The Secret Circle Trilogy by L.J. Smith

Cassie Blake is devastated when her summer vacation in Massachusetts is made permanent when her mother insists they have to move in with her grandmother in small town New Salem.  But her disappointment soon gives way to shock when she encounters The Club at school--the elite clique that even the teachers submit to.  But the biggest shock isn't that they're witches, it's that Cassie is actually one of them.  Soon she is locked in an internal struggle between those who use their powers for good and for evil, and she soon discovers that the decision is not as easy as it seems.  When a centuries-old evil starts to infiltrate their coven and tries to bring them all under its control, Cassie finds herself with choices to make, and one wrong step could spell doom to all.

I was going to review these one volume at a time (the "trilogy" is currently packaged into two volumes), but I could not put them down!  L.J. Smith does some fantastic world building and the story ensnared me.  The tension between the major characters is fantastic-- it's very refreshing to read a series where a coven isn't held together by "perfect love and perfect trust", but is held together mainly by heritage.  This leads to a lot of power plays and emotional mainipulation, which is so relatable and a large part of why I couldn't stop reading-- I had to make sure my favorite characters were going to be alright!

My favorite part of the series, though, was the love triad of Cassie, Diana, and Adam.  I say "triad" instead of "triangle" because despite the competing romantic interests of the three, they remain a cohesive unit bound by love and friendship between all of them.  (I almost get the sense that Smith wanted to set-up a three-way, polyamorous relationship, but wasn't allowed to or didn't think she could get away with it.)  It is a much healthier take on a dynamic that flourishes in YA lit these days.  It's also just far more interesting and heart-wrenching to see three people who love and respect each other deal with this issue, instead of the typical tug-of-war of one person between two people who hate each other.

Of course, the witchy aspect is what we're here for, and Smith pulls it off brilliantly!  She sets up a complex internal mythology that has endless potential for expansion (which I expect to see on the TV show!)  And even though they originally came out almost 20 years ago, this series holds up remarkably well (only the characters' birthdates really threw me).  The writing can be a little melodramatic at times, but it did its job of roping me in!  Pick it up!

    

Old Magic by Marianne Curley

When a freak storm happens inside their classroom on Jarrod Thornton's first day at his new school, resident "freak" Kate Warren has her suspicions.  When an earthquake hits just the local cafe-hangout when Jarrod is there, Kate is absolutely sure.  Jarrod has magical powers, just as Kate and her grandmother Jillian do.  Seeing how ostracized Kate and Jillian are in their town, Jarrod is not eager to associate with her, especially since he doesn't believe in magic and that's all Kate wants to talk to him about.  And besides, if he has magical powers, then why is he--and his entire family--so unlucky?  For Kate the answer is obvious: the Thorton family is cursed.  Jarrod categorically rejects the idea at first, but after digging into his family history, he finds the theory impossible to ignore.  And when tragedy strikes, he cannot resist Kate's offers to help end the curse once and for all.

I loved the dynamic of this book.  The chapters alternate between Jarrod and Kate's POVs, which not only gives you a greater view of the plot, but also allows both leads the chance to develop.  Curley nails the nuances of human interaction, how people perceive each other, how they act outwardly towards each other as opposed to how they actually feel.

The plot was filled with good ideas, but it kind of fell apart for me in a few places--but to its credit, a lot of that had to do with how I felt about the characters.  For example, when Kate and Jarrod go back in time to break the curse, I felt like there were too many characters and things going on that blotted out a lot of what I loved about their relationship.  However, it was still an engaging, perfectly-paced story.  As a history nut, I was totally hooked by the setting of Thorntyne Castle, and I really appreciate how much thought Curley put into the complexities of time travel.  A great read!

   

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (Caster Chronicles #1)

Ethan Wate is haunted by a strange song in his dreams, and he's enthralled by the beautiful girl with a crescent moon birthmark under her eye who seems to accompany it, but he shrugs them both off-- until he sees her on the first day of school playing that song in the music room.  Her name is Lena Duchennes, and he soon discovers even weirder things about her: she drives a hearse, she's the town recluse's niece, and strange storms seem to break out when she's upset.  Rather than being scared off, Ethan is drawn to her even more and soon breaks through her defenses, and they find a deep inexplicable bond.  But it cannot be.  She is a Caster-- she and all of her family have special powers, but not all of them are good.  On her 16th birthday, she will be Claimed for Light or Dark-- and it's only a few months away.  Together, they're determined to break the curse on her family, and Ethan's family history may hold the clue...

