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SECRET VAMPIRE.
Good points:
Secret Vampire was the first Night World book I read and I must say, I truly thought that the characters of this book set L. J. Smith apart from other young-adult authors of the supernatural genre. I fell in love with James Rasmussen. L. J. Smith had me wishing I had a boyfriend just like James. And Philip North had me laughing right to the very end of the book. Have you read his quotes? You definitely should.
I also liked that when I least expected it, Ash Redfern handed Poppy North the happy ending she and James deserved.
Bad points:
The only bad aspect of Secret Vampire was that the information given about the Night World was quite vague. L. J. Smith should have dedicated more pages to the concepts of the Night World as this book was the first in the series.
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DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS.
Good points:
Firstly, L. J. Smith does a much better job of explaining the Night World and its concepts in Daughters of Darkness than in Secret Vampire. This book contains information about the Redfern family and it also features two desirable Night World men – Ash Redfern and John Quinn.
I think it was good that L. J. Smith did not define the relationship between Jade Redfern and Mark Carter. Because they are young, they are in that carefree state of mind where they believe love is all you need. I do not think they are mature enough to know if they truly are soulmates.
And, despite what others have said, I liked that Ash and Mary-Lynnette Carter did not run off together and live happily ever after. If L. J. Smith had written such an ending, no reader would believe that Ash would give up the Night World, his family, and his principles, in the space of a few days. Plus, there is the suspense of wondering what will happen to this couple.
Bad points:
Though Daughters of Darkness was a good read, the story was slow-paced and predictable for me.
This is trivial but still, the title of the book refers to the Redfern sisters – Jade, Kestrel, and Rowan. Yet, they were hardly the focus of the book. They were good characters though, so it is a pity that their part in the Night World series was quite small.
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SPELLBINDER/ENCHANTRESS.
Good points:
Spellbinder/Enchantress is the first book starring witches. Therefore, the book is full of information about the history of the witches and the times of Hecate, Hellewise, and Maya.
Blaise Harman was a brilliantly written character. She is the stereotypical popular girl – beautiful but cold as an iceberg. At the end of Spellbinder/Enchantress, Blaise shows a glimmer of compassion but she does not fully reform. Instead, L. J. Smith does something a little different. She keeps Blaise the way she is, unlike previous Night World characters. This is why I like Blaise. The character knows who she is.
And yeah, who does not like a book where the female leads compete, especially when they are related!
Bad points:
One thing I had trouble understanding was how Edgith Harman could have no problem saying farewell to her granddaughter for eternity? I thought her character came off as quite cold in that particular scene.
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DARK ANGEL.
Good points:
I read Dark Angel for the first time very recently. And I have to say, I don’t know why so many other readers hated the book. I thought it was a pretty good read. The storyline was unique for the series and I did not think the characters were bad at all. In fact, I admired Gillian Lennox. She was a real person – she wanted popularity and a guy she never dreamed she could have. If you try to tell me no girl has ever been in that position before, I won’t believe you because Gillian reminded me of myself when I was younger.
Bad points:
Believe it or not, there was nothing I disliked about this book! I don’t know if it’s because I read this book seven years after I first read a Night World book or even if it’s because I’ve wanted to read this book for so long but could never find it at a price I could afford. Maybe that’s why I liked this book so much. I even cried when Gary Fargeon (aka Angel) finally told Gillian the truth about who he was and what his unfinished business was.
But, for others who have not read Dark Angel, I should warn you that there is very little Night World involvement in this book. Also, I know some readers firmly believe the soulmate couples in the series should know they are soulmates from their very first encounter. This is not the case with Gillian and her soulmate, David Blackburn. These two don’t realise they are soulmates until towards the end of the book and some people don’t think Gillian and David belonged together for the reason that David didn’t notice Gillian before she became popular, although technically this is not correct. David begins noticing Gillian the day he rescues her, which happens before she becomes popular. Yes, I liked David. Sure, he was no Ash but he certainly wasn’t the obnoxious, ‘go for the popular girl’ type of guy that people make him out to be.
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THE CHOSEN.
Good points:
In The Chosen, you get to meet the most notorious Night World villain – Hunter Redfern. The book also sheds more light on the Redfern family.
The Chosen also contains my absolute favourite Night World scene – when Rashel Jordan visits a nightclub and seduces John Quinn. It is a very sexy scene.
