The Initiation (The Secret Circle, #1) by L.J. Smith Publisher: HarperPrism
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Source: Purchased
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★★★☆☆
The author of the bestselling The Vampire Diaries presents a suspenseful new trilogy. Seduced by the Secret Circle, Cassie is initiated into the mysterious "in-crowd, " a coven of young witches whose power has controlled New Salem for 300 years--and risks falling prey to the dark powers in order to have the coven leader's boyfriend.
After seeing the TV show, The Secret Circle, I had to give this series a try. I really enjoyed the characters and tension from the show. Sadly, The Initiation was quite different from the TV series. It was a super quick read for me but I found it lacking substance and plot. I really loved the concept of this book, but it really failed for me in the delivery department. When I look back... not much happened throughout the course of the book. I feel like there were things that could have been expanded on that weren’t.
I would have liked to see much more in the way of character development as well. Watch out if you aren’t a fan of insta-love because it is really terrible in this book. As in: this is the third time I’ve met you but “I love you..” I just don’t understand why Smith would have the characters commited in that way so early. Why not give the tension some time to develop? Why not give some mystery to the reader or doubt in the character's minds? Not only is there insta-love with the guy, there is also friendly insta-love between Cassie and her newfound best friend Diana.They meet and are like sisters immediately.
What kept me moving through the bad relationship development and cheesy lines was the great writing style. L.J. Smith’s words flow seamlessly. I believe most readers can definitely appreciate that. This was my first encounter with her writing, and I will definitely be continuing this series for this reason. I truly think that there is potential for this series to turn into something good! If you are looking for a quick, mildly entertaining read then I would suggest checking this out. If you are like me and looking for something to complement the TV series, don't get your hopes up.
Oh, I've read all 3 books in this series when I was in college, and, well, I liked it. :) Not immediately though. But I have to agree with you with all the "insta-love" in the book. This is the only L.J. Smith series I've read. I haven't seen the tv series yet. I probably will soon!
ReplyDeleteM.C: I'm excited to see where the series is headed, so I'm glad you enjoyed them at least! I think I went in expecting the story to follow the TV series storyline (or at least something close) and it was a disappointment for that reason. You should definitely check out the TV show... I absolutely love it :)
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