Colleen’s Guide to L.J. Smith’s Night World Series

Introduction

This is a guide that breaks down L.J. Smith’s Night World series to new readers. The book already explains a lot in modern YA (Young Adult) Fiction/ Urban Fantasy, but I want to make a guide to break it down easier for new readers. A lot of authors who write YA Fiction/ Urban Fantasy follow the same set of guidelines when writing their books. I will be making a guide for a few really good books that have a lot of content that gets shoved down your throat. My goal is to break it down and help new readers understand YA a little easier.

In L.J. Smith’s Night World series there are two laws Night World creatures have to live by: 1)Never allow humans to gain knowledge of the Night World’s existence and, 2)Never fall in love with a human. Whoever breaks those laws will be killed. Old powers are stirring causing Night World creatures to find their soulmates; who are humans. In each one of L.J.’s stories, the protagonists are always fleeing away from the Night World Laws and try to find peace and sanctuary with their soulmate; and they try to find other people who are in the same predicament. In the end, all of the protagonists band together creating a secret society that has to fight off the dawning apocalypse. 

Definitions

·        Night World: It’s all around us. It’s not somewhere you can find, it’s the people and places that make up the Night World. How you know someone or some place is part of the Night World is when a black flower appears on clothing or on building (ect.) or someone is named after something natural/ from the earth. Ex: Someone named Lily could be a Night World creature. Ex: “Black flowers are symbols of the Night People.” James, page 187 Book 1. Also, humans are not allowed in the buildings and clubs that are part of the Night World; unless they want to get killed. All clubs are named after flowers. The Night World consists of Vampires, Werewolfs, Shapeshifters, and Witches.

·        Night World Laws: 1) Humans must never learn that the Night World exists. 2) Members of the Night World must never fall in love with a human. Violate the laws and the consequences are terrifying.

·        Night People: The people & creatures who are a;; around us. They’re beautiful and irresistible to humans. Your best friend could be one – so could your crush.

·        Elders: The leaders of the Night World. They make the rules and make sure people stay by them.

·        Soulmate Principle: “It’s something that happens with people who belong to the Night World. It means that there’s only one love for everyone who exists. And when you meet that love, you know them. You know you were meant to be together, and nothing can keep you apart.” Page 156 in Book2. Being a soulmate is involuntary – you don’t even have to like the person when you meet them. They may be completely wrong for you in every way – wrong species, wrong temperament, wrong age. But you know you’ll never be completely happy again without them.” Some soulmates don’t even stay together, some just can’t handle it. Soulmates can read eachother’s minds with ease because they have such a strong connection.

·        Safe towns: a whole town that’s controlled by the Night World. No humans except the ones who are kept to feed on. No one can leave except for some nmen and boys who are completely trusted.

·        Redferns: are from prehistoric times. Founders of safetowns back in the sixteenth century. Hunter Redfern had a blood feud with witches since the 1600’s. but he couldn’t have children, and he needed a witch to help or the whole Redfern family would end with him. So he apologized to the witches and did a kinship ceremony; and had all daughters. Redferns are vampires and they are forever in debt with the witches.

·        Decendents of Maya: are Lamia.

·        Decendants of Hellewise: are Witches.

·        Hellewise and Maya’s story: They are the two first witches and are dated back to prehistoric times. Maya wanted to immortal and turned herself into the world’s first vampire (technically a curse). Hellewise hated the way Maya did it and they had a massive battle. Hellewise cast Maya out of the village to forever wander the earth.

·        Bloodtie (kinship ceremony): a simple exchange in blood. Only a few drops are needed. Person A takes a bit from person B, and visversa. There can be effects like night vision or better hearing, until the blood is out of the person’s system.

·        “Lamia” Vampire: a born vampire who can have kids and can age. They could be so old they can be traced back to prehistoric times. They have names that are connected to the earth. Traditionally named after natural things – gems, animals, flowers and even trees.

·        Blood Exchange [1] & Making a Vampire [2]: [1]Is another way for a person to become a vampire. The vampire bites them, drains the human then the human drinks vampire blood. A few exchanges are needed for someone to fully become a vampire. [2]The human will die, and then they need to be buried. Then the creator has to wake them up by calling upon them. And then the new vampire will have to dig their way out of the earth or the creator can help (no actual rule against it). And then the creator better have blood ready for the new vampire because they will be hungry.

