Circle of Fire | by: Michelle Zink

Lia is anticipating the prophecy to be over, but there's still a lot to do before that can happen. She and her allies need to find the rest of the keys, find the stone, and try to avoid her twin sister Alice's appearance. But the biggest threat of all? The presence of the Souls that haunt Lia in her sleep is becoming more and more profound. If they continue to torment her, Lia fears she may not make it to end the prophecy once and for all despite the support of her friends.

I absolutely loved Michelle Zink's Prophecy of the Sisters and Guardian of the Gate, and I expected to adore this final book in Zink's trilogy just as much. I was so confident that this awesome story wouldn't let me down, especially when I liked this sequel about as much as the first. In fact, I was a bit sad upon cracking this book open, because then one of my favorite YA series was that much closer to being over.

But unfortunately, even though Circle of Fire had some positives going for it, I found it disappointing compared to the previous books. And strangely enough, some of the characters and elements I used to like about this trilogy seemed to be at the heart of any irritation I experienced while reading.

First of all, Lia. In my reviews of Prophecy of the Sisters and Guardian of the Gate, I mentioned how I liked her well enough, but I couldn't stand her this time around. She whined nonstop (though considering her situation, one can't be realistic to get too mad) and her situation with all of her friends just felt really awkward, primarily because I didn't know who I agreed with. I understood why Lia felt like she couldn't trust anyone, but I also understood why Luisa and Sonia were mad at her for not trusting them. So, I just got annoyed with everyone, which is often what I tend to do with real-life drama.

But then Dimitri... I also liked him before, and really, there's nothing wrong with him now. It just irked me that his relationship with Lia got magnified more than the rather large problems at hand. It all felt a bit cheesy and really threw the whole book off. Besides, I never signed up for romance when I picked this up; I signed up for the creepy elements concerning Lia and her sister, I signed up for a solid finale that didn't involve her thinking of her boyfriend in ways no girl in the 19th century would have. I know that Lia's previous visit to Altus gave her a different view on what society could be like, but I highly doubt that two weeks there would change any typical New England girl's concept of what is appropriate.

Similarly, the writing in this book sometimes felt melodramatic with its choppy sentences and repetative phrases. This surprised me; I loved Zink's writing in the past two books. Did her style change from Guardian of the Gate to Circle of Fire, or did my preference just change? Honestly... I think it just depends on what she's writing about. When Zink would write about how tired everyone is from the prophecy, I just rolled my eyes. Her generally dark writing style seemed to make everyone's exhaustion seem too dramatic, but by the time we get to the climax, falling action, and resolution, it's just as great as I remembered it to be. I even teared up a little during the last ten pages.

Hence, from the climax until the end of the book, I was satisfied. Even though it wasn't necessarily predictable, this series ended the only way it could have. The old elements of Prophecy of the Sisters seemed to come back then, particularly that of sisterhood. Alice and Lia's unusual relationship was the center of my attention in that first book, and then again at the end of the final book. But this time, it came back full circle. So essentially, the ending saved this book, along with the creepy setting when looking for the stone earlier.

This is why my emotions towards this book are a bit conflicting. I have the cool ending fresh in my head, and that deters me from making a general statement about the whole book when I wasn't exactly happy with parts of it. But it's not as if I didn't like it, either. I just wanted to like it as much or more than the other books in this trilogy, and unfortunately, it didn't quite happen.

However, I still encourage people to try out this trilogy, because it's great overall. And though this final book was exactly what I was hoping for, it wasn't written without positives.

3.5/5 Stars

Guardian of the Gate | by: Michelle Zink

Finally, I got my hands on a copy of Michelle Zink's Guardian of the Gate, the sequal to her debut novel, Prophecy of the Sisters. I don't know how I ever managed to wait so long before continuing this awesome YA trilogy!

Eight months after Lia left for London, she and Sonia wait for the keys to be found in order to end the prophecy. But, it seems now that as the search for the keys continues, they must travel to find the missing pages of the prophecy in order to learn how to end it forever. Though they do not travel alone, they must keep watch for the Souls trying to get to Lia in order to get her to aid their opposing side in the prophecy.

All the while, Lia's twin sister, Alice, is also a threat to Lia's side. As she grows even stronger, Alice is now intervening with the life Lia left behind in New York; the life that involved James.

Lia and Alice may be sisters, but more than anything, they are enemies.

This tale of rival twins is a dark and adventurous one! As it was with Prophecy of the Sisters the mood is just right. It may be creepy, but it's far from low-spirited. Perhaps this balance is even more evident in Guardian of the Gate because there's so much traveling involved, which helps to build anticipation as one reads. Though the characters often travel, their voyages do not get particularly monotonous as some journies can be. It was all quite eventful with plenty of surprises.

