The Initiation and The Captive Part I - The Secret Circle

The book was something my g/daughter wanted. We have been watching the series together during her
breaks at College... She informed me she didn't care if the book was used. She couldn't wait to get
home and start reading it. She was excited. Thank you.

I was devastated when the show was canceled after only one season.
So, out of desperation, I decided to buy the two books, but I was sadly let down.
I knew going in that they were COMPLETELY different... but I thought that would be a good thing.
However, the books do not have the same feeling the show had. Fewer emotions, and boring repetition without climax.
*SPOILER* IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN TV SERIES:
*For example, Cassie isn't as deep of a character as she was on the television show. Mostly because he father left when she was a child, and she lives with her alive mother and grandmother. No death here in the first book that hits home to Cassie.

*There are twelve members in a circle, not six.

*Cassie's father was mentioned once, he has no recurring role.

*Far less usage and study of magic. It's mostly how they can make themselves pretty with herbs.

*No believable love connection between Adam and Cassie in book like in the TV series.

*Set on the East Coast, not the west. (Improvement, I thought, from the show).

*Cassie and Diana are described as having opposite looks as they have in the television series.

*TV show had action, romance, and climactic moments that kept you on the edge of your seat, and the book, sadly, kept you waiting for it to get better, but it never quite does.

To end my review, I'm not going to bother reading the two new books that aren't even written by L. J. Smith, since the reviews say that Cassie's character is much more petty and uncaring, since I personally find her fairly unintelligent and petty already in the first two books. This is more of a tween series than a teen series... coming from a seventeen-year-old girl, by the way.
If you do read them, I hope you enjoy, but I was very let down. I guess my hopes were too high. It read like a petty 13-year-old's fanfiction.

I loved the Tv show and was very disappointed that it wasn't renewed for the 2nd season even though the show had good reviews.. when I found out it was based on the series I was actually excited because I needed to know what happened with the characters. It isn't often that a movie or tv show is better then the books .. I found it to be completely different and incredible boring read so far I bought all the books and home it gets better. Please bring back this show or rewrite it based on the tv series who ever was the writer on the show needs to finish telling the story it was honestly such an amazing story line.

I just loathe stories wherein the MC has no knowledge of her True Heritage. It just makes the MC look dumb when everyone around her is in on the secret and all it entails while she stumbles around, making mistakes. I could forgive this plot tactic if it’s written well, but I’m afraid to say “The Secret Circle” is not one of those. But, OK, the MC finds out about her ancestry. Does she go to her mother or grandmother to find out all she can about their family history? Well, if she did, it all happened “off screen.” It’s just so unrealistic that someone finds out she’s a witch with Powers, but doesn’t do all she can to learn what is means to be a witch. She doesn’t read up on everything she can to get a deeper understanding of her heritage. Cassie acts fairly blasé and accepting with very little questions. Again, is this at all realistic?!

As I read more and more of the novel, I started to hate the MC Cassie. She was one of those TSTL characters. I’m thinking specifically of her giving in to Faye’s blackmail. Cassie knows Faye’s morals, she knows Faye’s true character. She knows this, and has witnessed it for herself (e.g., making Sally fall, and the many “pranks” she pulled stuffing Cassie’s locker). Yet, she thinks giving Faye that kind of power over her, and ultimately, over her BFF Diana is the way to go. Cassie has glimmers of recognition that giving in to Faye would do more harm than good, then turns right around and ignores her common sense.

As for the love interest, I thought Adam was a fairly bland, one-note character. I don’t normally go for the anti-hero, but I was more intrigued by Nick. I’ve only read The Initiation and the Captive Part 1, but I just have this sense there’s more to Nick than we think. (I’ll have to see if I’m right). However, I don’t get this sense with Adam. He’s just “there”, and I’m not seeing this supposed Epic Love he and Cassie should share.
And then of course, for plot contrivance, Cassie just has to attend the Homecoming Dance as Adam’s date because Diana and ill, and begs Cassie to go in her place. Um, hello? What about Deborah, or Laurel, or Melanie? Why didn’t Diana ask one of them since she’s known them much longer than Cassie? Oh deus ex machine, thy name is L.J. Smith.

