Scan barcode
lyderature's review against another edition
As much as I hate to say it, this is one series that I'm fine with saying farewell to. Prophecy of Sisters Trilogy by Michelle Zink, adios, ciao, arrivederci, au revoir...
You get the point.
Circle of Fire by Michelle Zink. What can I say? One half of me felt that it was too rushed, that Zink got sick of writing halfway and wanted to end it faster, with the skipping over many of the details, such as the finding of the Rite and the stone, and Alice's sudden side switching (an all too expected deus ex machina in my opinion).
The other half of me felt that Zink could've done so much more, so much better with the final book. If she had extended it, maybe we would've gotten an ending that was just...more.
By all means, the ending is satisfying. Samael is defeated, Souls are forever banished, Alice turns good eventually, but then has to die of course, and Lia and Dimitri have their happily ever after. But it was all expected. Zink was surprisingly unsubtle in this installment. She plunked down on us and engaged Alice and James, and Lia and Dimitri's intense romance. Speaking of which, let me suddenly go onto that topic.
Lia Milthorpe and Dimitri Markov. This series is one of those dark fantasy teen books, so I knew I had to expect it. Especially with a female heroine. I knew I was going to be reading about her swooning over some guy. But their relationship in this book, some might say was sweet and passionate, I'll say was just plain irritating. It's like on chapter is about how the world is going to end and Lia is about to crack under the pressure, and just when something interesting might happen, she goes off to make-out with Dimitri, when they should be researching the prophecy, or trying to convince Alice, or running for their little lives from the Guard and the devil (literally), or something—anything but that! I felt like Lia, who we've come to know as an incredibly strong girl, has suddenly turned to depending on Dimitri for everything. I was inches away from shaking the pages of the book and yelling, "Get a life!" So yeah, romance in small quantities is good and all, but pages of it all at once, dumped on you, is not.
Like I said before, unsubtle.
Also, did anyone feel like the book sort of strayed from the first two? The first book, about the prophecy and the sister relationship. The second, more about the prophecy. You'd think that the third would either focus on ending the prophecy or the sisters reconciling or something. And that's sort of the case. But I was just sort of wishing for those two things to be more skillfully woven together, plot and character development. But instead, the first half is all about the prophecy, and then suddenly we find out that Alice has to be involved to be succeed, about 3/4 in. And then Lia unsuccessfully tries to convince her, and suddenly at the end, bam! Alice is good again. And then she dies. And the book ends with Lia thinking about how the sisters are entwined.
And this whole time, I'm thinking, WHAT? We barely get anymore mention about Alice in the last book, we all assume that she's still her creepy/cold self hiding out in the attic doing who-knows-what-kind-of creepy magic, and that the plot'll shift somewhat away from her and to the Prophecy and Samael instead. And it does. Until Alice is clumsily forced upon us as a hero.
This book, did have some bright points, but overall, it was a meh. Not that epic of a conclusion.
You get the point.
Circle of Fire by Michelle Zink. What can I say? One half of me felt that it was too rushed, that Zink got sick of writing halfway and wanted to end it faster, with the skipping over many of the details, such as the finding of the Rite and the stone, and Alice's sudden side switching (an all too expected deus ex machina in my opinion).
The other half of me felt that Zink could've done so much more, so much better with the final book. If she had extended it, maybe we would've gotten an ending that was just...more.
By all means, the ending is satisfying. Samael is defeated, Souls are forever banished, Alice turns good eventually, but then has to die of course, and Lia and Dimitri have their happily ever after. But it was all expected. Zink was surprisingly unsubtle in this installment. She plunked down on us and engaged Alice and James, and Lia and Dimitri's intense romance. Speaking of which, let me suddenly go onto that topic.
