Customer Reviews

Vicious Circle (Persephone Alcmedi, Book 1)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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).

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.

This book started off a bit slow but quickly accumulated speed and never stopped. Persephone is a witch living in a world where preternaturals are all out of the closet and fighting for survival among judgmental humans. Humans are predictable as always; prejudice and holier-than-thou until they get enough exposure to whatever frightens them that they stop caring or just accept the situation. The preternaturals set in this world, are persecuted to the extent that clear crimes against them go intentionally unsolved or blatantly ignored by human law enforcement. When Seph's waerewolf friend Lorrie is murdered in a ritualistic fashion, she is propositioned to find the killer and secretly execute them. Seph appears clearly out of her league when she realizes the killer might be a powerful vampire. Seph, never one to opt out or back down, invokes all the strength she can muster and enlists the aid of her waere friends to help her dole out vengeance. But how do you snare and trap a vampire that has the advantage of age-old wisdom, the sense of entitlement and superiority and can spot a scheme and connive a mile away? I really enjoyed this book and its clear humor. Seph is a witchy-heroine that you can believe in. She is brave and not afraid to take chances to protect the weak or her loved ones. I highly recommend this book and look forward to the next book in the series Hallowed Circle due out 12/29/09.
I also recommend:

Mark of the Demon
Red-Headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane)
Ravenous: The Dark Forgotten
Spell Games
Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows, Book 1)

Review courtesy of [...]

Persephone Alcmeda (aka Seph) is little like Rachel Morgan and Stephanie Plum rolled into one. Like Rachel, she's a powerful witch who can tap into ley lines and manipulate magic. And like Stephanie, she has to deal with her batty old grandmother making comments about her love life and random people moving in with her all the time.

In the back of my address book was a list of contact numbers for the wærewolves who kenneled in my basement during full moons. My finger ran down to the name Johnny. A last name wasn't necessary to clarify this guy. There was only one Johnny.-VICIOUS CIRCLE

VICIOUS CIRCLE has a sudden revelation world building scenario. The world lived in blissful ignorance of Wære, Vampires, Witches, and Fey until recently. The human population has been struggling to adapt ever since. The Wære have endured the worst treatment by far. Police won't investigate crimes about them and hospitals will discharge them regardless of their condition the moment the Wær virus is detected.

Seph is instantly likeable as the witch with sympathies towards Wære and a strong, if often reckless sense of justice. She has a quirky love for Arthur Pendragan aka King Arthur that does a nice job of humanizing her. And the Wære/rock star Jonny as well as another romantic possibility who I won't name keep things interesting and promise a bigger payoff in future books.

The biggest problem I had with VICIOUS CIRCLE is how small it seems. Nearly the entire book takes place in Seph's house. Plus it took a really long time before any action happened. I liked the character of Jonny as a playful and shameless flirt, but he didn't have nearly enough scenes.

Overall, VICIOUS CIRCLE introduces us to a complex magical world, a likeable heroine still unsure of her powers, and the potential for lots of romantic tension. These all help compensate for a small, slightly slow story. Hallowed Circle (Persephone Alcmedi, Book 2) is available now, and Fatal Circle will be out June 29, 2010

Sexual Content: References to sex.

Ever read a really great book that you can read over and over and enjoy it the third time as much as the first? This isn't one of those books. I read Vicious Circle when was first released and I enjoyed it. I rated it a strong 4. It's been a while since I read it, so I decided to re-read it before I read Hallowed Circle. I've just finished and found that I didn't enjoy it as much as I remembered.

SPOILER AHEAD....
...
...

* The sub-plot with Persephone's school friends is filler. It could have easily be left out.
* The issue of her parentage is brought out like it may have some future relevance to the story, but so far (1/4 into Hallowed Circle) nothing has.
* Persephone's long self-reflection dialogs via meditation are boring and do little to advance the plot. Much of the things she reflects on (like parentage) aren't fully developed or integral to the plot.
* Johnny's description is a little too goth for me. Tattoos covering his entire body (and face), multiple eyebrow/nose rings, etc.

Johnny's attitude toward Persephone is a little too demeaning and I don't get the impression of him truly caring for her as a person. Most of his interaction with Persephone is either him stating that she's the Lustrata or making lewd sexual innuendos towards her, often in front of her Grandmother.
- "the best things are sometimes hard"
- "If you get messy, I promise, I'll clean you up personally."
- "I won't bite, I won't even lick unless you want me to."
- "I thought you already knew how to do it"
- "next time we'll try French. Or Thai. Some Thai can be really hot. I like it hot."
- I don't think I've ever tasted anything Greek. But I'd love to."

Johnny was supposedly "created" to serve the Lustrata, fully believes that Persephone is the Lustrata, yet he deceives her and goes against her specific wishes. Johnny's actions cause an innocent (semi-innocent at least) person to be killed. She kicks Menessos out of her house because he's not trustworthy, but Menessos never betrayed Persephone... only Johnny did that.

After Persephone is marked (stained), Johnny looks at her like she's dirty. Even after Nana claims that the Persephone MUST have the mark in order to be the Lustrata, Johnny continues to treat her like she truely is stained/dirty. Imagine treating a rape victim like she asked for it and is a whore as a result. Similar theory. Persephone views herself as "dirty" and "stained" for having the mark and Johnny does nothing but reinforce her beliefs.

If Johnny is so knowledgable and dedicated to serving the Lustrata, and not just servicing Persephone(sexually), he should accept that she must keep the mark, help her understand that it is a mark and not a stain, and stop treating her like the only thing he wants is sex.

