There Are 19 Vampire Diaries Books in Total; Here's How to Read Them in Order

But with a whopping 19 installments in the series, it can be tricky to figure out where to begin. Well, fear not, as we're here to make it easy for you by breaking everything down and explaining how to read the books in the correct order.

Thanks to the widespread popularity of the earlier books, multiple trilogies have been crafted based on them over the years within the Vampire Diaries universe. However, you may be surprised to learn that Smith only wrote the first seven books of the series before her involvement was terminated by the publisher and an anonymous ghostwriter took over.

Book Series Overview

The Vampire Diaries book series focuses on the lives of Elena Gilbert and the dashing vampire brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore, as they navigate the complexities of love, friendship, and supernatural entities in the town of Fell's Church (changed to Mystic Falls in the show).

Reading Order

1. The Awakening (1991)
   
   The first book's main focus centers around Elena and Stefan's romance, as well as her friend group's efforts to make sense of the savage assaults that have occurred in Fell's Church.

2. The Struggle (1991)
   
   As Elena tries to prove that Stefan is not guilty of murdering a teacher and Damon investigates Alaric's involvement, it becomes clear that the town is aware of the vampires' existence. As if things weren't bad enough, a formidable entity arrives, causing everything to spiral.

3. The Fury (1991)
   
   It's revealed that the Salvatores' ex-lover Katherine was the culprit behind all the chaos in town and chasing Elena off a bridge. Stefan and Damon team up to take her down.

4. Dark Reunion (1992)
   
   Bonnie summons Damon and Stefan when she discovers Klaus tormenting Elena through her visions. Stefan tries to battle Klaus, who he realizes is an Old One and unbeatable. Elena orders deceased Civil War soldiers to help defeat him.

The Return trilogy

5. The Return: Nightfall (2009)

Damon is under the control of evil demons while Elena grapples with adapting to her humanity. Following their battle with the antagonists, Elena, alongside Matt and Damon, embarks on a quest to the Dark Dimension.

6. The Return: Shadow Souls (2010)
   
   Damon, Elena, and Matt venture to the Dark Dimension. Once there, they need to locate a special key in order to liberate Stefan and go back to Earth.

7. The Return: Midnight (2011)
   
   Now-human Damon tricks Bonnie, and they find themselves in the Dark Dimension. Meredith reveals that she's a Hunter-Slayer, and Elena and her friends continue to battle supernatural forces in the town.

The Hunters trilogy

8. The Hunters: Phantom (2011)
   
   Since the realities were altered and the malicious deeds of the dark forces erased, Elena hoped her life could return to normal. However, a new danger targets the group yet again.

9. The Hunters: Moonsong (2012)
   
   The group begins their college life and things seem to be going well. But when people start vanishing from the campus, the atmosphere becomes tense, and anyone could be a threat.

10. The Hunters: Destiny Rising (2012)
    
    Elena has faced many challenges, including beating phantoms and finding out she's a Guardian. However, choosing between Stefan and Damon proves to be the toughest. Meanwhile, the college is overflowing with vampires who are attempting to revive Klaus and destroy anyone who is dear to Elena.

The Salvation trilogy

11. The Salvation: Unseen (2013)
    
    Elena is dealing with a powerful Old One whose only desire is to wipe out Elena and her loved ones while Damon and Katherine are attacked by seemingly unkillable vampires. Little do they know, they will soon face a tragic plot twist.

12. The Salvation: Unspoken (2013)
    
    Elena's life has been completely upended, and now she's seeking vengeance. Together with Damon, she sets out to find Jack's vulnerability. But when they finally succeed, an unexpected surprise awaits them.

13. The Salvation: Unmasked (2014)
    
    Elena's life is in danger when the Guardians offer her a unique opportunity to start afresh from her senior year in high school on one condition - she has to demonstrate her ability to coexist with the Salvatore brothers without bringing any harm to humans.

Stefan's Diaries

Finally, the last six books in the series unveil the history of Stefan and Damon, based on the TV show (not the L. J. Smith books). The installments can be read at any point in the series, though some have read them before proceeding to The Hunters series since they hit the shelves at approximately the same time.

14. Stefan's Diaries: Origins (2010)

15. Stefan's Diaries: Bloodlust (2011)

16. Stefan's Diaries: The Craving (2011)

17. Stefan's Diaries: The Ripper (2011)

18. Stefan's Diaries: The Asylum (2012)

19. Stefan's Diaries: The Compelled (2012)