The first nine books in the Night World series were originally published in 1996–1998 by Simon & Schuster. The release of the tenth and final book, Strange Fate, was put on hold when L.J. Smith took a hiatus from writing in 1999. In 2008, the nine Night World books were reprinted in three omnibus volumes. For the 2008 reprint, some edits were made in an attempt at modernisation, such as the replacement of the word "Walkman" with "iPod" in Daughters of Darkness.^[1] These edits were not made consistently: there are references to iPods on one page of a novel, followed by references to the previously used "Walkman" on the next page.^[1]

Each novel in the series features a male and female that discover that they are soulmates—beings connected by an unbreakable bond of love. Literature scholar Deborah Wilson Overstreet describes the so-called "soulmate principle" as "the main story line in each novel".^[2]

Secret Vampire edit

Poppy North, a regular teenage girl, is diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. Her best friend, James Rasmussen, confesses that he is a hereditary vampire, and reveals that various supernatural creatures known as the "Night People" have co-existed with humans for millennia. To save Poppy's life, he offers to make her a vampire in turn, even though Night World law states that humans may not learn of its existence, become vampires without permission from its Council, or most importantly, enter a relationship with a Night Person. Despite opposition from Poppy's brother Phil, who initially believes James is toying with her, James successfully turns Poppy and the two acknowledge that they are "soulmates", an ancient concept deemed nonsensical by the modern Night People. James hides Poppy in his apartment, but his "crazy" cousin, Ash Redfern, abducts her and takes her to Las Vegas to expose her as an illegal vampire. Poppy fights him off telepathically before James and Phil arrive to save her, making James realizes Phil and Poppy are the lost descendants of a witch and thus have every right to know of the Night World. Resolving to change their people's laws, James and Poppy leave to seek help from the latter's father, the source of her witch ancestry.

Daughters of Darkness edit

Vampire sisters Rowan, Kestrel and Jade Redfern have fled their homeland, a Night World island enclave, for Oregon. They plan to find refuge with their Aunt Opal, a prior escapee, only to discover she has been killed. Their new neighbour, Mary-Lynnette Carter, suspects sisters of Opal's murder, and learns of their vampire heritage when she and her brother Mark find them eating a deer in the woods. They convince her they are innocent, and instead of killing the Carters as dictated by Night World law, they elect to do a "blood-crossing" ceremony, binding the two families with a vow to protect each other - much to the delight of Jade and Mark, who are convinced they are soulmates. The ceremony allows Mary-Lynnette to help investigate Opal's death, along with those of various animals in the area.

Meanwhile, the Redferns' ruthless brother Ash has followed them to Oregon to either retrieve or kill them; however, when he meets Mary-Lynnette, the two realize to their joint horror that they are also soulmates, but insist they will not act on it. After learning about Opal, the shellshocked Ash agrees to assist in the investigation. The group deduce Mary-Lynnette’s old friend Jeremy is a rogue werewolf, and he agrees to help them find the killer. Ash's lingering disgust towards humans slowly weakens, while Mary-Lynnette tries and fails to convince herself she hates him; eventually, while walking alone together at night, they passionately acknowledge their shared feelings and begin the process to make Mary-Lynnette a vampire. However, Jeremy ambushes them in werewolf form, and reveals that it was him who killed Opal and the animals; he objected to Opal bringing three new vampires into his hunting territory and, and when the Redferns wouldn't leave, he killed the other animals to scare them off. He also resents Ash for his declaration of love, as he had long intended to make Mary-Lynnette a werewolf. Mary-Lynnette fights Jeremy off with a silver knife that Opal lent her, and he is killed when her faulty car explodes and engulfs him in flames.

Ash successfully fabricates a story that exonerates his sisters and allows them to stay in Oregon. Mary-Lynnette admits her love for him but is unwilling to become a vampire; Ash vows to reflect on his wrongdoings to become worthy of her, and they agree he will return to see her next year. As Ash leaves, his sisters and the Carters prepare to create a new commune for the Night People away from the enclaves.

