Monday, June 25, 2012

Review: The Passion by L.J. Smith



Title: The Passion (Dark Visions #3) 

Author: L.J. Smith 

Rating: 4/5 Stars 

The Passion is such a fitting name for this last novel in L.J. Smith's Dark Visions Trilogy. In this installment, Kaitlyn is forced to travel to the Institute, take advantage of Gabriel's feelings for her, and destroy Mr. Z's evil plans. Having convinced Gabriel, Joyce, and most of the warped up members of the Institute of her loyalty, Kaitlyn must somehow plan to destroy the crystal and keep the shard of the Fellowship's pure crystal from falling into Mr. Z's power. However, little does Kaitlyn realize that it isn't just Gabriel's feelings she's playing with, it could be her own as well...

I absolutely loved this stunning conclusion to this brilliant trilogy. Although I definitely enjoyed The Forbidden Game more than this trilogy and appreciate the horror, despair, and creepiness of that series, I also found myself enjoying the wit, snarkiness, and complex relationships within this trilogy. Dark Visions is a lighter mix of paranormal, with more emphasis given on the blooming romances between Gabriel and Kaitlyn (I can hardly call what Kaitlyn and Rob had a romance) and the budding friendships between these five unlikely psychics. The Passion really puts this all to the test, strengthening the bonds between these friends and making them realize what they have.

Yet, what I loved the most about this installment was the romance. I have been a loyal Team Gabriel shipper since the first novel and although I hated that Kaitlyn was taking advantage of his feelings, I was thrilled seeing her changes in character as well. Furthermore, I think the relationship Kaitlyn formed with the other members of the Institute this time around were not only important, but they were also imperative to her growth and their development as characters as well. In addition, although we didn't see Rob, Anna, and Lewis as much in this installment, I think the changes that Rob and Anna went through were also remarkable and I was glad to see so much character development in this one. As with the previous two novels however, Gabriel steals the show in terms of personality growth. I loved his complex personality and only wished we could see even more of him.

Nevertheless, although I enjoyed this conclusion, I have to admit that I was expecting a little more of an earth-shattering finale. I felt as if the manner in which this situation was solved was a little too easy and I only wish it could have been dragged on a little longer to add an element of suspense to it. Yet, as far as last-books-of-a-trilogy go, this was a pretty darn good one. Thus, I would heartily recommend this series to fans of L.J. Smith, but I'd recommend starting with The Forbidden Game first. It may increase your expectations of this series to unnatural highs, but it'll definitely force you to keep reading to find the excellent writing quality that Smith's novels possess.

8 comments:

  1. Excellent review, Keertana. :) I was a huge fan of L.J Smith when I was a teenager (before she sold off the rights to her VA series and a ghost writer commenced with writing her series). I really liked the Dark Vision trilogy, but agree that her Forbidden Game trilogy was better. The rest of her books are pretty mediocre, in my opinion. Glad you liked this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Leanne! I have yet to read her Night World books although I am planning on skipping Vampire Diaries because of all the comments it has been receiving lately, but I'm curious to see how she writes using a more typical paranormal setting.

      Delete
  2. Great review, Keertana! I have read the Night World series and most of the Vampire Diaries but wasn't so keen on them, but this sounds so much better!

    Thanks for dropping by our blog, I hope you can find a copy of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks :)

    Also, we're now following you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Vegan YA Nerds!(: I have yet to read the Night World Series but it's on my list next! Also, if you're looking for a good L.J. Smith series I'd recommend starting with The Forbidden Game - it's far better than this one and is quite scary too, so I loved it! :D

      Delete
  3. This is such a beautiful review Keertana! I don't think I've ever picked anything up by L.J Smith before but after your review I think I'm going to have to change that! And yay for starting your own blog! You know I'm going to be here all the time now! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jasprit! :D If you haven't read anything by L.J. Smith I'd recommend starting with The Forbidden Game Series. It's filled with action, very scary, and completely gripping. Dark Visions wasn't as good as The Forbidden Game, but I still enjoyed it. I'm planning on trying out Night World next since that series seems to have some raving reviews as well!(: I hope you enjoy Smith when you get around to reading her books! =]

      Delete
    2. Hi, new follow from GoodReads! I would love a follow back at http://endlessdaysofbooks.blogspot.com/

      Delete
  4. 15. Many enjoy revisiting the days when the sound of music flowing from the doors of the church brought a smile to everyone listening. The ACM Awards App provides fans with direct access to their favorite artists on the night of the show through one of FanTrail's innovative features called LoveMail. It's changing both in form and style, in terms of how it's played and performed, but just as much, it's also changing people, leading them closer to Christ. Imagine Mick Jagger hearing the Gospel and becoming a follower of Christ.

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from my readers and I read, reply, and appreciate every one of the comments I receive!(: If you're a fellow blogger, please leave a link to your blog - I'd love to drop by!

Unfortunately, this is now an award-free blog. I simply do not have the time to respond and forward on the award, but I truly appreciate the nomination regardless.