Circle Of Fire: Number 3 in series (Prophecy of the Sisters) [Paperback]

Believe me the synopsis does not lie when it says it is a bitter-sweet ending, but it really is a wonderfully rounded conclusion to the series, when I think deeply about it - which yes I have - there just could not have been any other possible ending. Apologies in advance but this is book 3 in the series and therefore this review may contain spoilers for the previous books The Prophecy of the Sisters (review here) and Guardian of the Gate (review here).

Lia is back in London with Dimitri *swoon* by her side to locate the rest of the prophecy and prevent Armageddon. No pressure at all on Lia, lol, she only has to prevent the world being overrun by demons by closing the gate between earth and the other plane. No easy task when you have to battle your own twin sister to do it, I adore Lia and the way in which she pushes the rules of society that bind her at that time. Things we take for granted, like being able to wear trousers for example were considered scandalous, this made me giggle into the book. How silly some the conventions society placed on women through history really were in retrospect.

Outwardly it appeared as if Lia and Alice had changed personalities at the beginning of this book. Bringing to vivid life that not everything/everyone can be utterly good or bad there are shades of grey with all of us having the ability to be bad, it is how we choose to act that makes all the difference. The portrayal of free-will as the ultimate power is profound and brings to mind the whole debate of destiny versus autonomy. The whole philosophical arguement of how we live our lives rather than being dictated to. Whether this is under the demands of the prophecy or it could also be applied to the demands of society/parents/friends.

The way in which power itself can be viewed as a force and how it can ultimately consume brought wonderful imagery to mind.

I have to admit I think that Book 2 in the series Guardian of the Gate is my absolute favourite, why you ask, because of the ideal of Altus, that is my utopia *sigh*. Thank goodness there are references to it within the story and the way in which their society is different from conventional society, far more peaceful and open *sighs again*

The story just flows beautiful and I adore Michelle Zink's writing style, the way in which the relationships are portrayed adds to the realism of the plot. Obviously not all relationships run smoothly all the time, there are arguments differences of opinion and betrayals. These really added a powerful dimension to the story. The use of sibling rivalry was shown in a heartfelt manner that I am sure anyone with a brother or sister will easily identify with. How we sometimes feel that the other sibling is the favourite to the detriment of ourselves. This is the only time I have felt sympathy toward Alice was during this book. I absolutely love, love, love the relationship between Lia and Dimitiri, not only do the sparks fly off the page it goes far deeper than that, a much deeper connection.

Anyone that has had children will completely relate to the way in which Lia feels without sleep. How it muddles your mind, decreases your will to do anything. Sleep can be a miracle cure. the way in which small pleasures bring such great comfort really stood out and made me appreciate the little things a lot more.

I am not going to go into details of the plot because it really will spoil the whole series. I will say that the ending was beautiful and so well developed, I loved it.

Although classed as a historical novel it has a timeless quality to the story. The battle of good versus evil woven through time and history. A wonderful end to the series.

The concluding part to Michelle's trilogy and one that readers have been demanding for quite some time. As usual with the series it's the characters that not only drive the story forward through the forcefulness of their personalities but also through consequences of past choices as Michelle gives the fully rounded principal players the final set of circumstances to navigate as the tale wends its merry way.

It's wonderfully colourful, beautifully constructed and overall a satisfying read which when added to what has gone before makes this an outstanding series from the first page to the last. Definitely one that has gone up in my estimation with each passing novel and one that I suspect that the author agonised over from start to finish. Whilst I was a little sad to see it end, I now eagerly await to see where Michelle will take her talents to next.

I am reviewing this book after having read the entire trilogy and what I say goes for all of them. The author had a really, really great idea, very compelling and highly original, as well as a writing style I can best describe as haunting. But I think she failed to deliver the truly great story that this trilogy could have been.

At the core of the story is a pair of twin sisters that are the focus and instruments of an ancient and eternal battle between good and evil. They are supposed to work together to fulfill an ancient prophesy, but they find themselves choosing different sides, each making a surprising choice, basically taking on the other's job. At some point they discover a connection to a hidden magical community, living in a cloaked island, a society quite set apart from their own world (Edwardian New England).

Frankly, this community was the main probelm of the story. It was reminicent enough of "Mists of Avalon" to sound derivative, and therefore unoriginal, but it was not a direct reference to the Arthurian tradition, so the reader did not get an immediate recongition of it. The result was to have the watered-down description of a faint copy of an Avalon-esque society that was familiar enough to be boring, but not familiar enough for the reader to connect to it. This might have been adressed in a much longer trilogy, where the author would have time to describe this society with detail, but, as it was, we ended up with something that felt like a pastel drawing of an oil painting; pretty enough, but weak, pale, without vivid colors or depth.

This is a great pity, not only because the core idea (the twin sisters, the ancient prophesy about them) was brilliant, but because the story and the characters outside this Avalon-lookalike place were very well drawn, charming and compelling. I cannot help but feel that it would be much better if the author had resisted the foray into Arthurian legent and stuck with the "real" world.

For the rest, the story was quite well-written, but I confess certain repetitions grated on me. The most annoying one was the constant use of "even still" in place of "even though". English is not my first language, so I am not sure if this is grammatically correct, but as it appeared too often to be a typo I can only assume it is. But even if it is grammatically correct, it was used so often (practically in every other page) it got on my nerves.