The Circle is a wonderful YA paranormal novel, set in Engelsfors, Sweden. The first of a trilogy, it is a very promising debut. Engelsfors is a decrepit town, in a sad state of disrepair after the factories have closed. Seven young women, who couldn't be more different, find themselves pulled together, quite literally. Under a blood moon, they have all been manipulated like marionettes towards the same spot. None are friends. Now they are told they must become friends and work together to save their town from a magical onslaught. Should they believe? Can they? Will they open up to each other and be honest with themselves? Welcome to Engelsfos! I liked this, a lot. Some people have complained about the relative lack of magic and saving-the-world stuff, but I actually think that's to the book's merit rather than detriment. But I guess I just generally don't like millenarian prophecy type plots.What I really liked was the characters, and the book's depiction of being a teenager. While some of the bullying stuff was over-the-top (seriously, they are cartoonishly evil), overall it feels very true to life - the social anxiety, the desire to be treated as an adult, even how a teen would realistically act if they found out they had special powers. There was never a point where I went "yeah, that's not how a real teen would act". I also really appreciated that there was no hokey "power of friendship" thing that binds everyone together at the end - some of the girls still loathe one another.Of the six girls that form the 'Circle', Ida definitely gets short shrift and her character never evolves beyond 'alpha bitch', but I got a good sense of what the other five were like.The story is definitely predictable - I predicted the three main twists* in the story way before it was revealed, but that didn't impact my enjoyment of the book much. At its core it's a teen drama, and at that I think the book succeeds with flying colors.* Minoo, Linnea, the killer
What do You think about Zirkel (2011)?
Wow, this is one of my favorite books ! A christmaspresent from my parents ! Amazing !
—mal
Skola, pusaudžu problēmas ļoti labi, bet maģijas daļa vāja. Not impressed.
—Lekhini
Really interesting and not like a lot that I read, really keeps you guessing.
—Blueyz
