The Secret Circle - Captive (Book 2) by L.J.Smith

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THE CAPTIVE PART II AND THE POWER: Book Two of the Secret Circle Trilogy

AUTHOR: Lisa Jane Smith

BEST SELLERS: Dark Visions Trilogy, The Night World, The Vampire Diaries and many more. 


SYNOPSIS:                                  CAN THE SECRET CIRCLE SURVIVE?

Lured into the most popular in-crowd imaginable, Cassie is intoxicated by her newfound strength, a power as addictive as it is perilous. Caught between two members' consuming desires to use the coven's mysterious force, Cassie turns to one of their boyfriends, Adam--and falls captive to her own dangerous love. Bewitched by the promise of love through magic, Cassie captures Adam's heart and upsets the delicate balance of power, unleashing a storm of fury no one anticipates....

Or Will The Dark Struggle Of Good, Evil, And Tormented Love Consume Them All?

EXCERPT: "Fire, Cassie thought. All around her she saw blazing autumn colors. The yellow-orange of sugar maple, the brilliant red of sassafras, the crimson of sumac bushes. It was as if the entire world was flaming with Faye's element. And I'm trapped in the middle of it. The sick feeling in the pit of Cassie's stomach got worse with every step she took down Crowhaven Road....[L]aurel just grabbed her by the waist and hustled her inside and upstairs to Diana's bedroom. Diana was standing in front of the large walnut cabinet; Melanie was sitting on the bed. Sean was perched uneasily in the window seat, rubbing his knees with his palms. Adam was standing beside him. Cassie met those blue-gray eyes for only an instant, but it was long enough. They were the color of the ocean at its most mysterious, sunlit on the surface but with incomprehensible depths underneath. The rest of his face was the same as ever: arresting and intriguing, pride showing in the high cheekbones and determined mouth, but sensitivity and humor showing there too. His face looked different only because last night Cassie had seen those eyes midnight blue with passion, and had felt that mouth . . . Not by word or look or deed, she told herself fiercely..."

MSM Speaks: Second one from the Secret Circle Trilogy, so fast paced and fascinating, that I finished this and the last installment in one day. Ms. Lisa Jane, I heart your books. Coming to the point, this books shows Cassie's involvement with the Secret Circle and too many conflicts and fights, have put Cassie, in Fire. Literally, Faye, the witch with an attraction for Darkness, has bound Cassie with herself in deal and Cassie, who wants to save the two people she loves - Adam and Diana - finds the pull and the game, too dangerous. Yet, she has no way out, except to comply with Faye's instructions and evil - if unplanned - intentions. 


And Cassie, now sees herself as a small part of The Circle. She is on the wrong side and finally, she stops fighting or feeling guilty. The coldness that finds way into Cassie and the manipulations lead her to take a step, which ruins the delicate balance of the Evil and the Good. It is now on Cassie, to fight every single dark factor, that seems to be attracted to her allure. And her incorrigible timing of being at wrong place, will show her that she could be an important link in discovering the source of all the deaths which are occurring in the town of New Salem. 


Finally, Cassie realizes that she is so much entangled in Darkness, that she really is Captive now. Will Cassie completely come over to the Dangerous Dark Side, which calls to Cassie or will she stand up and fight for what is right? You have to read this to know the most fascinating tale, which Smith spins. This 2nd installment is fast moving and the reader dips in and out with Cassie's indecisiveness. L.J. Smith gives her readers important choices and also provides the heroine of the book, with enough brains to stand on her own two feet. After reading this one, I immediately had picked up the last one of the Trilogy. Loved it to the core! I am Captivated, are you? :D Read this for MSM, fellas. Won't you?


