Vampire Diaries Books in Order: All 19 Novels + Extras

By T.L. BransonFantasy

If you’re trying to read the Vampire Diaries books in order, there are 13 main novels, plus 6 Stefan’s Diaries TV tie-in prequels, for 19 novels total. Start with the original Vampire Diaries books, then read The Return, The Hunters, and The Salvation. Save Stefan’s Diaries for after that unless you specifically want the TV version of Stefan and Damon’s backstory.

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Vampire Diaries Books in Order by Series

This is the cleanest way to read the series because it keeps Elena, Stefan, and Damon’s main book storyline together. Stefan’s Diaries is included here too, but it works better as an optional TV tie-in series than as part of the main novel sequence.

Original Vampire Diaries Books

The original Vampire Diaries books introduce Elena Gilbert, Stefan Salvatore, Damon Salvatore, and Fell’s Church, the book version of the town at the center of the series. These are the core books to read first, especially if you want the foundation before moving into the later sequel arcs.

  1. The Awakening (1991)
  2. The Struggle (1991)
  3. The Fury (1991)
  4. Dark Reunion (1992)

The Return Books

The Return was published years after the original four books and continues Elena, Stefan, and Damon’s story. This is where the series gets stranger, darker, and much bigger than the small-town vampire triangle that started it.

  1. Nightfall (2009)
  2. Shadow Souls (2010)
  3. Midnight (2011)

The Hunters Books

The Hunters continues after The Return. These are part of the official published Vampire Diaries novel line, though this is also where the authorship of the series gets complicated.

  1. Phantom (2011)
  2. Moonsong (2012)
  3. Destiny Rising (2012)

The Salvation Books

The Salvation is the final official novel trilogy in the main Vampire Diaries book line. Read it after The Hunters if you want the full publisher-backed continuation of Elena, Stefan, and Damon’s story.

  1. Unseen (2013)
  2. Unspoken (2013)
  3. Unmasked (2014)

Stefan’s Diaries Books

Stefan’s Diaries is a six-book prequel series tied to the TV adaptation. It gives Stefan and Damon a backstory that lines up more closely with the show, so I’d treat these as optional unless you’re reading with the TV universe in mind.

  1. Origins (2010)
  2. Bloodlust (2011)
  3. The Craving (2011)
  4. The Ripper (2011)
  5. The Asylum (2012)
  6. The Compelled (2012)

Vampire Diaries Books in Publication Order

Publication order is useful if you want to see how the books came out over time. Just know that this list mixes the main novels with Stefan’s Diaries, so it jumps between the book continuity and the TV tie-in prequels.

  1. The Awakening (1991)
  2. The Struggle (1991)
  3. The Fury (1991)
  4. Dark Reunion (1992)
  5. Nightfall (2009)
  6. Shadow Souls (2010)
  7. Origins (2010)
  8. Bloodlust (2011)
  9. Midnight (2011)
  10. The Craving (2011)
  11. Phantom (2011)
  12. The Ripper (2011)
  13. The Asylum (2012)
  14. Moonsong (2012)
  15. The Compelled (2012)
  16. Destiny Rising (2012)
  17. Unseen (2013)
  18. Unspoken (2013)
  19. Unmasked (2014)

Do You Need to Read Stefan’s Diaries?

You don’t need to read Stefan’s Diaries to follow the main Vampire Diaries novels. The main novel storyline works without them.

That said, Stefan’s Diaries is worth reading if you’re a fan of the TV show and want more of Stefan and Damon’s past. These books are prequels built around the show’s version of the Salvatore brothers, so they feel more like TV-universe companion novels than required chapters in Elena’s book storyline.

L.J. Smith’s Evensong Books

Evensong is the part of the Vampire Diaries world that causes the most confusion. After L.J. Smith stopped writing the official publisher continuation, she wrote her own alternate continuation through Amazon’s Kindle Worlds program. It picks up after Midnight, but it is not part of the official publisher-backed order that continues with The Hunters and The Salvation.

If you’re trying to read the official Vampire Diaries novels, you can skip Evensong. If you’re a Smith completionist, this is the alternate path you’ll want to know about.

  1. Paradise Lost (2014)
  2. The War of Roses (Part 1, 2014)
  3. Into the Wood (Unreleased)

Vampire Diaries Short Stories and Extras

L.J. Smith also wrote several Vampire Diaries short stories and extras. I wouldn’t place these inside the main novel list because they’re web extras, cut scenes, or side stories rather than standard novels. Still, they’re worth knowing about if you want a more complete Vampire Diaries reading list.

The Vampire Diaries also led to a larger TV universe, and there are a few related books that fans may want after finishing the main series. These aren’t part of Elena, Stefan, and Damon’s original novel order, so I’d keep them separate.

The Originals Books

The Originals books are TV tie-in novels by Julie Plec. They follow Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah Mikaelson in New Orleans, so read them after you already know the TV universe.

  1. The Originals: The Rise (2015)
  2. The Originals: The Loss (2015)
  3. The Originals: The Resurrection (2015)

The Vampire Diaries Graphic Novel

There is also a Vampire Diaries graphic novel tied to the TV version of the story. It collects the digital comic chapters, so I’d treat it as a TV companion rather than part of the novel reading order.

Who Was L.J. Smith?

L.J. Smith was the author who created The Vampire Diaries novels, along with other young adult fantasy and paranormal series like Night World, The Secret Circle, The Forbidden Game, and Dark Visions. She was born Lisa Jane Smith in 1958 and died in 2025.

The Vampire Diaries authorship gets complicated after Midnight. Smith wrote the original books and The Return trilogy, but later official books continued without her as the lead writer. That’s why some fans separate the L.J. Smith books from the later publisher continuation, and it’s also why Evensong matters to longtime readers.

Looking for more books in order?

If you want more fantasy authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Fantasy Books in Order index.

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