Tomes of Shadowstalking

Welcome to the land of shadows, where evil is the greatest power, where nightfall marks the birth of terror, where your very soul is at risk. Join me as I investigate worlds filled with black magic and dark souls and encounter the monsters rule these wicked places.

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Cassandra Blake's a witch, but she isn't a very strong one. At least, she can't think of how she's ever going to stand up to Faye Chamberlain, who wants...things from her. Such as a certain crystal that offers great power to the one who dares to use it. But Cassie knows that the crystal skull is dangerous, though she can't quite explain how she knows. But what she does know is that the skull has something to do with three tragic accidents happening to those around her. And it scares her because she feels responsible for two of them happening at all. Yet she can do nothing because there's always Faye pulling the strings. But is Faye...is Cassie...are any of them ready for the power that's impatient for release?

Of all the books of L.J. Smith's that I've read, The Secret Circle trilogy is--as a complete set, anyway--the most enjoyable. I like the way all the characters are so...symbolic might be the best word. The author does a good job of giving them certain traits that make them less individual and more like icons, yet these are real people who laugh, cry, feel sorrow, anger, and all the other things that make people real and human. It's fairly easy to imagine Diana as the goddess of the moon or Adam as Herne the Hunter because of the way Ms. Smith characterizes them. It's also easy to see Faye as a black cat--panther, rather--or Melanie as Athena, or any of the others as who they are. Yet again, they are all real people who, beyond their unique abilities, are still teenagers who enjoy going to dances and groan at doing homework.

Witchcraft again takes a backseat to character development and story advancement, yet there are occasional trips into spells, crystal lore, herblore, and other such -lores. Then there are the instances where witchcraft plays a major part, such as when the Club uses crystal pendants to trace the "dark energy" that's escaping from the crystal skull. Those moments are priceless in their "witchiness".

Although a YA novel, The Secret Circle--The Captive and the other two books in the trilogy are sure to be enjoyable and interesting to older readers as well. There are things in it--history, culture, geography, etc.--that are both informative and enjoyable. Just get the book and start reading and you'll know what I mean.

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