Valley of Silence (The Circle Trilogy, Book 3) [Mass Market Paperback]

Nora Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Circle Trilogy, Book 3 | Publication Date: October 31, 2006

The battleground has been chosen for the final showdown between those selected by the gods and the minions of the vampire Lilith. But there is one vampire who dares stand against her. And his love for the scholarly queen of Geall will complete the circle of six - and change the face of eternity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Roberts's paranormal Circle Trilogy concludes with the "circle of six" warriors—the sorcerer Hoyt, Hoyt's vampire brother Cian, the witch Glenna, the warrior Blair, the shape-shifter Larkin and Larkin's scholar-princess cousin Moira—preparing for battle against the evil vampire, Lilith. Having traveled back through time to Moira and Larkin's ancient kingdom of Geall, Moira raises the sword from the stone to take her place as queen. With her five warrior companions by her side, Moira leads her people into battle against Lilith's army of vampires, who are intent on destroying Geall. Meanwhile, Moira and Cian give in to powerful feelings of love, stealing nights of passion that could spell ruin for both of them. As war befalls the kingdom, Roberts brings the same precise, resonant energy to battle scenes that make her sexual interludes shine, grounding magic, dragons and vampires in a believable world. The truest moments of this novel, however, belong to Roberts's fully formed characters, especially in the love sacrifices of Moira and Cian. Completing her series with the real-world complications of selfless, star-crossed love, Roberts has crafted a fantasy-romance trilogy with strong appeal for romance fans of all stripes. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Another enticing paranormal trilogy from the ever-versatile, prolific, and much-loved queen of romance. Irish sorcerer Hoyt Mac Cionaoith tried but failed to destroy Demon Queen Lilith after she ruthlessly turned his twin brother, Cian, into a vampire. Lilith gradually recovered and immediately set about amassing an army of vampires with the intention of destroying all humans so that she could rule the world. The goddess Morrigan chooses Hoyt and five others to stop Lilith, sending Hoyt 1,000 years into the future. In twenty-first-century New York, he starts to build his team, enlisting Glenna Ward; his brother, Cian; and Cian's employee, King. Traveling back to Ireland, the three pick up new recruits Moira and her cousin Larkin, both of whom have traveled through space and time from the Kingdom of Geall. Demon-hunter Blair Murphy is the last to sign on to the circle of six. Now a sorcerer, a witch, a warrior, a scholar, a shape-shifter, and a lost soul must find some way of working together as a team if they are to have any hope of stopping darkness from overcoming all that is good and light in the world. Best-seller Roberts' Celtic-flavored Circle trilogy features superbly crafted characters, three passionate romances, and a bewitching blend of magic and myth. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Jove (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515141674
• ISBN-13: 978-0515141672
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (140 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( R ) > Roberts, Nora

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Trilogy, January 28, 2007

By 

dee "dee" (Bay Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Valley of Silence (The Circle Trilogy, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

I don't buy vampire books (with the exception of "Dracula") and I'm not into the idea of romantic vampires. Because of this, I didn't buy any of this trilogy until after the 3rd book was published. Even then, I bought the 3 books on ebay because I just didn't think they would be worth the (full) price. Frankly, I would never have bought them but I really enjoy Nora Roberts' books.

I finally decided to read Book 1 when I had nothing else to read. By the end of the first chapter, I was hooked.

I read all three books in 3 days. I just couldn't stop reading!

For anyone who doesn't want to buy this trilogy because they are "vampire books", don't let that stop you. The story isn't about vampires roaming the earth - it's about so much more. Friendship. Love. Courage. The ultimate fight between good and evil. Willing to sacrifice everything for the better good.

I found myself crying before the end of the third book, even though I knew it was "only a book".

I absolutely loved this series and was saddened when it ended. I wanted to know what happened next, which is something I've rarely felt in many years of reading.

