The Vampire Diaries: 18 Major Differences Between The Books & The TV Show (2024)

When it comes to The Vampire Diaries books vs. show there are several key differences between the original novels by L.J. Smith and The CW's adaptation. There are almost always changes when adapting a literary work for the screen, with everything from a character's appearance and personality to key plot details being potentially altered. The Vampire Diaries is no exception, and while some changes are positive, others might not be warmed to by fans of the source material — but these creative decisions are an often unavoidable part of the book-to-screen process.

The Vampire Diaries has been incredibly successful both on the page and as a series, with the show even having two spinoffs, The Originals and Legacies. While the core premise of the show stays true to L.J. Smith's work, the show evolved into its own entity, and by the time it concluded in 2017 it had made several key deviations from the books. The Vampire Diaries books vs. show makes for an incredibly interesting comparison, and viewers unfamiliar with the original novels may find some of the differences incredibly surprising.

18 Elena And Caroline Are Rivals In The Books

L.J. Smith's Version Of Caroline And Elena Don't Get Along

The friendship between the trio of Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie in the CW’s Vampire Diaries series is one of the show’s strengths. One of those friendships, however, doesn’t exist in the books. While Bonnie and Elena are still friends in the novels, Caroline and Elena aren’t friends in the books.

One of the biggest differences between the Vampire Diaries books and the show is that Caroline and Elena are rivals in the novels. Caroline vies for attention from the same boys as Elena and even tries to expose Elena’s secrets in the novels. There are shades of that relationship present in the show, as Caroline and Elena both become interested in Matt and Stefan, but they’re ultimately supportive of one another. Caroline does not steal from Elena in the series and threaten to expose her secrets to the entire town like she does in the novels.

17 Bonnie Is A Druid In The Books

L.J. Smith's Character Bonnie McCollough Is Different From Bonnie Bennett

Bonnie Bennett doesn’t exist in The Vampire Diaries books. Instead, the Bonnie that is friends with Elena in the Vampire Diaries book series is Bonnie McCollough, a redhead who is descended from a line of Druids. Her grandmother even lives in Edinburgh, Scotland while Bonnie lives in the United States. Like Bonnie Bennet, she discovers her magic during the story, but their magic is very different.

While McCollough calls on the magic of the Druids for help in the novels, Bennett speaks with the spirits of her ancestors on the show, most commonly, Emily Bennett, the handmaiden of Katherine who saves more than two dozen vampires in Mystic Falls during the 1800s. Emily, however, is burned at the stake when it’s discovered she’s a witch, and Bonnie speaks with her about her experiences at several points in the show.

16 Bonnie Has Different Love Interests

Damon And Matt Have Big Places In Heart

In both the novels and the show, Elena and Caroline have the tendency to fall for the same people. In the books, they both went after Stefan. In the show, Matt, Stefan, and Damon. That’s why it might interest fans who have only seen the show that Bonnie actually had Matt and Damon as her love interests in the books instead.

Bonnie is interested in Matt after he and Elena break up, much like Caroline is in the show. The big love of Bonnie’s life in the books, however, is Damon. Even when Damon is at his worst in the books, he feels a need to protect Bonnie, and she feels an undeniable pull to him as well. Their relationship in the books, beginning as antagonistic and growing into something more, is actually more like Damon and Elena’s in the show.

15 One Of Elena’s Best Friends Is Missing In The Show

Meredith Sulez Is A Key Character In The Vampire Diaries Novels

Because Caroline becomes one of Elena’s best friends in The Vampire Diaries on the CW, another of her best friends from the novels is missing from the television series. That best friend is Meredith Sulez, a descendant of vampire hunters. While Sulez doesn’t appear in the series, a version of her character does eventually make it into the show.

Torrey Devitto plays Meredith Fell. Like Sulez, she is a descendant of one of the oldest families in town, and her name is a nod to the original name of the town in the book series, as well as Fell’s Church in the Vampire Diaries television series. Also like her character in the novels, she has a relationship with Alaric. Aspects of the book character, however, end up in some of the other characters in the show.

