Customer Reviews

Night World No. 1: Secret Vampire; Daughters of Darkness; Spellbinder

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Reprinted into three story volumes, L.J. Smith's Night World series is back for a new audience of paranormal fantasy fans. The first volume collects the stories Secret Vampire, Daughters of Darkness and Spellbinder.

[Secret Vampire] is the tale of Poppy, a teen faced with the sudden diagnoses of a terminal illness. With very little time left, her closest friend James reveals the secret of the Night World risking both their lives to possibly save hers. But will Poppy survive the turning and if she does will James be able to protect her from the Night World?

Call me a big sap but I liked the concept for this story. The idea of a terminally ill person offered the chance to die a painful human death or risk everything to become a vampire is a really fun dilemna. What kind of fell flat for me though was the lack of chemistry between James and Poppy. Their friendship and relationship wasn't very well fleshed out and I didn't find their mutual love for one another to be very believable. On the whole though the story would be perfect for a reader looking for a little soapy drama.

[Daughters of Darkness] centers around three sisters, Rowan, Kestrel and Jade, who are briefly mentioned in the previous story. Tired of the archaic ways of the lamia (vampires who are born not made) the trio escape from their Night World sanctuary to rural Oregon to stay with an outcast aunt. What they expect is for their brother to try and hunt them down. What they don't expect is that someone else might be trying to get rid of them... permanently. When a local human brother and sister's fate becomes intertwined with theirs it can only mean trouble.

A little overloaded with characters to keep track of this story was the slower of the three for me as a reader. The three sisters are definitely a bit strange, making their interactions with their human friends a bit weird but they are each likable in their own way. The mystery of who might being trying to get rid of them isn't completely obvious fortunately, which makes the story jump around from supsect to suspect. The romance angles are a little far-fetched but again, young fans will probably really enjoy that aspect.

[Spellbinder] focuses on a pair of cousins, Thea and Blaise, with a track record of getting booted from schools faster than one can bat an eyelash. Sent to spend the school year with their grandmother in Las Vegas the pair of young witches waste no time getting into new trouble. Both vying for the attentions of Eric, the two let their spell casting get out of hand and the results could endanger not just the local humans, but the secrets of the Night World.

Romantically the more believable story of the three I liked how this one ended a lot. The story had a very different feel from the two vampire tales and gives a glimpse into other parts of the Night World. The cousins are very different from one another and their relationship makes no sense at times but watching them use their different magics is very entertaining. Overall probably the more enjoyable tale of the three this one rounds the book out nicely.

As an adult reader I can't give Night World No. 1 more than an overall "It was okay" rating. Would another adult not like them at all? That I can't honestly say. I found them extremely formulaic and thus they just weren't that exciting or interesting. The romances were the lukewarm sort of stories that lack hero to heroine chemistry that adult romances thrive on. BUT I think this is a perfect book for the tween to teen set, this series is definitely written for kids. Parents looking for something without the coarse language and sensuality should be pleased to note the language here is clean and the most that happens in the stories are kisses. These are stories that work well for a young audience with their adventure, romance and continuity.

Welcome to the Night World, a treacherous and strict society of Earth's darker species--vampires, witches, shape shifters. There are two rules that must never be forgotten...human knowledge of the Night World is strictly forbidden, and a member of the Night World must never fall in love with a human. Both are punishable by death, and both are broken in L.J. Smith's riveting collection of novels.

When Poppy finds that she has pancreatic cancer, she is devastated that her life is coming to such an abrupt end. But then her best friend James reveals that he is a vampire, and he can offer her a chance to live...forever. But the risks are great. If the Night World were to find about her, it'd be certain death. Poppy must choose in Secret Vampire.

Daughters of Darkness takes us to a small village in Oregon, where human Mary-Lynette harbors suspicions about her elderly neighbor's three nieces. Then a string of brutal murders and baffling happenings occur, coinciding with the mysterious girls' appearance. Things only get more complicated when Mary-Lynette meets their brother, and finds out what they truly are.

In Spellbinder, witch cousins Thea and Blaise have one last chance to get their act together at their new school. Thea is determined not to get expelled this time due to Blaise's actions, but when Blaise begins playing with Thea's new crush, Thea can't help but get sucked it. Soon both girls are in over their heads.

