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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this book because of the different relationships. I really like the person she ended up with at the end. Overall a good book :)
I can't lie - I was really into LJ Smith when I was in middle school. I think I found some Night World books in a used bookstore and went crazy from there. And then, sadly, I was packing for college and, seriously underestimating the power of nostalgia and importance of comfort reading, packed them all up and gave them to Goodwill. All of them! Night World, Dark Visions, Forbidden Game, Secret Circle! Everything! How foolish.
Fast forward a few years, and picture my (really embarrassing) excitement when I see the incredibly trashy reissue of The Vampire Diaries in a bookstore. I hadn't read them, but that had to bode well for everything else, right? Right! And so now I've got all my crappy teen paranormal romance in handy omnibus form, just as poorly written, formulaic, and close to my heart as ever. Except for the damn Forbidden Game. When do I get that one back, too?
I kind of think this particular trilogy is like the Platonic ideal of LJ Smith stories - a beautiful redhead torn between too-good-to-be-true blonde and snarky-because-he's-WOUNDED brunette, a group of kids fighting adults (some evil, some oblivious), some sort of soulmatey psychic connection? I mean, really. You can't mess this shit up.
Fast forward a few years, and picture my (really embarrassing) excitement when I see the incredibly trashy reissue of The Vampire Diaries in a bookstore. I hadn't read them, but that had to bode well for everything else, right? Right! And so now I've got all my crappy teen paranormal romance in handy omnibus form, just as poorly written, formulaic, and close to my heart as ever. Except for the damn Forbidden Game. When do I get that one back, too?
I kind of think this particular trilogy is like the Platonic ideal of LJ Smith stories - a beautiful redhead torn between too-good-to-be-true blonde and snarky-because-he's-WOUNDED brunette, a group of kids fighting adults (some evil, some oblivious), some sort of soulmatey psychic connection? I mean, really. You can't mess this shit up.
I finished this during history, and I swear if the teacher wasn't as oblivious as she is I would've been sent out of class for being so shocked.
It was amazing, to say the least. How everything worked out was so amazing, and Kait chose the person I was rooting for, though there was something a bit off about how the other guy broke it off- I would've never guessed he liked the other girl. The book was written so WELL and I loved all the character, even if I did hate Rob for stealing Kait from Gabriel. And I mean, what kind of name is Rob? It's like being called Bob. Seriously.
I soooooo recommend it. Enjoy!!!
It was amazing, to say the least. How everything worked out was so amazing, and Kait chose the person I was rooting for, though there was something a bit off about how the other guy broke it off- I would've never guessed he liked the other girl. The book was written so WELL and I loved all the character, even if I did hate Rob for stealing Kait from Gabriel. And I mean, what kind of name is Rob? It's like being called Bob. Seriously.
I soooooo recommend it. Enjoy!!!
Dark Visions: The Strange Power; The Possessed; The Passion by L.J. Smith (2009)
Loved it. I have put off reading it thinking that I wouldn't like it as much as the Vampire Diaries, and I can say that this one grabbed my attention and kept it through all three books. I ended up reading it in 2 days, which is saying a lot for me!!
4-4.5 really. I really liked this book and almost loved it, but the only thing keeping me from this was that I didn't feel as attached to the characters as I would have liked. The only people I really felt for were Kait and Gabriel. Not even Rob, who was Kait's love up until the end. And that's not really a spoiler just because it's so obvious. I really enjoyed the concept of psychics though and how, as the cover says, not all vampires are out for blood. Apparently, energy is a very powerful thing that can build you up or break you, and both aspects were included here. One thing I was really happy about was that the whole trilogy was included in this one big volume because the first and second books left you with pretty decent cliffhangers that I'm glad I didn't have to wait to see resolved. The only thing that really bothered me (but in a good way) was that the chapters would end with a little cliffhanger where you HAD to go onto the next chapter and wait to stop reading until there was a quiet moment. All in all this was very enjoyable read. Truthfully, it was very hard to put down at times and I would probably read it again. Smith's writing style flowed easily through my mind, and that's what makes an author great.
**SPOILERS!!**
I would just like to start by saying that I totally called the relationships and how they would be in the end. The first clue that gave away the fact that Gabriel and Kait were going to be together and her and Rob were not was the fact that some of the story was being told from Gabriel's POV sometimes and Kait's most of the time, so I felt like that kind of gave it away. And the way that Smith described both Rob and Anna as being purely good and full of light led me to the conclusion that those two would be together in the end. And of course Lewis and Lydia would get together. But, as I've said before in reviews of other books, I love it when the generally good girl is able to break the bad boy and turn him good. Make him want to be good, for her if nothing else. And this novel certainly satisfied me.
No offense, but it ended a little too perfectly, with relationships as I showed above and the plot in general. I did like how Gabriel saved Kait from insanity in the chamber. That showed how much he really loved her that he was willing to share his horribly abused past to keep her from losing herself and going crazy. But that was one of the few parts that actually gripped my heart and that didn't fit perfectly into the plot, in a good way. A lot of it was slightly predictable, but that didn't take away the enjoyment I felt and the satisfaction of the ending.
The mind bond the 5 of them shared was interesting. I would NOT want my thoughts broadcasted to my 4 closest friends, but in the end it was a lot more helpful than hurtful. I can't count how many times it ultimately saved them and there were very few times where it was a hinderance. That part of the book was left unfinished though, but it's not enough of an issue to write a whole other book about it, so it's understandable why that remained unfinished.
**SPOILERS!!**
I would just like to start by saying that I totally called the relationships and how they would be in the end. The first clue that gave away the fact that Gabriel and Kait were going to be together and her and Rob were not was the fact that some of the story was being told from Gabriel's POV sometimes and Kait's most of the time, so I felt like that kind of gave it away. And the way that Smith described both Rob and Anna as being purely good and full of light led me to the conclusion that those two would be together in the end. And of course Lewis and Lydia would get together. But, as I've said before in reviews of other books, I love it when the generally good girl is able to break the bad boy and turn him good. Make him want to be good, for her if nothing else. And this novel certainly satisfied me.
No offense, but it ended a little too perfectly, with relationships as I showed above and the plot in general. I did like how Gabriel saved Kait from insanity in the chamber. That showed how much he really loved her that he was willing to share his horribly abused past to keep her from losing herself and going crazy. But that was one of the few parts that actually gripped my heart and that didn't fit perfectly into the plot, in a good way. A lot of it was slightly predictable, but that didn't take away the enjoyment I felt and the satisfaction of the ending.
The mind bond the 5 of them shared was interesting. I would NOT want my thoughts broadcasted to my 4 closest friends, but in the end it was a lot more helpful than hurtful. I can't count how many times it ultimately saved them and there were very few times where it was a hinderance. That part of the book was left unfinished though, but it's not enough of an issue to write a whole other book about it, so it's understandable why that remained unfinished.
I never reread books, they are just never as good the second time around.
I could read this book on repeat for eternity.
I could read this book on repeat for eternity.
One of L. J. Smith's trilogy's from the 90's that reads almost as if it were something she'd just written now. I really liked how she departed from her usual vampires & witches to tell the story of a group of psychics. There was hardly any mention of nightgowns (only twice in 700 pages, shocking!) and there was a love triangle but not between brothers. This is probably one of my favorite works by her as this time around the heroine is calling the shots and saving the day more than the male characters most of the time. There were some great character developments and twists. It was nice to read a compelling supernatural story that centered on something other than the usual monsters and magic.