14 The Relationship Between Elena And Katherine Is Different

Elena & Katherine Are More Closely Related In The Books

If there’s one thing that The Vampire Diaries books vs. the show makes a huge difference in, it’s the connection between Elena and Katherine. The doppelgänger storyline becomes incredibly important in the Vampire Diaries television series. The two characters, however, are not magically connected by their appearance in the novels. Elena is not a descendant of the same bloodline of Katherine either.

Instead, in the novels, the two have an uncanny resemblance as well, but there is a very different explanation for it. That’s because they’re half-sisters. In the Vampire Diaries novels, Elena and Katherine share a mother. They do, however, also still share history with the Salvatore brothers, which are the same relationships that draw attention to their appearances.

Interestingly, their personalities are almost entirely flipped. Katherine in the show is more like Elena in the novels and Elena in the show has more in common with Katherine in the novels.

13 Vampires Have More Abilities In The Books

The Books' Vampires Can Shapeshift

Vampires have a lot of skills in the Vampire Diaries television series. They are stronger than humans, move faster than humans, heal faster than humans, can compel people to do their bidding, and can essentially live forever under the right circ*mstances. All of that is true in both mediums.

In the novels, however, they can also read minds to an extent, and shapeshift. It's said specifically in the books that the more human blood a vampire consumes, the better at shapeshifting they can become. Damon, in particular, uses the form of a crow quite a bit in the novels. It seems like the television series might have initially planned to use that ability as well, since in the pilot episode of the series a lot of attention is paid to crows around Elena. That idea, however, is abandoned early in the show.

12 Elena Is Blond In The Books

L.J. Smith's Description Of Elena Doesn't Resemble Nina Dobrev

Elena is blond in the book series, and she also has blue eyes. Of course, in the TV adaptation, Elena Gilbert is played by Nina Dobrev, and she's a brunette with brown eyes. This is one of the biggest changes that were made and even author L.J. Smith was thrown off by it. The decision worked out as it seemed the showrunners were more interested in casting the best actor in the role than the physical looks matching.

This is a particularly interesting difference when it comes to The Vampire Diaries books vs. show, as Nina Dobrev is an integral member of the cast, with many viewers unable to imagine Elena looking any different. Elena of the books, however, also has a stereotypical "ice queen" image that was popular in young adult novels in the 1990s. Light hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and an icy demeanor were common for the prettiest and most popular girls in school in YA books at the time, and that is almost exactly Elena's book description.

11 Katherine Is German In The Books

Elena's Bulgarian Roots Are Exclusive To The Vampire Diaries Show

Elena's looks weren't the only thing that changed simply because the show cast Nina Dobrev in the role. The history of Katherine Pierce/Petrova was altered to match Dobrev. It's very much a case of the show adapting to the strengths and culture of their actor, like what was done for a lot of character backstories on the series LOST. Yunjin Kim, for example, originally auditioned for Kate, and the showrunners didn't think she fit the part, but wanted her on the show, so they created the role of Sun for her.

In the Vampire Diaries books, Katherine is German, but since Dobrev played both Elena and Katherine, it was important for the character to match the actor. Dobrev is Bulgarian, so Katherine's roots were changed so that she was from the country too. In a 2010 interview with the Toronto Sun (which has since been removed from the publication's website), Dobrev revealed she even translated Katherine's lines in flashbacks into Bulgarian herself and asked family members for help if there was confusion for particular words.

10 Stefan Drinks Elena's Blood

The Vampire Drank More Blood In The Books

When Stefan and Elena first meet, he refuses to drink her blood. Although it's something he craves and would love to do, his stance on not consuming human blood is pivotal, especially given how he turns into a ripper when he does go through with it. He eventually does drink her blood at points, though it's mostly as a way to help them bond and because Elena trusts him not to overdo it with her. In the Vampire Diaries books, Stefan tends to drink her blood on a more regular basis.