Lia Milthorpe and Dimitri Markov. This series is one of those dark fantasy teen books, so I knew I had to expect it. Especially with a female heroine. I knew I was going to be reading about her swooning over some guy. But their relationship in this book, some might say was sweet and passionate, I'll say was just plain irritating. It's like on chapter is about how the world is going to end and Lia is about to crack under the pressure, and just when something interesting might happen, she goes off to make-out with Dimitri, when they should be researching the prophecy, or trying to convince Alice, or running for their little lives from the Guard and the devil (literally), or something—anything but that! I felt like Lia, who we've come to know as an incredibly strong girl, has suddenly turned to depending on Dimitri for everything. I was inches away from shaking the pages of the book and yelling, "Get a life!" So yeah, romance in small quantities is good and all, but pages of it all at once, dumped on you, is not.
Like I said before, unsubtle.
Also, did anyone feel like the book sort of strayed from the first two? The first book, about the prophecy and the sister relationship. The second, more about the prophecy. You'd think that the third would either focus on ending the prophecy or the sisters reconciling or something. And that's sort of the case. But I was just sort of wishing for those two things to be more skillfully woven together, plot and character development. But instead, the first half is all about the prophecy, and then suddenly we find out that Alice has to be involved to be succeed, about 3/4 in. And then Lia unsuccessfully tries to convince her, and suddenly at the end, bam! Alice is good again. And then she dies. And the book ends with Lia thinking about how the sisters are entwined.
And this whole time, I'm thinking, WHAT? We barely get anymore mention about Alice in the last book, we all assume that she's still her creepy/cold self hiding out in the attic doing who-knows-what-kind-of creepy magic, and that the plot'll shift somewhat away from her and to the Prophecy and Samael instead. And it does. Until Alice is clumsily forced upon us as a hero.
This book, did have some bright points, but overall, it was a meh. Not that epic of a conclusion.
pegahe's review against another edition
5.0
Circle of Fire was a very fitting conclusion to the Prophecy of the Sisters trilogy by Michelle Zink.
I love these books. There's something so unique about them. They're chilling and dark. They're creepy and complicated. They're impossible to put down. And something about the writing, the voice... It's exactly like Lia talking. Her essence is in the writing making it easy to get into the story. The plot is complex, the characters are worthy, and the world is full of danger and hope. That's the full package, people. After finishing the series, I looked back fondly and thought "What great books. Totally worthy of rereading."
Lia in Circle of Fire is different. Her character has matured since the beginning. She's changed, become less trusting, less forgiving. Less innocent. Lia tries to fight the darkness with her strength. I couldn't help but support Lia fully. She has had such a hard time and she's still holding on. That kind of strength is admirable. She's not invulnerable. There are moments when she feels like giving up but she doesn't. Part of that is because of Dimitri. Their love is mature and I never once doubted it. They supported each other and were an exemplary couple.
The relationships in Circle of Fire were fascinating in the most realistic way. Somehow, in between all the save-the-world stuff there was time for friendship, romance and family. While the keys didn't make as much of an appearance as usual, they were part of the story in a believable way. Never once did anyone act in a way that had me questioning reality. There was again, so much complexity. Redemption, loss, betrayal, everything. I did shed tears at the end. There will be much to think about when you're done Circle of Fire.
I think the ending fit. I'm content with it. I was dreading getting to the end and wished I could read slower. I didn't realize until I was done what a great series this is. It's different from anything else and I will be sure to read anything by Michelle Zink since I have acquired so much faith in her writing. If you haven't read Prophecy of the Sisters, you're in for a dark, decadent, treat. 4.5 stars,
**** & 1/2 *
I love these books. There's something so unique about them. They're chilling and dark. They're creepy and complicated. They're impossible to put down. And something about the writing, the voice... It's exactly like Lia talking. Her essence is in the writing making it easy to get into the story. The plot is complex, the characters are worthy, and the world is full of danger and hope. That's the full package, people. After finishing the series, I looked back fondly and thought "What great books. Totally worthy of rereading."
Lia in Circle of Fire is different. Her character has matured since the beginning. She's changed, become less trusting, less forgiving. Less innocent. Lia tries to fight the darkness with her strength. I couldn't help but support Lia fully. She has had such a hard time and she's still holding on. That kind of strength is admirable. She's not invulnerable. There are moments when she feels like giving up but she doesn't. Part of that is because of Dimitri. Their love is mature and I never once doubted it. They supported each other and were an exemplary couple.
