Secret Circle Vol I: The Initiation audiobook

I read this trilogy so many times as a teen that I had to buy a whole new set of books since they were so worn out. And then I pretty much wore those out too. I think the novels definitely qualify as guilty pleasures. I hadn't touched the books in years but when I was moving, I happened to come across my tattered copy and decided to open it up again. To my surprise, I tore through them in about a day and a half! At the age of 25, after having read these books about a dozen times, I found myself staying awake waaaay past my bed time to get that "one last chapter." I think that should say it all.

The Initiation (The Secret Circle #1), L.J. SmithThe Initiation (Originally published: 1992), the first part in a series of works entitled The Secret Circle, is a young adult novel by author Lisa Jane Smith. Smith is famous for her other works such as The Vampire Diaries and the Night World series. The novel follows a young girl, Cassie Blake, who moves to New Salem. She befriends a mysterious group of teenagers who run the high school. She finds out that she's part of a coven of witches, and on top of that, the boy she's destined to be with is dating her best friend.تاریخ نخستین خوانش: هجدهم ماه مارس سال 2010 میلادیعنوان: شروع؛ نویسنده: ال.جی اسمیت؛ا. شربیانی

As a young teen, L.J. Smith was an idol. From Dark Visions to The Vampire Diaries, she crafted dark genre pieces that were both intelligent and gripping. To this day, I reread my well worn copies with childlike glee, running over in my mind the influences her writing had on my imagination: the fact that for years I wanted to be a parapsychologist, that I love overblown fantasy stories with a love twist, that even now I'm wearing a hemitite bracelet. The first part of the The Secret Circle triology, "The Initiation" follows along as awkward, kind and somewhat meek Massachusetts transplant Cassie Blake acclimates to New Salem, a town that unbeknownst to her is run by a half-complete coven. Terrorized by some of the members of the coven and embraced by others, Cassie feels the constraints of her outsider status. Part daytime soap opera and part dark magic, the book weaves into and out of all the bestselling qualities of YA fiction.

Ok, confession: I just ADORE books that have anything to do with witches, vampires, werewolves, etc. This series is such a great read! You will enjoy them if you are into YA.

I have been doing some serious comfort reading this week, blowing through this series for probably the 25th time. I LOVE it. In my opinion, the original books were so much better than the TV show (whereas I like TVD show better than the books...go figure!). These books take me immediately back to high school, when I read them for the first time. I really needed that...there are a few books that fill that craving for me, and this series is one of them.