However, one aspect of the novel I really, really liked concerned the crystals and the herbs. L.J. Smith did her research (it really shows) on identifying the various crystals and herbs, and their properties. I don’t think someone has to be interested in New Age accoutrements to find the discussion about herbs and crystals fascinating. Kudos L.J. Smith.

I also have to applaud L.J. Smith for not making Cassie a Very Special Snowflake. I have read much too many novels where the MC is the bestest fairy, or witch, or elf, or fill-in-the-blank just because the story calls for it. The MC does nothing to earn her special status, she’s just that way because of Mary Sue-itis.

Even given all the negatives, I'm interested enough in the overall story that I will continue with the series. I just hope it vastly improves.

For once, I thought it was acceptable to put spoilers, since we're going to watch it all on TV soon anyway ;)

Review: Sixteen-year-old Cassie is furious when she is forced to move from sunny California to a dilapidated old house in the middle of nowhere - all for a grandmother she never has never known. After a week of humiliation by the school bully, she meets Diana, who introduces her to the group of friends that "rule" the school. She is drawn to Diana's beauty and concern and they become fast friends. She often feels like she is part of their group, but is excluded from some secret, which turns out to be that they are all witches, even Cassie. Cassie is quickly initiated.

In The Captive, the Circle is beset by dark forces-from the skull Adam dug out.
The whole group must cooperate if they want to fight this powerful magic. Meanwhile, Adam and Cassie become very close, and they admit to their mutual love, but decide to keep quiet about it. In the third part of the Secret Circle series, Faye is enraptured by the power of the skull is determined to have it all to herself. She blackmails Cassie into getting it for her, while slowly influencing many of the members to side with her instead of Diana. She thus cheats her way to head of the Circle. With Faye as leader, the Circle breaks into chaos. The spirit in the skull is revealed to have enormous power, but by the end, shy, quiet Cassie leads the group to the defeat of Black Johm.

Overall, I liked the first book well enough. It's the kind of book you would read in one sitting. It definitely drew me in
and held my interest, and I couldn't wait to get the sequel, but I'd probably forget it pretty soon if it weren't for the coming TV show. I was dissatisfied with a couple of things: 1) The tests to join the Circle are treated as if they were a big deal, but if I recall correctly, all Cassie had to do was not have fear in her heart (LOL!) and step into the Circle with the dagger to her throat. This was the proclaimed "tests". Not that big a deal.

Another thing that seemed incomprehensible is that these two (Adam and Cassie) are teenagers and together for no more than twenty minutes, and they're in love? That's a bit ridiculous, don't you think, even with magic? I say it's the raging hormones. Lol. I thought the characters were well-developed, but the physical characterization was a little too obvious. White for purity, and black for evil - it's as if the author is punching you with a great big "DUH". But it's all good because Faye (the evil one) redeems herself in the end. Woot!

Lastly, I am a tiny bit disappointed that it is being made into a TV show. For one, scriptwriters take the book and do crazy things with just to keep it going, which usually degrades the actual thing. And secondly, if you wanted to start yet another paranormal TV show, why this one? Why not Richelle Mead's series? Why not something by Lauren Kate, Amber Kizer, Melissa de la Cruz, or even Maggie Stiefvater? This book is perfectly average compared to other books of the same genre. Just because one series has produced a hit doesn't mean you should jump on board with every series produced by that author.

I borrowed this book from my local library to read and post an honest review.

With the premier of The Secret Circle being this past week, I knew that I should hurry and read the books beforehand. I have to say I really enjoyed them. In fact I haven't read a really good witch series since the Harry Potter books and these were published at least five years prior.

