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 went to the East Coast on vacation...and ended up living in the ancestral home her mother fled from seventeen years before. She doesn't want to be there, but something has drawn her back to New Salem: a destiny that will not let her escape. What's more, she discovers certain hereditary abilities within her as she gradually settles into her new home. Abilities the likes of which she has only heard ill of...abilities like witchcraft. For she is descended from the original witches who escaped the notice of Witch Hunters during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, nor is she the only one. The families living on Crowhaven Road are all descendants of witches. Now, however, only Cassie's generation has the strength and the desire to use the old powers. Cassie's only problem is...what kind of witch will she be? Will she side with the beautiful, pure Diana whose goodness is a brick to rely on, or with scheming, sultry Fate, whose hunger for power can either make or break the coven?

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. Cassie is a likable young woman thrust unwillingly into an explosive and murderous situation. Her reactions are eminently believable: how would you react if you were all set to go back to school with friends you've known for ages but were forced to attend another school clear across the continent where you didn't know anyone at all? Then, to top that all off, she has to bear a stigma she had no part in creating, that of coming from the street where the members of the prestigious--and sometimes dangerous--Club live. It was painful to watch Cassie suffer the throes of relocation and going through high school. It was all the more torturous because I was still in high school when I first read this book.

The witchcraft is treated matter-of-factly, as the characters--excepting Cassie--are fully aware of their abilities. Like Cassie, you learn about things only as they come, encouraging further empathy and sympathy for Cassie because you--like her--are struggling to understand and master skills you never knew you had. Then, when you see the results of each use of power, you react like Cassie: with awe and fear that you can do these things. Definitely the way to draw a reader in, wouldn't you say?

Although a YA novel, I'd recommend The Secret Circle--The Initiation and the rest of the trilogy to older readers as well. There's a lot you can learn: about people, about history, about geography, about life. Take a look and you'll see what I mean.

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