Spellbinder (also published under the title Enchantress) edit

Witches Thea and Blaise Harman are first cousins. Thea uses white magic to heal and protect animals, while Blaise uses black magic to make boys do anything for her, including gifting her their possessions, hurting themselves, and burning down buildings.

When the cousins start attending a new school, Thea heals aspiring vet Eric Ross after he is bitten by a snake, and begins to suspect they are soulmates; however, she flees when he guesses he was healed by magic. To stop Blaise from targeting him, Thea pretends she wants to seduce him herself so she can keep seeing him. At a school dance, one of Blaise's former victims bursts in and attacks her new admirers; to comfort Thea, Eric takes her to a pet hospital he works at, where Blaise finds them. Thea confesses her theory that they are soulmates; incredulous that a boy is resisting her charms due to Thea and worrying that her cousin could break Night World law, Blaise vows to break Eric's spirit and kill him. In a desperate attempt to protect Eric, Thea accidentally releases a vengeful spirit which kills one of Blaise's admirers. While trying to undo her actions, Thea takes refuge at Eric's house, where he hints again that he believes she can cast spells; realizing she could land Eric in serious trouble, Thea attempts to let Blaise seduce him, then to charm him to love another girl. Both plans fail, convincing Thea that the "soulmate principle" is real, and she admits to Eric that he was right about her being a witch. He agrees to help her capture the spirit by luring it into a trap during a witches' meeting; however, the Circle of Witches is tipped off that Thea has done forbidden spells, and she is brought to answer for her wrongdoings. She eventually convinces them that she needs to complete her plan, and manages to return to Eric before the spirit kills him and succeeds in exorcising it. Despite this, the Circle refuses to let Eric love Thea or retain his knowledge of the Night World, and Thea requests that they both drink from the Cup of Lethe, which will erase their memories and allow them to be together as humans. However, Thea realizes while drinking that Blaise had previously switched the drink with iced tea, so they both forget nothing. Circle member Aradia realizes the truth, but is willing to keep their secret; she tells Thea and Eric to find "Circle Daybreak", and Blaise accepts Thea's love for Eric as they say their goodbyes.

Dark Angel edit

After a near-death experience, Gillian Lennox is brought back to life by a beautiful being who calls himself "Angel". He encourages her to change her appearance, her behaviour and her social circle, making her the most popular girl at school and uniting her with her long-time crush, David Blackburn. Angel's omniscience means Gillian is able to break David up from his girlfriend Tanya, and that she swiftly learns about Tanya's vengeful plan to spread rumors about Gillian and stop David getting into college. Angel also tells Gillian about her heritage; she is a descendant of one of the lost babies of the Harman family, meaning she is a witch, and he helps her create a spell to stop Tanya and her accomplice Kim from carrying out their plan. He guides her to a hidden Night World store to obtain supplies, earning disapproval from the witch storekeeper, Melusine, who realizes Gillian will be using dark magic.

Everything seems perfect until Gillian learns that the spell was more harmful than she thought and Tanya is very sick. Angel's commands get stranger, people start getting hurt, and Gillian is almost mauled by werewolves when Angel guides her to a Night World club (but is saved by Ash Redfern). Angel excuses his actions by claiming he and Gillian are soulmates and he could never hurt her; however, when Angel tries to make her cause David's death, Gillian blocks out his voice and begs Melusine for help. Together, they undo the spell against Tanya and Kim, and conclude that Angel is likely a spirit with unfinished business who died close to where Gillian met him. Before setting out to stop Angel, Gillian visits David in hospital and realizes he was her soulmate all along. Gillian tries to find Angel in the local cemetery, and eventually he appears and takes her to his grave; his real name is Gary Fargeon, and their connection is that he is descended from the other lost Harman baby, making them second cousins. He has remained a spirit because he accidentally killed a young girl while casting an unstable spell; he told nobody what had happened before dying in a drunk-driving incident. At first he rejects Gillian's conviction that his actions don't make him evil, but eventually he concedes. With David's help, Gillian leads the girl's father to the place Gary hid her body, and when he states that he forgives whoever caused his daughter's death, Gary is finally able to move on to the afterlife.