Personally, I'm rooting for Menessos in Hallowed Circle. I'm about 1/4 into it and while he's talked about, hasn't made an appearance yet. It's just Johnny and his sexual innuendos so far.

I try to always review the buyer comments before I start reading a book from a author I am not familar with. So I was total surprised when everyone was rating this book a 4-5 star review. I try to keep open minded when it comes to the first book in a series, because I know that first book has alot of history about the character to explain. But the things about this book is it took over 2/3 of the book to even get started. On a whim I bought the 2nd book of this series, and was totally kicking myself! But sense I spent the money I felt I had to atleast start it. To my surprise the 2nd book is SO much better! I so liked the 2nd book of the series compared to the 1st. So much so I am looking forward to book 3. This is still not on my top 5 favorite series, but it's what I refer to a "in-between book". Meaning this is what I will read until the next book I am waiting on comes out.

Persephone Alcmedi is by no means a professional assassin, but she did kill a guy once. Now her secret is no longer safe, and a High Priestess offers to pay Seph mucho moolah to kill Goliath Kane. Who's a vampire. However, vampire-wizard Menessos is more dangerous, and if he's going to die, Seph's going down with him.

A friend in need is a friend indeed, and now Seph's gone from a quiet home to sharing with six others. Sometimes more. Witches, wærewolves and vampires don't seem a gratuitous number at first, but as Seph gains more power, she edges closer to Mary Sue territory - and being a "chosen one" of sorts (Lustrata) only confirms that. Beverley is a precocious child, and grandmother Demeter...well, similarities to Janet Evanovich's character Grandma Mazur are inevitable. While Demeter may be here for comic relief and occasional knowledge, I don't quite feel that she's believable or realistic. On the other hand, my grandmothers have a lot more health problems, so I don't really have another elderly female with whom to compare her.

Then there's the sub-plot involving Seph's friends from...high school or college; I don't remember. One of them's found religion, which makes things awkward for everyone else. Actually, this sub-plot doesn't seem to have anything to do with the main plot, and thus could/should have been deleted. Unless Nancy plays a major part in the next book.

The group shares a great rapport, which makes their friendship believable, but my favourite character far and beyond is Amenemhab, a jackal who delivers wisdom during Seph's meditations. The novel is enjoyable enough, but I was never really in a rush to get back to it, though likely the Melbourne heatwave has robbed me of enthusiasm. I'm still interested in reading HALLOWED CIRCLE and FATAL CIRCLE, though.

Not your average tough chick who talks alot of smack while continuously coming out on top in impossible situations kind of book. This book is trully a delightfull read. I loved Persephone Alcmedi's 'don't like bullies' attitude. Aswell as her interaction with other characters, especially the flirtatious Jonny (who i fell in love with). Also the majic and pagan history mixed into this is trully entertaining. My only complaints would be the underdeveloped side characters. They really don't stand out, not that they're supposed to be the main attraction, but i'd want some real kind of personality for them. Hoping they continue to develope in the next one in the series!

you should also try:
Kim Harison
Diana Rowland
Melijean Brooke
Seanan McGuire
Ilona Andrews
Patricia Briggs
Adrian Phoenix
Caitlin Kittredge
Stacia Kane
Nalini Singh

My Summary: Persephone 'Seph' Alcmedi is just your average witch, she owns her own home, which she now shares with her Nana, and makes her money writing a newspaper column about the supernatural world. In this book the general public are aware of the supernatural. She also makes a little money on the side kenneling werewolves on the full moon in her old cellar. Seph's good friend who is also a werewolf is murdered and a fellow witch pays Seph to take out the so called murderer. It's not like Seph is a killer for hire but she feels it's her duty to stop the murderer from getting away with it. Since the police don't care much when it's a werewolf that get's killed, they aren't well liked by the public. She asks her friends Theo and Johnny, also weres, to help out. Theo runs a background check service and looks into the murderer's background for Seph. Theo almost gets killed looking into the murderer's past and Johnny, Seph, Nana and other were friends need to get to the bottom of the murder and Theo's "accident" and find a way out of the mess fast, without anymore deaths.

Pros:
-I loved Persephone, she was an awesome heroine. She knew when to fight and when not to fight. She was strong and soft at the same time and she was one bad ass witch.
-Johnny was also excellent, he was bad ass too, but he could also cook and was in a band. I wasn't a huge fan of his look, covered in tattoos, piercings, and long hair, some of that is great, but it was too much for me. He also had to make more dirty innuendos than was necessary. Again some is great, but it was bordering on too much. But I'm glad Persephone didn't just give in to his charms right away, she stood up to him and only slowly let him into her life.
-The plot was good, there were parts I totally didn't expect which was good.
-Definitely ended well enough that I will pick up the sequel.
-This book is classified as Adult, but other than the innuendos and some kissing the sexual content was minimal. Which is exactly what I like in my books, enough to get the imagination going, but the book isn't centered around getting the heroine into bed.

Cons:
-There was one story thread I didn't think was necessary, Persephone's relationship with her old high school friend, with all the supernatural action that was going on in the book it seemed weird that the heroine would go rushing off to hang out with friend she hasn't seen in years. I understood why the author put it in but I felt it caused the story to drag a little. Which is the only reason this book is getting a 4 rating instead of a 5.
- I wasn't the hugest fan of Persephone's Nana. She got a little annoying, but she did seem to get less annoying near the end of the book.

This book gets a 4 out of 5

The Persephone Alcmedi Series

Book 1: Vicious Circle
Book 2: Hallowed Circle
Book 3: Fatal Circle
Book 4: Arcane Circle (Dec 2010)