These three novels by L.J. Smith that have been combined and put between one knock out of a new cover will captivate, amaze, and entertain. What you think would be cliché and overworked is unique, innovative, and enrapturing in Smith's voice. All three of the stories are cleverly connected, making them that more enjoyable. Smith's characters are wonderfully imagined and presented in such a fashion to make the readers fall for them and become enraptured in their struggles and triumphs. There's a new twist around every corner and surprising depth and compassion on every page. Though each story was originally published separately, they flow together fluidly to present an enticing, dangerous, and highly appealing look at the Night World.

Fans have been waiting, and those unfamiliar should be curious to pick up this novel. HarperTeen has decided to republish L.J. Smith's infamous "Night World" series.

This volume contains the first three novels. At first glance they are stand-alone stories within the same society, but the further you get into it, the more you see familiar characters popping up. This is just the start of a brilliant, intricately woven series of the supernatural.

In Secret Vampire, Poppy learns she's dying of pancreatic cancer. Her best friend, James, figures the only way to help her is to turn her into a vampire. The problem is, the Night World forbids the telling of humans about their society... and especially forbids falling in love with them. The consequence is death. You think that would be bad enough, but interestingly, the conflict comes from Poppy's twin brother, Phillip, and James' reckless cousin. This is a fascinating peek into the series--and if you take note, you'll find at least four characters who will reappear in later novels.

Daughters of Darkness is the second tale. Three beautiful young girls have moved to the desolate town of Briar Creek, Oregon. When Mary-Lynnette discovers they buried something large and disturbingly body-like in the back yard of her next-door neighbor, she's determined to find out who and why. But it ends up dragging her and her younger brother, Mark, in over their heads... especially when the sisters' brother, Ash, shows up and turns Mary-Lynnette's world upside down. The mystery is a little rushed in this one, with not too much suspense, but the ending should surprise you at least a little bit.

Spellbinder is about two witch sisters who have been ordered to live with their grandmother, a high-ranking magic-practitioner in the Night World. Blaise likes to toy with the hearts of human boys, and Thea can't help but try to protect her when she gets in trouble. Things start to get interesting when Thea finds herself involved with a human boy named Eric, and Blaise seems determined to make him her next plaything. But when Thea takes measures to protect Eric, a spell goes wrong and a spirit begins to brutally murder people at the high school.

L.J. Smith introduces readers to not just a new type of vampire, but (especially when it was first published over a decade ago) new kinds of witches, werewolves, and shapeshifters. And love has a whole new meaning in these novels--the concept of soulmates is introduced late in the first book, but carries a strong presence from thereon out.

The stories are short, but the images are vivid, the characters are strong and likeable, and you just can't help falling in love with this mysterious "world within a world." Highly recommended, even after all this time. And old fans should take heart--the final installment has finally, OFFICIALLY from L.J. Smith herself, been promised sometime in 2009.

The endings are very corny. The story plots were very good but it seems rushed, as if the writer, after writing 100 pages or so of a story, feels like she's forced to end quickly so she can move to the next one. The characters seems flat. And right when the climax of the story reaches, it was gone in an instant and the story reaches the end.

I've been a fan of the Nightworld series since I was 14 in 1998, long before twilight's popularity made vampire books trendy and allowed the reprinting of all these books! I used to scour used bookstores hoping to find some of L.J. Smith's work. I read the entire series over and over again--No other vampire series has stirred my imagination quite like this one, teen and adult books alike.

This trilogy contains the first three books of the series, Secret Vampire, Daughters of Darkness, and Spellbinder (sidenote: I had bought a copy of the British version of Spellbinder, which was renamed named Enchantress. I actually special ordered the British versions in 1999, purely on the reason that in the late 90s, the covers of the American versions of these books were rather embarrassing to be seen reading. They looked like bizarre fantasy books, and the British printings were a bit more reasonably done. Although I actually like the old covers now for their silliness, they were embarrassing for a teenager to be seen reading in a tiny school in the south. If you want to see what they look like, do a search online. Be very thankful that they reprinted them with these great dark, pretty covers now!)

