Night World #01: Secret Vampire/Daughters of Darkness/Spellbinder

This is a really good series. All the stories are different but tie together and I really like that

If you are suffering from Twilight withdrawls, pick up all three of the Night World books! Each book has 3 stories, some with vampires, some with shapeshifters, werewolves, or witches, some with all of the above. This is marketed as Young Adult fiction, but as with Twilight, a great story has no age limits. The romance is clean and of the type that makes all women's hearts flutter. The Soul Mate principle is as breathless as anyone could hope for! I especially loved Daughters of Darkness in this collection. The three sisters are as interesting in their relationship to each other as the three fates! Not to mention their bad boy brother Ash who comes to take them home and instead meets his match in a girl with her eyes on the stars. I loved it and so did my 14 year old daughter, so great for all ages!

This first "Nightworld" release has the first three novels: "Secret Vampire", "Daughters of Darkness", and "Spellbinder". They introduce us to the Nightworld, a secret society of supernaturals who live alongside humans--many harboring the idea of humans as inferior creatures. The Nightworld has 2 rules which, once broken, are a death sentence: never tell a human about the Nightworld, and never fall in love with a human. But the soulmate principle has come into effect and many Nightworld beings are discovering that their destined true loves are humans. These books are about what happens when the rules are broken. "Secret Vampire" tells the story of James and Poppy, best friends since childhood and partners in crime. Of course, Poppy doesn't know that James is a vampire until she finds out she's dying of terminal cancer and he reveals the only way of saving her is to turn her. Once done, Poppy is thrown into the realm of the Nightworld and understands that James has just sacrificed everything to save her. And now the both of them are in danger of being hunted and killed by Nighworld authorities. "Daughters of Darkness" is probably my favorite out of the entire series--read and reread more times than I can count. It's about three vampire sisters (The Redferns--Rowan, Kestrel and Jade) who flee the Nightworld to live among humans. Once they reach Briar Creek, Oregon, they discover their aunt has been mysteriously staked by someone who obviously knew she was a vampire. They befriend Mary-Lynnette and her brother Mark, two humans who discover their identities quite by accident. Since Mary-Lynnette and Mark are humans, they are now in danger of being killed by the Nightworld. Of course, the Redfern sisters' brother Ash is hunting down Rowan, Kestrel and Jade with the single minded plan of getting them to return home where "everyone misses them violently". The sisters know that if he discovers Mark and Mary-Lynnette know the truth, he'll kill them on the spot. Ash is notoriously malicious, and as stated by Jade, "He HATES humans." Imagine Mary-Lynnette's surprise (and Ash's too, for that matter) when she discovers she and Ash are soulmates, and despite their differences they can't seem to stay away from each other. "Spellbinder" is the third book in the edition. Thea and Blaise Harman are sisters and witches. Blaise is a "bad" witch, and--well--imagine a teenager. And then imagine a teenager with enough power to control the people around her with little moral interruption and you have Blaise. She destroys the lives of human men by getting them to fall in love with her through various spells and then tossing them away when she tires of them. Her sister Thea could probably be described as a "not so bad" witch, holding contempt for humans but has a naturally gentle disposition which compels her to help them nonetheless. When helping heal a human from a snake bite, Thea realizes that Eric is her soulmate and tries her damndest to