The relationships in Circle of Fire were fascinating in the most realistic way. Somehow, in between all the save-the-world stuff there was time for friendship, romance and family. While the keys didn't make as much of an appearance as usual, they were part of the story in a believable way. Never once did anyone act in a way that had me questioning reality. There was again, so much complexity. Redemption, loss, betrayal, everything. I did shed tears at the end. There will be much to think about when you're done Circle of Fire.
I think the ending fit. I'm content with it. I was dreading getting to the end and wished I could read slower. I didn't realize until I was done what a great series this is. It's different from anything else and I will be sure to read anything by Michelle Zink since I have acquired so much faith in her writing. If you haven't read Prophecy of the Sisters, you're in for a dark, decadent, treat. 4.5 stars,
**** & 1/2 *
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
Really great book, I really enjoyed it, a good ending to a really good series!
courtbooks's review against another edition
2.0
An okay ending to an okay trilogy. I wasn't fond with how much romance/sensual content there was; it was just excessive. I'm not sure what else to say.
lindzy's review against another edition
4.0
Original Review Here
It has been years since I read the first book and anxiously wanted to know the conclusion. I have now finally reached it, and am pleased to say I was not disappointed.
The plot continued with the same twists and turns I have come to expect; things being where Lia didn’t expect them and answers given in ways she didn’t see coming. She had to work for the answers though, stopping it from feeling like a convenient solution. With the Souls haunting her sleep, an element of danger was present the whole way through. The tension developed with the book, making it a real page-turner by the end.
But for the first time, I didn’t like Lia for a lot of the book. She seems to spend it fighting sleep and being exhausted – been there, done that in the second book, do not need it again – or kissing Dimitri. The ruin of her friendships made her hard to feel empathy for, especially her refusal to forgive. Thankfully, this did not stem the entire book and by the time the prophecy is coming to a close, Lia was likeable enough again that you wanted her to succeed.
Zink’s development of relationships was rewarding, especially for a young adult book. She broke away from the love triangle that permeates young adult novels and instead had Lia accepting she was not the same person, could not love in the same way and had moved on. It felt realistic and refreshing, adding maturity and depth to Lia’s character that a love triangle would have destroyed.
The danger created the pacing, for a lot of the book talks about sleep. Numerous people from Lia’s past arrive, which felt a little too convenient most of the time, but nonetheless worked and gave a feeling of closure – everything is coming to an end and those involved from the beginning will see it to the final moments. Perhaps an easy way out, but Zink gets away with it.
The book is not as strong as the previous two, but is still a very satisfying conclusion to what has been a thoroughly enjoyable trilogy. Full of magic, danger and romance, I would definitely recommend this series.
It has been years since I read the first book and anxiously wanted to know the conclusion. I have now finally reached it, and am pleased to say I was not disappointed.
The plot continued with the same twists and turns I have come to expect; things being where Lia didn’t expect them and answers given in ways she didn’t see coming. She had to work for the answers though, stopping it from feeling like a convenient solution. With the Souls haunting her sleep, an element of danger was present the whole way through. The tension developed with the book, making it a real page-turner by the end.
But for the first time, I didn’t like Lia for a lot of the book. She seems to spend it fighting sleep and being exhausted – been there, done that in the second book, do not need it again – or kissing Dimitri. The ruin of her friendships made her hard to feel empathy for, especially her refusal to forgive. Thankfully, this did not stem the entire book and by the time the prophecy is coming to a close, Lia was likeable enough again that you wanted her to succeed.
Zink’s development of relationships was rewarding, especially for a young adult book. She broke away from the love triangle that permeates young adult novels and instead had Lia accepting she was not the same person, could not love in the same way and had moved on. It felt realistic and refreshing, adding maturity and depth to Lia’s character that a love triangle would have destroyed.
