The Secret Circle (part 1) by L.J. Smith

WOW I loved this book. I can not believe that this was written in the 1990's and I had never heard of it until recently. This writer was writing cool paranormal series before it was actually popular. This is a young adult story that kids of all ages would love. This is part 1 (actually books 1-2, which were re-released) titled The Initiation and The Captive part 1. The second book (re-released books 3-4) The Captive Part 2 and The Power is also amazing.

Synopsis (from barnesandnoble.com): The circle's power has lured her home
Forced to move from sunny California to gloomy New England, Cassie longs for her old life. Even so, she feels a strange kinship to a terrifying group of teens who seem to rule her school. Initiated into the coven of witches that's controlled New Salem for hundreds of years, she's drawn into the Secret Circle, a thrill that's both intoxicating and deadly. But when she falls for the mysterious and intriguing Adam, Cassie must choose whether to resist temptation or risk dark forces to get what she wants—even if it means that one wrong move could ultimately destroy her.

My Thoughts: I am so glad that I had both books Part 1 and 2 to read because I would have immediately drove to the store to buy it if I had not. Part 1 does start out a little slow but by page 10 I could not put it down.I read through this book all in one sitting. I could not wait to find out what happened next. I could not help but be drawn in to Cassie's world. I related to her, felt sorry for her, got angry with her, but still loved the character. I will definitely be going out and buying up all the L.J. Smith books I can. She is brilliant!!