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Tala Morgenstern lives for the hunt, embracing her heritage as a demon hunter. When her younger sister, Hartley, disappears while on the trail of her long-lost father, Tala must seek the help of her other sister Aiva, who has turned her back on the underworld of magic and hunting. Suspecting demonic involvement, Tala and Aiva race to find Hartley before she can be claimed by hell.
Their search takes them deeper into the bowels of Dublin’s criminal underground, where the gangs are led by demons, and the currency is souls. With each Circle of hell bringing new dangers, and new revelations about their own place in the demon hunting world, Tala and Aiva have to rely on each other if they are to stand a chance of fighting their way to the Ninth Circle, and the demon lord who is waiting for them.
Their search takes them deeper into the bowels of Dublin’s criminal underground, where the gangs are led by demons, and the currency is souls. With each Circle of hell bringing new dangers, and new revelations about their own place in the demon hunting world, Tala and Aiva have to rely on each other if they are to stand a chance of fighting their way to the Ninth Circle, and the demon lord who is waiting for them.
444 pages, Paperback
First published October 22, 2017
5 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
C.A. Harland
7 books12 followersC. A. Harland started drawing from the moment she could hold a pencil. With a head full of characters, it seemed only natural to sketch them out. It wasn’t until several years later that she also started writing them down, and turning them into stories.
In 2012, she completed a Fiction Writing course. It is through the support of these fellow writers that her debut novel, Sol.Terra was completed.
In 2012, she completed a Fiction Writing course. It is through the support of these fellow writers that her debut novel, Sol.Terra was completed.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
March 10, 2020
I just couldn't get into this at all, even though other people did seem to enjoy it. It was probably not that bad but it felt like someone had pitched this as a TV show and no one bought it so they just wrote a book instead. Each chapter is called an episode. It also felt childish and cliched to me. It just felt like an amalgamation of every supernatural book/tv show I've seen but lacked any depth character wise or plot wise. I didn't feel attached or invested in any of the characters and didn't get into the storyline. I just felt the whole time I was reading this bored and wanting to finish it and get it over with. This one just wasn't for me.
January 30, 2018
OK, this book took a while for me to finish. I admit that half way through it, i stopped reading but I didn't want to put it in the DNF category so, i decided to read it after some time..that 'sometime' turned out to be atleast 2 months... so this time when I read it, I actually quite enjoyed it...I started from the beginning and I actually finished it! Hooray!
Now, I will say that this book 'felt' a little long... it's actually not but there were times where I felt like the pace of the storyline could have been faster. But C'est la vie... that's just my opinion.
Book 1 of The Ninth Circle actually felt somewhat like supernatural but the female version of it. I am at the minority here when I say that I wasn't much a fan of supernaturals (I watch here and there) but THIS book has me intrigued.
I love a book with strong, independent female characters and Fire, definitely did not disappoint.
The storyline is dark and kickass...The plot is rather witty and entertaining.
I can't wait to read book 2 (I know, Color me surprised hahaha)
For more ...
www.jemimajamir.com
May 1, 2017
A big thank you to to C.A.Farland and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
So this novel immediately grabbed my attention! Tala, the demon huntress, whose apartment is warded against fey, vampires, werewolves, and the aforementioned demons, but not humans. Then there is the crime world separated into nine levels, each "circle responsible for a different activity."
Three sisters (and Nighthunters): Tala, Aiva, and Hartley. But Hartley is an addicted gambler and is missing. So the ladies seek her, only to learn she's been abducted by one of those demonic criminal circles. These ladies are highly trained soldiers against the forces of evil and battle, of
course, ensues wherever their clues lead.
The creature count is just enormous. If it's a myth, it's probably in this book, some where you least expect them.
Great plot, Harland! Not sure I'm happy with the ending? The sisterhood trinity, I feel, was a tip of the iceberg that I'm hoping can be resurrected in future books somehow. And I'm so there for Book Two!
So this novel immediately grabbed my attention! Tala, the demon huntress, whose apartment is warded against fey, vampires, werewolves, and the aforementioned demons, but not humans. Then there is the crime world separated into nine levels, each "circle responsible for a different activity."
Three sisters (and Nighthunters): Tala, Aiva, and Hartley. But Hartley is an addicted gambler and is missing. So the ladies seek her, only to learn she's been abducted by one of those demonic criminal circles. These ladies are highly trained soldiers against the forces of evil and battle, of
course, ensues wherever their clues lead.
The creature count is just enormous. If it's a myth, it's probably in this book, some where you least expect them.
Great plot, Harland! Not sure I'm happy with the ending? The sisterhood trinity, I feel, was a tip of the iceberg that I'm hoping can be resurrected in future books somehow. And I'm so there for Book Two!
July 25, 2018
I could not finish it. This book reminded me of the "Charmed" and so I was having trouble creating new images. 1.5 star.
August 5, 2017
I would like to thank Netgallery/the publisher/C.A. Harland for the this digital ARC in exchange for a review.
Okay. I'm going to start this out by saying I really, really, REALLY wanted to give this book more than three stars. As it is, three stars is kind of pushing it.
This is a story about three sisters, the Morgensterns, who happen to be Nighthunters. Nighthunters is a fancy term for people who hunt down demons, fae, and other supernatural baddies. Basically, it's Supernatural but with women. The action kicks in right out the gate: Hartley, the youngest Morgenstern, is missing and Tala has to convince their erstwhile sister, Aiva, to come back to the world of demon hunting to help find her. The first scene involves plenty of action and I was completely here for this.
And then it just kind of hit a wall. It felt like a lot was being thrown at the reader all at once. There were just too many plotlines to follow and unnecessary characters (looking at you, Detective O'Brien) to keep tabs on. The action scenes were good, but the actual plot was lacking. I will say that I really enjoyed the final chapters, when everything was finally coming to a head. But then one of the major plot points kind of just fizzled out. Unless, of course, it will be brought back up in later books (one can hold out hope). Either way, this book left me feeling dissatisfied. It had such potential to be amazing and it was just... okay.
Still, I was intrigued enough by the Morgenstern sisters that I think I would return to this world, if given the chance. I suppose that's why I finally ended up giving it three stars. Good, not great, but worth another go around.
Okay. I'm going to start this out by saying I really, really, REALLY wanted to give this book more than three stars. As it is, three stars is kind of pushing it.
This is a story about three sisters, the Morgensterns, who happen to be Nighthunters. Nighthunters is a fancy term for people who hunt down demons, fae, and other supernatural baddies. Basically, it's Supernatural but with women. The action kicks in right out the gate: Hartley, the youngest Morgenstern, is missing and Tala has to convince their erstwhile sister, Aiva, to come back to the world of demon hunting to help find her. The first scene involves plenty of action and I was completely here for this.
And then it just kind of hit a wall. It felt like a lot was being thrown at the reader all at once. There were just too many plotlines to follow and unnecessary characters (looking at you, Detective O'Brien) to keep tabs on. The action scenes were good, but the actual plot was lacking. I will say that I really enjoyed the final chapters, when everything was finally coming to a head. But then one of the major plot points kind of just fizzled out. Unless, of course, it will be brought back up in later books (one can hold out hope). Either way, this book left me feeling dissatisfied. It had such potential to be amazing and it was just... okay.
Still, I was intrigued enough by the Morgenstern sisters that I think I would return to this world, if given the chance. I suppose that's why I finally ended up giving it three stars. Good, not great, but worth another go around.
Want to read
September 26, 2017The cover screams that Hunger Game meets Harry Potter....Anybody else thinks that?
October 23, 2017
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
#3 for the #MonthofMonstrosities tag!
The Ninth Circle, Book 1: Fire is a fast-moving, action-packed, intense novel. It is overflowing with the supernatural and paranormal, full of surprises, and plot twists that drive the reader into wanting the next book right this moment.
Set in Dublin, Ireland, three sisters, Aiva, Tala, and Hartley are Nighthunters. Better known as the Morgensterns sisters, these demons and other evil-natured creature hunters are involved in a network of Nighthunters. Even if they are widely known for their success in the industry, the three sisters haven't always seen eye to eye.
When Hartley goes missing into the circles--the local demon-run gang rings, Tala is desperate to get her back. Enlisting the help of her somewhat estranged sister Aiva, the two embark on a long and difficult journey into the dark recesses of rings. Along the way, the two encounter all sorts of beings: sirens, harpies, vampires, werewolves, and of course, demons. What they don't expect is what they learn along the way; the truth about their parents, themselves, and their sister.
The three sisters, all very different from one another, create an interesting atmosphere which crosses the introvert with the extroverted, as well as the bold with the meek. Each possessing their own nature and talents, their roles play into a much larger game than they could have imagined.