My Rating 4.75/5 (Captivity is surely not that bad :D)



The Secret Circle - The Captive Part IIand the Power Part I (Book 2) (Paperback) @ Harper Teen (2008)
ISBN-13: 978-0061671357
Pages: 400
flipkart Price: 390/- INR
e-book link -------->Here<--------

The Vampire Diaries - L. J. Smith

NAME OF THE BOOK: The Awakening

1ST PUBLISHED: 1991

ISBN: 978-0-06-199075-5

GENRE: Paranormal Romance/ Teen Fiction

SYNOPSIS:


A deadly love triangle.

Elena: beautiful and popular, the girl who can have any guy she wants.

Stefan: brooding and mysterious, desperately trying to resist his desire for Elena… for her own good.

Damon: sexy, dangerous, and driven by an urge for revenge against Stefan, the brother who betrayed him.

Elena finds herself drawn to both brothers…

Who will she choose?


EXCERPT:

I feel as if someone has hurt him terribly in the past and he’s never got over it. But I also think there’s something he’s afraid of, some secret he’s afraid I’ll find out. If only I knew what it was, I could prove to him that he can trust me. That he can trust me no matter what happens, to the end.

ARPITA SPEAKS:

There are certain things you do in life which are inexplicable; my decision to read this book is one of them. The only thing I can say in my defense is that, obsessed as I am with the TV show based on this series, I had to find out what the book is like. And yes, I did read it after being warned that this is an outstanding example of the most disappointing teenage fiction ever written.

The first thing that completely put me off was the characterization of the female protagonist. A heroine can NEVER gain your sympathy- or admiration- if she is a born narcissist who is convinced of her superiority as the ‘queen’ of the school. And who is immediately attracted to the hero, not because he’s a great guy- or even mysterious or whatever- but because she is determined to prove to everyone that she can get any guy she wants. Try as I might, I could not get myself to like her- not even by the time I finished reading The Awakening.

Stefan is basically a good guy, but somehow fails to appeal to the reader. Cutting a long story short, he seems to be the ‘damsel in distress’ here. Not what you’d expect the hero to be like. He is never sure of what he wants, seems too scared to make a decision and never does anything to prove himself as the hero. I mean, I’m not expecting him to personify machismo, but as the male protagonist he really ought to show a little more grit.

Damon is the one who really is intriguing, the only one who manages to make you curious enough to read further. Sadly, he doesn’t have much role to play in the first book of the series. And since we all know that the book is about vampires, there isn’t much of a surprise element when it comes to Stefan’s dark ‘secret’. Written in the third person, with a few excerpts from ‘Queen’ Elena’s diary, The Awakening pretty much neglects the other characters. It has just one good thing to offer- the mystery behind Damon Salvatore’s desire for revenge. This part of the story is at least a little interesting, even though I was constantly annoyed by the differences between the show and the book. Pick this up only if you- like me- have the mad habit of reading any book on vampire lore that’s shoved under your nose.

RATING: 2/5

PRICE: Rs.350/-

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Title : The Princess Diaries

Author : Meg Cabot

Genre : Young Adult / Chick-lit

Price : Rs 499

ISBN : 0061479934

Publisher : Harper Teen

Total no. of titles in the series : 17 (includes novels, novellas and companion books)

First Published : 2000

Summary : Mia Thermopolis has many things to worry about – a best friend who produces a TV show, and is stalked by a weird guy who has a fetish for shoes, the fact that her crush, the most popular boy in school, Josh Richter only has eyes for Lana Weinberger, her arch-enemy, and a mother who is dating her Algebra teacher – without having to find out that she is not Mia Thermopolis.

She is Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, the princess of Genovia. Her paternal grandmother, the Dowager Princess of Genovia arrives in New York to groom her into a proper princess who, Mia soon finds out, has to be everything that she is not.

Excerpt :

Lilly says Josh's synapses were probably misfiring that day, due to heatstroke or something. She said he probably thought I looked familiar but couldn't place my face without the cement block walls of Albert Einstein High behind me. Why else, she asked, would the most popular senior in high school say hey to me, Mia Thermopolis, a lowly freshman? But I know it wasn't heatstroke. The truth is, when he's away from Lana and all his jock friends, Josh is a totally different person. The kind of person who doesn't care if a girl is flat-chested or wears size-ten shoes. The kind of person who can see beyond all that into the depths of a girl's soul. I know because when I looked into his eyes that day at Bigelows, I saw the deeply sensitive person inside him, struggling to get out.

