Dark Visions (Dark Visions, #1-3) in The Vampire Diaries Lovers And All The Other Series By L.J. Smith

Oct 26, 2010 Meg rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I loved this book. Yeah, it has it's negative points, but mainly, this book and positive points. It's well written, grips you from page one and has an intriguing plot.
YA books are usually centered around the same thing: vampires or werewolves. Now I have no problem with this, but seriously? Can't we have something a bit different for a change?
I was losing all hope of finding something original until I found this. Admittedly, plenty of novels have the same romance as this one: good guy + bad guy I loved this book. Yeah, it has it's negative points, but mainly, this book and positive points. It's well written, grips you from page one and has an intriguing plot.
YA books are usually centered around the same thing: vampires or werewolves. Now I have no problem with this, but seriously? Can't we have something a bit different for a change?
I was losing all hope of finding something original until I found this. Admittedly, plenty of novels have the same romance as this one: good guy + bad guy = which to choose?
But, think about it, this book was first published in 1994, and RE-published in 2009. So, that's a lot before Twilight and the like, isn't it? So, did L.J.Smith copy Stephanie Meyer? No, unless she has a time machine, which I highly doubt 'cause someone would have found it by now.

Now, let's get down to the story. Kaitlyn is an outsider with no friends, and is made fun of in her rural area. She has an ability that frightens the narrow-minded residents near by: she has premonitions of the future, in the form of a drawing. But she never knows what they mean until it's too late.
Then, a woman called Joyce comes to her school claiming that Kaitlyn has a place at the Zetes Institute, a place for psychic teens to train their abilities. Five kids from over the states have been chosen. Kaitlyn accepts the offer, and moves to California to start her new life with fellow psychics: Rob, a golden boy than can heal others. Anna, a gentle girl that can influence animals. Lewis, a quirky chracter that uses PK, psychokinesis. And finally, Gabriel, a telepath that's been in jail for murder-twice.
The five realize that there's something dodgy going on behind the scenes of the institute, but after being nearly caught snooping around in the hidden room in the cellar, Gabriel accidentally traps them in a psychic web. There are five of them, creating a balanced shape, and the only way to break the web is to kill one of the members.
Then, when Kaitlyn and Gabriel are drawn to Mr.Zetes's house, they are both trapped. Gabriel is offered a chance to live: if he kills Kaitlyn. But after refusing, he is hooked up to the mutated crystal fulll of power that Mr.Zetes has in his possession, and is tortured by it for over an hour. Then, the others arrive and free them. This is when Rob realizes his love for Kaitlyn, and they end up together.
Now, they're on the run to find the strange man that was after Kaitlyn when they first arrived, the one that has been contacting them in their dreams. They travel through the states in search of a rocky beach, and a white house. But thanks to the powers of the crystal, Gabriel has become a psychic vampire: he needs to feed of another's life energy to survive. Kaitlyn offers herself as his pool of energy, hereby creating a bond between the two.
Eventually, they find the house, but due to Gabriel's past he is not welcome. The house is the hiding place of an ancient race of psychics, and they have the crystal that can destroy Mr.Zetes for good.
Gabriel rebels, and heads back to the institute. Kaitlyn knows she can change him, so she pretends to wasnt to serve Mr.Zetes too, and is welcomed back tot he institute, although there is suspicion surrounding her.
Mr. Zetes discovers she is a spy and traps her in an isolation tank, a tank where all her senses are cut off. Gabriel fights to talk to her telepathically, to keep her sane. Thsi is when they both realize they love eachother. The others come to the rescue, they fight off Mr.Zetes and kill him, and Gabriel and Kaitlyn have the happy ending they deserve.

^^^The plot was full of twists and exciting moments, even if the romance was a bit easy to guess. I was team Gabriel from the start: Rob was just too good. Fairplay L.J.Smith, you know how to write a good book. ;)
- Zanthie ...more

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