It's clear that a book that is about demons has to do with religion. Hell is a very real thing to the characters in the book. But so are the mythical Trinity-like beings. I definitely didn't like the fact that the Trinity was reduced to a mythological level. Being the ultimate enemy of Hell and its residents, a wolf, a crow, and a deer (more figuratively speaking here) hardly seem valiant enough opponents. Yes, this is fiction, and I did appreciate the creative license behind the idea. However, many of the details behind these beings were left in the dark, and I am expecting a full explanation later on in the series.
In tandem with my issues with the lack of information with the "Trinity" figure, much of the plot seemed to be lost in the action. Rather than there being fluid and steady arcs of plot and character building, decreases and plateaus in the plot's fruition were covered up by another crazy fight-scene. I will be looking forward to more detail and revelation, than action in the books to come.
Vulgarity: Too much for my liking.
Sexual content: Some, but without any detail.
Violence: Quite a bit.
3.5 stars.
A big thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!
#3 for the #MonthofMonstrosities tag!
"You don't really think about how hard it is to kill a demon, until you realise how easy it is to kill a man.
The Ninth Circle, Book 1: Fire is a fast-moving, action-packed, intense novel. It is overflowing with the supernatural and paranormal, full of surprises, and plot twists that drive the reader into wanting the next book right this moment.
Set in Dublin, Ireland, three sisters, Aiva, Tala, and Hartley are Nighthunters. Better known as the Morgensterns sisters, these demons and other evil-natured creature hunters are involved in a network of Nighthunters. Even if they are widely known for their success in the industry, the three sisters haven't always seen eye to eye.
When Hartley goes missing into the circles--the local demon-run gang rings, Tala is desperate to get her back. Enlisting the help of her somewhat estranged sister Aiva, the two embark on a long and difficult journey into the dark recesses of rings. Along the way, the two encounter all sorts of beings: sirens, harpies, vampires, werewolves, and of course, demons. What they don't expect is what they learn along the way; the truth about their parents, themselves, and their sister.
The three sisters, all very different from one another, create an interesting atmosphere which crosses the introvert with the extroverted, as well as the bold with the meek. Each possessing their own nature and talents, their roles play into a much larger game than they could have imagined.
Nemain, Badb, and Macha. Those were their names in the old world. They were said to be sisters and were represented by a wolf, a crow, and a deer.
It's clear that a book that is about demons has to do with religion. Hell is a very real thing to the characters in the book. But so are the mythical Trinity-like beings. I definitely didn't like the fact that the Trinity was reduced to a mythological level. Being the ultimate enemy of Hell and its residents, a wolf, a crow, and a deer (more figuratively speaking here) hardly seem valiant enough opponents. Yes, this is fiction, and I did appreciate the creative license behind the idea. However, many of the details behind these beings were left in the dark, and I am expecting a full explanation later on in the series.
In tandem with my issues with the lack of information with the "Trinity" figure, much of the plot seemed to be lost in the action. Rather than there being fluid and steady arcs of plot and character building, decreases and plateaus in the plot's fruition were covered up by another crazy fight-scene. I will be looking forward to more detail and revelation, than action in the books to come.
Vulgarity: Too much for my liking.
Sexual content: Some, but without any detail.
Violence: Quite a bit.
3.5 stars.
A big thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!
August 9, 2017
Thanks to Netgalley which provided this free copy in exchange for a honest review.
The Ninth Circle is the story about the Supernatural world where the demonic creature's live. It begins with the story about the sisters Tala and Aiva who have grown up learning to be demon hunters. They both collaborate to find their sister, Hartley who goes missing on the trail of her father. In the end they discover something about themselves which their mother had planned from the beginning.
It was not bad at all but just maybe I already had the other better book of supernatural that make me love this book less. The book is lack of romance and has so many actions scene from the beginning. Overall the writing is good and had a great plot so its 3.5 stars from me. Suit for urban fantasy and paranormal fans.
The Ninth Circle is the story about the Supernatural world where the demonic creature's live. It begins with the story about the sisters Tala and Aiva who have grown up learning to be demon hunters. They both collaborate to find their sister, Hartley who goes missing on the trail of her father. In the end they discover something about themselves which their mother had planned from the beginning.
It was not bad at all but just maybe I already had the other better book of supernatural that make me love this book less. The book is lack of romance and has so many actions scene from the beginning. Overall the writing is good and had a great plot so its 3.5 stars from me. Suit for urban fantasy and paranormal fans.
July 5, 2017
Wow, so The Ninth Circle book is action packed and definitely a spin off of interesting stories I've seen or read before. Not at all in the copycat way, some authors try, but a new and creative spin.
The Ninth Circle is exciting and a fun idea for a series, and the author tried hard to mix trend with ingenuity, and she was succesful.
I will say the writing was a bit lacking for me, but that's probably due to more personal preference than bad writing.
I like a story with a solid story line, well-built characters with enough back story and word building that you feel submerged into the new place you're entering through the writing. And I didn't feel much of that.
Though the book wasn't quite as vivid or descript as I like, that doesn't mean it wasn't interesting. The fight scenes and action alone was fun and at times a bit graphic. I'm assuming that's because with such a high fantasy and creative plot you have to be a bit more flamboyant with your scenes. It truly had some interesting and fun parts.
Most every review I read before reading this book was that it had a lot of similarities to supernatural, and I definitely found that to be true, with the exception of the hunting parts of the story. I love supernatural and the explanations as you go through the series, it's very specific and interesting as well as compelling and informative, and with Ninth Circle it was just for a good entertaining read. Basically what I'm trying to say, not enough depth for me. Which falls back to character development and world crafting.
I have a feeling if you like supernatural you will enjoy this series, but you will probably enjoy it more if you have never really watched the show because if you are like me you will compare the personalities and situations often.
So basically to sum it up, a fun and action filled book. Something not quite new, but an upgrade. The sisters are great, a strong female lead is always a plus, and this one had two. I don't recommend this for anyone under the age of 17 though.
Hope you enjoy it!!
The Ninth Circle is exciting and a fun idea for a series, and the author tried hard to mix trend with ingenuity, and she was succesful.
I will say the writing was a bit lacking for me, but that's probably due to more personal preference than bad writing.
I like a story with a solid story line, well-built characters with enough back story and word building that you feel submerged into the new place you're entering through the writing. And I didn't feel much of that.
Though the book wasn't quite as vivid or descript as I like, that doesn't mean it wasn't interesting. The fight scenes and action alone was fun and at times a bit graphic. I'm assuming that's because with such a high fantasy and creative plot you have to be a bit more flamboyant with your scenes. It truly had some interesting and fun parts.
Most every review I read before reading this book was that it had a lot of similarities to supernatural, and I definitely found that to be true, with the exception of the hunting parts of the story. I love supernatural and the explanations as you go through the series, it's very specific and interesting as well as compelling and informative, and with Ninth Circle it was just for a good entertaining read. Basically what I'm trying to say, not enough depth for me. Which falls back to character development and world crafting.
I have a feeling if you like supernatural you will enjoy this series, but you will probably enjoy it more if you have never really watched the show because if you are like me you will compare the personalities and situations often.
So basically to sum it up, a fun and action filled book. Something not quite new, but an upgrade. The sisters are great, a strong female lead is always a plus, and this one had two. I don't recommend this for anyone under the age of 17 though.
Hope you enjoy it!!
September 26, 2017
*** Note: I received review copy of this book via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. I am glad I got a chance to read this book. ***
The Ninth Circle was set in Ireland and was third person narrative alternates from Aiva, Tala, and few important events through different character’s perspectives. It was informative, descriptive, adventurous book about the 3 sisters, their life as Nighthunter, family drama and secrets woven in the world where demons of the hell roam among humans.
It was hard not to think about Shadowhunter Chronicles or similar kind of books while reading this. I could see little glimpse of Shadowhunter world and yet was very different than that.
Characters-
Aiva/Ivy- She was middle sister, not best in fight but was brainy one. Good at planning and researching. I liked her idealistic nature and her gift was cool. She was stubborn at some point had a weakness of accepting her mistake, for not listening her sisters.
Tala- She was amazing elder sister and hero for her sisters. Best in fighting with tremendous strength. Witty and high tempered. She was combo of Jace and Izabella of Mortal Instrument. She was blind in sister love which was her both weakness and also strength. One thing I didn’t like about her was, she will kill or betray others to save her sisters.
Hartley- Baby sister. She was not present in most of the book as she was missing and that’s why I couldn’t make out much about her. Complex and unexpected one.
All three sisters had a gifts which was discovered as the book progressed. Oh, did I tell they had different fathers? They were not blood sisters and still their love for each other was adorable. Characters developed a little, specifically Aiva, as book progressed. This was just a one part of the series and it was like reading detailed introduction of them and there might be more in the next books.
What I liked-
Books directly started with main characters –Tala and Aiva’s life after Hartley goes missing with action scenes. It felt like I was suddenly whisked to a world where I didn’t know what was going on. I must say it started very well, my brain was flooded with lot of questions and slowly everything was answered and then I was introduced to these sisters and interesting world.
