"That Was When the Man in Black came to New Salem..." | The Captive (Secret Circle)

Captive is Captivating | The Captive (Secret Circle) | Lisa Smith

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	• The Captive (Secret Circle) Lisa Smith Hodder Children's Books, 2002 - 272 pages average customer review:based on 62 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The plot thickens...

Of the three books in this trilogy, this is perhaps the slowest one to read, simply because the action is not as quickly paced as the first one, and so much happens during the course of the novel. This is the book where most of the plot development occurs, and this is where we really start to know the characters who are introduced in "The Initiation." This book also serves as set up for the third book, and the climax of the series.

The mystery in New Salem deepens. More people die under strange circumstances, and Cassie finds out that many of the coven members' parents died in the same year, 1976. On top of that, Faye blackmails Cassie, first into finding the crystal skull that Faye covets, and then into voting for Faye when leadership of the coven is being determined.

One of L.J. Smith's greatest strengths is her ability to weave separate plots into a cohesive whole, and none of her series show this quite so well as her Secret Circle books do. The separate-yet-connected events in this book are expertly tied together in the third one, leaving no loose ends in the process and keeping the reader enthralled until the last page is turned.

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"That Was When the Man in Black came to New Salem..."

"The Captive" is the second book in the Secret Circle Trilogy by L. J. Smith, her most worthwhile trilogy. In the first book "The Initiation", teenager Cassie Blake and her mother moved to New Salem, where she was adopted by a group of witches within the school, who needed a twelfth member for the completion of their coven. There were complications however: although Cassie is instant friends with the coven leader Diana, Diana's cousin Faye is hostile and manipulative toward her. Meanwhile, Cassie has fallen for Diana's boyfriend Adam, and now Faye is blackmailing Cassie into doing whatever she asks - if she doesn't, she'll tell Diana the truth.

And what Faye is after is the sinister crystal skull that the coven uncovered, but that Cassie suspects is somehow behind the awful deaths of several people within New Salem - and she knows that it'll become twice as dangerous if it ends up in Faye's hands. But telling Diana that her beloved boyfriend and her best friend have been cheating on her would break her heart, as well as see her kicked out of the coven. She seemingly has no choice but to get Faye the skull - but first she has to find it...

Meanwhile, Cassie is investigating other strange occurrences around New Salem - she's been experiencing odd dreams, and her mother and grandmother's behaviour is still secretive and aloof. She finds a sealed and blocked off cellar at the local cemetery, as well as an unusual feature on the graves of the other witches' parents - all of them died in 1976. What happened that year to kill so many of the first generation? Another time phenomena strikes Cassie as odd - all the teenage witches celebrate their birthdays within three months of each other, almost as if the parents coordinated their children's' births.

As well as this there is the usual teenager-novel fare: school dances, joy riding, bullying, hormones, raunchy games, and a sprinkling of witchy rituals throughout. Finally though, the story accumulates with the vote for the permanent coven leader, a position coveted by both Faye and Diana, and a disaster that reveals much of the back-story to the terrible happenings at New Salem.

However, the story ends with one of L. J. Smith's frustrating cliff-hangers which forces you to track down and pay for the next book before you find out what happens. I've always found this to be one of the most unappealing components of Smith's books, unlike book series like "Harry Potter" for example, with each installment containing a full, complete plot, Smith's books are divided into several volumes for the simple reasoning: they get more money this way. If there is a publication out there that combines all three of the books into one, I suggest getting that instead of spending money on three separate books.

"The Captive" is possibly the best book in the series, melding several mysteries and plot devices into a whole, with enough intrigue and suspense to keep anyone interested. Cassie's dilemma certainly makes compulsive reading, as does the duality between Diana and Faye, and the direction that the coven can take. The figure of Black John lurks in the background like a sinister shadow (and is certainly Smith's best villain) and again Smith deftly portrays the relationships and attitudes of normal, understandable characters in an abnormal situation. Here we get to see a little more of the personalities of the rest of the coven, and although the Cassie/Adam love match still seems a little unlikely to me, it shakes things up well for the final book "The Power".

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Captive is Captivating

The Captive was by far my favorite and most anticipated of the Secret Circle series. It shows you another, less shy, side of Cassie and shines light on the other side of the coven, such as Deb, Susan, the Henderson brothers, and, of course, Faye. You also watch Cassie struggle with her feelings for Adam and her loyalty to Diana. I thought it was a great book. I couldn't -- didn't put it down.

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More of the Circle.

After obtaining the skull for Faye and letting loose a blast of dark energy, Cassie is determined to not be her slave anymore and wants out of the deal, even if it means that Faye tells Diana about Cassie and Adam. Faye traps her one more time and makes Cassie swear to vote for her in the vote for permanent coven leader, instead of Diana.

Faye wins the vote and her first order is to tell Cassie to get the skull and in the neighborhood cemetery, after making a rather weak circle of protection, sets loose a blast of dark energy that makes the skull explode and disappear, giving it a form and knocking the circle members around in the process. This time the power heads straight for Cassie's house and after making her mother go into shock, proceeds to set her house on fire and kill her grandmother with a heart attack.

The group manages to get Mrs. Blake out, but it is too late to move Cassie's grandmother and she dies in the house, but not before telling Cassie who the power is, who he was and what he had done since 1693, along with giving her the family's spell book. This act spurs Cassie in action and she tells off Faye and in retaliation Faye turns to Diana and smiles, proceeding to say she's got something to tell her.

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Great Book!

I loved this book! The first Secret Circle book was good and this one was even better. I can't wait to read the conclusion to this series!

Initiated into a coven of young witches, Cassie is intoxicated by her new-found strength - powers as addictive as they are dangerous. She is caught between two rival forces, forced to choose between two impossible actions: should she betray the ones she loves, or confess all and risk expulsion from the circle for ever?