NIGHT WORLD Volume 2

Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

This omnibus contains books four-to-six in L.J. Smith's Night World series, and introduces a bunch of new characters.

Dark Angel: After missing her ride home, Gillian is forced to walk home in the cold. But when she hears crying and wanders off the road to investigate, her life changes forever. She dies but is sent back by her guardian angel. Not only will Angel give Gillian her life back but he'll also help her become popular at school and win the heart of the guy she likes.

Except, Angel has plans of his own, and along the way makes her realise a few truths about what she really is. This story shows the evolution of Gillian - littered with confusion, revelations, and the path to her soulmate.

The Chosen: Rashel's family was killed by a vampire when she was a child, and now she hunts them. She's good at what she does, but when she meets a vampire who claims to be her soulmate, she must deal with the consequences.

This was another well-told story that explores the ultimate opposites-attract concept and how hating one breed because of grief and loss isn't always a good idea. Or the way to revenge and happiness.

Soulmate: Hannah has a good life but her dreams are filled with confusing events. When she goes to get help via hypnosis, she finds out that these dreams are actually fragments of her past lives. Lives in which she meets and loses the love of her life over and over again. All because of one person, who's only ambition is to keep Hannah away from her true love, Thierry.

This is a fascinating concept with very emotional ties that takes the soulmate path to another level and opens up some history about the Night World.

I found the next lot of YA stories in this world to be as interesting and entertaining as the first three.

Night World, Volume 2, September 2009, ISBN 9780340996638, Hachette Children's Books