Stefan still maintains a mostly "vegetarian" diet in the books, but he makes an exception to his role for Elena. It's not always about feeding, but about maintaining a connection between them. In that way, his feeding on her is similar to the times that he shares her blood in the show. In the books, however, Stefan doesn't have the ripper personality, so the effect on the story is very different.

9 Elena Has A Sister In The Books

The TV Show Switched In Jeremy As Her Brother

In the book series, Elena has a sister, Margaret, who is four years old. Meanwhile, on the TV show, Elena has a brother, Jeremy (Steven McQueen), who is in high school. Jeremy is gone from the show as of the sixth season, but before that, he plays a pretty big role in the show. He has relationships with Elena's friends Bonnie and Vicki and even becomes a vampire hunter, which aren't storylines that could've happened with a younger sister.

Arguably, the choice to put Jeremy in the series is made to dial up the teen angst for the show and to prevent having an underage actor who has to be schooled on set for the entire run of the series. Including a toddler in the show at the start would have meant having to maintain a strict timeline to account for their growth as well, or recasting them at a certain point with a time jump to keep them involved in the story.

8 Elena’s Little Sister Is Supernatural

She Is Half-Guardian

Elena might have Jeremy in the show, but he’s a very different character from Margaret. While Jeremy grows into becoming a vampire hunter in the show and is aided by a special ring, that’s not the case for Elena’s little sister in the novels. Margaret has a different lineage. Both Margaret and Elena are half-guardian, half-human in the books.

Guardians are essentially the answer to angels in the books, and not something that is ever really addressed in the show. In fact, the show doesn’t really have a supernatural being that would be analogous to the guardian angels of the novels. The closest might be the spirits that help to guide Bonnie in her magic, but they aren’t living beings that are having children with humans. They likely, however, provided the inspirations for the hybrids and the tribrids in the lore of the Vampire Diaries universe.

7 Elena Loves Stefan, Not Damon

The Love Dynamic In The Vampire Diaries Show Is Changed Significantly

There's another big difference between The Vampire Diaries books vs. show: in the novels, Elena loves Stefan Salvatore and not his brother Damon. While this is true at the start of the TV series, that version eventually changed to have Elena end up with Damon. It's one of those things that was changed because of actor chemistry. Ian Somerhalder and Dobrev were electric together to the point where fans wanted them to be together from even the earliest of episodes when they weren't friends yet.

Of course, Elena's entire approach to Stefan in the show is very different from the book. Elena is essentially obsessed with Stefan from the moment she meets him because he's the one boy at her school who isn't falling all over himself to get in her good graces. Instead, Stefan actively avoids her and Elena cannot handle that. She even tells him she loves him after the two have barely gotten to know one another. The Elena of the books is much more consumed by her feelings for Stefan than she is in the show.

6 Mystic Falls Is Fells Church In The Book Series

The Town's Name Was Changed

With vampires, witches, werewolves, hybrids, heretics, and more, Mystic Falls can be a terrifying small town. However, in the book series of The Vampire Diaries, Mystic Falls doesn't even exist at all. The town is named Fells Church instead. The name change isn't a huge one when it comes to some of the bigger Vampire Diaries book vs. show differences.

Fells Church just doesn't have the same ring to it, and it's not as unnerving. Writers might have felt that it wouldn't be as memorable of a name for the viewers, whereas Mystic Falls definitely packs a punch. Fell's Church was still used in the show, though it was a literal church where some important events happened in the show's timeline. It was where the tomb that imprisoned vampires from the 1800s was located.

5 The Vampire Diaries Books Included Different Supernatural Beings

These Supernatural Beings Didn't Appear On TV

Fellow CW network series Supernatural is known for having angels, but the TV version of TVD doesn't have any, although there are plenty of other supernatural entities. Tyler's storyline opens the door for the series to include werewolves and hybrids, but most of the other beings in the television series are of the magical variety.