The main theme of the book- The Circles and family drama. Brilliant world building. I just love reading about supernaturals, demons, creatures and all of them was there in this book. Let me tell you what circles were.-
The Circles were run by demons who came from hell on Earth and functioned their demonic activity through circles starting from thieves, clubs, brothel, and casinos to gangs and terrorists. There were levels from one (lower, not that dangerous but informative) to nine (higher and most dangerous). In each chapter introduced one or two circles, the type of demons who run them and how they worked. There were various kind of demons in the book- sirens, fair folk, succubus, Kasha, Selkie, name it you have it and little about them as well.
Some readers may feel that was much info dumping but for me it was amazing. And best thing was, those info about demons and circles did not contain lot of pages of the book. They were in bits or just few lines, narrated in between actions or research by sisters or during their conversations. In short the Circles were perfectly written, I never felt like I was missing something or left unexplained.
I liked the pictures on the beginning of each chapters. All action scenes and descriptions of places and demons were beautifully narrated. I could visualize scene clearly.
I liked reading about family, how their mother died and why Aiva separated from their sisters after their mother’s death, and also more about their mother, what she planned and why she told few things like always stick together and wear necklace she gave to them. Discovering who was Harley’s father and Tala’s, was surprising. Aiva might know about hers in next books of the series.
Author created great suspense in the book. Like characters I could not guess what might have happened to Hartley or where she was. The mystery was solved step by step and there were little clue on how to find her and those clue lead them through each Circles with lot of danger and action. I couldn’t guess anything certainly even after climax. Twist and turns in the book were amazing. Climax and end of the book totally unexpected and taken me by surprise and at the same time was so typical.
There were lot of things and info in this first book only. I wonder what will be in next books of the series!!
Why not full stars-
I felt like, their mother’s plan was little confusing and not properly explained. It was like wrapped in hurry to reach the end. The way story was in the end it could have 2 or 3 ending including what author decided. And I was not happy with ending author preferred. The ends I thought might be a surprise in the next books- of course there isn’t any hint of that- but as for this one, it was just okay.
Overall, fast paced, interesting world building and suspense with family drama. Those who liked Shadow hunter chronicles and similar kind of books, would like this book. This book is for supernatural fans.
The Ninth Circle was set in Ireland and was third person narrative alternates from Aiva, Tala, and few important events through different character’s perspectives. It was informative, descriptive, adventurous book about the 3 sisters, their life as Nighthunter, family drama and secrets woven in the world where demons of the hell roam among humans.
It was hard not to think about Shadowhunter Chronicles or similar kind of books while reading this. I could see little glimpse of Shadowhunter world and yet was very different than that.
Characters-
Aiva/Ivy- She was middle sister, not best in fight but was brainy one. Good at planning and researching. I liked her idealistic nature and her gift was cool. She was stubborn at some point had a weakness of accepting her mistake, for not listening her sisters.
Tala- She was amazing elder sister and hero for her sisters. Best in fighting with tremendous strength. Witty and high tempered. She was combo of Jace and Izabella of Mortal Instrument. She was blind in sister love which was her both weakness and also strength. One thing I didn’t like about her was, she will kill or betray others to save her sisters.
Hartley- Baby sister. She was not present in most of the book as she was missing and that’s why I couldn’t make out much about her. Complex and unexpected one.
All three sisters had a gifts which was discovered as the book progressed. Oh, did I tell they had different fathers? They were not blood sisters and still their love for each other was adorable. Characters developed a little, specifically Aiva, as book progressed. This was just a one part of the series and it was like reading detailed introduction of them and there might be more in the next books.
What I liked-
Books directly started with main characters –Tala and Aiva’s life after Hartley goes missing with action scenes. It felt like I was suddenly whisked to a world where I didn’t know what was going on. I must say it started very well, my brain was flooded with lot of questions and slowly everything was answered and then I was introduced to these sisters and interesting world.
The main theme of the book- The Circles and family drama. Brilliant world building. I just love reading about supernaturals, demons, creatures and all of them was there in this book. Let me tell you what circles were.-
The Circles were run by demons who came from hell on Earth and functioned their demonic activity through circles starting from thieves, clubs, brothel, and casinos to gangs and terrorists. There were levels from one (lower, not that dangerous but informative) to nine (higher and most dangerous). In each chapter introduced one or two circles, the type of demons who run them and how they worked. There were various kind of demons in the book- sirens, fair folk, succubus, Kasha, Selkie, name it you have it and little about them as well.
Some readers may feel that was much info dumping but for me it was amazing. And best thing was, those info about demons and circles did not contain lot of pages of the book. They were in bits or just few lines, narrated in between actions or research by sisters or during their conversations. In short the Circles were perfectly written, I never felt like I was missing something or left unexplained.
I liked the pictures on the beginning of each chapters. All action scenes and descriptions of places and demons were beautifully narrated. I could visualize scene clearly.
I liked reading about family, how their mother died and why Aiva separated from their sisters after their mother’s death, and also more about their mother, what she planned and why she told few things like always stick together and wear necklace she gave to them. Discovering who was Harley’s father and Tala’s, was surprising. Aiva might know about hers in next books of the series.
Author created great suspense in the book. Like characters I could not guess what might have happened to Hartley or where she was. The mystery was solved step by step and there were little clue on how to find her and those clue lead them through each Circles with lot of danger and action. I couldn’t guess anything certainly even after climax. Twist and turns in the book were amazing. Climax and end of the book totally unexpected and taken me by surprise and at the same time was so typical.
There were lot of things and info in this first book only. I wonder what will be in next books of the series!!
Why not full stars-
I felt like, their mother’s plan was little confusing and not properly explained. It was like wrapped in hurry to reach the end. The way story was in the end it could have 2 or 3 ending including what author decided. And I was not happy with ending author preferred. The ends I thought might be a surprise in the next books- of course there isn’t any hint of that- but as for this one, it was just okay.
Overall, fast paced, interesting world building and suspense with family drama. Those who liked Shadow hunter chronicles and similar kind of books, would like this book. This book is for supernatural fans.
November 5, 2017
I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
3,5 stars
Fire is a book that drew my attention on Netgalley for two reasons. The cover that is stunning. And the synopsis. That synopsis breaths female Supernatural to me. But I was curious to see how that would be done differently yet still create a great supernatural world. At the end I was left unsure of how to rate this book though.
Overall I enjoyed this book. It is a supernatural world with hunters, demons and other supernatural creatures. Of course I was going to love that. However the catch here is that the synopsis screams Supernatural the tv show, the whole story does that to me. And I don’t necessarily mean that as a compliment. The book starts with two sisters. One who is still a hunter and the other who has moved away from the hunting life. They have a third sister who has disappeared and they have to find her. Their mother is dead. But they have a friend of hers who they can go to for information on supernatural things. If you have watched the tv show you know how similar this is. And there were small things throughout the story that gave me the similar feeling. The thing is, I understand that the tv show has already done so much so it is hard to not create that feeling. But I think it is a bit much. And in that regard, I don’t think it has the ability or the depth to move away from its similarity to the tv show. I hope however that the second book will do that.
It doesn’t help that the book feels like it is running through a season. The chapters are called episodes and sometimes there is the potential for a whole hour long episode in a chapter. Of course that doesn’t quite work on the page and sometimes it feels like I am reading a summary of an episode almost. Basically I miss depth here. More depth into the characters and their relationships. It skims the surface here or there but never does more than that. It is a shame because I think this does have such potential to be a great book.
Certainly the circles of demons as shown here are really interesting. And I would love to learn more about the circles and how they work together on things. I was very happy that the main characters were females for this. Tala is very rough around the edges and I would love to dive a bit deeper into her as a character. Certainly more than was done now. Her sister prefers book (who doesn’t really) and is perhaps more of the planning and information type of character. I had a harder grasping her character. Some of the side characters were also interesting and a great add.
3,5 stars
Fire is a book that drew my attention on Netgalley for two reasons. The cover that is stunning. And the synopsis. That synopsis breaths female Supernatural to me. But I was curious to see how that would be done differently yet still create a great supernatural world. At the end I was left unsure of how to rate this book though.
Overall I enjoyed this book. It is a supernatural world with hunters, demons and other supernatural creatures. Of course I was going to love that. However the catch here is that the synopsis screams Supernatural the tv show, the whole story does that to me. And I don’t necessarily mean that as a compliment. The book starts with two sisters. One who is still a hunter and the other who has moved away from the hunting life. They have a third sister who has disappeared and they have to find her. Their mother is dead. But they have a friend of hers who they can go to for information on supernatural things. If you have watched the tv show you know how similar this is. And there were small things throughout the story that gave me the similar feeling. The thing is, I understand that the tv show has already done so much so it is hard to not create that feeling. But I think it is a bit much. And in that regard, I don’t think it has the ability or the depth to move away from its similarity to the tv show. I hope however that the second book will do that.