One of those surprises is Dimitri. At first, we get a glimpse of his character, but then BAM - he's important. When I say it like this, I don't mean that the pace wasn't even or anything negative. I was just surprised to see this character really come forth. Well, maybe I did expect that... I guess I just didn't expect to like him so much. When it comes to YA series' anymore, I always expect a new love interest that I don't like as much to be introduced in the second book. Dimitri didn't follow that typical standard. Sure, he's a new love interest. But he's likeable and seems smart thus far. Even in terms of plot, not much is predictable.

Also, I enjoyed reading about Luisa. If I ever laughed during this book, it was because of her. Oppositely, some of the grumpy women on Altus really annoyed me. Especially Ursula. Anyway, I felt for Lia whenever she had to have awkward conversations with these snooty people, no matter how beautiful of a place Altus may be. I really hope that these cranky women don't get in Lia's way or add to her current level of stress in the next book.

Unfortunately, we don't get to see much of Lia's sinister sibling, Alice. This happens due to all of the traveling Lia must do in Guardian of the Gate, bringing her away from her power-crazed sister. Let's face it, Alice is kind of creepy, but that makes her interesting to read about. And obviously, you kind of need her in order to enforce the whole twin enemies concept. This concept is still enforced though her lack of presence made it less potent.

But as with the first book, the general plot and the writing of Guardian of the Gate captured my attention more than any of the other elements, especially now that there are more twists in this stupendous sequal. Although our poor protagonist, Lia, has to deal with all of these new twists, she seems to deal with it all quite well, but not unreasonably. At times she is exhausted and constantly dwells on even the more minute problems, but she's one of the smarter protagonists of YA. She thinks.

I must admit that I adore this trilogy! Reading both books have been such fun! I refuse to wait around too long before finally buying Circle of Fire, the final book of Lia's story. With the first two novels being more than exceptional, I'm sure that I won't be disappointed.

4.5/5 Stars


Zink, Michelle. Guardian of the Gate
New York: Little, Brown and Company
2010

Prophecy of the Sisters | by: Michelle Zink

After a tragedy strikes the family, Lia Milthorpe discovers a peculiar mark on her wrist. Even so, that is not the only strange thing happening within her wealthy home. Her twin sister, Alice, has already grown distant, but the discovery of a mysterious book may explain it all as well as raise more questions.

Odd as it seems, she and her sister are part of an ancient prophecy. Though the parts they are to play within it are quite potent, it seems that their sisterhood will be torn apart as their individual free will turns them against another. Their opposing desires will have them working in opposition of the other as Lia begins to find allies she can trust in this unique and eerie Victorian-based story.

Though this is the second time I've read Prophecy of the Sisters, I may have actually enjoyed it more than the first, which is quite a compliment since I already really loved it.

One of the first things that caught my attention while reading this book was Michelle Zink's writing. It's fantastic! And the characters she created were so natural. Oftentimes, different characters of a novel tend to have rather extreme characteristics that make them stick out in a more forced way, but Michelle Zink is better than this. Prophecy of the Sisters had characters that were well-defined without extreme qualities. Because of this, I loved reading about these characters - even Alice, who creeped me out at times.

Since this is a Victorian novel, I would have expected it to fall under a certain mental catagory I have made when reading books that take place in older periods of history. It's not that I have anything against books that take place further back in time, because I actually love that - especiallly the Victorian era in which Prophecy of the Sisters was written for. My problem is the way that some authors handle it. They really want to make sure that the reader gets the correct feel of the time period by babbling nonstop about the time period. It comes to a certain point where I don't want to read about wagons anymore; I want plot. Michelle Zink did not do this. The 1800's felt so natural in this book, and I praise Michelle Zink for this in addition to her other great writing skills.

Prophecy of the Sisters has a generally creepy/mysterious vibe to it, but it isn't generally gloomy either. It's actually quite adventurous and fun as it is evenly paced. That's not to say that there are no dark matters in this book, because their are plenty. The paranormal elements are hair-rising and the times of tragedy are filled with sorrow. Throughout the entire reading experience, something is always happening as Lia tries to solve the mysteries of the prophecy. But, the climax is still ever-present despite the consistent pace.

I was really intrigued by the general concept of this book, with twin sisters battling against the other as well as the prophecy being a mythological version of the Bible's apocalypse. The times of darkness readers will encounter within the plot is kind of scary, and I liked that. Besides, the bits of magic, like all magic, made me happy. But more than anything, I loved the eerie elements, especially the freaky medallion. I can't say much about this without spoiling anything; I'll just tell you it's cool.

Really... there's not much left to say. No complaints whatsoever. Prophecy of the Sisters is an impeccable novel and I will definitely read the next two books in this trilogy, as this first novel has proved to be greatly written and one-of-a-kind.

4.5/5 Stars


Zink, Michelle. Prophecy of the Sisters
New York: Little, Brown and Company
2009