Lilly says I have an overactive imagination and a pathological need to invent drama in my life. She says the fact that I'm so upset about my mom and Mr. G is a classic example.

Sudeshna's take : The Princess Diaries is a humorous and engaging take on the life of a New York city high school student, but with a twist. While there are the regular challenges of school life that Mia has to deal with, the additional pressure of finding out that she is a princess plunges her into unknown territories, which becomes the life of the novel. The characters are well-built to add to a fast-paced plot, and there isn't a single dull page in the book. In fact, I finished it in one sitting.

The format makes the book easy to read, and teen-aged girls will adore this book once they get hold of it. Although the story may sound a bit off-landish at first, Ms Cabot has crafted the story so well that everything becomes more than believable.

It is one of those stories that you will want to read again and again. I'd say, do read it!

Rating : 4.5/5.0

You against Me by Jenny Downham

Synopsis :
If someone hurts your sister and you're any kind of man, you seek revenge, right? 


If your brother's been accused of a terrible crime and you're the main witness, then you banish all doubt and defend him. Isn't that what families do?


When Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her at a party, his world of work and girls begins to fall apart. 


When Ellie's brother is charged with the crime, but says he didn't do it, her world of revision, exams and fitting in at a new school begins to unravel. 


When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide.


Brave and unflinching, this is a novel of extraordinary skillfulness and almost unbearable tension. It's a book about loyalty and the choices that come with it. But above all it's a book about love - for one's family and for another.


Words from the book: 


“It was strange how words meant something when they came out of your mouth. Inside your head they were safe and silent, but once they were outside, people grabbed hold of them.” 


“I like you," he said. 
He made it sound as if she was bound to disagree with him. She nodded. His face said he was telling her something very important. 
He said, "I mean it. Whatever happens, you have to believe that.” 


“He felt perfectly happy as he walked side by side with Ellie, their fingers occasionally brushing, electricity building between them. It was the first time in days, maybe the first time in all his life, that he didn’t want to change anything.” 

Nimue Says : 
I chose this book from a looong list of teen fiction for adding it to under 18 genre for the challenge on ALOP. and after finishing, I think this is one of the top 5 books I read in year 2011.

This is not the story of  Tom the accused or Karyn the supposed victim; nor of Mikey , the elder brother and caretaker of his family of two sisters and a troubled mother , nor of little Ellie , the young sister whose words only can save Tom from going to jail. So what does Ellie says ? and does she really has it in her to stick to her statement ?

Mikey meets Ellie by chance and thinking it as an opportunity to seek information about Tom, meets her again and again , each time failing to ask whatever he intended and instead falling for her beauty , her knowledge and all that he ever wanted in a perfect girl for himself.

Ellie , even after realizing who Mikey , trusts him a lot more than she should. Questioning herself and her family is no easy task ut she is willing to do that for Mikey's sake even if she says she wants to help Karyn.

I strongly felt sad for Tom and Ellie's mother. She who can not desert her daughter as she tries to free from the silent sadness creeping  in her life , nor can go against her son. You feel for Mikey as he struggles to keep his house together and for his sisters who have long back learned their roles in the house -  a house that can fall apart anytime even with no court case hanging in their life.

This book has a simple plot but the way it unfolds, its sensitive , it feels accurate and it touches you the way it should. It is simple yet engaging ; emotional yet logical, fiction yet not. It talks of so many issues and ideas that we do not wish to explore or accept. It does not give a closing , ut details the journey well. Totally loved Jenny's way of writing in this one. All willing to try her other books too.

Rating: 4.5/5

Other details: 

Price : 230 @ flipkart

Pages : 390