It doesn’t help that the book feels like it is running through a season. The chapters are called episodes and sometimes there is the potential for a whole hour long episode in a chapter. Of course that doesn’t quite work on the page and sometimes it feels like I am reading a summary of an episode almost. Basically I miss depth here. More depth into the characters and their relationships. It skims the surface here or there but never does more than that. It is a shame because I think this does have such potential to be a great book.
Certainly the circles of demons as shown here are really interesting. And I would love to learn more about the circles and how they work together on things. I was very happy that the main characters were females for this. Tala is very rough around the edges and I would love to dive a bit deeper into her as a character. Certainly more than was done now. Her sister prefers book (who doesn’t really) and is perhaps more of the planning and information type of character. I had a harder grasping her character. Some of the side characters were also interesting and a great add.
June 30, 2017
Thanks goes to Netgalley which provided this in exchange for a honest review.
"I expected more wailing," Connor said. "Or demons. Or something. It's very quiet for a place of eternal torment."
They rounded a corner and came to a halt in front of a large, red skinned bull. The bull looked at them, then raised onto its hind legs, standing over eight feet tall in the body of a man. A minotaur.
"You had to say it, didn't you." Aiva said.
"You can't say I jinxed it. When shit happens in hell, that's not bad luck, it's just hell."
"Let's just kill this thing."
Tala and Aiva are both assaulted during the same night in their respective apartments. In both case only one thing is taken before the culprit runs away: a pendant each girl never takes off her neck. In both case one thing is sure: the culprit is human since he walked trough all the warding of the two apartments. Fun fact: the women are both nighthunters, they hunt supernatural entities to protect the blissfully unaware normal people. Other fun fact: the two are sisters, but haven't been in touch for a while since Aiva walked away from the family business to try to lead a normal life. But when their younger sister goes missing for too long, Tala (the eldest) seeks for Aiva's reluctant help in order to bring baby sis' back home. Little do they know how deep they are going to need to dig through the different circles of hell to find their sister nor how much they are about to discover about themselves.
I really loved this.
I do have to say, though, that I was a bit weary during the first chapter due to the extreme closeness the plot had with the TV show Supernatural. Thankfully, even if the universe stayed quite similar, the plot took its own path. And it was great.
I loved the characters. I really felt Tala, she can be stubborn as hell (pun intended), but she really takes her big sister role at heart. And she's seriously badass. Aiva was quite lovable too, and all the secondary characters were really well-written wether they were evil, nice or somewhere in between. Special mention to Connor, honestly that guy has to be a saint or something.
Plus the Irish setting made me really happy and I enjoyed reading about the girls' adventure through Dublin.
It was fast-paced, but never too much. The fighting scenes were freaking cool. And all hail to the woman-empowerment: those sisters can kick some serious ass, demonic or not. And I especially liked that, for once, none of those badass chicks ended up swooning over some dude. Nope they ruled the game. And boys never came before family.
And this is my last point: Family. I really enjoy stories that give an important place to family bonds and/or friendship, and here it was really put forward. Especially the whole idea of Aiva and Tala reconnecting after all this time.
Anyway, great book and I can't wait for the next installment... But since this one is not even out yet... This is going to be long.
"I expected more wailing," Connor said. "Or demons. Or something. It's very quiet for a place of eternal torment."
They rounded a corner and came to a halt in front of a large, red skinned bull. The bull looked at them, then raised onto its hind legs, standing over eight feet tall in the body of a man. A minotaur.
"You had to say it, didn't you." Aiva said.
"You can't say I jinxed it. When shit happens in hell, that's not bad luck, it's just hell."
"Let's just kill this thing."
Tala and Aiva are both assaulted during the same night in their respective apartments. In both case only one thing is taken before the culprit runs away: a pendant each girl never takes off her neck. In both case one thing is sure: the culprit is human since he walked trough all the warding of the two apartments. Fun fact: the women are both nighthunters, they hunt supernatural entities to protect the blissfully unaware normal people. Other fun fact: the two are sisters, but haven't been in touch for a while since Aiva walked away from the family business to try to lead a normal life. But when their younger sister goes missing for too long, Tala (the eldest) seeks for Aiva's reluctant help in order to bring baby sis' back home. Little do they know how deep they are going to need to dig through the different circles of hell to find their sister nor how much they are about to discover about themselves.
I really loved this.
I do have to say, though, that I was a bit weary during the first chapter due to the extreme closeness the plot had with the TV show Supernatural. Thankfully, even if the universe stayed quite similar, the plot took its own path. And it was great.
I loved the characters. I really felt Tala, she can be stubborn as hell (pun intended), but she really takes her big sister role at heart. And she's seriously badass. Aiva was quite lovable too, and all the secondary characters were really well-written wether they were evil, nice or somewhere in between. Special mention to Connor, honestly that guy has to be a saint or something.
Plus the Irish setting made me really happy and I enjoyed reading about the girls' adventure through Dublin.
It was fast-paced, but never too much. The fighting scenes were freaking cool. And all hail to the woman-empowerment: those sisters can kick some serious ass, demonic or not. And I especially liked that, for once, none of those badass chicks ended up swooning over some dude. Nope they ruled the game. And boys never came before family.
And this is my last point: Family. I really enjoy stories that give an important place to family bonds and/or friendship, and here it was really put forward. Especially the whole idea of Aiva and Tala reconnecting after all this time.
Anyway, great book and I can't wait for the next installment... But since this one is not even out yet... This is going to be long.
November 11, 2017
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
If you want to just cut right to the chase this is basically just Supernatural but with women. However, as someone who likes Supernatural but hates that they kill off all their female characters, this is right up my alley and I know a lot of other people who feel similarly.
I really liked the world building with this. The demons in this universe are in a kind of mafia with nine different circles corresponding to Dante's nine circles of hell and they each run different businesses [strip clubs, casinos, bookkeeping, etc] that correspond with the sin for each one of their circles. I thought this was really cool and liked watching them interact with the different levels of demons throughout the book. There's also some stuff from other mythologies thrown in but it's a bit of a spoiler so I don't want to go too much into it, but all of it was very interesting and well done.
If i had to give one criticism I would say it was a little bit long. There's a lot happening so it doesn't necessarily feel like it's dragging on but I was very aware when I was reading it that it was a 400+ page book whereas sometimes you are reading a long book but it feels like it flies by. Still it was a fun read and I liked the relationship between the sisters and I definitely am planning to pick up the next book when it comes out.
If you want to just cut right to the chase this is basically just Supernatural but with women. However, as someone who likes Supernatural but hates that they kill off all their female characters, this is right up my alley and I know a lot of other people who feel similarly.
I really liked the world building with this. The demons in this universe are in a kind of mafia with nine different circles corresponding to Dante's nine circles of hell and they each run different businesses [strip clubs, casinos, bookkeeping, etc] that correspond with the sin for each one of their circles. I thought this was really cool and liked watching them interact with the different levels of demons throughout the book. There's also some stuff from other mythologies thrown in but it's a bit of a spoiler so I don't want to go too much into it, but all of it was very interesting and well done.
If i had to give one criticism I would say it was a little bit long. There's a lot happening so it doesn't necessarily feel like it's dragging on but I was very aware when I was reading it that it was a 400+ page book whereas sometimes you are reading a long book but it feels like it flies by. Still it was a fun read and I liked the relationship between the sisters and I definitely am planning to pick up the next book when it comes out.
July 25, 2021
This book is a mixture of fantasy and modern world crime. The premise of the story is that there are 9 circles of hell.
Tala and Aiva are on race to find their sister. This leads them into Dublin crime rings led by demons in a race to find their sister.
An intriguing story that fans of supernatural will enjoy.
Tala and Aiva are on race to find their sister. This leads them into Dublin crime rings led by demons in a race to find their sister.
An intriguing story that fans of supernatural will enjoy.
October 3, 2017
I received a copy of The Ninth Circle, Book 1: Fire via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
October 16, 2017
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
I got off to a slow start with this book but 1/3 of the way through it really took off. I normally don’t LOVE the first book of most YA series. To me they feel like one giant exercise in character introductions and it takes me a while to really care about them. I thought this book was headed down the same path but thankfully I was wrong. It’s hard not to fall in love with the Morgenstern sisters.
I couldn’t help comparing this series to the Shadowhunters at first but although there are similarities I found this book to be a brilliant and creative twist on the “demon world”.
This was my first book of C.A. Harland’s and I look forward to digging up some more awesome reads while I anxiously await book 2 in 2018.
I got off to a slow start with this book but 1/3 of the way through it really took off. I normally don’t LOVE the first book of most YA series. To me they feel like one giant exercise in character introductions and it takes me a while to really care about them. I thought this book was headed down the same path but thankfully I was wrong. It’s hard not to fall in love with the Morgenstern sisters.
I couldn’t help comparing this series to the Shadowhunters at first but although there are similarities I found this book to be a brilliant and creative twist on the “demon world”.