When Cassie Blake's mom drops the new that they're not going to return to her home in California, she's devastated. After she sees her grandmother's house in New Salem that they'll be living in, she gets infuriated. Just before school starts she finally gets used to the idea and gets excited but on the first day she has a terrible encounter with Faye, who, and her club, for some reason gets away with all of her nonsense. When Cassie sticks up for a girl Faye is bullying she decides to make Cassie her personal humiliator. As the pranks get worse and worse her mother gets sicker so Cassie can't even talk to her about her problems. Finally, when she thinks that Faye might actually kill her, Dianna, the beautiful girl from down the street, saves and befriends her. But Dianna is in the club too. Is she really good? Can Cassie really be friends with all of these "Club People"?

This was a very nicely written, young adult novel. As the book get deeper, we also find Cassie progressing as she not only realizes her own potential but accepts it and chooses to thrive. Each and every character is richly developed, especially Fay. And if you've seen the show yet on the CW, you know that they hit that character spot on. Needless to say, The Secret Circle was a very quick and thrilling read.

After learning that the TV series The Secret Circle was cancelled after just one season, I was disappointed as I really did want to see what was going to happen next. Luckily, I've got a set of books to fall back on!

The TV series was based on the books, but there are some very noticeable differences, particularly that there are a lot more characters in the books than there were in the show. A complete circle in the show was only six members, compared to twelve in the books. Some of the characters have different names and stories as well, but the added characters make for some nice complexity.

At the start of the book, Cassie has no idea she's a witch and she finds out through a rather disturbing ritual that made me anxious just reading about it! It's kind of a whirlwind set of events that completely changes her life instantaneously, and introduces her to a group of highly unlikely individuals. Let me tell you, this is one of the strangest groups of people you'll ever see together.

Right after Cassie arrives in New Salem, a series of murders begin, and the coven is set on figuring out who or what is responsible. Add to that the interpersonal struggles of the group and you've got one dysfunctional mystery solving crew!

This is an interesting group of kids and this story was a refreshing change from the current YA paranormal fiction floating around. I enjoyed the witch elements, even though I wasn't sure I would, and reading it made me a little sad that we don't get to see another season of the show to see how they would translate more of the series over.

Despite so many positive reviews, I have to admit that I was not expecting much from this novel in the beginning. Not only am I twenty years old (a few years past the age of the typical young adult reader), but I have been disappointed by L.J. Smith's work before. Though I did love the Vampire Diaries series, I have found the majority of her novels to be so full of ancient myths and folklore that it seems as if she is trying to impress you with her knowledge rather than tell a good story. However, The Secret Circle contained just enough folklore to keep the reader interested and not overwhelmed.

The story begins on beautiful Cape Cod, with seventeen-year-old Cassie Blake bored to death by the self-absorbed musings of local know-it-all Portia Bainbridge. Though Cassie feels very insecure in the presence of this girl, she is comforted by the fact that she and her mother will be returning to their home in California in a couple of weeks. As Cassie is reveling in these thoughts, a strange young man wonders onto the beach and a perceptible tension fills the air. Though the natives react so strongly to the arrival of this newcomer, Cassie sees nothing abnormal in his appearance or demeanor. But when she meets his eyes, she is startled by the intense notion that she is somehow connected to him. From this observation, the following events progress very quickly--a little too quickly, if you ask me. All of the sudden, a group of men is chasing this strange young man at gun point, and he asks Cassie to divert their attention so that he can escape. She succeeds in saving him, and he rewards her with a beautiful piece of stone; promising her that as long as the stone is in her possession, he will be able to find her. They share a kiss, and in just a matter of 25 or so pages, our heroine has met The One. However, her happiness is short lived. When she arrives back at the vacation home, Cassie's mother informs her that instead of returning to California in two weeks as planned, they will be living permanantly with her grandmother in New Salem, Massachusetts. Cassie is quickly enrolled in the local high school, and from there, her nightmare begins. On her first day, Cassie notices a strange "Club" of students within the school. This group seems to be capable of getting away with anything (including setting fires in trash cans and rolling blading down the hallways), and the student body and faculty alike seem to harbor some strange combination of fear, disgust, and admiration for the them. When Cassie angers the leader of the group--the strikingly beautiful Faye--she finds the entire school mysteriously turned against her. But just when she can no longer take the threats on her life from Faye or her status as a social pariah, someone intervenes. Her name is Diana, and she is the most beautiful, kind, and charitable person that Cassie has ever met. The two become friends, and Cassie quickly finds that her status within the school is changing, as Diana turns out to be a member of the Club as well. This fact greatly astonishes Cassie. After all, why would the kind and generous Diana be a part of something that includes the evil and manipulative Faye? But when a freshman student is found dead, Cassie learns the secret behind the Club's existance. Not only is the Club a coven of witches, but with the freshman girl dead just a matter of days before her initiation into the circle, Cassie is the only one who is eligible to take her place--having been the descendent of a Salem witch. Though Cassie is proud to find the place where she belongs, her troubles are far from over. Not only does she become a pawn in Faye's wicked intentions for the coven, but she must deal with her love for the boy she met back on Cape Cod while preserving her friendship with Diana. Also, when several brutal deaths occur in the town, the circle must determine whether the culprit is some unknown dark force...or one of their own.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable novel. LJ Smith succeeds in conveying the emotions of first love and belonging with such accuracy than anyone will be able to relate. Also, the incorporation of historical events and true Wiccan practices make this novel highly believable. I recommend it for anyone who loves the supernatural with a taste of romance and historical fact.

