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Introduction
There are many, many books I can recommend. Unfortunately, many of these books are out-of-print. Thanks to this whole Twilight phenomena, a lot of the books I enjoyed as a teen are coming back in print. I will try to focus on "oldies but goodies" because they are dear to my heart, but I will include some new ones here and there--just for their significance. Every time I roll my eyes about this Twilight thing (and even Harry Potter), I just have to remember the first time I picked up L.J. Smith's The Secret Circle back in '92 at the tender age of 13. Oh, yes, I know what it feels like to be obsessed.
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Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
I'm not a fan of Meyer's Twilight Saga. However, without her books, the interest in paranormal teen novels would not have resurrected as big as it has, bringing out-of-print books into publication again, including Sweep. Some oldies but goodies are back in print and are selling better than ever.
Vampire Diaries, etc. - L.J. Smith
As a teen I was obsessed with L.J. Smith. My introduction into her world goes back to 1992 with The Secret Circle Trilogy (the first book).
Am I still a L.J. Smith fan? Not really. On the other hand, I do recommend them for the younger crowd. My first website was all about L.J. Smith...back in May 1998, I think.
The books I really, really loved were The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle. Honorable Mention and close second is The Forbidden Game. I wasn't a big fan of the Night World or Dark Visions. I haven't read Night Fall (heard it's awful), but I am curious about Strange Fate (a book that was initially scheduled to be published in 1999).
Dark Secrets, etc. - Elizabeth Chandler
A few years ago teen paranormal/supernatural romances were not in favor. The trend, if I remember correctly, was all about coming-of-age novels and chick-lit. Maybe, just maybe, prep school books too. I remember picking up Dark Secrets, reading the description, and getting all excited.
This series can be described as romantic suspense with a dash of mystery and paranormal. Dark Secrets doesn't talk about fantasy monsters. It talks about psychic powers, true dreams, reincarnation, etc. You know, skeptical but possible topics.
Four books were published. The fifth book, The Back Door to Midnight, was never published; I don't know why. Haha! I cannot say that anymore. The fifth book will be released at the end of this year. Call me freaking happy; I've been waiting forever....
Below includes the Kiss By An Angel trilogy, too.
The Seer - Linda Joy Singleton
We follow a young girl, Sabine, who has powers, inherited from her grandmother, I believe. She is shipped off to grandma's house because of something that happened at her old school. Her mom wants this perfect, normal life...whatever that means, so she kicks Sabine to the curve. Okay, okay, it didn't happen like that, but it's close enough. This series follows her "adventures". Also, she and friends try to collect these charms to save her dying grandmother and such.
My summary is pretty bad because it's all from memory. The series is pretty good, and I love the covers. Here is another series that was closed way before its time. But...a new book is coming out, Magician's Muse, this year, and a spinoff book, featuring goth-chick and friend to Sabine, Thorn, will be out in 2011. The Seer series is coming back, stronger than ever. I'm so excited!
The Last Vampire, etc.- Christopher Pike
It was kind of inevitable that Pike's The Last Vampire series would be resurrected. The publishers renamed the series Thirst and put them in omnibus editions (2 total). I was a big Pike fan during his prime. I have almost all his old teen books--including, of course, The Last Vampire series.
The books follow the last vampire in existence, Sita. She's about 5000 years old. That's right; she's ancient. A private investigator discovers some of her secrets (but not the most vital secret) and tries to blackmail her. You can guess what price he pays for his meddling. It doesn't stop there...after all, there are 6 books total. The writing kind of dark and gritty. Just the way I like it. However, I find the earlier books better than the later ones. Anyway, I do recommend them. The first and second edition are out now.
Also, I just want to add that there will be a new book called Eternal Dawn, book 7, out later this year. This is a new book, never been published.
Up next we have the Remember Me trilogy, one of Pike's more popular books. The first book follows a girl named Shari who returns from the grave (as a ghost) to find her killer. The book is pretty good, but the second and third books are just okay. Books 2 & 3 were published a few years later, and they never could capture the quality of the first book. I personally felt they were just tacked on due to Remember Me's popularity. But I do recommend them, just for the first book alone. And check out the spiffy new cover!
Wicked - Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguié
In Wicked we have Holly Cathers, your typical average girl heroine. Her parents die in a tragic accident (don't they all), and she is whisked from her home to live with estranged relatives in Seattle, Washington. Soon Holly finds out she is a witch, an ultra strong one at that. She also discovers about two powerful witch Houses (ala families) that have been feuding for centuries. Too bad she is apart of one House while her love interest, Jer, is apart of the other one.
You would think, at least from the description, that this book would be good. But, trust me, it ain't. One major problem? Too, too much crammed into the story; there is no cohesiveness whatsoever. Did Holder and Viguié even truly collaborate? Or did they just split the story, write their parts, and mush it together without a trace of thought.
At the time of first publication only four books were released, and the ending to the fourth book was just terrible. Fast forward a few years later, the books are re-released again in two-in-one book format. And, get this, a fifth book was published, called Resurrection. Should I even attempt? (Read it, that is.) I'm still debating....
(Despite my horrid review, I suggest you try it out for yourself. You might like it. Maybe.)
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