Doubtless the story is a little bit too clichéd; it is nevertheless, a good read. There is an air of fear and thrill about it. I like the way the story develops and the significance of the presence of the graveyard throughout the novel. Although, the character of Elena seems snobbish at times; I hope that she will develop into something more than just a clingy and needy protagonist.
Other than that, I really enjoyed reading about the mysterious Stefan. I also very much liked how Damon is introduced in the initial scenes. It was definitely a very short book and I enjoyed reading it.
Something that really struck me about the characters was that they each had something different to give to the reader. Such as, the character of Bonnie really intrigued me because of her history. The presence of Caroline was very much unnecessary but then, what a book's without a girl playing a negative role. Sigh!