This was my first book of C.A. Harland’s and I look forward to digging up some more awesome reads while I anxiously await book 2 in 2018.
January 7, 2018
I received the book from Netgalley.
This book had EVERYTHING! From action to amazing story telling and crazy plot twists. I found that there were so many things similar to the show Supernatural in it. And as I love the show I loved the whole Hunter/ Demon situation. This book deserves so much more recognition!
This book had EVERYTHING! From action to amazing story telling and crazy plot twists. I found that there were so many things similar to the show Supernatural in it. And as I love the show I loved the whole Hunter/ Demon situation. This book deserves so much more recognition!
April 29, 2018
[I received a copy of this book through NetGalley.]
I had trouble at first to get into this book (I don’t know why, the first paragraphs felt strange?), however the feeling vanished after a while, once I got used to the narrative style.
The narrative is indeed somewhat specific, in that the chapters seem to me like they mirror episodes from a TV series, with the search for Hartley being the ‘season arc’, and the chapters often revolving around ‘side quests’. This turned out to be both interesting and a weakness. Interesting, because it’s a format I don’t see that often in books; a weakness, because it forced the chapters into a pattern that works on screen, but not so well on books (especially since here, most of the time it was about the sisters finding clues and rushing into a trap). So we had both an overabundance of side plots, but at the same time these plots were discarded after their ‘episode’, and in turn the main narrative was the only real one in the book.
Now, I kind of liked the world building in this story. It’s not the most original ever (there are demons and fae, and humans who train to fight and destroy them and have their own community… we’ve seen that in several series), but the way the nine ‘circles of Hell’ were also involved in the mundane world as nine circles of criminality (prostitution, gambling, money laundering, etc.), and let’s not forget Hell’s Archive and its government, was a good idea. This organisation, this world both parallel to and intertwined with the human world, organised in something understandable, lent more weight, too, to the argument the characters have at some point with the enemy, that is, ‘you kill us demons, but contrary to humans, -we- aren’t given free will, so who’s the most at fault here?’ (So yeah, demons kill and abduct humans and all that, and have to be stopped. Still, that guy had a point.)
I also enjoyed the relationship between the sisters. Tala first appeared as annoying, but redeems this aspect thanks to her strong loyalty to her family. Same with Aiva, who at first looked like she had taken the easy way out for no reason, but turned out to have one (or at least, a trauma explaining her decision), and then focused back on her family when it became really important.
Last but not least, while there were a couple of potential love interests throughout the book, the story remained focused on family relationships (including Owen), and I was glad it didn’t devolve into the typical ‘urban fantasy that is in fact an excuse for some shoddy paranormal romance’ (UF and PNR are two different genres for me, you can tell which one I favour…).
I do regret not seeing more about their relationship with Hartley. All we know about the younger sister is that she’s a paranormal investigator and has a gambling problem, but since she was never seen interacting with her sisters before she vanished, it was difficult for me to really care about her, about what motivated her search, and more importantly, to understand her decisions and her exact plan. It also raises the question of what exactly will happen after that: so there was that huge plan in motion for years, and… Now what? What will the sisters do with their inheritance after that?
Another problem were the action/fight scenes (and there were quite a few), which I found a little too ‘descriptive’, and as such didn’t have enough impact. I didn’t have trouble to imagine them, but I didn’t feel the tension, the adrenaline, so to speak. The writing in general was okay-ish, and didn’t thrill me.
Conclusion: 2.5 stars. It’s not the most original story or world ever, and the writing has just as many good as bad points. I may still be interested in checking out the next book, though, if only to see what the consequences to this series of events will be.
I had trouble at first to get into this book (I don’t know why, the first paragraphs felt strange?), however the feeling vanished after a while, once I got used to the narrative style.
The narrative is indeed somewhat specific, in that the chapters seem to me like they mirror episodes from a TV series, with the search for Hartley being the ‘season arc’, and the chapters often revolving around ‘side quests’. This turned out to be both interesting and a weakness. Interesting, because it’s a format I don’t see that often in books; a weakness, because it forced the chapters into a pattern that works on screen, but not so well on books (especially since here, most of the time it was about the sisters finding clues and rushing into a trap). So we had both an overabundance of side plots, but at the same time these plots were discarded after their ‘episode’, and in turn the main narrative was the only real one in the book.
Now, I kind of liked the world building in this story. It’s not the most original ever (there are demons and fae, and humans who train to fight and destroy them and have their own community… we’ve seen that in several series), but the way the nine ‘circles of Hell’ were also involved in the mundane world as nine circles of criminality (prostitution, gambling, money laundering, etc.), and let’s not forget Hell’s Archive and its government, was a good idea. This organisation, this world both parallel to and intertwined with the human world, organised in something understandable, lent more weight, too, to the argument the characters have at some point with the enemy, that is, ‘you kill us demons, but contrary to humans, -we- aren’t given free will, so who’s the most at fault here?’ (So yeah, demons kill and abduct humans and all that, and have to be stopped. Still, that guy had a point.)
I also enjoyed the relationship between the sisters. Tala first appeared as annoying, but redeems this aspect thanks to her strong loyalty to her family. Same with Aiva, who at first looked like she had taken the easy way out for no reason, but turned out to have one (or at least, a trauma explaining her decision), and then focused back on her family when it became really important.
Last but not least, while there were a couple of potential love interests throughout the book, the story remained focused on family relationships (including Owen), and I was glad it didn’t devolve into the typical ‘urban fantasy that is in fact an excuse for some shoddy paranormal romance’ (UF and PNR are two different genres for me, you can tell which one I favour…).
I do regret not seeing more about their relationship with Hartley. All we know about the younger sister is that she’s a paranormal investigator and has a gambling problem, but since she was never seen interacting with her sisters before she vanished, it was difficult for me to really care about her, about what motivated her search, and more importantly, to understand her decisions and her exact plan. It also raises the question of what exactly will happen after that: so there was that huge plan in motion for years, and… Now what? What will the sisters do with their inheritance after that?
Another problem were the action/fight scenes (and there were quite a few), which I found a little too ‘descriptive’, and as such didn’t have enough impact. I didn’t have trouble to imagine them, but I didn’t feel the tension, the adrenaline, so to speak. The writing in general was okay-ish, and didn’t thrill me.
Conclusion: 2.5 stars. It’s not the most original story or world ever, and the writing has just as many good as bad points. I may still be interested in checking out the next book, though, if only to see what the consequences to this series of events will be.
December 17, 2017
This book reminded me a lot of the supernatural TV series. It’s about a family of 3 people who used to hunt demons together. One person decided to quit and now another person of the family is missing and they have to go and find him/her in a world filled with monsters. I’m not saying that this is exactly the same or that there is some sort of plagiarism. I’m just pretty sure that if you like that TV show, you will probably like this too. It is exciting and scary and has many action scenes.
Let me start the actual review of by saying that I really liked the overall story. It was a unique story and I think the writer is really skilled in describing scenes and actions. The characters were also really detailed, something I consider one of the most important things in making or breaking a book. There were many surprises and plot twists, which made it a real page turner at some points!
But I did have one issue with this book. I think it lacked some kind of side story. It was just the main story line and that was it. Everything that happened was something that was needed for the audience understand the story. There was never a moment where there was a side track in any way. When there was a scene that wasn’t necessary to the plot it only lasted half a page and afterwards it was never mentioned again. Because of this lack of diversity in the story I got the feeling that it was just action scene after action scene. It's difficult to explain what exactly was the problem, it just lacked something I take for granted in all other books. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the book. But it was just a little too much action for me.
I’m looking forward to reading the other books in this series!
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Let me start the actual review of by saying that I really liked the overall story. It was a unique story and I think the writer is really skilled in describing scenes and actions. The characters were also really detailed, something I consider one of the most important things in making or breaking a book. There were many surprises and plot twists, which made it a real page turner at some points!
But I did have one issue with this book. I think it lacked some kind of side story. It was just the main story line and that was it. Everything that happened was something that was needed for the audience understand the story. There was never a moment where there was a side track in any way. When there was a scene that wasn’t necessary to the plot it only lasted half a page and afterwards it was never mentioned again. Because of this lack of diversity in the story I got the feeling that it was just action scene after action scene. It's difficult to explain what exactly was the problem, it just lacked something I take for granted in all other books. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the book. But it was just a little too much action for me.
I’m looking forward to reading the other books in this series!
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April 26, 2017
https://koeur.wordpress.com/2017/04/2...
Publisher: C. A. Harland
Publishing Date: October 2017
ISBN: 9781545126370
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.0/5
Publishers Description: Tala Morgenstern lives for the hunt, embracing her heritage as a demon hunter. When her younger sister, Hartley, disappears while on the trail of her long-lost father, Tala must seek the help of her other sister Aiva, who has turned her back on the underworld of magic and hunting. Suspecting demonic involvement, Tala and Aiva race to find Hartley before she can be claimed by hell.