L. J. Smith exceeds herself with the reissue of THE SECRET CIRCLE.

Though some of her older books, especially THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, are a delight to read, THE SECRET CIRCLE is leagues ahead in not only writing skill but in plot and characterization, as well.

The main character, Cassie (who coincidentally shares a first name with this reviewer), is likeable and easy to relate to as a plain, shy, sixteen-year-old girl.

After moving to New Salem to live with her mother and estranged grandmother, Cassie finds herself included in her new school's intimidating secret club. Once she is initiated as a witch, Cassie soon finds out that the beautiful boy she fell in love with over the summer is part of the coven, too.

Cassie must sacrifice true love in order to protect her adopted "sister," Diana, but what else will she have to sacrifice? And what does the club's rebel member, Faye, have to do with the cursed crystal skull and the mysterious deaths in New Salem?

Ending with a breathtaking cliffhanger, L. J. Smith's THE SECRET CIRCLE will leave you begging for more.

Reviewed by: Cassie Beale

I actually finished reading this in April, but am just now getting to the review, lol. I read the first omnibus in the fall, and had wanted to continue for a while, but didn't get the book into April. That said, I finished it pretty quickly after I got it. It's not great literature, but for the genre it's in -- supernatural teen drama -- it's definitely a step above the rest.

Continuing from the previous book, Cassie is being blackmailed by Faye ever since she spied on her and Adam kissing. Cassie struggles with herself not to tell Diana, her best friend and Adam's girlfriend, but she decides against it, since it would makes things worse. Faye forces Cassie to dig up the crystal skull that gives the Circle's members odd visions. Students continue to be murdered, and Faye is elected coven leader, since she forced Cassie to vote for her against Diana, whom everyone assumed would win.

Faye in charge, the Circle seemed to decline and Faye was often excluded from meetings and such, leaving her vicious and angry.

In "The Power". Cassie continues to force herself not to be in love with Adam, but it's too hard, and they are soon together again. There's a new principal in school , who appears to know more than he's letting on, and Cassie's family suffer a terrible fate. Cassie takes charge and becomes the leader of the group, leading her to her destiny.

I am SO sorry for butchering up the plot; I'm good with my thoughts, but suck on actual reviews. MOVING ON:

I really love Cassie's evolution. She started out as a shy, awkward, Bella Swan stereotyped wallflower character, but quickly evolved into a confidant and strong, both physically and mentally, Buffy Summers type leader. Almost all the main characters had some type of change from the beginning to the end. Diana basically remained the same, though she was once thought of as the perfect girl, some of her flaws start to seep through. Faye, the villain of the series, evolves from a basic high school bitch to a clever, malicious bitch :P. She does evolve into better things later, though. All of the guys are literally the same -- except for Adam and Nick. Adam, like Diana, was thought of as the perfect guy, but you see he has little will-power, since he cheats on his girlfriend all the time. Nick starts off as the aloof, strong but secretive character, but he starts speaking up later and even tries to win Cassie's heart.

