Dark Visions by L. J. Smith

~Book Review #1~

Dark Visions is one of the best books that I have ever read. If you're an L.J. Smith (Vampire Diaries and Night World) fan, then you'll definitely love this. I previously read the Night World series before reading this book, and this was infinitely better. Think Twilight, but with a little X-Men thrown in.

(Note: Dark Visions is another one of those "3-in-1" books that Simon & Schuster has been putting on shelves at an increasing rate recently. In a desperate attempt to engage the Twilight audience, a supposed group of teenagers who read super-thick books in the fantasy genre, the publishers have apparently decided to print three "average-sized" books from the 90's into one omnibus that is Twilight-sized. See: Thirst series, Kissed by an Angel series, etc. Not only does this make the books worth your money by including a couple hundred extra pages, the publishing companies also save the money that they would used paying an author to write a 500+ page book. Smart move, Simon & Schuster =D

The plot revolves around Kaitlyn Fairchild, a girl with psychic powers who is misunderstood in her hometown. She moves to the Zetes Institute in order to participate in a study with other psychic teens. Throughout the books, Kaitlyn makes friends with the other teens, who all have very real albeit stereotypical personalities, and together they have several adventures in which they try to stop the bad guys from taking over the world (I don't want to give too much away here). And of course, along the way, she also finds true love. It's actually a much better read than it sounds.

I am very glad that I was able to read this book. At 752 pages, it is a touch read for even the most seasoned young adult reader, but it is definitely worth it. The book can be funny, serious, terrifying, and touching at times. The romance parts reminded me of Twilight (she has to choose between two guys), and there were also several action parts that kept my eyes glued to the pages. The Zetes Institute also reminded me of X-Men. This is a definitely a must-read if you like reading teen fantasy books like I do <3

Completely recommended. 5 out of 5 stars.

Click HERE to buy the book off of Amazon.
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