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The circle
608 pages
A dark, atmospheric collision of messy teenage life and ancient, blood-red magic.
What it feels like
This gripping supernatural tale plunges readers into an eerie, shadow-drenched world where the horrors of high school pale in comparison to ancient evils. The narrative moves at a propulsive clip, balancing the grounded, angsty reality of teenage life with the tense, atmospheric dread of a blood-red moon and awakening magical powers. It feels urgent and mysterious, capturing the emotional whiplash of adolescence colliding with the heavy burden of destiny. The prose is accessible yet charged with dark energy, pulling you through a landscape of abandoned theme parks and dangerous school hallways. It is a perfect fit for readers who crave stories about reluctant alliances, grief-fueled magic, and wildly different girls finding solidarity in the dark.
- Mood
- eerie
- shadowy
- tense
- supernaturally-charged
- Tone
- urgent
- angsty
- mysterious
- earnest
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- coming-of-age · reluctant alliances · burden of destiny · navigating adolescence · hidden powers
- The writing
- Accessible and gripping, balancing the grounded reality of teenage angst with the atmospheric dread of the supernatural.
- The arc
- Moves from isolated teenage alienation and shock to a reluctant, grief-fueled solidarity against encroaching darkness.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love dark, atmospheric YA where messy high school dynamics are just as intense as the magical battles.
Content notes
- suicide
- bullying
- death of a peer
- grief
About the book
"On a night after the apparent suicide of high school student Elias Malmgren, a blood-red moon fills the night sky. Minoo wakes up outside her house, still in her pajamas, and is drawn by an invisible force to an abandoned theme park on the outskirts of town. Soon five of her classmates--Vanessa, Linnea, Anna-Karin, Rebecka and Ida--arrive, compelled the same force. A mystical being takes over Ida's body and tells them they are fated to fight an ancient evil that is hunting them. The park is a safe haven; the school, a place of danger. The six are wildly different and definitely not friends...but they are the Chosen Ones. As the weeks pass, each girl discovers she has a unique magical ability. They begin exploring their powers, but they are not all firmly committed to their mission--to discover the truth about Elias's death. Then a horrible tragedy strikes within the circle. Newly determined to fight the evil forces, they begin to learn magic from The Book of Patterns, an ancient work with a will of its own that reveals different things to different witches. In this gripping first installment of the Engelsfors Trilogy, a parallel world emerges in which teenage dreams, insanely annoying parents, bullying, revenge, and love collide with flirtation, dangerous forces, and ancient magic"--Jacket flap.
Description from Open Library.
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