The Chosen edit

Aged just five, Rashel Jordan witnesses the murder of her mother and her brother Timmy by a ruthless vampire, then survives a fire that kills her one remaining relative. She becomes a vampire hunter known as The Cat, determined to kill as many as possible until she finds her family's murderer. While linking up with a hunting team in Boston, they and Rashel apprehend a cold-hearted "made" vampire named John Quinn, whom Rashel allows to escape after they have an unexpected empathetic connection, to the fury of the other hunters.

After investigating a series of strange abductions in her area, Rashel witnesses a girl named Daphne escaping a truck; she helps her infiltrate an underground party which a group of vampires, including Quinn, is using to abduct young girls. Rashel and Daphne allow themselves to be captured and taken to an island enclave, where they free the abductees from their werewolf bodyguards and help them escape the island. Rashel stays behind to find out who ordered the abductions but is attacked by one of the werewolves; she is saved by Quinn, who has concluded that their connection means they are soulmates, and attempts to turn her into a vampire to avoid breaking the law against loving a human. However, the process of exchanging blood allows each to see the other's past, and their mutual grief and new-found love unites them against the Night World. Together they interrogate a vampire group to whom the abducted girls were to be served as a "feast" - and discover that Quinn's guardian, the supposedly well-meaning Hunter Redfern, is behind the abductions. Rashel instantly recognises him as her mother's killer; she also learns Timmy is not dead, but was turned into a vampire and raised by Hunter, never aging beyond four. Rashel's friend Nyala, a vengeful, unbalanced vampire hunter who followed her, sets the house on fire, but Rashel and Quinn escape with Timmy, and at Rashel's plea, Quinn goes back to save Nyala. Rashel's anger and bitterness towards vampires subsides, and she and Quinn decide to search for the rumored human-friendly coven, Circle Daybreak.

Soulmate edit

Hannah Snow has been having nightmares and keeps finding notes written in her own handwriting, warning her that she is in danger and will die before her seventeenth birthday. Worried about her sanity, she begins hypnosis with psychologist Paul Winfield. While hypnotized, she re-experiences her past lives and discovers that her soulmate is Thierry Descoudres, a vampire and a Lord of the Night World. Thierry and his enemy Maya find Hannah, and Hannah's life is at stake because Maya wants Thierry for herself.

Hannah learns that Maya was a witch but wanted to be immortal, so she turned herself into a vampire by using a spell and drinking the blood of four babies. Maya went on to turn Thierry into a vampire, the first ever made vampire. At first, Hannah thinks that Thierry was the one who killed her in her past lives, but it was actually Maya in her shapeshifted form, disguised as Thierry. Hannah goes to Thierry's house and meets the other members of Circle Daybreak, a group of humans, vampires, wolves, witches, and shapeshifters who are hoping for peace between Night World and the human race. May captures Hannah and attempts to turn her into a vampire, kill her, and end her cycle of reincarnation. Instead, Hannah manages to kill Maya. Hannah decides to remain human and live a mortal life, after which Thierry will wait for her to return again.

Huntress edit

Jezabel "Jez" Redfern thinks she is a full vampire, but she soon finds out she is half-human. She runs away from her gang and her Uncle Bracken to live with her human relatives. She only goes back to the vampires when Circle Daybreak asks her to go on a dangerous mission: to fight her worst enemy, best friend, and soulmate, Morgead Blackthorn, over control of the Wild Power. The Wild Powers are four prophesied beings with the ability to use blue fire.

It turns out that the person thought to be the Wild Power is a fake. Jez, her friend Hugh, and her annoying cousin Claire are attacked by two werewolves and a vampire. When she and Claire fall off the station platform onto the train tracks, Jez sees blue fire and thinks Claire is the one. When she, Claire, Hugh, and Morgead are captured by Lily Redfern, who is in search of the Wild Power, Jez figures out the meaning of the prophecy: she is one of the Wild Powers, and her blood must be spilled to release the blue fire. Lily stabs Morgead with a stake, and Morgead convinces Jez not to let go or give up. Jez admits Morgead is her soul mate, and Morgead survives.

