this book was also a lot better than in the previous two novels and didn’t distract with useless descriptions. I just wish that Elena could make up her mind properly when it comes to Stefan and Damon though, every book it drags out whether or not she’s going to come to terms with her choice, but it never happens… That part, which I know is a critical part of the books, is becoming tiring. Sure, Stefan is Elena’s “true love”, but come on! Shouldn’t she stop getting all entangled with Damon then?

As a fan, and I’m sure you guys know this by now, I can’t wait for the next book. This one was great, but it was the ending that really got me hyped up for the next book. I won’t give it away, but man oh man, if you enjoyed the first four novels of this vampire series, you’re going to be in for quite a treat with Moonsong and the upcoming Destiny Rising. Hopefully Bonnie (who has really come into her own now) will continue with her own personal growth and that Elena will make up her mind. What’s more is that Alaric needs to show more face. They talk about him and Meredith way too little, in my opinion.

(originally reviewed on http://www.killeraphrodite.com/2012/08/book-review-vampire-diaries-hunters-moons... ) ( )

I never knew what to expect with this book, both with the fact LJ Smith wasnt writing it and the fact that the gang was going to college. But it was surprising. Though I saw quite a lot of the things coming, the last 100 pages had me gripped. Well, the last 20 weren't as gripping but it ended with a bang! All I can say now is that im excited to see what will happen next. ( )

Good ( )

I can't help but just lose myself in these books. This time we are off to college with the gang, but there is no shortage of supernatural on this campus. I like seeing the relationship with Stefan and Damon being so different from before, and I like that we see Bonnie finally have a bit of romance in her life. ( )