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I love diary format and don't have any problem with it on the tense. I quit the book, but it wasn't due to the format of the book.

I felt that this diary format worked nicely for the book, and I didn't have a problem with it. As far as the foreshadowing goes, I've had plenty of times in my life when I've had a clear sense of foreshadowing happen that later turned out to be accurate, and I'm not even a vampire/wizard. It probably really comes down to a question of personal taste for the reader.

I enjoyed the diary format as used in this story. I did not pick up on improper tenses as I read, so it must of made sense to me as I read.

I personally thought that the formatting kind of worked with the story. Someone mentioned that there is too much fantasy in the novel to make the diary format make sense. I think that the fact that he was a teacher from our modern day world can account for the fact that this is the formatting style that was chosen. I like that the diary format gives me a sense as to how long the events are taking place. And as for the fact that he switches from present tense to past tense sometimes is because I imagine him late at night after events have happened writing them down or taking these thorough mental notes of what happened. So since some of the events were finished he used the past tense, but when there is something that he mentions will happen or that is still going on and hasn't finished yet he switches to present tense. In these senses, I definitely agree with Jennifer Allsbrook.

This discrepancy didn't even occur to me until after I finished the book and looked through the forum. It didn't bother me until it was pointed out. The diary is eventually written in his personal study locked away in his own mind. That works. But in the first part of the book, I find it hard to believe that he would be keeping a diary. After going through the portal, said diary would not have come with him, he would have had to start afreash. He mentioned that He wishes pencils were invented there. And he would not have paper and quill on the road. Even if he did have the ability to keep a diary, that would be keeping evidence of his vampirism for anyone to find. Not in character.

Randomgold wrote:
That being said, if I had to give some kind of justification to some of these things, it all boils down to how he's writing things. He's not "physically" writing things, so he can go back and alter things after the fact, just by thinking about it. At least, that's what I think.

I was thinking the same thing. I just feel like he's inconsistent about writing diaries. Maybe the story would have flowed better if it wasn't in this format, but we also wouldn't get as much of Eric's personality in the narrative.

I had a hard time getting into the book at first because of the diary format. Some of the language at the beginning was really choppy and made me think that I wouldn't enjoy the book at all. Once Eric went to the other workd it got a little better for me, but it was confusing when there were time lapses in the diary entries.

I think diary format is a lot more immersive as you see it in the main characters pov. But it doesn't feel natural at times. I am very picky on the style of writing, I love paragraphs of short sentences combined of few or one word, which builds intention and sends characters feelings ant thoughts, not to mention the rich descriptions of surroundings. I think that people don't write pages of pages of one event, just some facts of the day, so a graphic story in a diary format would be a bit out of ordinary if you really think about it.

If it's done well I like a diary format for a story as well as any. However, to me, it feels a little less personal (that sounds kind of backwards, I know) and I always feel less involved in the story, as opposed to it occurring in present time and feeling like you're actually witnessing it.

Rovat, I completely see your point. Not only is that the case, but there are also instances of time passing on one day. For instance, it will say March 22nd. He will start talking about March 22nd, but then in the end it indicates that months have gone by. It's a diary format, but yet, it's not.

I honestly liked the diary format. That was one of the things that I found interesting. I only gave the book one star. It is one of the more crappy books that I have read. It was to long and took to long to get to the point. If it was a bit faster and did not have time travel in it, it would have been even better. I have read a few books with diary entries like this one and I finished them because I like those types of books because I can feel a connection with them. I have a daily journal and it helps me relate to the book. I just could not for the life of me get into this book and finish it. Per my kindle I only made it about fifteen percent through and called it a wash. I personally would not suggest this book to other people. If anything you need to stear very very clear of this book. I will not be finishing the series since I could not even make it through the first one. I have read some of George RR Martins books which are fairly long and finished them no problem with having to remember a lot more. This book though is just horrid and will be number one on my dislike list of books.

I didn't mind the book being written like a diary. The book is written in first person, so I read it like it was just a retelling of his life. As someone mentioned, Eric says it is a mental diary later on, and since he was a wizard, it did make sense to me.

The only problem I had was that I couldn't really keep track of the timeline. I know the dates the entries were written were the chapter titles, but I don't really pay attention to chapter titles. It's not a big deal, I loved the story, I just wish I had a better sense of the timeline.

The book is really well written, and I enjoyed it immensely!

Gravy wrote:I'm not the biggest fan of the "diary" format, anyway. It always takes away from the story, in my opinion. After all, the character lived to write the entry, and that prevents some of the enjoyment for me. If I can't worry for the character, it's harder to actually care.

Thats a good point diary format can take away from a story. I think a mix of first person narration and diary format works well, though. For example, The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith was a good combo, and the diary entries helped get more in-depth look at the characters instead of giving away a story line

I like the diary format. However, I like most any book that is written as a collection of writing be it letters, diary entries, or newspaper articles.

The only Diary format I was able to read was 'The Diary of Anna Frank.' It was informative, even during the time of WWII. But I'm also finding that has been a rise of diaries within the last five years. And sadly, its really hard to read. I mean I understand to put an entry within a story to add depth but to make the whole book into a diary, I find it hard to understand.