Circle of Light

by Jacquelyn Childs

Brielle Hunter thought she had it all figured out. She is part of an elite group of Guardians whose sole purpose is to defend humanity against shadow creatures of the night. Fighting creatures by night and navigating high school by day, Brielle pulls on the light of the earth for her powers.With borderline psychic abilities, not much catches Brielle off guard until she stumbles into the new boy, Tristan, and her whole life turns upside down. The frustratingly good-looking boy becomes the first real mystery Brielle has ever encountered. That mystery is compounded with new shadow creatures descending on the city and attacking people in broad daylight. While she was weary of Tristan at first, Brielle begins to lean on the mysterious boy to help eliminate the creatures who are wreaking havoc on her city.Soon, Brielle and her friends are caught up in their most dangerous battle ever. Rushing to find out who opened up a portal to a dark dimension that put all of humanity at risk, Brielle learns that not everything dark is evil. And perhaps more importantly, not everything light is good…

380 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 12, 2021

Reviews

[Chasity Combs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow Jacqueline just wow. Let me start off saying fantasy normally will not hold my interest. however this book has me unable to stop reading. The strong fmc and hot mmc and twist had me guessing until the end. I am still sitting with my mouth opened in shock. I thought for sure I had it all figured out. I highly recommend this read moving on to the next book today.

[Kristine Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

In starting this book, I was very confused at first. It started the first chapter with a girl contemplating a date with her boyfriend that she hadn’t seen in a while and speaking to her best friend. Then literally out of nowhere boom. Monster hunters. The transition made no sense to me and caused me to re-read it multiple times to see if maybe it was just me being confused. I feel like a better transition there would help. As for the rest of it, the writing was pretty good, characters do fall off and I found myself questioning if they’d show back up later or if they were just done being written about and the storyline was fairly good as well. It does end on a cliffhanger, but it’s one that I expected and figured out quite quickly once a certain part of the book came up and the group was figuring things out together. (Trying to go for no spoilers!) I am intrigued to see how this plays out in book two….. worth the read if you can get past that very first part where the transition needs smoothing out.

[Rachele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childs’ first published YA novel is a clear indicator of more fun and creative works to come.

[Jessica DeVita · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started this book, I was a bit thrown off. The opening chapter had me following a girl who was reflecting on a date with her boyfriend that she hadn’t seen in a while, chatting with her best friend—seemingly a typical beginning. Then, out of nowhere, the story suddenly introduces monster hunters. The transition felt jarring, and I found myself going back to re-read that section multiple times, unsure if I had missed something. A smoother segue into the supernatural elements would have definitely helped, as it was a bit disorienting at first.

That said, once I settled into the story, I found myself hooked. The writing was engaging, and the characters, though a bit inconsistent at times, were still interesting. Some characters seemed to disappear for stretches, leaving me wondering whether they would resurface later or if their stories were done for good. The plot itself was compelling, with a steady build-up of mystery and action that kept me turning the pages. It ends on a cliffhanger, but one that felt inevitable once certain key moments in the plot unfolded. While I won’t spoil anything, I will say it’s definitely a setup for what’s to come, and I can’t wait to see how it plays out in the next book.

Despite the rocky start, this book turned out to be an incredibly enjoyable read. The pacing was perfect—just enough adventure and mystery to keep me intrigued, with a subtle slow burn that left me yearning for more without feeling overdone. The mix of suspense and the gradual build-up of tension made it so difficult to put down, and the ending left me rushing straight into the second book. If you’re looking for a series with a good balance of excitement and intrigue (and a touch of yearning), I highly recommend this one. Just be ready for a bit of a confusing start, and then buckle in for a wild ride!

[Arianna Michele Ramsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

all the YA angst and sprinkle of heart break!

Summary:

Brielle Hunter is part of a elemental magic group called the Guardians. Instead of a coven; their group is called “The Circle,” in which Bri’s dad is their leader. Bri and her BFF Zoe are just trying to get through their senior year of high school when shape shifting demons start appearing, outside the normal demons their Circle typically encounters, and a mysterious boy shows up at their school. It wasn’t enough that she had already had boy problems with her boyfriend Tyler, and her archenemies, the Waters Twins (who are part of her Circle). These body snatchers seem to appear around the metro when guardians are present, but what’s really uncanny, they all know Bri’s name.

Bri must team up with Zoe, this mysterious boy from school and the Waters twins to get to the root of these demons origins. But will they uncover a betrayal too close to home, within their own Circle?

Review:

I thoroughly enjoyed Circle of Light! Such a good storyline that keeps you wanting more and trying to figure out what happens next! Bri’s love interest is so deliciously angsty it makes you wish it was an adult romance because you just know it would be yummy! I adore each character on Bri’s team and honestly.. if this was an adult romance, it would be an amazing why choose (😏).

The only frustrating “thing” I encountered is, Bri is so oblivious and whiny sometimes it’s frustrating LOL. But this also tracks for a YA romance so it is to be expected. It doesn’t take away from the story at all. I’m just used to strong, witty, sarcastic FMCs in my adult DR/Romantasy books.

Overall I am excited for book two and can’t wait to see what happens next, especially after the heartbreak and cliffhanger book one left us on!

Rating 4.75 ⭐️

[Rebecca Holcomb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such an easy read! It was so hard to put down and left off in a way that made me rush to start the second book! Not too much spice and just the right amount of yearning. Definitely recommend reading it! The mystery throughout has me hooked and dedicated to finishing the series.

[Sami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! It had the right amount of adventure for me and just enough of a slow burn to be intriguing. Im excited to start on the next book and see where the adventure leads!!