Title: The Secret Circle Vol I: The Initiation
Publication Date:1992
Originally Read: circa 1992
The Circle's Power has Lured Her Home...
Cassie must confront a shattering challenge: an ordeal that could cost her life or gain her more than she's ever imagined...
Charmed by the Secret Circle, she's initiated into the mysterious "in crowd," a coven of young witches whose power has controlled New Salem for three hundred years.
Hopelessly in love with the coven leader's boyfriend, Cassie risks falling prey to dark powers in order to have him. But if she does, her endless love could destroy the coven, New Salem, and her!
...And She Will Emerge the Leader or Perish!
Cassie must confront a shattering challenge: an ordeal that could cost her life or gain her more than she's ever imagined...
Charmed by the Secret Circle, she's initiated into the mysterious "in crowd," a coven of young witches whose power has controlled New Salem for three hundred years.
Hopelessly in love with the coven leader's boyfriend, Cassie risks falling prey to dark powers in order to have him. But if she does, her endless love could destroy the coven, New Salem, and her!
...And She Will Emerge the Leader or Perish!
As most of you know, almost all of L.J. Smith's books have been reprinted and re-released by the publisher. Most series have been combined in strange ways, in my opinon at least :) So! Unless you can find an old used copy somewhere, this book is pretty hard to find. The new Vol 1 is a combination of the orginial Vol 1,The Initiation and half of Vol 2, The Captive (strange I tell you!).
Fantastic Fiction does a pretty good job of laying out all her books for easy reference (and by easy I mean, it has pictures :)
I got this book when it first came out, waaaaaaayyyyy back in 1992! Back then there were only a handful of YA authors that were writting paranormal /sci fi/ fatasy books. And I loved them all! Christopher Pike, R.L. Stine and L.J. Smith were my absolute favorites. I was lucky, my parents pretty much bought me any book I wanted. They loved to read and their houses were always filled with books!
Flash back to present day....I have no idea where my orginial copies of all these books are. Sadness!
Over the last couple of years as I have rediscovered my YA love, every time I enter a used bookstore I'm on the lookout. I have managed to snag quite a few which makes me happy!
Ok - enough reminicing! On with the review!
So! This book? I have to say my love for it is pure memory love. Honestly? Reading it again now? I didn't really like it at all :( More saddness - I know!
The writing is pretty bad, the characters are way bad and the plot left very much to be desiered. The evil characters are just too evil, the good , a little too good. I had totally forgotten how really horrible the 'love' triangle started out between Cassie, Diana and Adam. Cassie and Adam spend about 5 minutes of their lives together - they speak to eachother for all of 2 minutes and poof! Love! True Love! Pure Love! Forbideen Love!
Puke Love is more like it.
Am I sorry I re-read this book? I don't think so. I would still recommend it to people - young people - like I was when I first read it. I just don't think it stands the test of time. And this maybe because there are so many great gerat YA books out there now. I wish there were even half as many back when I was growing up.
This book will forever be a part of my childhood. My love for it is not sullied. My love is undying and I will continue to collect all of Smith's orginially publsihed series because they make me happy :)
Anyone else out there read this when it first came out? Anyone read the newer releases?
I sort of felt the same way, though not exactly. I remember ADORING these books when I read them back in the day. Every time winter would come around, I would think about them and often read them again. Then my copies disappeared, but I kept thinking about how much I LOVED them!
ReplyDeleteWhen I reread them, though, I was slightly disappointed. I still enjoyed them, but they were just. . .kind of like you said, really.
Very cool. These are fun!
ReplyDelete