Welcome to the Night World, a treacherous and strict society of Earth's darker species--vampires, witches, shape shifters. There are two rules that must never be forgotten...human knowledge of the Night World is strictly forbidden, and a member of the Night World must never fall in love with a human. Both are punishable by death, and both are broken in L.J. Smith's riveting collection of novels. When Poppy finds that she has pancreatic cancer, she is devastated that her life is coming to such an abrupt end. But then her best friend James reveals that he is a vampire, and he can offer her a chance to live...forever. But the risks are great. If the Night World were to find about her, it'd be certain death. Poppy must choose in Secret Vampire. Daughters of Darkness takes us to a small village in Oregon, where human Mary-Lynette harbors suspicions about her elderly neighbor's three nieces. Then a string of brutal murders and baffling happenings occur, coinciding with the mysterious girls' appearance. Things only get more complicated when Mary-Lynette meets their brother, and finds out what they truly are. In Spellbinder, witch cousins Thea and Blaise have one last chance to get their act together at their new school. Thea is determined not to get expelled this time due to Blaise's actions, but when Blaise begins playing with Thea's new crush, Thea can't help but get sucked it. Soon both girls are in over their heads. These three novels by L.J. Smith that have been combined and put between one knock out of a new cover will captivate, amaze, and entertain. What you think would be cliché and overworked is unique, innovative, and enrapturing in Smith's voice. All three of the stories are cleverly connected, making them that more enjoyable. Smith's characters are wonderfully imagined and presented in such a fashion to make the readers fall for them and become enraptured in their struggles and triumphs. There's a new twist around every corner and surprising depth and compassion on every page. Though each story was originally published separately, they flow together fluidly to present an enticing, dangerous, and highly appealing look at the Night World.

I loved these books when they were single stories, and love them just as much now. The stories, though shorter than I would like, were way too good to leave at their previous "Out-of-Print" status. I literally leapt for joy when hearing they were reprinting them! In this first installment of the Night World, you follow three very different tales. Full of drama and intense touches of romance (under 18 friendly) that leave you breathless and dying for more! As I said previously, they are a little short, ~200 pages each, but they're still well worth it. If you like drama, fantasy, danger, vampires, witches, werewolves, shapeshifters, and tales of forbidden love that you just CAN'T put down until its over, I suggest Nightworld.

Fans have been waiting, and those unfamiliar should be curious to pick up this novel. HarperTeen has decided to republish L.J. Smith's infamous "Night World" series. This volume contains the first three novels. At first glance they are stand-alone stories within the same society, but the further you get into it, the more you see familiar characters popping up. This is just the start of a brilliant, intricately woven series of the supernatural. In Secret Vampire, Poppy learns she's dying of pancreatic cancer. Her best friend, James, figures the only way to help her is to turn her into a vampire. The problem is, the Night World forbids the telling of humans about their society... and especially forbids falling in love with them. The consequence is death. You think that would be bad enough, but interestingly, the conflict comes from Poppy's twin brother, Phillip, and James' reckless cousin. This is a fascinating peek into the series--and if you take note, you'll find at least four characters who will reappear in later novels. Daughters of Darkness is the second tale. Three beautiful young girls have moved to the desolate town of Briar Creek, Oregon. When Mary-Lynnette discovers they buried something large and disturbingly body-like in the back yard of her next-door neighbor, she's determined to find out who and why. But it ends up dragging her and her younger brother, Mark, in over their heads... especially when the sisters' brother, Ash, shows up and turns Mary-Lynnette's world upside down. The mystery is a little rushed in this one, with not too much suspense, but the ending should surprise you at least a little bit. Spellbinder is about two witch sisters who have been ordered to live with their grandmother, a high-ranking magic-practitioner in the Night World. Blaise likes to toy with the hearts of human boys, and Thea can't help but try to protect her when she gets in trouble. Things start to get interesting when Thea finds herself involved with a human boy named Eric, and Blaise seems determined to make him her next plaything. But when Thea takes measures to protect Eric, a spell goes wrong and a spirit begins to brutally murder people at the high school. L.J. Smith introduces readers to not just a new type of vampire, but (especially when it was first published over a decade ago) new kinds of witches, werewolves, and shapeshifters. And love has a whole new meaning in these novels--the concept of soulmates is introduced late in the first book, but carries a strong presence from thereon out. The stories are short, but the images are vivid, the characters are strong and likeable, and you just can't help falling in love with this mysterious "world within a world." Highly recommended, even after all this time. And old fans should take heart--the final installment has finally, OFFICIALLY from L.J. Smith herself, been promised sometime in 2009.