5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
totally great!, October 10, 1999
By A Customer
I couldn't put it down! I set my record-I finished the book faster than any other! I'm just in agony that I won't know the ending til they reprint the third! I have 1 &2, and will get 3 ASAP; you gotta read this, what in the world are you thinking if you say no to it?!!!!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"That Was When the Man in Black came to New Salem...", September 11, 2004
"The Captive" is the second book in the Secret Circle Trilogy by L. J. Smith, her most worthwhile trilogy. In the first book "The Initiation", teenager Cassie Blake and her mother moved to New Salem, where she was adopted by a group of witches within the school, who needed a twelfth member for the completion of their coven. There were complications however: although Cassie is instant friends with the coven leader Diana, Diana's cousin Faye is hostile and manipulative toward her. Meanwhile, Cassie has fallen for Diana's boyfriend Adam, and now Faye is blackmailing Cassie into doing whatever she asks - if she doesn't, she'll tell Diana the truth.
And what Faye is after is the sinister crystal skull that the coven uncovered, but that Cassie suspects is somehow behind the awful deaths of several people within New Salem - and she knows that it'll become twice as dangerous if it ends up in Faye's hands. But telling Diana that her beloved boyfriend and her best friend have been cheating on her would break her heart, as well as see her kicked out of the coven. She seemingly has no choice but to get Faye the skull - but first she has to find it...
Meanwhile, Cassie is investigating other strange occurrences around New Salem - she's been experiencing odd dreams, and her mother and grandmother's behaviour is still secretive and aloof. She finds a sealed and blocked off cellar at the local cemetery, as well as an unusual feature on the graves of the other witches' parents - all of them died in 1976. What happened that year to kill so many of the first generation? Another time phenomena strikes Cassie as odd - all the teenage witches celebrate their birthdays within three months of each other, almost as if the parents coordinated their children's' births.
As well as this there is the usual teenager-novel fare: school dances, joy riding, bullying, hormones, raunchy games, and a sprinkling of witchy rituals throughout. Finally though, the story accumulates with the vote for the permanent coven leader, a position coveted by both Faye and Diana, and a disaster that reveals much of the back-story to the terrible happenings at New Salem.
However, the story ends with one of L. J. Smith's frustrating cliff-hangers which forces you to track down and pay for the next book before you find out what happens. I've always found this to be one of the most unappealing components of Smith's books, unlike book series like "Harry Potter" for example, with each installment containing a full, complete plot, Smith's books are divided into several volumes for the simple reasoning: they get more money this way. If there is a publication out there that combines all three of the books into one, I suggest getting that instead of spending money on three separate books.
"The Captive" is possibly the best book in the series, melding several mysteries and plot devices into a whole, with enough intrigue and suspense to keep anyone interested. Cassie's dilemma certainly makes compulsive reading, as does the duality between Diana and Faye, and the direction that the coven can take. The figure of Black John lurks in the background like a sinister shadow (and is certainly Smith's best villain) and again Smith deftly portrays the relationships and attitudes of normal, understandable characters in an abnormal situation. Here we get to see a little more of the personalities of the rest of the coven, and although the Cassie/Adam love match still seems a little unlikely to me, it shakes things up well for the final book "The Power".
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
CHILLING!, March 14, 2003
Book two began exactly where the first left off! Cassie was part of the Circle. Faye was blackmailing Cassie to help her become the Coven's leader when the votes were next cast. Cassie, torn between what she felt for Adam and her loyalty toward Diana, would do almost anything to keep Faye from twisting truths into believable lies!
Meanwhile, more dark energy escapes from the crystal skull and more kids are found dead from the high school. Cassie will lose a loved one, find her working stone, learn some shocking family secrets, and her grandmother will reveal who Black John is and where he is now!
Lastly, all secrets of all the Coven members are about to be revealed!
***** This one is not as gripping as the first was, but still exciting! (Cassie is finally getting a back bone!) I am left eager to dive into the third book! Thank goodness I purchased all three books of this trilogy at once! Terrific series! *****
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