The horror aspect of the series was handled really well, I thought. It was suspenseful, but was aware of its target audience. It was clean, but again, aware that high schoolers would typically be reading this, so was spiced up a bit with some curse words and like I said before, mild scares. One scene I thought was actually a little creepy was the death of a certain character in the boiler room that takes place in the second book.

One thing I thought was lost after the first book was the familial aspect between Cassie, her mother, and her grandmother. They seemed to genuinely care for one another, and by the end of the first book, are basically forgotten until the end of the third, and even then it's really only the grandmother that comes back into play.

So, overall, this series is DEFINITELY worth checking out.

Any other L.J. Smith books I should be checking out? Please and thanks!

This is a very captivating and entertaining book. I read a lot of urban fantasy books and was turned onto this author, believe it or not, through my niece. Because of her insistence, I have recently read some of her teen paranormal books and have quite enjoyed them. I first read the Vampire Diaries and then bought this book and will give it to my niece. It held my interest so much that I absolutely did not want to put down the book until I was finished.

My one problem (big one) with this is that it abruptly cuts off right in the middle of something very important/interesting. I then figured out that the trilogy is split into two books, with the 2nd book in the original trilogy being split between the two new releases. I would definitely recommend waiting until the 2nd is released (12/23/08) before starting the first book.

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.

RESIST THE URGE TO READ THIS BOOK.....Until you can get your hands on all three books in the series. Seriously. Once you start reading, you won't want to put it down and the books don't stand on their own. They are one story.

I have to say that I love L.J. Smith's writing. I have everything she's written. But this series, The Secret Circle is one I've read over and over again. The others are good and I certainly enjoyed them, but there's something about this one, whether it's the historic setting in Salem or the idea of (good) witches or just the angst between a girl, her best friend and a boy. The characters were enjoyable, even the bad ones, which were really bad.

I'm so glad to see Ms Smith is re-releasing her work again and I do hope that means we'll finally see her last NightWorld novel, Strange Fate soon.

Even though I am well into adulthood, I read this series when I was a teenager and have kept it ever since. I'm lucky enough to have a first print of all of LJ Smith's books (wow, I know!!) and I've read the Secret Circle series more times than I can count. I love everything about it. I love the strength, the magic, the rounded characters and how different they are from one another (it's difficult to create so many characters to fit into one book and make them all so unique). I love the forbidden love aspect mixed with magic and action, adventure and adversaries. Brilliant reads!

I absolutely adore LJ Smith--works that include the Night World, Forbidden Games, and The Vampire Diaries. Sadly, The Secret Circle left me disappointed. I wasn't too crazy on this story from the moment it got republished. However, my friends assured me that if I truly did like LJ Smith, then this book would please me, too.

Basically, Cassie moves from California to gloomy New Salem. Upon arrival, she immediately feels drawn to a group of teens called the Secret Circle. It is a coven of powerful witches. You get the picture.

These are my problems with the story: *SPOILERS FROM THE SECOND BOOK BELOW* (This is a review for both The Initiation, captive pt. 1 & 2 and the Power)

1. Characters. I usually don't mind if I hate the story but there are a few redeeming characters in it (Private Series), or if the characters suck but the story as a whole is brilliant (The Maze Runner), but, sadly, this book does not fit in either of theses cases because I hated the story and almost all the characters. First we have Cassie, the main character. Can anyone say Mary Sue? First, she gets the boy (who also happens to be the boyfriend of her best friend), and still remains friends with her. Not to mention we have the old cliche of a someone who is beautiful but doesn't know it. On top of that, she is also the most powerful, and becomes the leader very, very quickly.

Then there's Faye, the main antagonist of the story. She, to me, was the only thing that kept me reading. Unfortunately, LJ Smith's attempt to redeem her fell short. What? She just says a couple of words then all of a sudden I'm expected to accept her? Yeah, right.

