Vicious Circle (Persephone Alcmedi, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Linda Robertson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2009

A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do....

Being a witch doesn't pay the bills, but Persephone Alcmedi gets by between reading Tarot cards, writing her syndicated newspaper column, and kenneling werewolves in the basement when the moon is full -- even if witches aren't supposed to mingle with wolves. She really reaches the end of her leash, though, when her grandmother gets kicked out of the nursing home and Seph finds herself in the doghouse about some things she's written. Then her werewolf friend Lorrie is murdered...and the high priestess of an important coven offers Seph big money to destroy the killer, a powerful vampire named Goliath Kline. Seph is a tough girl, but this time she bites off more than she can chew. She needs a little help from her friends -- werewolf friends. One of those friends, Johnny, the motorcycle-riding lead singer for the techno-metal-Goth band Lycanthropia, has a crush on her. And while Seph has always been on edge around this 6'2" leather-clad hunk, she's starting to realize that although their attraction may be dangerous, nothing could be as lethal as the showdown that awaits them.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I enjoyed every moment. It's a rare book that gives you a protagonist you'd like to actually be friends with." -- Tanya Huff, bestselling author of the Blood books

About the Author

LINDA ROBERTSON is the mother of four wonderful boys, owns three electric guitars, and is followed around by a big dog named after Bela Lugosi. Once upon a time she was a lead guitarist in a heavy metal cover band and has worked as a graphic artist. She still composes and creates art, when time permits. Linda is currently writes and rocks in northeast Ohio.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (June 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439154287
• ISBN-13: 978-1439154281
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #87 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Vampires

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the misanthropic heroine you might expect, July 7, 2009

By 

Kelly (Fantasy Literature) (Columbia, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Vicious Circle (Persephone Alcmedi, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

The bare bones of this story will be familiar to urban-fantasy devotees: Werewolves, vampires, faeries, and witches all exist and have become public knowledge in recent years. Girl, tough and feisty, takes it upon herself to dispense justice in a supernatural murder case. Girl is chosen against her will to play a major role in paranormal affairs. Girl is wooed by attractive werewolf and attractive vampire. I was worried Vicious Circle would be just like a hundred other novels with a similar premise, but Linda Robertson does some really interesting things to make her story stand out.

First, she realistically explores what might happen if supernatural races existed and came out of the closet. Vampires are well-regarded in society due to the glamorous image they have cultivated; faeries have gained acceptance by pretending to be harmless. Weres, however, are treated as second-class citizens. Persephone Alcmedi does her best to fight these attitudes, writing a pro-were newspaper column and renting out her basement to weres as a full-moon shelter. Anti-were prejudice hampers Persephone's mission at every turn. No cop wants to touch a were-related case, and no hospital wants to treat a were patient.

I was also impressed by the unusually accurate Wicca in Vicious Circle. (OK, so real Wiccans don't shoot visible bolts of brightly colored energy when they cast spells, but that's creative license!) The belief system, the ethical code, and the structure of Persephone's rituals are clearly well-researched.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Persephone is not the misanthropic heroine you might expect. She has a lot of emotional boundaries that keep her from being a social butterfly, but at the same time, she has a powerful protective streak when it comes to those she cares about. "Do you always take care of people?" asks a young girl whom Persephone has just taken under her wing. The answer is yes. In the early pages of Vicious Circle, Persephone finds herself sheltering her grandmother, a Great Dane puppy, a severely injured werewolf, and the aforementioned little girl, along with her usual canine visitors. As the plot unfolds, trying to protect everyone is a full-time job. I found this aspect of Persephone's character refreshing and unusual.

I enjoyed Vicious Circle, and I'm interested in seeing where this series goes. I think it has a lot of potential.

55 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Just flat and annoying..., September 17, 2009

By 

Aly - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vicious Circle (Persephone Alcmedi, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

I could barely force myself to finish this book, but I thought, since I spent money on it, might as well and hope for a stellar ending. No such luck.

The storyline is just average, and as another reviewer mentioned, many aspects of it can be found in other series. I found all the secondary characters annoying rather than charming. Johnny, the main character's were-wolf love interest, was just a walking sexual innuendo. Frankly, if that is all the conversation you can get out of the guy, that would become old really fast. Persephone's Nana, who has come to live with her, is childish and immature in her fits of temper and demands, and the child who is also taken in by our heroine later on in the book, adds very little to the story other than as a source of irritation for the reader. The other were-friends and human cameos are one dimensional and seem more like filler just so the main character can have some superficial reflective moments that try to be insightful but just come off as useless, internal commentary. The bad guys are fluff and are crammed into the story with no real menace about them. As for Persephone, she is supposedly this tough, independent woman, yet can't even stand up for her friend in a simple gathering of high school chums.

Everything about this whole book seemed ill-fitting with the obvious ignored so that "heightened" mystery may ensue. Parts contradicting others, annoying word repetition, non-humorous jokes, an ending seemingly rushed and patched together, and unlikable or bland characters willing to giggle at any given moment, made this book an agonizing read.

For those looking for great Urban Fantasy books, try: Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels series), Patricia Briggs (Mercedes Thompson series), Faith Hunter (Skinwalker), Kim Harrison (Rachel Morgan series), Lilith Saintcrow (Jill Kismet series), or Vicki Pettersson (Zodiac series).

40 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good UF, July 12, 2009

By 

HHK "Fantasy/History Fan" (Plano, TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Vicious Circle (Persephone Alcmedi, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book has all the typical elements of paranormal fantasy: A Spunky heroine(she happens to be a witch). Also Vampires and Waerewolves(I found this spelling to be annoying, just like one of the previous reviewers).

SPOILERS AHEAD:

I thought some aspects of this book were kind of derivative of other UF books which is why I deducted 1 star.

For example:
1. Our heroine doesn't know it but she is predestined to be something called the Lustrata who will bring together the different supernatural races.(Reminds me of Touch the Dark (Cassandra Palmer, Book 1) where the heroine is the Pythia)
2. She is a witch and can tap into Ley lines (reminds me of Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows, Book 1)
3.There is an ancient an mysterious book called the Codex that everyone wants (again similar to Claimed by Shadow (Cassandra Palmer, Book 2)
4.There is a delicious Master Vampire names Menessos who is powerful as well as drop dead gorgeous.
5. There is also a delicious waerewolf named Johnny who is a potential love interest. I liked that he was 6'2 with dark hair and tatooes. But the description of multiple eyebrow piercings and nostril piercings was a little too goth for my tastes. So I am rooting for Team Menessos in the next volume.

Still Persephone is a likeable heroine and the action moves fast.There is a little mystery involved that keeps you guessing who the bad guy really is.I also liked that there was no gratuitous sex, just lots of sexual tension.