You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.25 stars. That ending though.... :(
An entertaining book about Swedish witches and demons. I really enjoyed how the story and most of the characters developed in this book. I'm so nervous to how this trilogy is gonna wrap itself up. Hopefully, in a good way!
An entertaining book about Swedish witches and demons. I really enjoyed how the story and most of the characters developed in this book. I'm so nervous to how this trilogy is gonna wrap itself up. Hopefully, in a good way!
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
The premise for this series was really intriguing, so I gave it a shot. The first book was okay, but I couldn’t even manage to force myself through the muddy terrain of this without making my eyes bleed.
5 stars - loved it, would read it again, would recommend to everyone, impacted me
What a book... I cannot begin to describe how much I loved it, every second of reading it. At first I was afraid that it would be a bland sequel to Circle, but not at all. It's a captivating book that leaves you with so many questions, while at the same time answering them.
What I believe was a really big and nice change, is that you got the perspective of Linnéa and Ida this time, which weren't present in the previous book. It made me more nuanced about these characters.
All in all, this was a book I'll always love, and I can't wait to read the next part!
What a book... I cannot begin to describe how much I loved it, every second of reading it. At first I was afraid that it would be a bland sequel to Circle, but not at all. It's a captivating book that leaves you with so many questions, while at the same time answering them.
What I believe was a really big and nice change, is that you got the perspective of Linnéa and Ida this time, which weren't present in the previous book. It made me more nuanced about these characters.
All in all, this was a book I'll always love, and I can't wait to read the next part!
Vuur, het tweede deel in de Engelfors-trilogie. Dit vervolg heeft weer een grote dosis aan spanning, mysterie en een vleugje magie...
http://nerdygeekyfanboy.com/recensie/recensie-vuur-engelfors-trilogie-2/
http://nerdygeekyfanboy.com/recensie/recensie-vuur-engelfors-trilogie-2/
This book is better than the last one (I think). There are new plot elements, danger, magic, and friendship. Unlike The Circle, it left me actually wanting to read the sequel, and made me really care about the characters (it might help that some have been killed off so there was a clearer focus). I liked the fast moving plot (an achievement in this huge huge huge book) and storytelling elements, as well as the character development in this installment.
So what is Fire about? If you've read The Circle, you might have some idea: teenage girls with issues, a town with issues, the impending apocalypse (with issues), magic, and some other things. The members of the circle, the witches prophesied to stop the demons, are confronting a new school year. Members of the Council have turned up in town, and their increasingly difficult demands create the main plot strand of Fire. The girls are also discovering their powers, and trying to understand what's going on in their town. An organisation has started up, and the way it changes behaviour is nothing short of magical. They're getting to know each other better, too, because that may be the only way they can deal with the evil.
Reading Fire invites inevitable comparisons to The Circle, and it made me realise more what I didn't like about the predecessor. Fire has just as much swearing, and a magical system that is very horror movie, and frankly, characters who could be really annoying at times. But Fire has a complex plot, and characters that invite you to become invested. Ultimately, that was what The Circle was missing. I loved it. Fire is a huge book--my edition is over 670 pages--but the plot is rich. It draws on the many elements--character development, doubts, friendship, danger--without ever losing momentum. I read a couple of hundred pages in a single afternoon. If you're uncomfortable with the traditional European idea of witches, I would still give this one a miss, but the transformation from The Circle is very powerful, and makes this one well worth reading.
The other part of Fire that I loved was the character development. The Circle left us with a bunch of lackluster characters whose motivations were not at all clear and were mostly unlikable and bad at making choices. In this installment, it feels like they've grown up (and are still growing). That's a serious achivement on the part of the authors. Minoo (my favourite) is still nerdy and unsure of herself, but she's becoming a leader, and I loved how compassionate she was. Vanessa has FINALLY ditched Wille, and is trying to navigate her relationship with her mother and work out how she fits into the world. Ida is still desperate, but her development is masterful. She slowly becomes self-aware and less cruel. That made her actions in the end of the story even more sad. Linnea is hopeful, all of a sudden, even though she's still more afraid than she wants to be. She manages to spur the others into action multiple times. Anna-Karin is still mistrustful, and bitter, but she grows to be more comfortable in her own skin, especially by having a familiar. The side characters are also interesting- I look forward to seeing more of Viktor and hopefully Adriana later on, as well as the witches families and Gustaf. The relationship between the girls grows in complexity, especially with a piece of magic in the last part of the book which involves the girls getting to know each other's lives really well. That portrayal of friendship is what makes me want to keep reading.