The book series had angels, "phantoms" (demons who ate the feelings of human beings), "Kitsune" (foxes who could change their shape), and "guardians" (angels). These beings weren't in the show, though they were replaced by other supernatural entities. Interestingly, the spinoff Legacies actually plays more with the larger lore of the universe, introducing a lot more supernatural creatures than The Vampire Diaries did on screen. There, phoenixes, jinni, fairies, gods, and more were part of the storylines for the characters at the Salvatore School.

4 Elena's Journals Are A Huge Deal In The Books

Elena's Diary Entries Affect Many Of The Novel's Storylines

The concept of Elena's journals is a huge part of the story in the book series. Elena writes about everything in her life in those journals in the books, even about Stefan being a vampire. Caroline even steals her journal and wants to use it to make sure everyone in the town learns the truth about him when she is jealous that Stefan chooses Elena over her.

In contrast, while Elena writes in her journal in the Vampire Diaries pilot, her diary is rarely ever seen again. Stefan keeps plenty of journals as well, but they're mostly used to chronicle the history of vampires and the town. They are not used consistently in the television series at all, despite the name of the show implying that they would be. The show even drops Elena using writing in her diary as a narration device pretty early on.

3 Elena Was Mean In The Books

The Personality Of Elena Was Altered To Make Her More Personable

A big difference for Elena between the Vampire Diaries books vs. show is Elena's personality. Elena wasn't a sweetheart in the book series like she is on the TV show. Elena's even referred to as an "ice queen" because of her attitude. Anyone who reads the books knows how true this is.

Elena came across as a mean girl who was often very selfish. Upon seeing Stefan for the first time, she even claimed that he belonged to her as if he was some kind of prize. Both versions of Elena were relatively popular at their high school, though the book version wore her popularity like a badge of honor, whereas the show Elena was just an excellent friend.

In fact, some fans of the books compared the early characterization of Caroline in the show to Elena in the books, though even that isn't entirely accurate since Caroline's arc starts changing as soon as she meets Damon on the show.

2 Stefan And Damon's Backstory Is Different

The Brothers Are Much Older In The Books

Throughout most of season 1, Damon is positioned as the villain who can snap at any time and who revels in the joys of being a vampire. However, it was Stefan who was a loose cannon at first, and he convinced Damon to turn, setting him on the path he ended up on. While on the TV show, Damon and Stefan turn into vampires after their time on an 1800s plantation in Virginia, their backstory is different in the book series.

They drink the blood of vampires and murder each other in a huge argument rather than dying while attempting to free Katherine. The two brothers are so angry with one another in the books, they actually stab one another in the heart, then wake up to realize neither of them was successful in killing the other since they had vampire blood in their system. They also date back to the Italian Renaissance, which makes The Vampire Diaries book versions of the characters much older.

1 The Timelines Are Different

Elena Has Lived Longer Without Her Parents

The timelines for the books compared to the Vampire Diaries novels are a little different. While both shows take place primarily during the teen years of Elena and her friends, there are a few big differences in the timeline, like Stefan and Damon being vampires for much longer in the books. Elena has also been without her parents for much longer in the books.

In the show, Elena and Jeremy are reeling from the deaths of their parents just a few months before the pilot episode. They are both still grieving the loss and reacting to it in very different ways. In the books, Elena has grieved and accepted what happened though because her parents died a few years before the book begins. It’s mentioned that they died when Margaret was only a year old, and she’s four when the book starts.

These little details add up to a lot of big differences in The Vampire Diaries books vs. show.

The Vampire Diaries

Based on the novels by L.J. Smith, The Vampire Diaries is a story about the developing love triangle between Elena Gilbert and two vampiric brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Set in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, the show follows the trio from high school through college as they battle for one another's affection.

Cast

Nina Dobrev , Ian Somerhalder , Steven R. McQueen , Paul Wesley , Kat Graham , Michael Trevino , Michael Malarkey , Zach Roerig , Candice King , Matthew Davis

Seasons

8

Network

The CW

Writers

Julie Plec , Kevin Williamson , L.J. Smith

Showrunner

Julie Plec