Black Dawn edit

Maggie is a human who tries to rescue her brother from his girlfriend, a witch named Sylvia. Maggie stumbles upon an old Night World colony, where she meets vampire prince Delos Redfern, ruler of the Night World and one of the Wild Powers. Though he is cold toward her, he repeatedly saves her, each time stating that he will not help her again. The two soon learn that they are soulmates, though Delos refuses it and tells her to leave. Maggie does not, and sheremains in the Night World to find her brother.

Delos's great-grandfather, Hunter Redfern, arrives to take over the kingdom. Delos soon discovers that his powers are bound by a spell, and he cannot fight. Maggie finds out that her brother was turned into a shapeshifting falcon by Sylvia. Sylvia is killed by Hunter Redfern after she releases the spell binding Delos's powers. Hunter Redfern is presumably killed by Delos's use of blue fire. Maggie is happy to have found her brother and her soulmate. However, no one can rest yet, because the witches have seceded from the Night World Council, leading to war between vampires and witches. Two Wild Powers have been found, and both are now on the side of Circle Daybreak. Only two more remain.

Witchlight edit

Circle of Daybreak shapeshifter Raksha Keller and her team race to a mall to save the new Wild Power, Iliana Harman. Iliana is destined to marry Galen Drache, a shapeshifter of the first house, so the shapeshifters will side with the witches and not the vampires. But when Raksha learns that Galen is her soulmate, she realizes that their love could destroy the world.

Night World shapeshifters have been attacking humans, and they have also killed the Crone of the witches, Grandma Harman. Iliana's deaf friend, Jaime, is hosting a party, to be held on the same night as the ceremony that bonds the witches and shapeshifters. Iliana tries to use her powers to save Jaime when a car is going to hit her, but she can not activate the power. Based on that failure, Iliana assumes that she is not the Wild Power but agrees to pretend that she is the Wild Power so the ceremony can still go ahead. However, she says that she will only help if she can go to Jaime's party. Raksha and the people who are protecting Iliana agree and go with her to keep her safe from the Night World shapeshifters, particularly a dragon that can disguise itself as anyone it touches.

The night before the party, Raksha and Galen stay up looking through scrolls that contain writing only shapeshifters can read, trying to learn about the dragon. They find out that dragons have horns and that if you cut them all off, they can no longer shapeshift. They also find out accidentally that they are soulmates, but Raksha thinks they have to ignore it because he has to marry Iliana.

At the party, the dragon disguises itself as Jaime's brother Brett, lures Raksha into a room, and locks her in. She shapeshifts into a panther, jumps out the window, and reenters the party to try to find Iliana. The real Brett directs her to the basement, where Raksha finds a tunnel that leads her to her friends and Iliana, who is badly hurt. Raksha attacks the dragon, who was disguised as Jaime, and removes three out of the five horns. Galen who has never acquired a shape yet and wanted to be something small and peaceful turns into a leopard and removes another horn to save Raksha. Raksha sees her witch friend whisper something to Iliana, and Iliana stands up. She chants a spell and makes blue fire appear, which destroys the dragon while healing everyone else. Raksha and Galen find a way to be together and still unite the witches and shapeshifters: they need to do a blood cross between Iliana and Raksha.

• An interview with L.J. Smith. Bookalicious.
• Smith, L.J. Trying to catch up. Ye Olde Blog by L.J.
• Smith, L.J. Latest news. L.J. Smith's Amazon Blog.
• Smith, L.J. (1996). Daughters of Darkness. New York: Archway. ISBN 0-671-55134-5.
• Smith, L.J. (1996). Enchantress. Hodder Children's Books. ISBN 0-340-69001-1.
• Smith, L.J. (1996). The Chosen. Hodder Children's Books. ISBN 0-340-69003-8.
• Smith, L.J. (1997). Black Dawn. Hodder Children's Books. ISBN 0-340-70954-5.
• Smith, L.J. (1998). Witchlight. New York: Archway. ISBN 0-671-01477-3.
• http://www.ljanesmith.net/www/author/burning-fan-questions (22 January 2012)

• L.J. Smith's Official Website.
• Night World Information Collective This site contains information about the books, characters, and concepts of the Night World series.
• Night World Official Website
• Review of all Night World published books
• Fanlisting for the Night World series.