Fire has a riveting plot and characters that will ensure you're invested, which makes the shattering ending all the more devastating. It's not perfect, but it's so much better than the predecessor that I was satisfied.
So what is Fire about? If you've read The Circle, you might have some idea: teenage girls with issues, a town with issues, the impending apocalypse (with issues), magic, and some other things. The members of the circle, the witches prophesied to stop the demons, are confronting a new school year. Members of the Council have turned up in town, and their increasingly difficult demands create the main plot strand of Fire. The girls are also discovering their powers, and trying to understand what's going on in their town. An organisation has started up, and the way it changes behaviour is nothing short of magical. They're getting to know each other better, too, because that may be the only way they can deal with the evil.
Reading Fire invites inevitable comparisons to The Circle, and it made me realise more what I didn't like about the predecessor. Fire has just as much swearing, and a magical system that is very horror movie, and frankly, characters who could be really annoying at times. But Fire has a complex plot, and characters that invite you to become invested. Ultimately, that was what The Circle was missing. I loved it. Fire is a huge book--my edition is over 670 pages--but the plot is rich. It draws on the many elements--character development, doubts, friendship, danger--without ever losing momentum. I read a couple of hundred pages in a single afternoon. If you're uncomfortable with the traditional European idea of witches, I would still give this one a miss, but the transformation from The Circle is very powerful, and makes this one well worth reading.
The other part of Fire that I loved was the character development. The Circle left us with a bunch of lackluster characters whose motivations were not at all clear and were mostly unlikable and bad at making choices. In this installment, it feels like they've grown up (and are still growing). That's a serious achivement on the part of the authors. Minoo (my favourite) is still nerdy and unsure of herself, but she's becoming a leader, and I loved how compassionate she was. Vanessa has FINALLY ditched Wille, and is trying to navigate her relationship with her mother and work out how she fits into the world. Ida is still desperate, but her development is masterful. She slowly becomes self-aware and less cruel. That made her actions in the end of the story even more sad. Linnea is hopeful, all of a sudden, even though she's still more afraid than she wants to be. She manages to spur the others into action multiple times. Anna-Karin is still mistrustful, and bitter, but she grows to be more comfortable in her own skin, especially by having a familiar. The side characters are also interesting- I look forward to seeing more of Viktor and hopefully Adriana later on, as well as the witches families and Gustaf. The relationship between the girls grows in complexity, especially with a piece of magic in the last part of the book which involves the girls getting to know each other's lives really well. That portrayal of friendship is what makes me want to keep reading.
Fire has a riveting plot and characters that will ensure you're invested, which makes the shattering ending all the more devastating. It's not perfect, but it's so much better than the predecessor that I was satisfied.
You can read the full/original review on my blog!
All the issues I had with the first installment were fixed and improved in this one and I couldn’t be happier! There was plenty of magic, the friendships grew beautifully along with the characters, and the plot was very engaging. The first part did drag a little and I felt it was longer than it needed to be, but besides that, I enjoyed it immensely and I can’t wait to read the last book!
First of all, let’s talk about the characters. These girls grow so much in this novel! I was rooting for them since the first book, but now I want them to be safe and happy forever or I’ll be heartbroken. They are in no way perfect and that’s exactly why I love them so much. They are realistic, with fears and doubts, but they also show their strengths when it is needed.
I can’t really say I have a favorite anymore. Ida was the hardest to warm up to, but it was entirely intentional. The friendship of the circle was truly established in this book and it was pretty sweet. It was the opposite of insta-friendship, so it felt natural how they struggled to get along up until this point. It still doesn’t mean that their relationship is perfect, but now they finally understand each other better.
One of my favorite and least favorite tropes were used here. I won’t spoil my favorite because it’s an important part of the plot. All I can say is that it’s silly and maybe an easy way out for one of their problems, but it was effective for me! I loved the effect it had on the relationship of the girls. The other one was the Special Snowflake trope with Minoo representing it. She has many of the characteristics (the boys pay special attention to her, her powers are unique, etc), yet she doesn’t steal the limelight from the other girls. There’s a story behind it that we have yet to discover, so I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt.
Finally, I wanted to mention the writing and the mythology of the novels because they improved a lot. The writing was still fairly simple, but it showed much more personality and the inner monologues were more heartfelt. As for the mythology, I loved that the history of the Council and the powers of the girls were better explored. It finally gave me a sense of what the girls were dealing with and how the world in the books work.