·        Blood Lust: The longing/craving/urge vampire get when they need to feed. It can’t be satisfied until the vampire drinks blood. They need to feed once a day to stay healthy. Or else vampires will cramp up, and have a heard time “breathing” because their cells start to die from oxygen starvation. Vampire blood doesn’t have oxygen (see Creature Chart below)

·        Pawn: is a human that’s pretty much brainwashed and they live with vampires but they don’t know it because of the mind control.

·        Inner Circle: is the witch government/ Elders who organize and keep control of the witches.
-    Circles:

·        Circle Daybreak: Back in time, witches took human men as husbands to make up for the loss of witch men. (Naturally, there will always be more witch women than men). The circle tried to teach magic to humans. Rumors of witches and other Night World creatures are starting it up again involving the Soulmate principle. They want to forget the “Burning Times” and are those who are rebels and don’t hold up the Night World Law.

·        “Merry Meet”: Official way to greet other witches.

·        “Merry Part”: Official way to say good bye to other witches.

·        Vampire Hunters: “Humans who found out about the Night World... and they can’t get people to believe them so they hunt us. They’re supposed to know as much about the Night World as Night People do.”

·        Bloodfest: It’s a feast for vampires. When they completely drain 3 humans and then they become the most powerful are at full strength. It’s very illegal in the Night World.

·        Slave Trade: was a practice in the old days where vampires would take humans as slaves and have them in pens like animals; and treated like animals.

·        Shapeshifter Houses: Are the heads of Shapeshifter society. Each house represents a different royal Shapeshifter family.

·        “Other Side”: is to be where people “cross the veil” and it’s a form of the After Life believed by Night People.

·        “Narrow Path”: The wooshing path that brings you to the Other Side (also known as crossing the veil).

·        Spirits: an unhappy dead person. “An earthbound spirit that’s a damaged soul”. 

·        Two ways to summon a spirit: summon them with a spell that brings them across the veil OR go fetch them yourself. By dying  and bringing them back with you.