My opinion on this book is biased. Very, very biased. Disgustingly so.First I'll give a very short review on the book then I'll move on to the show.This book is so flawed but it's impossible for me to give it less than 4 stars.The Book“Will you swear to be loyal to the circle? Never to harm anyone who stands inside it? Will you protect and defend those who do, even if it costs you your life?” -pg. 185Cassie Blake and her mother have moved to New Salem to live with Grandma Howard. She's not too excited about leaving her friends and California behind. And she certainly doesn't want to attend a new school full of people she doesn't know, but she has to. On her first day she gets on Faye Chamberlain's bad side, which is, as she'll find out, one thing you don't want to do. Then Diana Downey comes to the rescue. She takes her under her wing and introduces her to people in the Club. Nobody's ever been this nice to Cassie. Now, if only Cassie wasn't in love with Diana's boyfriend...This book isn't any good. It's full of two-dimensional characters, stereotypes, and love at first sight. BUT I LOVE IT!Cassie is annoying with her lusting after Adam after seeing him ONCE and she's selfish. Faye is a bitch, Deborah is mean as hell, Suzan is...just there I guess, Diana is the “Purity Princess”, Adam is so 2-dimensional it hurts, the Henderson twins are neither here nor there, and talking to Nick is like talking to a brick wall.Their parents are never around. Every single character is extremely attractive (except Grandma Howard), and they're all hooking up with each other. Even though they're kinda related.Cassie is threatened and bullied, and the adults don't care. She opens her locker to find anything from a doll hanging from its neck to rotting hamburger meat and when she goes to the principal (with proof!) he tells her to solve her own problems. I believe he uses those exact words.Usually, all those things would make me throw this book down in frustration, but I didn't. I read it in less than a day and I will read it again one day. Because I really do like it. It was nothing new and it didn't exactly shock me or anything, but LJ Smith is to me what a V.C. Andrews book was to those who grew up in the 80s. A guilty pleasure.It calls to me, lures me into a van with candy, then takes me on a very short ride around the block, then drops me back off again like nothing ever happened.And I willingly get in the van every.single.time.No regrets!Quotes:”The silver cord can never be broken. Your lives are linked. You can't escape each other any more than you can escape destiny.” -pg. 24“I hoped you'd never be in enough trouble to need it, but I wanted to be there for you if you were. If you'd ever done what I told you, held it tight in your fist and thought of me, I'd have known, and I'd have tracked it down, no matter where you were.”The ShowI am fascinated by witches, shocking betrayals, and certain supernatural TV shows. Unfortunately, this book contains witches, betrayal, and it was made into a short-lived tv show. & I watched it religiously. Damn you, CW for canceling this show after it's first season even though it was nominated for (and in my opinion, won) New Fall Show You're Excited For, Best New Series, Best Sci-Fi or Fantasy, Favorite New TV Drama, Best-Youth Oriented Television Series, and Best Main Title Theme Music.And now that I remember, the soundtrack was so good. It couldn't have been better, I found new songs I had never heard of before and LOVED. Damn you, CW!The show was freakin' sweet! There were plot twists that made me scream, magic, and all of that aggravating teenage angst and lust I claim to hate but secretly like.And the actors and actresses were very attractive. In fact, the lady who played Diana (who by the way also stars in the very popular show Teen Wolf) was Miss Louisiana Teen USA in 2004 and Miss Teen USA. And her acting wasn't too bad. I wasn't too keen on Thomas Dekker playing the main character Adam on account of me not finding him attractive at first, but he grew on me, dammit. Then close to the end they brought along Grey Damon and I was like “daaaaaamn, where has this random little white boy been all my life?!” Even Cassie's dead-beat dad, Joe Lando, was fine!And I've always been secretly jealous of Britt Robertson... so very pretty, so very small and pretty.I don't understand how Vampire Diaries is still being filmed and Secret Circle isn't. They're both by L.J. Smith and they're both Paranormal Romances.Is the fascination with vampires that real?The CW really dropped the ball on this one. But what's done is done.Overall, I would recommend reading this book if you, like me, love witches and drama or if you though the show was great (even though the 2 are very different). By the way, it's on Netflix so if you're even a tiny bit curious go check it out!