This book was fairly incredible.  It wasn't perfect, but it deserves the buzz it's getting.  I agree with most every other review out there-- an American South setting and a male narrator add to this book's uniqueness and gives it a different mood from all the other YA fantasy out there.  This story is rich, with history, with love, and with creepiness.  There is almost too much to talk about what I love, so I'll hit on some highlights.  Lena and Ethan's love is deeply organic to the story-- I never for a moment doubt their feelings for each other, as Garcia and Stohl make you believe in both free will and fate at the same time (an overarching theme that affects more than just their relationship).  Also refreshing are the prominent black characters, in positions of immense power and influence (though you wouldn't know it at first-- always a good lesson to learn).  Also, creepy though he may seem (and justifiably so), but his Southern gentlemanliness, sophistication, and iconoclasm had me falling completely head over heels for Lena's reclusive uncle, Macon Ravenwood.  On a more general note, it's also a love letter to books and stories, to reading, to libraries-- something that nearly everyone who picks it up should be able to appreciate.

Its main weakness is that it does start, not exactly slowly, but unrushed.  Garcia and Stohl take great care in constructing this world and it pays off in a big way.  Don't miss it, or the upcoming sequel, Beautiful Darkness.  You can read the first 58 pages of BC here.

    

Don't Die, Dragonfly by Linda Joy Singleton (Seer no.1)

Sabine Rose is fitting in well at her new school-- friends with the cheerleaders, confidante of the charming editor of the school paper, and dating the sweetest guy in school.  She can almost forget the tragic circumstances that made her an outcast at her old school and ended up with her moving in with her eccentric grandmother, a psychic matchmaker named Nona.  But Sabine swears that she didn't inherit her grandmother's abilities-- a facade that's hard to keep up once the visions of the death of a classmate with a dragonfly tattoo begin...

Don't Die, Dragonfly is a thrilling first installment of a series that I am eager to read more of.  It's a book that deals with the most frightening burden of power: social ostracism.  Sabine's struggles to both own her powers and save her classmate's life are skillfully intertwined as she must learn to trust others with her secret in order to do what's right.

Singleton also sets up plenty of teasers for future installments, from the mysterious Dominic who moves into Nona's barn at the beginning of the story and makes cryptic intimations about the future of Sabine's family, to the effect of her new alliances on her old friendships and her new boyfriend.  And her strained relationship with her mother not only longs for resolution, but is completely relatable to anyone who has ever been a teenager.  I can't wait to read more-- including the final book, Magician's Muse, out in October!

(By the way, if the plot reminds you of Blue is for Nightmares, you're not alone.  But whether you love or hate those books, you should give Dragonfly a try, because the two books/series are plenty different!)  You can read the first two chapters here.

   

Wicked: Witch and Curse by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguié

Holly Cathers barely knew her cousins Amanda and Nicole when after a tragic white-water rafting trip, she becomes an orphan and moves in with them.  Jer Deveraux knows that the Cathers women are descended from a powerful line of witches, and he knows his father's plans for them.  But no one knows how deep the connections between their families go, or how Holly and Jer may be the key to unraveling a 400-year-old war-- and becoming thrall to a 400-year-old love.

This book was...okay.  The plot and magical concepts were good, but the characters were flat and largely unsympathetic-- even Holly eventually loses a good deal of the good will that being an orphan earned her in the beginning.  Jer isn't much better, because while he's less evil and power-hungry than his father and brother, he's also basically a jerk who shows no real inclination to take any real stance against them (though he does reach out to other sources for more ethical magical training).  Also, I found his and Holly's relationship to be forced.  There is some justification to that, since both are conduits for the spirits of their ancestors who were in love, but there is no real reason for Holly and Jer to be attracted to each other at all.

