Book #45: The Divide

Title: The Secret Circle: The Divide (book #4 in the series)

Author: Credited as "Created by L.J. Smith, written by Aubrey Clark"

Date started reading: March 30, 2012
Date finished reading:  March 31, 2012

Publish date: March 2012
ISBN: 978-0062130396
Number of pages: 304

Official summary: "Keep your enemies close. ... For the first time since moving to New Salem, Cassie Blake feels normal. She's dating her soul mate Adam and making new friends in town. But between the secret coven of witches she belongs to and the incredible power she holds within her, Cassie is leading a far from ordinary life. When tragedy strikes the Circle, Cassie realizes being extraordinary can be a curse. The Circle is being hunted by an unknown enemy — and anyone could be the next victim. As they struggle to protect themselves, alliances are formed and relationships are tested. No one knows who to trust or who to fear. Will Cassie be able to save the Circle ... and herself? Or will her choices break it apart forever?" (http://harperteen.com)

How I obtained the book: Pre-ordered for $12.09 from Barnes & Noble

Memorable quotes:

• "(Faye) had the singleness of mind of a sociopath and a complete lack of conscience. Faye couldn't be reasoned with, and that was what made her dangerous."
• "If there were a Faye doll, when you pulled its string that's what it would say ... 'Win the battle, lose the war.'" ~ Adam to Cassie
• "Power always creates enemies. It divides people into two types, good and bad. If you really want to be a leader of this Circle, then you need to pick a side." ~ Faye to Cassie
• "There's no shortcut to peace of mind." ~ Constance to Cassie
• "I once ate so many Skittles, I sneezed rainbows for three days." ~ Scarlett 
• "(Cassie) had been in New Salem less than a year, but it felt like forever and a day." This line made me totally crack up because even though Cassie's only been living there for less than a year in the book series, in reality, it's been 20 years since the first book was written, so really the character of Cassie moved there 20 years ago. No wonder it would feel like forever and a day!

My commentary:

• I'm glad that the ghostwriter finally is getting credit and is no longer just a ghostwriter. She deserves to have her name on the cover of the books she writes.
• It's so odd to get back into this book series after so long since I read the fourth book in the series, which was written clear back in 1992.
• The first thing I noticed when I opened up the book once I took it out of the box was that someone screwed up on the list of L.J. Smith's other books that is printed right before the title page. The title of the second "Vampire Diaries: The Hunters" book should been "Moonsong" not "Moonrise." WHOOPS. That's probably just the copy editor in me that noticed that.

• Reading this book makes me remember what upset me about the TV show. In the books, the circle consists of 12 witches, while the show only has six. Twelve kids make for so many more storylines and couple dynamics. I know that the show probably had to cut the circle in half because of money reasons (six actors is much cheaper than 12) and to be able to focus in more on the characters they kept. But I miss the extra characters. I do love the TV show though, despite all the changes.
• This book really starts getting into the dark magic side of Cassie's bloodline. I enjoyed those parts much more than the past books that L.J. Smith wrote that focused more on her good magic side. I want to see the evilness come out...
• The book also goes hardcore into the witch hunter topic, which is something the TV show has really focused on. That is another thing that is appealing because there are so many possibilities with witch hunters... so many possibilities for darkness/evil
• I really have to applaud Aubrey Clark for her ability to write awesome cliffhangers. With this book and the most recent "Vampire Diaries: Hunters" book, there are two amazing cliffhangers that have left me wanting to count down the days until the next books are released

Buy on Amazon.com: The Secret Circle: The Divide