"Det var gået op for hende at der var noget langt værre end at blive ydmyget. For første gang denne uge frygtede hun ikke for sin stolthed, men derimod for sit liv." Jeg så første (og eneste) sæson af 'The Secret Circle' og jeg var så væk i den og ærgrerede mig også en del, da tv-serien kort tid efter blev aflyst. Jeg fandt senere ud af, at serien var baseret på en bog, men tiden gik og andre bøger var mere interessante og sådan kan det jo gå.Men! Da jeg så, at de søde folk fra Tellerup genudgav bogen og så endda med et sindssyg flot cover, kunne jeg simpelthen ikke holde fingrene væk længere!Bogen var en del anderledes end tv-serien (eller er det omvendt? Bøgerne kom jo først) og det var faktisk virkelig forfriskende, for så havde jeg ingen anelse om hvad der skete på næste side! Dog krævede det en del tilvænning, fordi jeg langsomt skulle kaste mine minder og forventninger ud af vinduet, efterhånden som historien skred frem.Bogen kom dog godt efter det (igen... det er jo egentligt serien der er kommet senere, men I ved hvad jeg mener... Håber jeg) og begyndte stille og roligt at trække mig ind i dens edderkoppespind af ideer og bange anelser.Historien er ret flydende, på trods af dens høje spændingsniveau og udover mine tilvænninger, så var der ingen afbrydende hak eller forvirrende hjørner og kanter på turen - det kørte bare derudaf og forfatteren efterlod mig ikke med andet valg, end bare at følge med. Halvdelen af bogen er ikke noget særligt - den er fyldt med klicheer, typiske karakterer og nærmest ikke-eksisterende voksne. Den er fyldt med mystik og sager som læseren har regnet ud, men selvfølgelig ikke hovedpersonen.Dét er noget, der normalt ville kede mig, men... På en eller anden måde, har Smith formået at gøre det fandens afhængiggørende alt sammen og jeg faldt pladask for alt det åbenlyse og trivielle alligevel.Bogen er utroligt spændende, hvis man kan nyde en ordentligt omgang ungdomsdrama med en snert (eller to) af noget overnaturligt. Jeg var i hvert fald helt væk i bogen og ser meget frem til at læse videre på serien og til at se, hvordan Smith videreudvikler historien. "Denne gang kunne hun ikke engang skrige. Hun mærkede hvordan hendes øjne blev store, nærmest lige så store som den udstoppede ugles. Hendes mund åbnedes i et lydløst gisp. Hendes mave gjorde oprør. Lugten..."

This first book is amazing! No wonder it was made into a TV show! I really love it! Though I must admit, the book is better than the TV adaptation! They changed a lot of things from the number of characters, plots, names and even their appearances! JEEZ! :( I can't wait to read the other books in this series! I really feel sympathy towards Cassie! Poor Cassie! Why is it Adam and Diana needs to be together? :'( I always wonder if Cassie's mom never left New Salem, is there a possibility Adam and Cassie will still end up together without hurting anyone? I HATE FAYE! Really! She blackmailed Cassie! **sighs**

Total Cliche for a magic book to take place in New Salem….Ironic. Cassie is an interesting character. She doesn’t want to be there. She feels out of place and really just wants to go home. Nobody wants to be her friend and it is making her very upset, she really doesn’t want to be there. Through the beginning of the book there are subtle hints of magic that Cassie keeps seeing but she doesn’t think that it is even possible so she ignores it, that is until the Club approaches her. Then she knows she isn’t just crazy. But as with most books there are a few people that are part of the club that do not want her to be part of the club. To make matters worse the guy she is madly in love with is dating her best friend Diana, who is also the leader of the Club. The beginning of the book Cassie is a shy girl, that is until Adam. Who is also dating Diana. Faye is about the most annoying character in almost any book. Stuck up snot if you ask me. I feel bad for Cassie with her predicament with Adam and Diana….“Will you swear to be loyal to the circle? Never to harm anyone who stands inside it? Will you protect and defend those who do, even if it costs you your life?”Not gonna lie that is a scary thought considering half the Coven hates herI watched the TV show when it was on a long time ago. I enjoyed the book better. The Cassie in the show wasn’t as likable I liked shy reserved Cassie from the book much better.