Review: I put this down after a few chapters with a considered review in mind, well a non-review that featured a DNF. Three hot, witch-like sisters that are part of the Nighthunters killing demons upon the Earth and getting hit on by anyone with a pulse. So after yawning my way through a few chapters and finishing some other projects, I had nothing to read so decided to finish a patterned novel with a kewl cover.
The characters never lived up to my initial bias. Which is a good thing. Tala is hot and uses her boobs (her words) to gain an advantage and has a one-nighter with a stranger because she can. Aiva is a prude but doesn’t go all “adjective” around men with their ripply abs and chocolate brown eyes. She just doesn’t have time for it. When not collectively killing demons and looking for their lost sister they are planning and researching their next move. The movement is constant and blends well with the story line and character development. The plot takes interesting and unexpected turns and the writing is superb. A solid 4 star read.
Publisher: C. A. Harland
Publishing Date: October 2017
ISBN: 9781545126370
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.0/5
Publishers Description: Tala Morgenstern lives for the hunt, embracing her heritage as a demon hunter. When her younger sister, Hartley, disappears while on the trail of her long-lost father, Tala must seek the help of her other sister Aiva, who has turned her back on the underworld of magic and hunting. Suspecting demonic involvement, Tala and Aiva race to find Hartley before she can be claimed by hell.
Review: I put this down after a few chapters with a considered review in mind, well a non-review that featured a DNF. Three hot, witch-like sisters that are part of the Nighthunters killing demons upon the Earth and getting hit on by anyone with a pulse. So after yawning my way through a few chapters and finishing some other projects, I had nothing to read so decided to finish a patterned novel with a kewl cover.
The characters never lived up to my initial bias. Which is a good thing. Tala is hot and uses her boobs (her words) to gain an advantage and has a one-nighter with a stranger because she can. Aiva is a prude but doesn’t go all “adjective” around men with their ripply abs and chocolate brown eyes. She just doesn’t have time for it. When not collectively killing demons and looking for their lost sister they are planning and researching their next move. The movement is constant and blends well with the story line and character development. The plot takes interesting and unexpected turns and the writing is superb. A solid 4 star read.
July 22, 2017
Meh. RTC
October 21, 2017
All in all a good read, if you like that sort of thing. I saw many reviewers calling it the female version of Supernatural, and I couldn't agree more. There is the more reckless sister that embraced the life of the demon hunter, and the younger one that wanted out, to pursue a more 'regular' life but personal matters draw her back into the old ways. Each chapter is like a new episode bringing a new monster/demon.
For me lacking a bit of a romance, or something personal apart from the sisterly bond.
August 10, 2017
A great mash-up of our beloved series: Charmed, Supernatura, with a kick of badass Buffy the Vampire Slayer!
The book is written in Episodes instead of chapters (you can understand my reference to the TV series now) and felt just like watching one of those action-packed TV shows. And while it didn’t lack action, I was not particularly fond of the characters or story in general.
Throughout the whole book I couldn’t stop noticing references to the Shadowhunter world by Cassandra Clare.
Now! As a TV show this would be very entertaining. However, as a book the story lacked descriptions and character development.
The book is written in Episodes instead of chapters (you can understand my reference to the TV series now) and felt just like watching one of those action-packed TV shows. And while it didn’t lack action, I was not particularly fond of the characters or story in general.
Throughout the whole book I couldn’t stop noticing references to the Shadowhunter world by Cassandra Clare.
Now! As a TV show this would be very entertaining. However, as a book the story lacked descriptions and character development.
June 17, 2017
I received a digital copy of this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and voluntary review
Rating: 4,5 stars!
"The female version of the Winchester brothers"
That's the first thing I saw written about The Ninth Circle, and I immediately knew that I had to read this book even if it was the last thing I'd do. I absolutely LOVE those two, and would actually die for Sam and Dean Winchester so of course I went in with high expectations because of that one sentence and boy, did it live up to those expectations. People, if you feel even a tiny bit the same as I do about the Winchesters, then put aside whatever book you were about to read and make way for the Morgenstern sisters.
The similarities between this book and the Supernatural tv show are undeniable: Tala (Dean) comes bursting into Aiva's (Sam's) completely normal life after their baby sister Hart (John) is missing, and so the two older sisters set out to find her. Despite these similarities, The Ninth Circle has its own suprises as well though, which made me enjoy the story even more. Moreover, it's fast-paced, action filled and there was no ridiculous love interest! Finally a good fantasy story where girls can actually be and stay single throughout the book. For the main characters here, there was no time for silly romance while trying to rescue their baby sister and I loved it!
Plotwise, I think this book totally rocks - the way the demon and the human world flow together? Amazing. The Nighthunters? Super badass, though I would have liked some more details about connections and all that jazz (maybe I've just watched too much Supernatural though). Although, character wise, I think this series could get some improvements - which hopefully will happen in the future. The main characters were really well written and they each were likable in their own way, but I felt like the secondary characters - even Hart, their youngest sister - were lacking.
But in short, The Ninth Cirlce was pretty damn awesome. Definitely a recommender, especially if you like Supernatural or just some old demon hunting family business!
Rating: 4,5 stars!
"The female version of the Winchester brothers"
That's the first thing I saw written about The Ninth Circle, and I immediately knew that I had to read this book even if it was the last thing I'd do. I absolutely LOVE those two, and would actually die for Sam and Dean Winchester so of course I went in with high expectations because of that one sentence and boy, did it live up to those expectations. People, if you feel even a tiny bit the same as I do about the Winchesters, then put aside whatever book you were about to read and make way for the Morgenstern sisters.
The similarities between this book and the Supernatural tv show are undeniable: Tala (Dean) comes bursting into Aiva's (Sam's) completely normal life after their baby sister Hart (John) is missing, and so the two older sisters set out to find her. Despite these similarities, The Ninth Circle has its own suprises as well though, which made me enjoy the story even more. Moreover, it's fast-paced, action filled and there was no ridiculous love interest! Finally a good fantasy story where girls can actually be and stay single throughout the book. For the main characters here, there was no time for silly romance while trying to rescue their baby sister and I loved it!
Plotwise, I think this book totally rocks - the way the demon and the human world flow together? Amazing. The Nighthunters? Super badass, though I would have liked some more details about connections and all that jazz (maybe I've just watched too much Supernatural though). Although, character wise, I think this series could get some improvements - which hopefully will happen in the future. The main characters were really well written and they each were likable in their own way, but I felt like the secondary characters - even Hart, their youngest sister - were lacking.
But in short, The Ninth Cirlce was pretty damn awesome. Definitely a recommender, especially if you like Supernatural or just some old demon hunting family business!
August 6, 2017
Read the full review at my site https://wp.me/p89tYT-it
Disclaimer: I received this ARC for a honest review
Introduction
“Fire ” is the starting book in ‘The Ninth Circle’ series. It is written by C.A. Harland.
Tala, Aiva and Hart are three sisters who are Nighthunters. These ‘nighthunters’, as their name suggests, hunt things that go bump in the night – fae, demons etc. The book starts with Hart missing which forces Aiva (a reluctant Nighthunter) to team up with Tala (who has embraced their legacy). Most of the story is written as a buddy cop book with the two of them finally learning to work with one another.
Read the full review at my site https://wp.me/p89tYT-it
Disclaimer: I received this ARC for a honest review
Introduction
“Fire ” is the starting book in ‘The Ninth Circle’ series. It is written by C.A. Harland.
Tala, Aiva and Hart are three sisters who are Nighthunters. These ‘nighthunters’, as their name suggests, hunt things that go bump in the night – fae, demons etc. The book starts with Hart missing which forces Aiva (a reluctant Nighthunter) to team up with Tala (who has embraced their legacy). Most of the story is written as a buddy cop book with the two of them finally learning to work with one another.
Read the full review at my site https://wp.me/p89tYT-it
October 24, 2017
This review can also be found on my blog, Where the Words Take Me. Thank you to NetGalley for providing the ARC.
Well. This whole thing was eerily familiar.
You may see people compare this book to Supernatural but with women, and honestly, they’re not wrong. Filling the role of Dean Winchester is Tala Morgenstern, a demon hunter who is all about the business, about family, who’s got a foul mouth, a chip on her shoulder, and a sacrificial streak. Sam Winchester is played by Aiva Morgenstern, the sister who tried to get out of the business and lead a normal life, who gets dragged back in after the third sister, Hartley (Castiel? An OC?), goes missing. Like Sam, Aiva’s secretive, unsure of herself, often gets in over her head, and tries to steer Tala’s morality toward something more to Aiva’s liking. The sisters even have an old family friend, a once-hunter, to help guide them whenever they need help, like Bobby does for the Winchesters.
