Parents' Guide to

Dark Visions: The Strange Power; The Possessed; The Passion

By Carrie R. Wheadon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

A whole lot more boy drama than teen psychic thriller.

Book L. J. Smith Fantasy 2009
Dark Visions: The Strange Power; The Possessed; The Passion Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 13+

Based on 2 parent reviews

April R.
April R. Adult
February 4, 2016
age 13+

Fast Paced

This paced YA read, there are A LOT of characters, so you have to work to keep up. I was disappointed that i had to wait so long for the finale to come out and ended up dropping the series before complete.
FaerieTears
FaerieTears Parent of 3-year-old
May 28, 2010
age 12+

Great :)

I've owned this book since I was probably an 8th grader. I re-read it every few years. The characters are cool and enjoyable. The plot is different. The villain is creepy, though not scary.
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

When Kait is offered the chance to develop her psychic gifts at an institute in San Francisco, she jumps at the chance. She's one of five teens chosen by Mr. Zetes -- a mysterious, rich, powerful man with the requisite number of guard dogs and evil secrets. It doesn't take long for the five -- Kait, Rob, Anna, Lewis, and Gabriel -- to raid Zetes' secret files and get a sense of his evil deeds; turns out the first wave of teen subjects didn't fare so well in the presence of a crystal that enhances powers ... at the price. In the second of the trilogy, The Possessed, the fivesome goes north in search of a good, healing crystal to combat Zetes. The third story in the trilogy, The Passion, finds Gabriel going to work for Zetes and Kait going in after him as a spy. She and Rob are an item, but there's something about moody Gabriel that's just too tempting to ignore.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (15):

It's hard to figure out what makes this a bestseller. It's probably just because the author wrote The Vampire Diaries and the three-in-one set is a bargain at $9.99. Sure, the ideas are intriguing -- and when the five psychics get mind-linked, that's a fun touch -- but the writing isn't worth 700+ pages of anyone's time.

If you're in it for the romance, yeah, Kait gets whomever she decides to go after. But Rob is such a wooden character that he makes Gabriel much more appealing by comparison; it's no wonder which way Kait's head turns. If you're in it for the fantasy, there are many better options out there, none of them centering on a hokey crystal.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what makes or breaks a fantasy-romance. How could this really long read have been better? What are your favorite fantasy-romances?

  • If you could have a psychic power like the teens in this book, what would it be? Would you trade some sanity for more power, or not?

  • What do you think of Kait's tempation to go for the "bad boy"? Do you think she could really change him and get him to open up to her? How hard is it to change a person?

Book Details

  • Author: L. J. Smith
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • Book type: Fiction
  • Publisher: Simon Pulse
  • Publication date: September 8, 2009
  • Publisher's recommended age(s): 12 - 17
  • Number of pages: 752
  • Last updated: July 12, 2017

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