Cassie Blake is distraught when her mother decides to uproot to the small town of New Salem, in order to take care of a grandmother that Cassie had never even met before. But that is only the start of her problems. Starting a new school, trying to make new friends - and discovering that some of the people she would most like to befriend are all part of some secret Club that Cassie is not permitted to join. Then a girl dies, and Cassie is finally initiated into the Secret Circle, learning that magic is more than just a folktale.These days the YA market for books is flooded with paranormal activity - witches amongst them. But in 1992 when L J Smith first wrote The Secret Circle trilogy it was something fresh and new - and should be reviewed with that in mind. L J Smith was producing well-written compulsive novels about teenagers in love LONG before Edward Cullen was even a glint in Meyer's eye.The opening book in this trilogy reads at a breakneck speed. Smith does not linger on too many opening details, just sets the scene so that Cassie is placed in New Salem ready for the main action to begin. This as far as I am concerned is a positive, because Cassie's life prior to her move is not of interest and therefore should not be lovingly expanded.For me, the biggest strength of Smith's writing is the characters. Here she handles a main cast of twelve, with some peripheral characters who will play a further role in the subsequent two novels of the trilogy. To sufficiently flesh them out and give them strong characteristics that ensure you want to read more about them in such a slight novel (my edition, only 287 pages) takes real skill. And her physical descriptions are just wonderful:"It occurred to her, quite incidentally, that these were probably the three most beautiful girls she'd ever seen. It wasn't just that each had perfect skin, free of the slightest trace of teenage blemishes. It wasn't their gorgeous hair: Deborah's dark disordered curls, Faye's pitch-black mane, and Suzan's cloud of reddish gold. It wasn't even the way they set each other off, each one's distinctive type enhancing the others' instead of detracting from them. It was something else...A kind of confidence and self-possession...An inner strength, an energy..."Cassie is a very strong main character - by her own admission, she is shy and not very outgoing. However, these traits never become the absolute focus of Cassie - rather, they are just a part of who she was. There is also evidence that she has massive potential for growth and character development in future novels, which I am looking forward to exploring. In fact, most of the characters feel very real - they have foibles, and both good and bad qualities. The Henderson brothers and Sean suffer a little from not gaining much 'screen time', but I feel sure this will be remedied.I also love the innocence of the romance - this is definitely YA from early 90s in content. Kissing is as far as these teens are prepared to go, and I for one love this. Too often in YA books I read that have been published more recently there is far too much focus on young girls going further than they perhaps should, and The Initiation harks back to a more chaste time.The only real problem with this novel is it is very much the opening book in a trilogy, so we are really only getting to know the characters and touching on the main gist of the plot, which will be fleshed out in The Captive.In conclusion, anyone who has come to the YA paranormal romance genre recently should definitely check out this opening novel in a classic trilogy. I adore all three books beyond reason and very nostalgically. L J Smith has a fine ability to write characters you will end up caring deeply about, and her prose is magnificent. Highly recommended.

It's got some flaws, but nostalgia demands four stars. I have read this book a gazillion times since I was a teenager, and I still love it.

Not too bad, but not great. I hoped it got better, but it didn't. Another series I'm never going to finish.

While i was watching the pilot of the tv series based upon these book series, I felt like I was a kid again and was watching an afternoon show for kids. Well, like Sabrina. It just had the 90s feeling in it and I love(d) that. And decided I wanted to know more and to my surprise I realized that The Secret Circle was first pulished in 92. I wanted to give a chance to The Initiation. I was not expecting much since I barely could start reading the Vampire Diaries and quit right after a couple of chapters. I was glad I stick with the show though.But The Secret Circle was better. It was not the literary sensation of all times but it was good enough and I had missed the witchcraft and wizardry in books. Because I didn't read any of that kind since I've finished Harry Potter books almost 4 years ago. As it comes to Harry Potter, I spotted a couple similarities between the two series. Like:(view spoiler)[ Master Tools - Deathly HallowsThe villain being dead but keeping his soul in objects and coming back.The connection between the villain and the hero.All characters having at least one parent dead because of the villain.A little negativitiy beacuse not being a full blooded 100% witch. (hide spoiler)]Well, these similarities may be huge and or tiny, and I might have forgotten some of them but I think it was there. It's safe to say that The Vampire Diaries is the Twilight of TV and the series of Circle will try to be the HP of TV.The book was not that much outdated regarding its first publishing date. And it was such a light read, like not a whole book and it ended like a last scene of an episode making you wonder where the rest of the book is. After all it was entertaining, flowing, so 90s and promising. Finally, I might add, I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the "Exlusive and deadly." written on the cover.

I seriously enjoyed the reread for this book!! I first read this book 7 or even 8 years ago at this point and I honestly was so surprised that I enjoyed it even more this time around!! The insta love definitely brought this from a 5 star read down to a 4 star read, but I still loved it nonetheless!