That said, this book has a number of good points.  I liked how, despite first impressions, neither the Cathers nor the Deveraux are completely good or completely evil.  The flashbacks to the Deveraux and Cahors (the Cathers ancestors) past are an engaging glimpse of history and political intrigue, both real and magical. And even though Jer is a bit of a jerk, his association with his other magical teachers gesture strongly towards a later transformation.  So not only is Jer not beyond redemption, I am not completely turned off by the idea of finishing the series!  So I'm going to give this one:

  

Madame Xanadu, vol. I: Disenchanted, by Matt Wagner and Amy Reeder Hadley

Madame Xanadu is a character with a long history in the DC Universe who has been given a fresh start with this new series from the Vertigo imprint (home of Sandman and Fables).  This first volume takes you on a wild journey throughout history, from her origin in Camelot when she was Nimue, sister of Morgan le Fay, to the palace of Kublai Khan from whence she took her name--Xanadu, to the French Revolution, the streets of Whitechapel during the terror of Jack the Ripper, and finally New York City on the eve of World War II as she bears witness to the rise of a new form of powerful beings--the superhero.

On each leg of her journey, Madame Xanadu is faced with dilemma after dilemma, forced to weigh the consequences of her actions. Whether to meddle in the affairs of state at Xanadu or the court of Louis XVI, despite the lessons she learned at the fall of Camelot, whether to save her friend Marie Antoinette or save herself, whether to protect the women of Whitechapel or to heed the cryptic warnings of the Phantom Stranger, who tells her there is a higher purpose at work-- each choice she makes has a dramatic effect on both her own life and the course of human history.

Wagner's writing is captivating and Hadley's art is breathtaking.  Every moment of Madame Xanadu's life, from her final showdown with Merlin to her bargain with Death Herself, comes alive and urges you onwards.

There are not enough good things to say about this series.  If you have never picked up a graphic novel in your life, this is the one to start with.  If you have, you'll love this one (especially if you're familiar with the DC Universe, you'll relish the new, unique encounters with such characters as Giovanni Zatara and the Spectre).  Go read it now.

You can read a PDF of the first issue of this volume on the Vertigo comics website.

    

Jinx by Meg Cabot

Jean Honeychurch is cursed.  She's knows she's cursed because she was born during a supercell storm, she's always finding new ways to hurt herself, and she has to move from Iowa to her aunt and uncle's house in New York City to escape her stalker.  She's doubly cursed because of the stupid nickname her rotten luck has garnered her: Jinx.  But when she gets to New York, her cousin Tory corners her with an old family legend-- they're descended from a real witch who was burned at the stake hundreds of years ago, and Tory is convinced they've both inherited her powers.  Jinx just wants to focus on fitting in at her new school and on her crush (and Tory's), the boy next door, Zach.  But Tory won't give up, and soon Jinx unwittingly finds herself locked in psychological and magical warfare with her cousin.  Just her luck.

This book is a fun, light read, much in the vein of Meg Cabot's other work.  The characters are incredible.  Jean is a total fish-out-of-water, and her confusion and frustration with NYC and its people are both sympathetic and funny. The conflict between her and Tory starts out as a simple crazy relative clash, but soon escalates to a full-on battle of wits, before making a sharp turn into the genuinely scary.  I envied her "just-a-friendship" with Zach-- anyone would love to be just-friends with such a sweet and funny guy that you can understand why she continues to hang out with him in spite of being convinced that he's got a crush on their au pair, Petra.  And as per usual for a Cabot novel, Jinx fails to notice how requited her crush on Zach is till the very end (but trust me, that's not a spoiler, because we all know it from the page he shows up on).  It's a good stand-alone novel-- a tight, coherent story that leaves you split between wanting more and not wanting to disturb them any further. One little niggle I had at the beginning was that Jean seemed to know a little too much about witchcraft for someone who claims to not want to have anything to do with it-- of course, there turns out to be a reason for this, but I feel like that hint could have been handled a little more smoothly.  Aside from that, I highly recommend this book-- pick it up for some fun summer reading!

