19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Epic Win, September 6, 2008
This review is from: The Secret Circle: The Initiation and The Captive Part I (rpkg) (Paperback)
Ah, The Secret Circle. Quite simply, I adore these books. I'm absolutely thrilled that they're being re-released, as my old copies are now quite creased and have started to fall apart. I finally get to replace them! Though I'll never throw the originals away, mostly because I would feel like that was sacrilege, but also because I don't like these new covers nearly as much as the old ones.
Yes, these books are THAT good. I first read them as a young teenager, because my sister and I were both big fans of Smith's Vampire Diaries saga. At first we were both confused, because we thought these TSC would be about vampires, too. We quickly decided that witches were just as much fun to read about as vampires!
(very minor spoilers below, beware)
The heroine of this trilogy is Cassie Blake, and she is a character that every girl reading the books will both relate to and admire. As a younger reader, I remember feeling really elated by this, because if I was even a little bit like Cassie, I must be a better person than my teenage mind gave me credit for. And I think that new readers will come to the same realization.
As the story starts, Cassie is fairly ordinary, or at least she sees herself that way. She's average looking and fairly shy. She doesn't stand up for herself, and she's easily intimidated. Smith never writes her as a COWARD, though, just as a timid, typical teenage girl who desperately longs to fit in with her peers. When she first sees Diana (who later becomes her best friend), she assumes that Diana is out of her league because Diana is beautiful. A very realistic reaction, in my opinion, and one I had many times in high school.
As the books progress, so does Cassie. She slowly begins to realize her own potential without compromising who she was in the very first chapter. She's a character who follows her heart and tries to do what she really believes is right. She makes mistakes, definitely, and is far from perfect, but even when she deliberately does the wrong thing, she feels guilty about it and tries to clean up whatever messes she helped cause. When forced to choose, she almost always chooses her family and friends over her own wants. I think she's a fantastic role model for tween readers (and adult readers, too, come to think).
All of Smith's characters are very richly developed. Diana, the beautiful best friend, seems absolutely perfect at first. She's eternally kind and loving and generous and innocent. But it becomes clear that she's also TOO naive at times, TOO trusting. Faye, who is the anti-Diana, isn't as bad as she is initially portrayed. Her selfish/nasty aspects don't go away (which would be unrealistic and less fun), but her more redeeming qualities are brought to light the more the reader and Cassie get to know her.
This story is exciting and interesting. At its core, it's about Cassie discovering who she is. It just so happens that she's from a long line of witches. At the time when I first read The Initiation and The Captive, I had never read a story quite like it. I realize now that the YA market is full of supernatural paperbacks, so I don't know if that will still be true for new readers. Witchcraft, soulmates, magic, a mysterious evil... seems like a lot of books use this recipe now-a-days. But what I think makes Secret Circle (and all of Smith's books, really) stand apart, is how readers really FEEL what the leading character is feeling. Despite all the supernatural aspects, these books seem so genuine and real, because Cassie's thoughts and emotions are so understandable.
L.J. Smith will forever be one of my favorite authors because of this trilogy. It not only has been a personal joy to read and reread, but it has added to the bond that I share with my sister who first introduced me to Smith's books so many years ago. We've often read the books together, so much so that, for her 30th birthday in November, I've recently purchased her a piece of chalcedony carved in the shape of a rose (I'm a total nerd, I realize, but I know she'll immediately understand what it is and that it's my way of saying I love her and miss our childhood days).
To sum up, these books are full of awesome. I can't imagine anyone not enjoying them.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
AWESOME! Could not put it down!, January 19, 2009
This review is from: The Secret Circle: The Initiation and The Captive Part I (rpkg) (Paperback)
Lucky for me I had the second book ready to go because I read the first book in 1 day. It was so good I kept reaching for it whenever I had a spare moment.
Really this is a great read.
I wish I had read it in the 90's when they were out and I was younger- LOL.
Personally, I feel L.J. Smith's books are better than the Twiglight Series. And they were written before Twilight. Hmmmm...Maybe S.Meyer read L.J Smith when she was younger...
**Make sure you have the second book ready because it is originally a trilogy. So each of the 2 Secret Circle books has 1 1/2 of the original books from the trilogy in them:o)
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Secret Circle, July 22, 2008
This review is from: The Secret Circle: The Initiation and The Captive Part I (rpkg) (Paperback)
I began reading L. J. Smith when I was twelve years old, and continued to read and reread her books as I grew older. This edition of the Secret Circle is the same as L. J. Smith's previous editions of the Secret Circle which were released in the mid to late 1990s. Out of all her books though, The Secret Circle trilogy has remained one of my favorite series by far.
In the books Cassie a young girl moving to a new town is in for a surprise when she finds out her mother was raised in a small town run by the families on Cassie's street. Cassie is both welcomed into this fold as a member of the street and excluded from the fold as a half-outsider and finds herself surrounded by a mystery she feels compelled to solve. Throw in some romance, drama, and a tad bit of magical mystery and the series is pretty much explained. A great read and if you enjoy this series check out my other favorite books by L.J. Smith, which include her Dark Visions Trilogy and the Nightworld Series.
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