Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
This book is the last in a trilogy, The Circle Trilogy. It's about 6 people who have to led an army against the vampires, for the Gods. And of course, there are 3 women and 3 men that are part of this circle. This last book is about Moira, the queen of Geall, and Cian, a vampire. Great book but the ending is a bit predictable.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed this trilogy, but it easily could have been one book.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 stars
I would give it 5… I really really would… but there were definitely issues with the romance. It was definitely something you had to just accept and then the novel was brilliant.
Overall series:
This was by far the best novel in the series, but that was definitely what I had expected. It’s so difficult to have the first or second novel in the trilogy be the favorite because sometimes, the romance takes a backseat to the action and plot. That happened in this series a lot. While the romances were sometimes touching, sometimes hot, and sometimes funny, the plot and action behind it all carried me through the series. So while the romance blew through in the first two books, I thought this one would have more buildup, since Moira and Cian would have had more time to know each other. That wasn’t really the case and it seemed just as, if not, more sudden than the others. That was definitely the only downfall—the implausibility of the romance.
But onto the good stuffs:
Moira and Cian:
Usually I break up my reviews by the two main characters, but I’ll speak of them together. In the first two novels, I wasn’t sure how I felt about Moira. I liked her at first, but then I thought that Roberts had made a bunch of missed opportunities with her character development in Moira. She started off POSSIBLY strong and ended up weak (in the first novel). As the second novel went on, she grew on me again. Cian on the other hand, had sparked my interest since book number 1. Maybe he’s just my type. I wanted to find out more about him. He was dark and mysterious—just the way I like it.
Surprisingly, after all my anticipation towards Cian’s story, it was Moira who shined through for me in this novel. While my love for Cian didn’t really diminish, I felt that Moira was definitely the star of the novel. She exceeded my expectations and I felt myself growing with her. I could clearly visualize her transformation from weak little girl who couldn’t fight, to the brave and magnificent warrior queen of Gaell. While she was brilliant, I do wish we got to see more of Cian—as in his character development. I thought we would be able to see through his mystery and darkness in this novel. He wouldn’t just be a voice in the dark. He… kind of still was. While we get to see his love for Moira shine through, and we get to learn more of his history, I really… still don’t think I KNOW him. I don’t have a sense of what his personality is really like, and that extremely bothered me. Luckily for this novel, Moira’s character development almost made me look past the fact Cian was basically a tool in this novel to help her grow.
What I DID like about Cian was the fact that he was actually passive in the relationship. In a stereotypical romance novel, the man takes and leads the female. I loved the fact that meek little Moira would just Again, if this relationship was just given just SLIGHTLY more buildup, and more interaction leading up to the It would have been so so SO much better.
Okay, the end:
Oh god the end. I don’t think any of Roberts’ novels have teared me up quite as much as that letter Cian wrote for Moira. I cried. I couldn’t stop the tears from going down my cheeks, and I had to reread it over and over and over until the words were actually more than just blurs. Then the actual end: It was so beautiful. If you just ignore the timeline of their actual falling in love, and truly believed in their love… then the end was perfect. Absolutely perfect. I cried again.
So all through the three novels, I wondered if we would find the identity of the old man telling the tale. I wondered if he would end up being Larkin or Hoyt, or perhaps one of their children. It had never occurred to be that it would be But that ended up being perfect as well. It all came together so beautifully, and we got to see how everyone’s love story ended. After the heart-wrenching and stressful battle scene, the conclusion with the old man ending the story was such a great touch. The actual last three sentences of the book made me cry again—with joy.
Ugh, such a good book. From the final battle, to the very last word of this book was so good that I could overlook all my other qualms with this novel. Definitely a must read (though, you must read the other two before this).
I would give it 5… I really really would… but there were definitely issues with the romance. It was definitely something you had to just accept and then the novel was brilliant.
Overall series:
This was by far the best novel in the series, but that was definitely what I had expected. It’s so difficult to have the first or second novel in the trilogy be the favorite because sometimes, the romance takes a backseat to the action and plot. That happened in this series a lot. While the romances were sometimes touching, sometimes hot, and sometimes funny, the plot and action behind it all carried me through the series. So while the romance blew through in the first two books, I thought this one would have more buildup, since Moira and Cian would have had more time to know each other. That wasn’t really the case and it seemed just as, if not, more sudden than the others. That was definitely the only downfall—the implausibility of the romance.
But onto the good stuffs:
Moira and Cian:
Usually I break up my reviews by the two main characters, but I’ll speak of them together. In the first two novels, I wasn’t sure how I felt about Moira. I liked her at first, but then I thought that Roberts had made a bunch of missed opportunities with her character development in Moira. She started off POSSIBLY strong and ended up weak (in the first novel). As the second novel went on, she grew on me again. Cian on the other hand, had sparked my interest since book number 1. Maybe he’s just my type. I wanted to find out more about him. He was dark and mysterious—just the way I like it.