The danger created the pacing, for a lot of the book talks about sleep. Numerous people from Lia’s past arrive, which felt a little too convenient most of the time, but nonetheless worked and gave a feeling of closure – everything is coming to an end and those involved from the beginning will see it to the final moments. Perhaps an easy way out, but Zink gets away with it.
The book is not as strong as the previous two, but is still a very satisfying conclusion to what has been a thoroughly enjoyable trilogy. Full of magic, danger and romance, I would definitely recommend this series.
sonshinelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful, lyrical, satisfying, heart-rending, perfect ending to this trilogy. Michelle's prose just gets better and better and my heart was completely stolen by this cast of characters. I'm so sad that it has ended, but can't wait for her new book next year!
danibene's review against another edition
4.0
Having read and very much adored Prophecy of the Sisters and Guardian of the Gate, I was quite excited to see where Alica and Lia's tumultuous journey would end. It was quite bittersweet to read this last installment, since the end of a series is always sad, and I've been reading this one since the beginning. However, I did really like this book, and I'm happy to say that it left off in a great place.
I appreciated that, despite this being the last book in the series, there was still plenty of action because of all the things that Lia had to do before she reached her final confrontation. In fact, most of the book is made up of her search for the rest of the elements of the Prophecy. This did actually annoy me a bit, since I was waiting for a big showdown that would inevitably occur, and it took so long to get to that that it felt rushed in the end. However, the journey to that end was rather exciting. There was nice balance between Lia looking for the remaining keys, finding the rest of the Prophecy, dealing with Alice, and trying to deal with the friends she already has; because of all the different subplots going on, the book is constantly fun to read, made even better by the many twists included.
I also liked the few new characters introduced in this installment, as well as all the old ones. The new ones helped keep the story fresh and brought plenty of new information and help to the table, which was appreciated by both Lia and me. I wish that they had more time to be developed, though, because they got so little time to do much of anything that it was difficult to view them as people rather than just vessels to make ensure that the Prophecy would work. Luckily, I still loved the returning characters, for they definitely took their roles seriously and managed to use their personalities to shine. I loved seeing all the teamwork between Lia and her friends, as well as the issues they have in dealing with everyone else, especially Alice. Alice and Lia's relationship became even more intense in this book, which provided a whole new level of emotion that gave the ending a much bigger impact.
Circle of Fire is an exciting, action-packed conclusion to a fantastic series, and I'm sure fans of the first two installments won't be disappointed.
I appreciated that, despite this being the last book in the series, there was still plenty of action because of all the things that Lia had to do before she reached her final confrontation. In fact, most of the book is made up of her search for the rest of the elements of the Prophecy. This did actually annoy me a bit, since I was waiting for a big showdown that would inevitably occur, and it took so long to get to that that it felt rushed in the end. However, the journey to that end was rather exciting. There was nice balance between Lia looking for the remaining keys, finding the rest of the Prophecy, dealing with Alice, and trying to deal with the friends she already has; because of all the different subplots going on, the book is constantly fun to read, made even better by the many twists included.
I also liked the few new characters introduced in this installment, as well as all the old ones. The new ones helped keep the story fresh and brought plenty of new information and help to the table, which was appreciated by both Lia and me. I wish that they had more time to be developed, though, because they got so little time to do much of anything that it was difficult to view them as people rather than just vessels to make ensure that the Prophecy would work. Luckily, I still loved the returning characters, for they definitely took their roles seriously and managed to use their personalities to shine. I loved seeing all the teamwork between Lia and her friends, as well as the issues they have in dealing with everyone else, especially Alice. Alice and Lia's relationship became even more intense in this book, which provided a whole new level of emotion that gave the ending a much bigger impact.
Circle of Fire is an exciting, action-packed conclusion to a fantastic series, and I'm sure fans of the first two installments won't be disappointed.
catiebug's review against another edition
5.0
Gah! This series! It's definitely one of my all time favorites!
This is such a beautifully written series and the story is wonderful. I loved the plot and the characters and just everything about it!
I highly recommend it!
This is such a beautifully written series and the story is wonderful. I loved the plot and the characters and just everything about it!
I highly recommend it!