Normally, I might have given this book a pass, but I found a free copy of it on NetGalley, and I do like stories of demons as antagonists. But those stories are a dime a dozen and tend to blend together in terms of unoriginality. However, The Ninth Circle, Book 1: Fire seemed to offer an interesting twist: demons engaged in organized crime, and if that ain’t my speed, I don’t know what is.
C. A. Harland presents an earthbound version of Dante’s Inferno where demons, fae, sirens, and other paranormal creatures are organized into Nine Circles, each representing the nine circles of hell and crimes associated with them. For example, the Fourth Circle deals with demonic creatures running casinos and other gambling dens, promoting the sin of greed. I was looking forward to the sisters exploring these circles, going deeper and deeper until they actually reached hell and rescued Hartley. The reality was… much less exciting and original.
The book is split up into twelve parts, and they are extremely episodic—another reason for the Supernatural comparison. Tala and Aiva get a lead, they go and investigate said lead, they get into a world of trouble, demon-fighting ensues, the girls win, they find some small clue about Hartley’s disappearance or their own developing powers, cue next episode.
After a few parts, I saw the repetition and started to skim, only reading the dialogue—and I never skim. I’m an incredibly visual reader. I like reading every word and retaining it, so the book plays out like a film in my head. With this book, I didn’t have to do that because everything significant going on plot-wise was in the dialogue.
Overall, this book wasn’t terrible. I’d just experienced the characters and story-style through another medium before, and the ending itself was extremely anti-climactic. All through the book, the sisters were building up to a confrontation with a Ninth Circle demon lord named Furfur. (I know, right? Ridiculous name. He could’ve been a cool antagonist, but I could not take him seriously with a name like that, and his full name, Furcifur, wasn’t much better.)
Furfur killed their expert demon-hunting mother and ended up also being the demon holding Hartley in his grasp. Once Tala and Aiva finally got there, the conflict was solved far too easily, and the twist with Hartley was disappointing and unbelievable. I wasn’t at all bothered about what happened to her.
Neither, it seemed, were the sisters. In fact, they were emotionally distant about their actions and potential consequences throughout the story. The worst example of this was with Tala when she accidentally killed a human, her first ever, because she mistook him for a demon. What was supposed to morally shake her was played off a few pages later as an “Oh well!” moment and was never brought up again. The little sympathy I had for her died and never came back after that, hurting my investment in all three sisters’ journeys because, after all, if nothing has consequences, then nothing really matters, right?
Unremarkable though it turned out to be, I’m glad I gave this one a shot. I do think it has the potential to be a better story, one without so many Supernatural comparisons, and maybe that’s what the author has planned for future books. Since I didn’t click with Aiva and Tala like I once did with Sam and Dean, though, I’ll be giving those a pass.
Well. This whole thing was eerily familiar.
You may see people compare this book to Supernatural but with women, and honestly, they’re not wrong. Filling the role of Dean Winchester is Tala Morgenstern, a demon hunter who is all about the business, about family, who’s got a foul mouth, a chip on her shoulder, and a sacrificial streak. Sam Winchester is played by Aiva Morgenstern, the sister who tried to get out of the business and lead a normal life, who gets dragged back in after the third sister, Hartley (Castiel? An OC?), goes missing. Like Sam, Aiva’s secretive, unsure of herself, often gets in over her head, and tries to steer Tala’s morality toward something more to Aiva’s liking. The sisters even have an old family friend, a once-hunter, to help guide them whenever they need help, like Bobby does for the Winchesters.
Normally, I might have given this book a pass, but I found a free copy of it on NetGalley, and I do like stories of demons as antagonists. But those stories are a dime a dozen and tend to blend together in terms of unoriginality. However, The Ninth Circle, Book 1: Fire seemed to offer an interesting twist: demons engaged in organized crime, and if that ain’t my speed, I don’t know what is.
C. A. Harland presents an earthbound version of Dante’s Inferno where demons, fae, sirens, and other paranormal creatures are organized into Nine Circles, each representing the nine circles of hell and crimes associated with them. For example, the Fourth Circle deals with demonic creatures running casinos and other gambling dens, promoting the sin of greed. I was looking forward to the sisters exploring these circles, going deeper and deeper until they actually reached hell and rescued Hartley. The reality was… much less exciting and original.
The book is split up into twelve parts, and they are extremely episodic—another reason for the Supernatural comparison. Tala and Aiva get a lead, they go and investigate said lead, they get into a world of trouble, demon-fighting ensues, the girls win, they find some small clue about Hartley’s disappearance or their own developing powers, cue next episode.
After a few parts, I saw the repetition and started to skim, only reading the dialogue—and I never skim. I’m an incredibly visual reader. I like reading every word and retaining it, so the book plays out like a film in my head. With this book, I didn’t have to do that because everything significant going on plot-wise was in the dialogue.
Overall, this book wasn’t terrible. I’d just experienced the characters and story-style through another medium before, and the ending itself was extremely anti-climactic. All through the book, the sisters were building up to a confrontation with a Ninth Circle demon lord named Furfur. (I know, right? Ridiculous name. He could’ve been a cool antagonist, but I could not take him seriously with a name like that, and his full name, Furcifur, wasn’t much better.)
Furfur killed their expert demon-hunting mother and ended up also being the demon holding Hartley in his grasp. Once Tala and Aiva finally got there, the conflict was solved far too easily, and the twist with Hartley was disappointing and unbelievable. I wasn’t at all bothered about what happened to her.
Neither, it seemed, were the sisters. In fact, they were emotionally distant about their actions and potential consequences throughout the story. The worst example of this was with Tala when she accidentally killed a human, her first ever, because she mistook him for a demon. What was supposed to morally shake her was played off a few pages later as an “Oh well!” moment and was never brought up again. The little sympathy I had for her died and never came back after that, hurting my investment in all three sisters’ journeys because, after all, if nothing has consequences, then nothing really matters, right?
Unremarkable though it turned out to be, I’m glad I gave this one a shot. I do think it has the potential to be a better story, one without so many Supernatural comparisons, and maybe that’s what the author has planned for future books. Since I didn’t click with Aiva and Tala like I once did with Sam and Dean, though, I’ll be giving those a pass.
October 6, 2017
Reviews at: Bright Copy Book Review
*This review is based on an advanced reading copy. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read the book in exchange for an honest review*
There were one or two things I liked about this book, but I just didn't feel anything while reading it and there were a few discrepancies within the book that I couldn't look past.
First things first, the main reason this book made me mad within five seconds of starting it. As an author, you always want to make sure that your book is original, and one way of ensuring this is by researching. Now, when I think of YA books with demon hunters, my first thought is The Mortal Instrument series by Cassandra Clare. I by no means think that this is the greatest series ever, but there's a huge fan base in the YA community that does. There weren't too many similarities within the plot that were like the shadowhunter world, but the main characters are three sisters with the last name Morgenstern.... same as the last name of the main characters in the main competitor's series. This just doesn't make sense to me.
The world in this book is pretty cool, there's nine different circles of demon hierarchy and they're separated on their 'specialties' (money laundering vs. gambling, etc.). The ninth is the demon government and the highest rank circle. The Morgenstern sisters hunt demons after their mother taught them everything they know. There's Hartley, Aiva, and Tala. After Hartley goes missing, Tala asks Aiva for help finding her.
The chapters are separated by episodes, which is pretty accurate. This read more like a screenplay to me than a book. Too much is going on in each chapter that it really did read like episodes. I can't tell you how many times the sisters fall for traps and miraculously escape with more knowledge than they had (pretty convenient). They also start manifesting some random powers.
The explanation for the powers was the best part of the book and I felt like it was so downplayed because of their rescue mission. There's also a few confusing parts.
It just didn't do it for me.
*This review is based on an advanced reading copy. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read the book in exchange for an honest review*
There were one or two things I liked about this book, but I just didn't feel anything while reading it and there were a few discrepancies within the book that I couldn't look past.
First things first, the main reason this book made me mad within five seconds of starting it. As an author, you always want to make sure that your book is original, and one way of ensuring this is by researching. Now, when I think of YA books with demon hunters, my first thought is The Mortal Instrument series by Cassandra Clare. I by no means think that this is the greatest series ever, but there's a huge fan base in the YA community that does. There weren't too many similarities within the plot that were like the shadowhunter world, but the main characters are three sisters with the last name Morgenstern.... same as the last name of the main characters in the main competitor's series. This just doesn't make sense to me.
The world in this book is pretty cool, there's nine different circles of demon hierarchy and they're separated on their 'specialties' (money laundering vs. gambling, etc.). The ninth is the demon government and the highest rank circle. The Morgenstern sisters hunt demons after their mother taught them everything they know. There's Hartley, Aiva, and Tala. After Hartley goes missing, Tala asks Aiva for help finding her.
The chapters are separated by episodes, which is pretty accurate. This read more like a screenplay to me than a book. Too much is going on in each chapter that it really did read like episodes. I can't tell you how many times the sisters fall for traps and miraculously escape with more knowledge than they had (pretty convenient). They also start manifesting some random powers.