Creature Chart

Legend: Skills and Powers  Subject  Definition  Weaknesses

Vampires	Witches	Werewolves	Shapeshifters
Amazing Senses: Smell, taste, hearing, seeing and feeling are all enhanced. -Physically very strong -Can move at inhuman speed - Have claws, long sensitive fangs, usually paler complexion, and always look like the perfect human (looks wise). -Are able to Shapeshift if they are very old and powerful. -Can walk into people’s homes without being invited, garlic has no effect. -Needs to fed at least once a day. -More blood = more power. -  Blood heals fast, and can regenerate flesh very fast. -Live off of little oxygen because their cells are so “resilient” (strong). -Vampire blood has everything but oxygen = reason why they need to feed. Skill: Mind Control -eyes turn slit-like like a cat’s when they attack and become vicious (and hungry). -Most powerful at night, weaker during the day. -Vampire blood tastes good to humans. -When people are bitten, they go into a dazed ectasy. How Vampire blood makes a human into a Vampire: “The two types of blood fight eachother inside. Vampire blood destroys the hemoglobin (red cells) in human blood. When it destroys enough red cells, you don’t get enough oxygen to your brain. When it destroys more, you don’t have enough to live.” (Page 126-127 James, Book1) Thus causing the human to die and be reborn into a vampire. Reason why Vampires need Blood to Live: They still need a bit of oxygen to survive. “We take a little, carries oxygen through our bodies until our own blood destroys it. Then we take a little more.” (Page 127 James, Book1) Bloodlust: “It’s not like being thirsty – it’s like suffocating. Your cells start to die from oxygen starvation, because your own blood won’t carry oxygen to them. It’s the worst pain there is.” (page 176 James, Book1) Two Types: First is Lamia who are born vampires. Second, are made Vampires. How to recognize a made-Vampire: Black Roses Weaknesses: Wood, being burned or having stakes to the heart.	-Can cast spells, hexes and curses, summon spirits, make potions and magical charms. -There are always more female witches than male. No on knows why More girls survive during birth and survive to grow up. Unbalanced ratio in the Witch community. -Hecate is the Witch-Queen, who had two daughters Hellewise and Maya. Descendants of Hellewise are witches. Two types of witches: 1) Ones who know about their heritage & are trained. 2) have latent powers and humans call them psychics, and aren’t even powerful enough to even find the Night World. Black Dahlias: represent the witch community. Inner Circle: The council that judges court, and makes laws and upholds the laws. Crone: Most powerful, all knowing, head witch of council. Different Circles: Circle Twilight (white magic users), Circle Midnight (Black magic users), Circle Daybreak (humans & Night World creatures). “Unity”: It was the age-old greeting of the witches, the symbol of their harmony and their oneness. “Hearth-Woman”: direct descendants of Hellewise. Hecate: the most ancient witch of them all, goddess of the moon & night and sorcery, to ring spirits from across the veil. Across the Veil: A saying about crossing over to the witch heaven. Crescent moon with three stars: the symbol for witches. Cup of Lethe: if you drink the potion in it, for forget everything that has to do with the Night World.	-They kill every time they hunt because they have to eat. Sometimes a whole animal, but always eat the internal organs; heart and liver. They have to do it, it’s just like how a vampire has to drink blood to live. -Traditionally werewolves and vampire hate each other and vampie look down werewolves as if they are “econd-class”. -Werewolves are usually very gentle people, and eat only when they have to. -They don’t always turn into wolves. They’re wolves who sometimes look like people. Strict Law: Can only eat animals Foxglove: represent the werewolf community. Weakness(es): Silver Clearly, Werewolves are not as developed as vampires and witches.	-Can see in infrared (seeing body heat) and have awesome night vision, intense sense of smell, can feel things 10 times normal human intensity and could feel around in a dark room just by feeling the air pressure, can hear extreme high and low pitches better than any human, and can move over 500 muscles voluntarily in extreme speeds. Changing: Is a painful but pleasurable process. During the change you feel like a fluid; like pure energy that morphs into a physical animal form. Shifter Clothing: is made up of dead shifters and if you wear it, it will also morph with your Change. If you wear normal clothing, your clothes will rip off when you change, and when you change back, you’ll be naked. Formal way to greet a powerful and royal shifter: Taking the person’s hand and putting it onto your forehead. Which animal you get: You’re born to an animal and have no choice to what you will be. Shifter head house: The first head house of the shifters were made of Dragons. And the family was known as the Drache Family. Anyone who was direct bloodline from the Drache family had the power to take shape to whatever animal they choose. They have extra senses about all animals. History: “’It started back in the days humans were still living in caves…The shapeshifters ruled then, and they were brutal. In some places, they were just the totem spirits who demanded human sacrifices, but in others...’ He searched though the parchments, selected one. ‘This is a picture of a breeding pen, with humans in it. They treated humans exactly the way humans treat cattle, breeding them for their hearts and livers. And the more human flesh they ate, the stronger they got.’…They were stronger than anyone…Humans were like flies to them.’ …‘What about vampires?’ ‘There weren’t any yet… the first was Maya-Hearth-Woman, the sister of Hellewise Hearth-Woman…the dragons are naturally immortal, and they were the undisputed rulers of the planet…’ ‘ but all the shapeshifters weren’t like that, were they?’… ‘They were all bad…The dragons were the worst’…’Hecate Witch-Queen organized a fight, and they went after the shapeshifters’…Geological records show that volcanoes all over the world erupted around then. The dragons did that’…’they tried to destroy the world and the other shapeshifters helped.’…’witches managed to win, and they buried all the dragons alive…in the deepest places in the earth.’…And the shapeshifters have always been…the lowest of all the Night People.’…” Night World Book 3, page 642. Dragons: -Have telepathic mind control powers, have all of the abilities like a shapeshifter but even more stronger, “A dragon only has to touch an animal and it is able to assume that animal’s form, know all that the animal knows, do all that the animal can do. There is no limit on the number of shapes it can master. Therefore, it is a true shapeshifter and the only one worthy of the name.” -Have black opaque eyes, roars, dark energy surrounds them, red-black aura, oldest most powerful shifters. -How to recognize them: by it’s horns. “No matter what form it takes, a dragon maybe always be known by it’s horns… A dragon has from one to three horns on it’s forehead, and in some rare case four…These horns… which are the seat of it’s power are the most cruelly removed by the witches to capture them, to steal from them the power of changing.” Dark Ninjas: An elite group made up of vampires and shapeshifters, the Night World experts at sneaking an killing.