You can read the first 54 pages on the HarperTeen website. (And you can finish out Chapter Six--which the preview ends in the middle of--at Meg Cabot's website)

   

Sweep: Book of Shadows, The Coven, & Blood Witch by Cate Tiernan

When Morgan Rowlands first sees the gorgeous new senior Cal Blaire at school, she falls for him, but remains firm in her belief that he would never be interested in her plain looks or flat chest.  But Cal turns out to be completely different from any other guy she's ever met-- to start with, he's a witch.  He invites Morgan to be a part of a new coven he starts up, and though she has no idea what to make of it at first, she decides to try it out. But after one circle, she knows she'll never be the same.  She discovers her hidden talent for magick-- a fact that has far deeper implications than she ever expected.  And as she taps in to her power and her history more and more, her relationship with Cal grows deeper.  Yet someone as powerful as she is is bound to attract attention, and not all of it good.  But how does she know who to trust?

Re-reading the first three Sweep books was like coming home for me.  As in Balefire, Tiernan builds a rich world, with a complex system of magick (based on Wiccan practices, but tweaked and enhanced to make for a more fantastic story) and an engaging cast of characters.  Morgan and Cal's magnetic attraction is a wonderful portrayal of first love.  And every single one of the supporting characters, no matter how minor, is fleshed out enough that you're rarely confused about their motivation (and if you are, it's probably because Tiernan is leading up to a reveal!), and even when they make bad decisions, you can't hold it against them, because you probably would have done the same thing.  The stories that intertwine, forming the overarching plot, leave you breathless with suspense, keeping you turning the pages desperate to know what happens next--only to leave you with yet another cliffhanger at the end!  Thankfully, there is plenty more where that came from.

The Sweep series (known as "Wicca" in the UK and elsewhere) originally came out from 2001 to 2003, which is when I first read it, and I can't help but feel it's finally gotten the treatment it deserves.  The first three books have been released in a fat bind-up edition (though for now it's only available at Wal-Mart; it will be released in all bookstores September 2nd, 2010, just a few days before the first book in Tiernan's new trilogy Immortal Beloved.)  The individual books are still available in bookstores if you can't wait, but keep in mind, they cost $7.99 each-- the same as the bind-up costs for three.  You can read the first 7 pages of Book of Shadows on the Penguin website.

    

Spell-Checkers by Jamie S. Rich, Nicolas Hitori De, and Joëlle Jones

Let's be honest, if any of us had magic powers in high school, we'd use them to get the hot guys, ace every test, gain popularity, and rule the school in every possible way. Jesse, Kimmie, and Cynthia have done just that. Since they got their hands on an ancient spell book in elementary school, they've been the queen bees, filling out tests with a flick of the wrist and sending magical clones to gym class. But in high school, it starts to catch up with them-- magically-created graffiti that challenges their status starts popping up around the school, and the charmed dolls that are the conduits of their powers begin to disappear. They turn on each other, pointing fingers, because after all, they're the only witches in school...right?

Let me just start off this review by saying, that if you have an aversion to swearing, smoking, cattiness, shallowness, and every other Mean Girls kind of behavior, this book is not for you. That said, if you don't mind those, you'll have a really good time. These teenage witches aren't tiptoeing around the shadow of some karmic law-- they use magic in the way that we all secretly wish we could at some point or another. The story is very original, and you'll find yourself cheering for some of the most unsympathetic characters ever put to paper.
 

The art (mostly) by Hitori De is energetic, able to portray the girls as simultaneously evil and cute, and the story would not work without it. The flashback scenes by Joëlle Jones reflect the childlike mischievousness of their origin story.
 

This book is labelled "volume 1" so hopefully we don't have to wait too long for the next installment! You can read a 22-page preview here on the Oni Press website. Oni books take a while to get to regular bookstores, so it is currently only available online and at comic book stores. You can find one near you at ComicShopLocator.com, and if you drop by participating stores today (May 1st) you'll be able to take advantage of Free Comic Book Day, where stores give away samples of various publishers' upcoming offerings! I don't know if there's anything particularly Witchy being offered, but for fans of all YA urban fantasy, a preview of the graphic novel adaptation of Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments will be available from Th3rd World Studios.