The story of this Night World book is a little different from the previous books. You will notice that in the previous books, the leading characters know each other if they are not already related. In The Chosen, Rashel and Quinn have an odd first encounter. This is just one reason why this book felt different to me. And again, the characters are amazing.
Bad points:
The Chosen is my favourite Night World book because it has Quinn in it but I have a major criticism about it. I felt as if Quinn did not appear in the book much. This sounds ridiculous when he is the male lead but I can count the number of times he appears in the story on one hand. Some of the times that he does appear, he ends up getting knocked unconscious.
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SOULMATE.
Good points:
Finally, we get to meet the legendary Maya. And what a character she is. Again, L. J. Smith writes the characters so brilliantly.
In Soulmate, Thierry Descouedres sheds more light on the times of Hellewise and Maya. Definitely read this book if you want more information about Night World history.
Soulmate also contains an update on previous Night World characters. This is something to look out for if you were a fan of previous characters.
Bad points:
Like everybody else, I agree that Maya was killed too easily. There was nothing spectacular about her killing – being staked. But I understand why L. J. Smith chose to kill her in the most basic way; because Maya was hyped up to be more superior than your ordinary vampire yet she could be killed just like any ordinary vampire. But I would have liked to see more fight in her in her dying moments. Maybe Maya could have tried to take Hannah down with her. That is certainly what I would expect from a woman who never gives up.
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HUNTRESS.
Good points:
If you are getting bored of reading about the same concepts – Night People falling in love with humans and breaking Night World laws to be with their soulmates – well, L. J. Smith has added some different storylines to Huntress. These involve the Wild Power children and the period of darkness that has been prophesised to occur during the Millennium. I think the new concepts add more action and excitement to the series and L. J. Smith should be congratulated for enlivening the series so well.
I also liked that Jez Redfern and Morgead Blackthorn were different from other Night World couples in the sense that they were not constantly worrying about if they were right for each other. They did not feel the need to define their relationship for much of the book, which meant that they could talk down, compete with, and just generally be a pest to one another!
Bad points:
The only criticism I have about Huntress is that I did not understand why Jez was conflicted between Morgead and Hugh Davis. The relationship between Jez and Hugh did not come across as even slightly romantic. This was because of a combination of reasons; one being that L. J. Smith barely discussed how their relationship was built, and two being that the scenes between the two characters were always about the Wild Power mission.
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BLACK DAWN.
Good points:
For me, Black Dawn stood out from the other Night World books because for the first time, the female lead – Maggie Neely – accepted her soulmate – Delos Redfern – immediately. I liked that Maggie was the first female of the series who did not anguish over who she got for her life-partner. Hats off to Maggie for being adaptable.
I also loved the scenes between Maggie and Delos! All the Night World books have great scenes between the soulmate couples but there was something extra about the scenes in Black Dawn. I guess it had something to do with the male lead and not the female lead being unwilling to fall in love.
And lastly, Delos’s dialogue was fantastic. I think he owns the best quotes of any Night World character.
Bad points:
The only thing that bugged me about this book was that it dealt with the same concept as in The Chosen – about slave trade. This put me off at first but as the book went on, it took a different turn, so, in the beginning, it may seem like Black Dawn is a copy of The Chosen but the book develops its own unique story.
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WITCHLIGHT.
Good points:
Yet another Night World book with excellent characters. Raksha Keller and Galen Drache are among my favourite characters. I liked that their coupling was different – Raksha was the one protecting Galen, while Galen was the romantic one. And I felt that Raksha had many truthful qualities about her, such as her impatience, her belief that everyone has to fight, and her reluctance to allow Galen to interfere with her work.
The story itself was good. If you were beginning to think after reading Black Dawn that L. J. Smith is getting repetitive with her storylines, you will be impressed with how well she bounces back in Witchlight.
Finally, as the first book starring shape-shifters, there is information about the Drache family, the dragons, and the history between the shape-shifters and the witches.
Bad points:
I think more information should have been given about the First House and the Drache family as this was the first book in which these concepts were mentioned. Personally, I thought L. J. Smith skimmed over the information that was given, but it was not enough.
One more thing, since Raksha and Galen were soulmates, Iliana Dominick was left without a soulmate. Now, the Night World books state that the Wild Powers and their soulmates must survive to fight back the darkness. And since the previous two Wild Powers have soulmates, what will happen with Iliana? L. J. Smith should have addressed this issue in Witchlight, even if she plans to do so in Strange Fate.
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