This really has very little to do with the book and everything to do with the fact that I hate vampires and the likes of them. Hated it but it was never made for me. Also the writing seems very lazy to me but I also think that has to do with the fact that this is 25!!!!! Years old

A Great Way To Start A Series. Loved Poppy's Character. She Was So Strong Yet Weak. I Also Enjoyed The Connection She Shared With Her Twin. He Was There Regardless Of Anything And That Was Sweet. I Love LJ's Writing So No Complaints There. Quick Easy Book To Listen Too. I Recommend! :)

Please don't base your opinion on the whole series based on this one book. This was the 4th book I have read from the series. Two of the ones I have read previously are some of my favorite books ever. I really, really wanted to like this one too. But... it is trashy as hell. And... somewhat problematic? The topic of cancer is treated incredibly lightly. I mean she is about to DIE and leave her family behind, yet all the narrative focuses is the very predictable 'love' between her and James. Furthermore, the "big suspense" of the book was very much not suspenseful at all. Both the writing style and the notions of the Night World addressed felt different from later books. Thus, feel free to skip this book. You don't need it to enjoy the others. Actually, you may need to not read it to enjoy them.

I don't know if the fact that I read this several times when I was a teenager affects my rating a lot--probably more than I'd like--but I do think this is a rather decent introduction to L.J. Smith's Nightworld universe and that it's not bad at doing vampires.

I think I give it a 3 or 3.5, simply because due to its age (published in 1996!) it was kind of a front runner for the vampire teen-targeting book trend that's skyrocketed since the 90's. It's hard to rate it because if I'd just read it for the first time in my current state of literary criticisms, I'd probably have more negative thoughts due to the simple, fast pacing of the tale. And if this had been published sooner, say, 2009 or 2019, I would have written it off as unoriginal and bland.

In fact, the blurb paired with the over saturation of similar vampire stories in today's book world basically tells you all you need to know about the plot.

The story is simple enough: Poppy is going to die and her best friend, James, is a vampire. Faced with the daunting reality of losing the only person he cares about, he makes the emotion-driven choice to turn Poppy into a vampire, which allows James and Poppy to be open about their feelings towards one another wherein they realize that they're soulmates. The first half of the book deals with Poppy becoming a vampire, the second half deals with the repercussions and introduces the character of Ash as an antagonist who will play a leading role in another book.

It's a rather basic story without complex elements. The writing is good though. Personally, I think Poppy is somewhat annoying and drags the story down a bit because 2 of the conflicts happen because she acts without thinking.

I've read all the books a few times in my life (though books 6-9 are more hazy than 1-5) and they all tend to be formulaic. They all rely on the principle of soulmates (which I honestly tend to HATE because it's a fast-track to insta-love that allows authors to skip chemistry and realistic development to get right to declarations of love and kissing) and most books will introduce a character who will be a main feature in another book.

The only thing I find bizarre is that despite the three Nightworld races being vampires, witches, and werewolves/shifters, werewolves are not heavily used and generally are looked down on as stupid or beastly. I do not think a single of the nine books features a werewolf ally or love interest.

this story holds so many memories and so much nostalgia for me. I love this intro to the Night world and unf it was so fun revisiting it

Love the Vampire Diaries more but a good read.

Enjoyable little fantasy. I was amused by the gopher reference - pretty sure most teens now have no idea what that is.

This was an okayish YA vampire urban fantasy novel. I could tell it was a bit dated in style and structure, but I had a pretty good time sinking into the story. 3/5 stars!

When I was younger, my parents bought me the Night World books because they didn't want me to read Breaking Dawn. I have the three volumes of the 9 stories, and decided I'll try to reread them.

I swear, this book is imprinted on my mind. I probably read this one a thousand times.

Rating mostly based on nostalgia and vibes.

I don't know what my lamia name would be, but I'll have to think of one. Maybe Laurel? But I would be a terrible "Laurie".