This novel wraps up well but it does leave you wanting to read the third one immediately. I was so glad that all the issues I had with the first one were gone here. Fire was more entertaining and better executed. My favorite things were that we get to know a lot more about the characters, their magic and their friendship. The villains were also a high point for me and I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t guess everything of what was going on. Overall, I loved reading it and I have high hopes for the final book in this trilogy!
All the issues I had with the first installment were fixed and improved in this one and I couldn’t be happier! There was plenty of magic, the friendships grew beautifully along with the characters, and the plot was very engaging. The first part did drag a little and I felt it was longer than it needed to be, but besides that, I enjoyed it immensely and I can’t wait to read the last book!
First of all, let’s talk about the characters. These girls grow so much in this novel! I was rooting for them since the first book, but now I want them to be safe and happy forever or I’ll be heartbroken. They are in no way perfect and that’s exactly why I love them so much. They are realistic, with fears and doubts, but they also show their strengths when it is needed.
I can’t really say I have a favorite anymore. Ida was the hardest to warm up to, but it was entirely intentional. The friendship of the circle was truly established in this book and it was pretty sweet. It was the opposite of insta-friendship, so it felt natural how they struggled to get along up until this point. It still doesn’t mean that their relationship is perfect, but now they finally understand each other better.
“The harder she tried to lock the monsters out, the bigger and stronger they grew.”
One of my favorite and least favorite tropes were used here. I won’t spoil my favorite because it’s an important part of the plot. All I can say is that it’s silly and maybe an easy way out for one of their problems, but it was effective for me! I loved the effect it had on the relationship of the girls. The other one was the Special Snowflake trope with Minoo representing it. She has many of the characteristics (the boys pay special attention to her, her powers are unique, etc), yet she doesn’t steal the limelight from the other girls. There’s a story behind it that we have yet to discover, so I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt.
“The combination of being clairvoyant and rude is amazingly unattractive”
Finally, I wanted to mention the writing and the mythology of the novels because they improved a lot. The writing was still fairly simple, but it showed much more personality and the inner monologues were more heartfelt. As for the mythology, I loved that the history of the Council and the powers of the girls were better explored. It finally gave me a sense of what the girls were dealing with and how the world in the books work.
This novel wraps up well but it does leave you wanting to read the third one immediately. I was so glad that all the issues I had with the first one were gone here. Fire was more entertaining and better executed. My favorite things were that we get to know a lot more about the characters, their magic and their friendship. The villains were also a high point for me and I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t guess everything of what was going on. Overall, I loved reading it and I have high hopes for the final book in this trilogy!
Det är år två och de överlevande medlemmarna av Cirkeln har nu två nya problem att möta: Rådets svar på Anna-Karins brott mot deras lagar och den sekt-lika organisationen Positiva Engelfors. Men innan dessa motgångar möter dem behöver de lösa ett mysterium - nämligen vad deras ledsagares namn gör på en mycket gammal gravsten.
Även bok två av denna trilogi var mycket lättläst och engagerande. Jag gillar (eller gillar att hata) samtliga karaktärer och bryr mig om deras väl och ve. Situationen med Positiva Engelfors kändes ganska plockade från ett avsnitt av antingen Sailor Moon eller Buffy the Vampire Slayer - jag gissar att det är Buffy, men kunde inte hjälp att associera till Sailor Moon med en så tydlig "hjärntvätta folk och sno deras energi"-plot. Kort sagt, välskriven, involverande, och lättläst bok. Ska bli intressant att se vart åt den tredje bär.Hoppas bara att inte fler djur dör. Författarna gillar verkligen att folks familiaris går och blir mördade åt höger och vänster, gärna av häxan själv eller närstående till häxan...
Även bok två av denna trilogi var mycket lättläst och engagerande. Jag gillar (eller gillar att hata) samtliga karaktärer och bryr mig om deras väl och ve. Situationen med Positiva Engelfors kändes ganska plockade från ett avsnitt av antingen Sailor Moon eller Buffy the Vampire Slayer - jag gissar att det är Buffy, men kunde inte hjälp att associera till Sailor Moon med en så tydlig "hjärntvätta folk och sno deras energi"-plot. Kort sagt, välskriven, involverande, och lättläst bok. Ska bli intressant att se vart åt den tredje bär.