Secret Vampire (Night World #1) by L.J. Smith

Poppy is sixteen years old and she is going to die. She has just been diagnosed with cancer and the doctors tell her there is no hope. She will die, or at least she believes so until James, her mysterious best friend, appears in her hospital room. James has a secret, a secret that can save Poppy is she is willing. James is a vampire and offers to turn Poppy so that he will not lose her. If James does this he will be breaking three very important laws of the Night World - the supernatural group consisting of vampires, werewolves, and witches - do not revel what you are, do not change a human into a vampire, and most serious of all, do not fall in love with a human.

James is willing to risk everything for Poppy because she is his soulmate. All appears to be going to plan when Ash, James' cousin and an evil and vindictive vampire, shows up and convinces Poppy that she must leave in order to save James from being punished for breaking the secret laws. Poppy leaves with him reluctantly and James sets off after them when he discovers Poppy is gone. Barely escaping exposure, James and Poppy set off to start their new lives together.

The Night World series is another series by L.J. Smith, writer of The Vampire Diaries series. While each book in the series is connected by a central thread, each volume follows a different protagonist who must face various challenges involving love, the "soulmate principle" and the Night World's strict code, which is why I have decided to blog about each book separately as I read them.

I liked Secret Vampire, as will anyone who enjoys vampire lore, because L.J. Smith mixes in some new with the old. For example, James was born a vampire and has vampire parents, but can still be killed by a stake through the heart. The book is quintessential Young Adult Fiction, so if you are not a fan of the genre, don't pick this book (and I'm assuming the rest of the series) up. Even I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the more ridiculous passages, that would have probably sent my heart a flutter and made me sigh, had I been 13 years old. Nevertheless, I enjoy L.J. Smith's writing and I am intrigued enough by the series to continue reading it. Next up is book two: Daughters of Darkness.