The explanation for the powers was the best part of the book and I felt like it was so downplayed because of their rescue mission. There's also a few confusing parts.
It just didn't do it for me.
May 24, 2017
This is an ambitious idea, and for the most part, it delivers. The writing is impressively solid, and except for some parts where the violence gets over the top, it's a lot of fun. I know a lot of people would be sold on its being very like paranormal television. It's also a swift and smooth reading experience. I certainly know some specific people I'm going to recommend it to. It does have its flaws, but I'm guessing it's a self-pub effort, and it's definitely in the upper echelons of what I've seen in self-pub. That alone makes it worth seeking out.
As some other reviewers have pointed out, this book is basically a book version of the show Supernatural, with women in the key roles instead of men. It's tempting to be polite and vague about how much it's like Supernatural, but I think it's better to be honest. The beginning is uncomfortably similar to the show: Tala (Dean) interrupts Aiva's (Sam) normal life to bring her back to the hunting life because their sister (Dad) is missing. There's even a Bobby later on. A lot of the tone, themes, and even some of the emotion behind the dialogue at the beginning are altogether too much like Supernatural. It's also written like a television miniseries, with chapters labelled as episodes and the start of each chapter often starting in the perspective of non-main characters in the style of a teaser, and the rest of the chapter, particularly in the first third of the book, structured in the acts of an hour-long episode.
As to the episode structure of the chapters, I think it's a cool idea in spite of the perspective changes. I'd even be interested in seeing this author foray into serial fiction in a similar format. For all that the similarity to television is ever-present, it never fails to be a book. The description is good and the voice is distinct. There is an emphasis on spectacle, and a lot of the drama and twists are exactly what I'd expect to see on tv. There's less world-building than I would have liked. However, that's not unique to this book. There are a lot of different creature types, and they did seem to be consistent.
I'd say that the story is plot-focused rather than character driven, which isn't a bad thing. There's plenty of drama, and while the characters are a bit more reactive than proactive, there's a lot of action. No danger of standing still, plodding, or going over plot points over and over. The lack of navel-gazing was particularly nice. Tala and Aiva are great foils for each other, and they're a good pair of characters for readers to cheer on.
I really liked this writer, and I look forward to seeing more books, whether in this series or another.
(I received an ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review.)
As some other reviewers have pointed out, this book is basically a book version of the show Supernatural, with women in the key roles instead of men. It's tempting to be polite and vague about how much it's like Supernatural, but I think it's better to be honest. The beginning is uncomfortably similar to the show: Tala (Dean) interrupts Aiva's (Sam) normal life to bring her back to the hunting life because their sister (Dad) is missing. There's even a Bobby later on. A lot of the tone, themes, and even some of the emotion behind the dialogue at the beginning are altogether too much like Supernatural. It's also written like a television miniseries, with chapters labelled as episodes and the start of each chapter often starting in the perspective of non-main characters in the style of a teaser, and the rest of the chapter, particularly in the first third of the book, structured in the acts of an hour-long episode.
As to the episode structure of the chapters, I think it's a cool idea in spite of the perspective changes. I'd even be interested in seeing this author foray into serial fiction in a similar format. For all that the similarity to television is ever-present, it never fails to be a book. The description is good and the voice is distinct. There is an emphasis on spectacle, and a lot of the drama and twists are exactly what I'd expect to see on tv. There's less world-building than I would have liked. However, that's not unique to this book. There are a lot of different creature types, and they did seem to be consistent.
I'd say that the story is plot-focused rather than character driven, which isn't a bad thing. There's plenty of drama, and while the characters are a bit more reactive than proactive, there's a lot of action. No danger of standing still, plodding, or going over plot points over and over. The lack of navel-gazing was particularly nice. Tala and Aiva are great foils for each other, and they're a good pair of characters for readers to cheer on.
I really liked this writer, and I look forward to seeing more books, whether in this series or another.
(I received an ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review.)
November 18, 2017
When little sister Hartley goes missing Aiva must rejoin the family business of demon hunting to help Tala find her. Their search takes them into Dublin’s criminal underground. Where the gangs are led by demons and for every circle up they go the danger increases.
I've read a lot of fantasy books but not many that include Ireland. As Ireland is so close to home in Britain, it's really interesting to lead about the folklore and myth that surrounds the isle. I loved that The Ninth Circle also brought together it's own ideas of hell and of the gangs of demons that lead to hell.
The books mainly about family and betrayal. Over and over again, someone is betrayed and it's always the trust in their own family that brings Aiva back to the family unit. Although there is a very clear divide between the two sisters, Tala and Aiva. They have very different ways of handling things which causes trouble throughout the book.
I thought that this book contained a lot of paranormal cliches and tropes which were not necessary. Personally I think it needed a pinch less paranormal and more fantasy elements. For some reason, there was something that kept reminding me of Twilight era books.
There was a lot shoved into this book. We meet a 'big bad' by the end, after multiple battles with different demons. On the one hand it could have been stretched over 2 books with the betrayal as a cliffhanger and a lesser demon being the end fight. On the other hand that might have made two books lacking something as well. I'm still unsure to how I feel about this as the book seemed to be all about fight, fight, fight.
Overall The Ninth Circle is an enjoyable book. But I couldn't say it was completely unique to others it's genre except for the Irish folklore.
I received The Ninth Circle* by C.A. Harland from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an unbiased and honest review.
I've read a lot of fantasy books but not many that include Ireland. As Ireland is so close to home in Britain, it's really interesting to lead about the folklore and myth that surrounds the isle. I loved that The Ninth Circle also brought together it's own ideas of hell and of the gangs of demons that lead to hell.
The books mainly about family and betrayal. Over and over again, someone is betrayed and it's always the trust in their own family that brings Aiva back to the family unit. Although there is a very clear divide between the two sisters, Tala and Aiva. They have very different ways of handling things which causes trouble throughout the book.
I thought that this book contained a lot of paranormal cliches and tropes which were not necessary. Personally I think it needed a pinch less paranormal and more fantasy elements. For some reason, there was something that kept reminding me of Twilight era books.
There was a lot shoved into this book. We meet a 'big bad' by the end, after multiple battles with different demons. On the one hand it could have been stretched over 2 books with the betrayal as a cliffhanger and a lesser demon being the end fight. On the other hand that might have made two books lacking something as well. I'm still unsure to how I feel about this as the book seemed to be all about fight, fight, fight.
Overall The Ninth Circle is an enjoyable book. But I couldn't say it was completely unique to others it's genre except for the Irish folklore.
I received The Ninth Circle* by C.A. Harland from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an unbiased and honest review.
June 23, 2017
Raised hunting demons, Tala, Aiva and Hartley move to Ireland after their mother dies at the hands of a demon, in Canada, It's two years later and things have gone a little awry; Aiva has given up the demon hunting business for personal reasons and Hartley is missing.
This isn't the first book to feature siblings who hunt supernatural creatures searching for a missing relative, but it is a good read. It also isn't the first time that female characters have been powerful hunters. I did, however, think it had an interesting premise, with crime linked to the nine circles of hell and each circle taking charge of a particular area.
Although initially some of the characters felt a little one dimensional, they did develop greater depth as the book progressed. As a book addict, I particularly liked Aiva - a librarian - who is the more cerebral of the two remaining sisters. This worked well and complimented the warrior-like character of Tala, who is far more physical than her sisters. There is a lot of violence in the book, mostly involving Tala, but given there seems to be an enormous number of demons in Dublin, it didn't feel over the top to me.
The links with the Morrigan were something else I liked and felt that the author did a decent job of handling this. There is so much mythology out there about the Morrigan that it can be difficult to narrow down what to include or leave out. Harland did a good job of picking which parts to include.
I enjoyed the author's style of writing, which had a good flow and found the overall story entertaining. This is the first in a series of books and I'm honestly looking forward to reading more about Tala and Aiva.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This isn't the first book to feature siblings who hunt supernatural creatures searching for a missing relative, but it is a good read. It also isn't the first time that female characters have been powerful hunters. I did, however, think it had an interesting premise, with crime linked to the nine circles of hell and each circle taking charge of a particular area.
Although initially some of the characters felt a little one dimensional, they did develop greater depth as the book progressed. As a book addict, I particularly liked Aiva - a librarian - who is the more cerebral of the two remaining sisters. This worked well and complimented the warrior-like character of Tala, who is far more physical than her sisters. There is a lot of violence in the book, mostly involving Tala, but given there seems to be an enormous number of demons in Dublin, it didn't feel over the top to me.
The links with the Morrigan were something else I liked and felt that the author did a decent job of handling this. There is so much mythology out there about the Morrigan that it can be difficult to narrow down what to include or leave out. Harland did a good job of picking which parts to include.
I enjoyed the author's style of writing, which had a good flow and found the overall story entertaining. This is the first in a series of books and I'm honestly looking forward to reading more about Tala and Aiva.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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