Last but not least was Diana. Wow, now she was too naive, stupid, and nice for own good. I mean, she finds out Cassie and her boyfriend, Adam, like each other and she's totally fine with it? How is this normal behaviour? Unless, of course, Diana is about 200 year more mature than anyone else in the book.

2. Plot. We have this suspenseful plot all building towards a single battle. You know what happens at the battle? "Blah, blah, blah...." "Yadda, yadda, yadda..." *enter big light* The End.

So in conclusion, I really wanted to like this story--I really did. But, in all honesty, it was probably one of the poorest written books I read. Sorry LJ Smith, but you can do better.

This book was somewhat of disappointment to me. I didn't grab me and to be honest I don't even know why I had bought it. I didn't like the main character. She seemed childish to me. For instance I really disliked how she threw a fit over the fact that she was moving. Also the fact that she was obsessed with a total stranger. I realize he's her soulmate. Maybe it was just me, but I simply didn't enjoy this book.

The word choices and repetitiveness of them is a little on the side of annoying. Also, the time in which the story was written is shows too much in the writing. That bothers me a little but maybe not everyone.

Awesome you really should read this Series it is really really great it makes you Feel empowering even if your not shy like Cassie in some ways if your even totally different from her you relate it's confusing but just read these books they will make you laugh cry giggle and lots of other emotions to

Hi

Knowledge Is Power So...

This is a ghostwritten book and the publisher has the right to use parts of Lisa's completed manuscript in it, which they rejected! So it may seem as Lisa work at parts, " slightly rusty" as on reviewer put but it certainly isn't.

However Lisa was not re-hired as she signed a "work for hire" contract, in the 90's and her agent at the time did not explain it's meaning. That she doesn't own the characters and world that she has created but the book packaging company awful alloy do. Therefore they can choose not to re-hire her and that is what Leslie Morganstein, a management person working for alloy has done, based on an old grudge.
So therefore she doesn't own the two series's contracted under awful alloy and is neither allowed to write either secret circle or vampire diaries continuation books, due to this reasoning! ROLL EYES!
Midnight was her last work in the Vampire Diaries series and the last book in the new yorks bestseller list in this series, and yes other have been published after...
GhostWritten Ones...

And Ghostwriter's are Not professional authors as they are hired to write in secret, as their work is not deemed fit in publishers eyes, as something that is justifiable to be published, And these are the hands these New York Best Seller two series are handed to!
Thank You leslie morganstien - pls read fan comments, you may learn some etiquette.

This book was better than I expected. I got into it right away and finished it in 2 days. I think the first half of the book was better than the second half. I will read the second book. However, this book is no where close to filling my void for Twilight and Edward Cullen. And Vampire Academy is also alot better than this if you are on the rebound from Twilight. I wanted more romance in this story.

I thought the story was actually interesting and well written. I thought the characters were better written than a lot of books I have read. I purchased the book on discount about $3.43 at Walmart. However, my objection to this story is not what I think most will say. Most people just believe that witchcraft is just a fantasy and not real. Then my thoughts are for the impressionable teens reading this line of stories, looking for power in their lives. The problem is that when you play around with witchcraft just like with seances you are playing with demons. Demons don't play they destroy and oppress. When you dabble around then you are inviting them into your life even if you don't believe in them. There is a spiritual realm and you are messing in it. I am the kind of person who will always give a person the benefit of the doubt. I don't believe L. J. Smith is deliberately trying to encourage young people to play around with witchcraft. That being said I would not recommend this series to anyone. Other than the theme of the story I would give this four stars. Because of the potential damage to a young person or any person being damaged by dabbling, I will only give this two stars.

I purchased both books in the series The Secret Circle because I had heard The CW was making a series based on them I got about two thirds of the way through the first book and resold them on ebay - even though the books were full on description, they just dragged on about pointless trivialities - maybe other readers can get something out them just hoping the television series is going to be a vast improvement.

I bought the collective books to replace my original copies (and take up less space on my shelves.) This is one of my favorite series from my teen years. While I am sure the content is exactly the same, I bought one half of the series from the store books and the other from this seller and the book/cover art I received is not as pictured and the set doesn't match which is mildly irksome.