Back to the review: These books were some of my favorites of the series, with amazing characters. Poppy & James' story in the first book, Secret Vampire, is a great story with quite a bit of action. We're also introduced to one of the favorite characters in this series, the rather legendary Ash. The second book is all about Ash...the events in the second book are really quite incredible, and have a rather unusual ending for a love story. The ending of the book led to countless fan fictions online, and much discussion. Ash continues to make appearances in other Nightworld books, and is such a great character, I'm incredibly excited to find out what happens to him in the last installment of this series (due to be printed in march 2010....12 years after I read the first book!).

The last book is one of my absolute favorites. It introduces the reader to the witchcraft aspect of this series with the story of two beautiful sisters, Thea and Blaise. In Nightworld, witches have is a matriarchal society based loosely on actual witchcraft. While the spells and items they use will seem familiar to anyone who has studied Wicca, L.J. Smith has woven a complex history and society to set these witches in. In fact, she's created an entirely new society in general, the Nightworld, with it's own laws, histories, and rulers. Vampires are done differently than in any other book (Vampires can be born or made by other vampires). Werewolves, shape-shifters, and ghosts exist as well.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone (teen or adult) who likes a good paranormal romance tale, or even just a good dark fantasy/horror book. Over the years, I've gotten several friends to read the series, and everyone's loved it. It's a great series and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have.

I read this book as well as a few more from the series a few years ago. It seemed like it would have everything I love (vampires, withces, and some romance thrown in) and the first part of the book did. Unfortunatly, after that the author just repeated the same basic plot two more times. I kept reading in hope that there would be change and a greater deepening to the plot but all the books in this series are just a repeat of that first story with only slight plot development to the overall story each time. It is not worth your money or your time to start this series. It has little originality and there are much better books out there to invest your time and money into.

If you are suffering from Twilight withdrawls, pick up all three of the Night World books! Each book has 3 stories, some with vampires, some with shapeshifters, werewolves, or witches, some with all of the above. This is marketed as Young Adult fiction, but as with Twilight, a great story has no age limits. The romance is clean and of the type that makes all women's hearts flutter. The Soul Mate principle is as breathless as anyone could hope for! I especially loved Daughters of Darkness in this collection. The three sisters are as interesting in their relationship to each other as the three fates! Not to mention their bad boy brother Ash who comes to take them home and instead meets his match in a girl with her eyes on the stars. I loved it and so did my 14 year old daughter, so great for all ages!

The cover being shown with this story actually has 3 books in 1. This is just the first book. I searched around, you can find this as a stand alone book, they just show the anthology version as the cover.

This is a shorter story than some. But it is a good story. It's a vampire story that I would not be ashamed to have my kids read. Lately more and more of the paranormal books are what my husband terms "pornmance". This is not one of them. No detailed sex scenes. Instead it is an interesting and alternate view on what an Earth with Paranormal creatures might be like. They don't want humans to know about them.
The love story that is this story reminded me in some ways of the *Twilight* series, but it is alot shorter. It's about a teenage girl who deosn't know her best (male) friend is a vampire. She has secretly had a crush on him for a while...... things happen to her that force him to change her, reveling his feelings about her.

I also have been waiting years for this series to be re-released again.

Daughters of Darkness is the best of the three, but you must read Secret Vampire first. The books are not going from the same character and their progression, they are EACH A SEPARATE BOOK ON THEIR OWN. The books are of a secret society of vampires, shapeshifters (including werewolves), and witches and the forbidden romances between them and humans. The books are short, but well-written and touching. Buy them you won't be disappointed.

This series is my all time favorite. L.J. Smith is my favorite author (even though I am now in my mid-twenties...yes I am ancient). I started with The Vampire Diaries when I was in Junior High. I would recommend reading L.J. Smith's The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle, (but the best is the Night World Series). I would skip "Dark Angel" of the series for Nightworld. The main character is a drip. Thank you for coming out with this again. I don't think the publishers realize how many fans there really are. Thank you Twilight Tales for giving me some hope

I loved these books when they were single stories, and love them just as much now. The stories, though shorter than I would like, were way too good to leave at their previous "Out-of-Print" status. I literally leapt for joy when hearing they were reprinting them!
In this first installment of the Night World, you follow three very different tales. Full of drama and intense touches of romance (under 18 friendly) that leave you breathless and dying for more! As I said previously, they are a little short, ~200 pages each, but they're still well worth it.
If you like drama, fantasy, danger, vampires, witches, werewolves, shapeshifters, and tales of forbidden love that you just CAN'T put down until its over, I suggest Nightworld.