Circle of Fire by Keri Arthur

Rating: 2/5

"Sixteen teenagers taken from their homes. Eleven bodies recovered, each completely drained of blood. Some believe vampires are responsible. Jon Barnett knows that what’s happening is far worse. Sent by a group of paranormal investigators known as the Damask Circle, Jon quickly becomes enmeshed in a web of black magic and realizes he needs help. But fate gives him only one choice."

With a synopsis like that, how could I not expect edge-of-your-seat suspense? But I guess the other half of it should have warned me...

"Madeline Smith has retreated to an isolated farmhouse, afraid of the abilities she cannot control—abilities that have killed. But when a “ghost” brings a warning of danger and her nephew goes missing, Maddie not only has to leave her haven, she has to place her trust in a man who is neither ghost nor human. As the noose of sorcery tightens, the search for the teenagers becomes a race against time. But the greatest danger to Maddie and Jon could be the intense feelings they refuse to acknowledge but cannot ignore."

That one sentence should really take up more than one little line of the synopsis, because for me, CIRCLE OF FIRE felt more like a sappy insta-love story than anywhere near a thriller.

This book is about 45% romance, 45% repetition and 10% action. while reading the CIRCLE OF FIRE, we would constantly be reminded of how badly Maddie's past has messed her up and made her become oh-so-scared and how Jon could tell something had messed her up and mad her oh-so-scared.

And honestly? If this story's main characters weren't adults, I never would have guessed that this was an adult book... The writing was extremely simple and juvenile, and there was the annoying repetition at least every page or two throughout the entire book. Every other page we were either reminded about 1)how Maddie's past still effects her to this day or 2)how drawn Maddie/Jon was to the other.

However, it is the small bit of action and this books simplistic writing style that is it's saving grace. The small bit of action at the end made me bump up my rating from 1 star to 2 stars, and the simplistic writing is what was allowing me to finish the book.

I think the main reason I disliked this book so much was because the synopsis mislead me. Going into it I expected an intense, magic-filled thriller that would keep me on the edge of my seat. Yes, this book was filled with magic, but the thriller part just wasn't there for me and was instead taken over by the extremely aggravating love story between Maddie and Jon.

If you plan on reading this book, please be sure it's because you want one of those sappy love-stories. If you go in expecting what I did, I have no doubt that you will be just as disappointed as I was.