And now I'm open to more books of this genre.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars bravo! or is it "brava"?, November 1, 2006

By 

Gabriela Perez "Oy! So many books. . . ." (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Valley of Silence (The Circle Trilogy, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

Whichever it is, I'll clap for Ms. Roberts and the job she did with this book. It is the final one of this trilogy, and well worth the wait. There are missteps here, the biggest one being the predictability of certain plot developments, and certainly I'd say the ending of the book is predictable, but by the time these predictable things happened, the characters were so much in my heart that it didn't matter if they acted as I imagined they would even before the book began. (Note: it's the predictability that kept me from giving this 5 stars.)

Cian, the vampire protagonist, is particularly finely drawn. His cold demeanor, his insistence that he does not share human traits with the other members of the Circle--all of these are there, but so are the moments when he acknowledges those human traits he can no longer deny. He battles so much in this book, and his story is engrossing. He becomes someone I felt I understood, which is exactly what I'd hoped would happen. He was not well-developed in the previous two books (note: that's as it should be, I think, as each book had a focus, and this book was the one that focused on Cian, whereas the other two focused on different characters), but here--oh, yes. He becomes much, much more.

Moira, the warrior queen, the one with whom he is matched up in this book, is equally engaging. Her spirit made me smile throughout, and her missteps reminded me that she is no perfect protagonist. Her human needs and compassion rule her at times, while at most others she is keenly focused on her duties, her obligations to her people, her role in the battle to come.

The "bad guys" are developed more, too, which gives this novel a nice balance. Wouldn't do to have the bad guys be one-dimensional, hey?

All in all, this book is a superb end to the series. Overlook the predictable stuff and enjoy the romance and the humor. Enjoy Ms. Roberts' ability to whip you about emotionally, making you cry one moment and grin at a character's wit another.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Wrap-Up, December 6, 2006

By 

Kara J. Jorges "Avid Reader" (Minneapolis) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Valley of Silence (The Circle Trilogy, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

Nora Roberts' trilogy about a sorcerer (Hoyt), a witch (Glenna), a shape shifter (Larkin), a demon hunter (Blair), a vampire (Cian), and a scholar and queen (Moira) who fight an apocalyptic battle against an army of vampires draws to a close. In Book I, Hoyt and Glenna fell in love and formed the Circle of Six with the others. Moira and her cousin Larkin came through the Dance of the Gods (where Hoyt also came ahead in time almost a thousand years) from the land of Geall, an almost storybook place of dragons and a Cinderella-style castle. In Book II, Blair and Larkin develop feelings for each other while they train and plan for the battle to come, then everyone travels through the dance back to Geall, where Moira would become queen, and begin to ready the Geallian people for battle. Book I was more about all six characters and the formation of their circle, whereas Book II was mostly about the romance between Moira and Larkin. This book follows more of that formula when the attraction between the vampire and the queen heats up and ignites. There is a bittersweet poignancy to this romance, however, as Cian is a vampire. He and Glenna are not only from different worlds, but Cian is not really a man; some even refer to him as a demon. They can never be together, never marry, never conceive children together. Cian has lived 900 years and will never age, yet in an amount of time almost meaningless to him, Moira will grow old and die. Their love is impossible, but they are irrevocably drawn into it nonetheless, each knowing heartbreak is inevitable. When the moment comes, Nora does not shy away from a single crushingly bleak emotion from either of them. The whole time, I knew that something would have to happen to bring them together in the end, but I had no idea what that would be, and neither Cian or Moira believed they had a future. They were heartbroken, not over some silly set of circumstances, stubborn pride, or miscommunication that could easily be overcome, but by the very laws of nature. When the solution came it was almost disappointingly simple, but in the end, these six characters had been through enough trials and bloodshed, magic had been a constant presence, they traveled through time, and even between worlds. Perhaps making it simple was best after all. The ending bespoke of how love makes giving up everything else a pittance to pay, a decision so impossibly easy to make that it's not a decision at all. It's true that Nora Roberts could sell millions of copies of drunken ramblings, but the reason why her books continue to sell so well is that she tries new things, breaks new ground, and finds new ways to tell a story that has basically never changed. While this trilogy may not be for everyone, with its violence and fantasy elements, I enjoyed not only the unusual and creative story and colorful characters, I also admired the way it was crafted.