The Secret Circle: The Initiation and The Captive Part I

I found this book to be very captivating...no pun intended ;) It took me about 3 days to read. It's about a girl who discovers that she and her ancestors were witches. There is a lot more to it, but I don't really want to provide much more information than that. The book references the Salem Witch Trials and a brief history of what happened during those times which I really enjoyed. It was a pretty suspenseful book with a tiny bit of romance...forbidden romance... which results in the main character being blackmailed ("the captive") and a few people dying. I can't wait to read the next book in the series to find out who did what and how all the pieces are going to fall into place. I can't stop thinking about it and I continue to try to figure out the mystery of the murders.

Great books. This book is the complete first book and half of the second book. There's something for everyone: good girl determined to do what's right, bad girl determined to leave everything in ruins as long as she ends up in power, smart girl who downplays her intelligence and up plays her beauty so people underestimate her, good guy determined to do what's best for everyone, bad boy with a heart of gold, etc. There's supposed to be 12 major characters, but more than half of them turn into minor characters. Just like with the Twilight series, the minor characters had great storyline potentials and were extremely interesting but were a bit overshadowed by the love stories.

The story starts off with meeting young Cassie Blake. She is just fifteen years old and on vacation in Cape Cod for the summer with her mother. She is described of having brunette hair, wavy, and petite too. Over time the read comes to find out that plans change and Cassie is forced to move with her mother to the town of New Salem, Massachusetts for both of them to live with her grandmother, who she has never met till they show up at her front door. The story continues with her meeting students, having a rocky start her first week of school, and learning something peculiar about a group of students; which either half the students are afraid of or worship the group they walk on. But for reasons Cassie has no clue about.So no more spoiling the book, because it's awesome! For most people, they only know of this because of the show and watched the show instead. But I think for the most part, the show lacks a certain quality that the book has: magic! I'm not talking spells or doing cool things with incantations, but I'm talking that quality that book has that makes you enjoy every second you read the book.There is something about the way that Cassie meets everyone and how she learns of the "secret". My favorite part was that is was set in Massachusetts. The show doesn't have that. My big complaint about the show. Reason for this is the witch trials happened in Salem Mass. and that reference/story is brought up in the book too. It's one of the huge elements that is played on the last half of the book as well.I simply enjoyed how there was a part in the beginning when Cassie sees Diana for the first time. She is described as this tall girl, with hair so long and beautifully blonde, "that is woven with the sun and the moon". She is also described as being this unbelievably nice girl and how everyone LOVES her in school. All the girls can't get enough of her and every single guy she passes in the hall asks her out on a date.Then you have the complete opposite to her: Faye. Faye is a this tall girl too. Dark black hair that is long and raven black. Red fire painted nails and the body of something 'exotic'. She is always wearing clothing that is too sexy for her and doesn't give a care in the world that she goes after the boys that are never single or just flat out a challenge.Those two characters added such a dynamic, that it was intriguing to know what they were capable of doing to anyone or to each other in their "circle".This book is a great read for those wanting something deeper than the show can offer, while also knowing maybe how it came about as a book. The one thing I can give away is that in the books that didn't happen on the show: Cassie's mother never died and her father wasn't a witch either. Something I didn't enjoy they doing for the show. Took away too much about the original story at hand.Anyway, this is something to really check out if you have the time, especially if you haven't seen the show.[...]

The media could not be loaded.  I just watched the show and sad there was only 1season and didn't continue on, but with luck I found the books so I can continue the story on my own time.

I will start by saying I am a HUGE Vampire Diaries fan. The show, that is. So many reviewers and friends told me not to bother with the books, so I didn't. Although it was a little cheesy, I enjoyed the Secret Circle when I watched it on Netflix. I decided to read it even though it was the same author. Like Vampire Diaries (so they say), it is very different from the show, and the show is much better. This book has waaayyyy too many characters. Many are insignificant, really, so I couldn't even remember them all. There is a perfectly good reason why the show's circle had 6 people and the book's had 12. I thought it was weird that they let Cassie join the circle, not because she showed any magical ability, but because she was related to one of the families and it was a last resort. And then she just had power all of a sudden. Well.. whatever. I guess the 3 books were split into 2, or some nonsense, which kind of explains the strange ending of this book. It literally drops off in the middle of a thought, at the height of the climax. I feel compelled to read the next book. Not because I enjoyed the first one much, but because I need some sort of ending. I wish I didn't have to spend more money just to have something make sense though lol Another thing I don't understand is why, if the circle considered the possibility that Cassie might be one of them, they still put her though total hell when she moves to town. And furthermore, why she is so desperate for their approval and friendship. At least Cassie on the show had a little spine and wasn't so desperate for friends. The plot is a little bland, too, and after reading this, I can tell that the liberties CW takes with Smith's books truly are a major improvement.

Perfect thank you

Das Buch liest sich auf englisch wirklich sehr gut und ist spannend geschrieben, wenn man auf Phantasie steht ist es wirklich zu empfehlen. Man ist nach dem ersten Buch hingerissen ebenfalls die anderen Teile zu lesen

Well if theres any justice, they'll make this into a CW show too!I remember reading the 1st Secret Circle book when I was younger, about 13/14 and i loved it, i have read it to death, its all dog eared and very loved!So when I saw a chance,to buy them all new I jumped! delighted!these books follow the story of a young girl called Cassie Blake who moves to New Salem with her mother, and end up staying with her grandmother on Crowhaven Road.Cassie starts school, and pretty soon realises that theres something a bit different about these kids, all exceptionally beautiful, and everyone seems to idolise them, as well as being frightened of them.By the same author as the Best Selling Night World and Vampire Diaries, i challenge you to not love these.my only criticism is the set up of the books, beware when you buy you need:-The Initiation & The Captive Pt 1 and The Captive Pt 2 & the Powerthese are 1.5 books each.Happy reading! Excellent Books.

As an avid Vampire Diaries reader and fan of L J Smith, I picked this up through curiousity, and was thrilled. In fact i'm still wondering why I hadn't read it before I did? It is written brilliantly and the characters and plot are absolutely amazing. I could not put it down and quickly progressed on to the second book which is equally as good.I have watched the TV programme which in my opinion doesn't stand up to the quality of the actual books, they are completely different, there are different characters and plot too not to mention that the way Cassie and Adams relationship is portrayed on the TV is rubbish. If you are reading this and have come to the page because you are a fan of the show, buy the books without any doubt because they are head and shoulders better.I am looking forward to the release of  The Secret Circle: The Divide  I just wish March would hurry up :) The Secret Circle: The Divide

This is not the version I received. It’s the same story but the cover is wildly different so I no longer have a pair. Cover I did get is garish and very 90s looking. I realize it’s cosmetic but I’m not thrilled. Book itself is in decent condition.