Surprisingly, after all my anticipation towards Cian’s story, it was Moira who shined through for me in this novel. While my love for Cian didn’t really diminish, I felt that Moira was definitely the star of the novel. She exceeded my expectations and I felt myself growing with her. I could clearly visualize her transformation from weak little girl who couldn’t fight, to the brave and magnificent warrior queen of Gaell. While she was brilliant, I do wish we got to see more of Cian—as in his character development. I thought we would be able to see through his mystery and darkness in this novel. He wouldn’t just be a voice in the dark. He… kind of still was. While we get to see his love for Moira shine through, and we get to learn more of his history, I really… still don’t think I KNOW him. I don’t have a sense of what his personality is really like, and that extremely bothered me. Luckily for this novel, Moira’s character development almost made me look past the fact Cian was basically a tool in this novel to help her grow.
What I DID like about Cian was the fact that he was actually passive in the relationship. In a stereotypical romance novel, the man takes and leads the female. I loved the fact that meek little Moira would just
Spoiler
demand for him to take her virginity and so openly tell him that they love each other. One of my most favorite parts of this novel is the part where she told him to say her name. Because names are powerful, and saying them can either take or give power. I love love loved that part. I have no idea why, but I loved it. I loved that he broke at that point, whispered her name, and just… the power of her name took him.Spoiler
“I love you”Okay, the end:
Oh god the end. I don’t think any of Roberts’ novels have teared me up quite as much as that letter Cian wrote for Moira. I cried. I couldn’t stop the tears from going down my cheeks, and I had to reread it over and over and over until the words were actually more than just blurs. Then the actual end: It was so beautiful. If you just ignore the timeline of their actual falling in love, and truly believed in their love… then the end was perfect. Absolutely perfect. I cried again.
So all through the three novels, I wondered if we would find the identity of the old man telling the tale. I wondered if he would end up being Larkin or Hoyt, or perhaps one of their children. It had never occurred to be that it would be
Spoiler
Cian and MoiraUgh, such a good book. From the final battle, to the very last word of this book was so good that I could overlook all my other qualms with this novel. Definitely a must read (though, you must read the other two before this).
The final book in the Circle Trilogy and possibly my favorite of the three. Moira may possibly be one of my favorite characters because of the development. I like who she was in the end. This trilogy truly was an enjoyable light read.
I enjoyed it but worked out the ending so I wasn't surprised.
This was by far my least favorite book of the three. It moved much more slowly than the others and didn't really hold any surprises. Of course the ending was predictable, but I expected something in between to hold my interests further.
Also, I can't be the only one who is totally squicked out by the prologues of these three books. They're totally unnecessary to the storytelling in my opinion, and since it's a man telling the stories to a group of small children, the explicit sex scenes make the prologues totally icky.
Also, I can't be the only one who is totally squicked out by the prologues of these three books. They're totally unnecessary to the storytelling in my opinion, and since it's a man telling the stories to a group of small children, the explicit sex scenes make the prologues totally icky.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Geall marches off to war against the vampire horde in the epic conclusion to the Circle Trilogy.
Out of all the romances, Moira and Cian story is my favorite. The readers have watched them develop from strangers to lovers over a span of time. I really find the amount of time spent on the falling in love portion of the story is as important as character and plot development. I'm never interested in an instant love relationship – give me the depth that time plays into the story. While these two are heavily featured in the novel, the other couples also have their time to shine.
I love Nora Roberts' stories, but I can willingly admit creating thoughtful antagonists is her greatest weakness. Too many times we come to find the antagonists are evil for evil's sake. I think this is my favorite trilogy due in large part to the main antagonist, Lilith. While some of Lilith's decisions are poorly explained, she is mostly a well-fleshed out character. She's not just evil - she's ambitious and cunning. Roberts' spends some time delving into her psyche as well as her close relationships. Her relationships are twisted and deformed compared to our heroes relationships, and I think that is the point.
tl;dr An action packed story filled with strong character development makes this a great conclusion to the series.
Out of all the romances, Moira and Cian story is my favorite. The readers have watched them develop from strangers to lovers over a span of time. I really find the amount of time spent on the falling in love portion of the story is as important as character and plot development. I'm never interested in an instant love relationship – give me the depth that time plays into the story. While these two are heavily featured in the novel, the other couples also have their time to shine.
I love Nora Roberts' stories, but I can willingly admit creating thoughtful antagonists is her greatest weakness. Too many times we come to find the antagonists are evil for evil's sake. I think this is my favorite trilogy due in large part to the main antagonist, Lilith. While some of Lilith's decisions are poorly explained, she is mostly a well-fleshed out character. She's not just evil - she's ambitious and cunning. Roberts' spends some time delving into her psyche as well as her close relationships. Her relationships are twisted and deformed compared to our heroes relationships, and I think that is the point.
tl;dr An action packed story filled with strong character development makes this a great conclusion to the series.