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Rating: 4/5 Stars
Title: Circle of Nine
Author: Valerie Biel
Synopsis:
“Since I was a little girl I’ve been labeled a freak in my small town. There’s no blending in when your mom practices an ancient pagan religion and everyone believes she’s a witch. On my 15th birthday my secret wish is the same as always – to just be normal. But that’s not what I get. Not even close.” – Brigit Quinn
Instead, Brigit is shocked to learn she’s descended from a legendary Celtic tribe -- powerful people who serve as guardians of the stone circles of Ireland. A spellbound book of family history reveals the magical powers of her ancestors. Powers that could be hers -- if only she wanted them.
And when someone sinister and evil returns to steal her family’s strength, Brigit has to make a decision. Fight to keep her unique heritage or reject it for the normal life she’s always wanted.
Initial thoughts:
I only learned about this book trilogy a little while ago when my girlfriend recommended it to me. She told me that she loved this book and that the author, Valerie Biel, was super sweet when she met her at an Irish fest. So, of course, after a little bit of looking around for this book, I found it and thought the synopsis sounded really cool! Witches? Sign me the hell up! I did take my good old time starting to read it though, especially with the TBR list growing exponentially. I thought the cover was well designed, but the binding was very stiff after I bought a paperback edition of it, so I started reading it as an ebook so I wouldn’t mess up my hard copy when I read it.
Plot:
What I liked:
This book was full of lore and Irish concepts that I myself had been studying. It was really interesting to see how these characters celebrated the Sabbats and how the author incorporated historical myths into the story. The story of the Tuatha was a wonderful addition, though I wish that that the author had gone more into the lore behind the Tuatha rather than just using the term. I enjoyed the flashbacks that were written into the story weaving in the past and the present in a very complex way I found different and unique. Another thing I loved about this book was how empowering it was for women. Witches tend to facilitate women empowerment with their knowledge being a main reason for their persecution.
What I didn't like:
To be honest, Brigit was my main pet peeve with this book. Whenever her storyline popped back up into play, I found myself less than enthused with her behavior and how she handled situations. I also was not quite pleased with how everything seemed to tie itself up and come together so perfectly in the end. It felt very unrealistic and rushed in a sense when things were leading in a different direction (I wanted things to get much darker in prep for the next book that came out haha).
Characters:
Brigit Quinn: She was a very whiny teen and I had a hard time liking her as a main character. I get that she is a freshman in highschool, but she threw temper tantrums too often for my liking.
Celeste Quinn: I loved her and would have loved to see more of her.
Tyler McGrath: I still don’t know how to feel about him. I had a hard time trusting him throughout the entire book.
Onora and Ian Quinn: I loved Ian so much and I kind of wished that Onora had been stronger in the end.
Aileen Quinn: I felt bad for her and what she went through. She did think she knew everything though and that was what set her back.
Dervla Quinn: I felt bad for her too! Her brother was a jerk
Pheobe Quinn: Mama bear for sure!
Adele McGrath: She was a very interesting character. A lot like Tyler, I never trusted her.
Overall:
This book I found to be an enjoyable, quick read. It was well put together and I am excited to read the next book in the series which is a novella that talks more about some of the lesser known women we got snippets of in this first book. The third books looks like a continuation of this first book and I am excited to read it as well. I had a nice time reading this book and am excited to learn more about the Circle of Nine and their traditions as well as the Tuatha.