These Shocking Differences Between The Vampire Diaries Novels and Show Might Just Surprise You

But why, you ask? For the simple reason that there are a wealth of differences between the novels and the TV shows that will make the reading experience new and enriching.

For the uninitiated readers among us, here are some of the key differences between the books and the TV shows.

What's in a Name?

This might not affect the plot a huge amount but the name of the fabled supernatural town in the novels is actually Fells Church.
The name was changed to Mystic Falls in the hit CW show for undisclosed legal reasons. The show does feature a Fell’s Church, but it’s just a structure in the cemetery.

A Change of Identity

It's not just the town that has had a change of identity. A lot of the characters have been renamed too.
Just a few examples are Matt Donovan being known as Matt Honeycutt in the book, Tyler Lockwood being named Tyler Smallwood and Elena's Aunt Jenna being called Judith.

Are You There, Jer?

Brace yourself Jeremy fans. Your favorite character doesn't even exist in the books.
In L. J. Smith's novels Elena has a four-year-old sister named Margaret which is obviously a huge difference.
I personally am interested in how this would change Elena's character. Surely being in charge of such a young and vulnerable person would help to make her less self-centred? Apparently not...

Personality Transplant

According to my good friend who has read all of the books, Elena in the book series has a personality that might seem awfully familiar to us.
That's right, she is way more like her doppelgänger Katherine. People who think the Elena in the show is self-centred and prissy at times should count their blessings because the alternative is apparently a whole lot less likeable!
In fact, Elena and Katherine have a bit of a personality transplant all round. In the book Katherine is described as a kitten while Elena is a tiger, but in the show, the opposite clearly applies.

Elena's Showbiz Makeover

In the Vampire Diaries novels, there is also something very different about Elena's appearance.
In the books, Elena is a blond haired and blue eyed beauty, but when Nina Dobrev auditioned for the part she wowed producers so much that they were willing to change the main character's look.
Obviously, this change had hardcore book fans enraged before the show had even began although most of them were converted by Dobrev's grade A acting ability.
While this change of appearance might seem drastic, it definitely isn't the most extreme makeover we've seen so far.

A More Bloodthirsty Stefan?

One of the first things we learn about Stefan in the TV show is that he is existing from a diet of animals and refusing to drink human blood out of principle (except for those pesky ripper phases...).
In the books however, Stefan does feast one one particular human's blood: Elenas. This blood letting takes place in an intimate loving sort of way, but it still paints a different picture of Stefan and his morals and ethics.

Bonnie Who?

In the Vampire Diaries book series, Elena's best friend Meredith Sulez plays a big role in the epic story, but she obviously doesn't exist in the show.
The Bonnie Bennett who we know and love is created from a blend of Sulez and a girl with magical powers named Bonnie McCullough from the novels.
Bonnie McCullough is described as a petit redhead who received her powers from her druid ancestry, whereas in the show she is obviously a dark haired African American girl who is descended from Salem witches.