An interesting style of story, which doesn't restrain the narrative at all. This fantasy has a strong central theme with intertwining sub-plots

This book has an interesting idea and format. It reminds me of the way old school novels used to be serialized in magazines, keeping readers hungry for the next installment. I think this is a clever way to keep readers engaged and give them something to look forward to!

The character development overall was strong, and I always like a strong female cast. I think the one thing that really lacked for me in the book was subtext. Each scene seemed necessary to the plot; the story was told, it didn't have that "unfolding" feel. Subtext would have kept the reader more engaged in the story and really excited for the next installment. This didn't make the story "bad" though, and the positive thing about writing in a series format is that the subtext could be built up throughout the next 11 pieces of the story.

This book starts off a bit slow. The first chapter is a bit dry and could be improved, but once I hit chapter two I was hooked. Supernatural fans will love this book.

A pair of sisters looking for their lost youngest sister, except that they have to fight through hordes of demons through layers of "Circles", one more difficult than the next.
The Ninth Circle is action packed and sassy. If you are familiar with the YA genre, then this book will not stray from the norm. I enjoyed the short stories in the first few chapters that linked up with the main story.

This is definitely one of those middle-of-the-road reads for me. The concept was intriguing and mostly the plot was a fun time, but the plot also got kind of convoluted. There was a lot going on - sub-plots and constant battles. For me personally it got a little confusing and distracting.

I ended up not feeling like I'll continue with the series, but by no means did I DISLIKE this book. I just think a little bit more editing of the plot could have been helpful.

"But tell me something, Nighthunter, who are you to decide which has more right to live, the man or the monster?"

2/5 stars-DNF

When I had read the summary of this book, it sounded like a "Shadowhunters meet Six of Crows" novel since it had demon fighting with gangs. Who wouldn't that excite? Also, I was a newbie to book blogging and requesting too many ARCs I wasn't that sure that I would ever get to. Once I got to it, I hoped with all my might that it would be a great read; unfortunately, it wasn't.

First, the characters are very distant. Aiva and Tala have the ability to be very interesting characters; however, I never get to connect with any of their troubles because they won't open themselves up to the reader. All I know about them is that their one mission is to save Hartley, their childhood was frightening since they always had a demon chasing them down, and Tala is a fighter while Aiva would much rather quit her Nighthunter job and read (yay!). I made it halfway through and there was no change in the characters nor did their goals change. Aiva still didn't want to deal with her past and didn't want to become a Nighthunter, except when it came to saving her sister. She still wanted to be ignorant to the world unseen to others. Tala has anger issues and cannot go ten minutes without punching something. None of that changes. I wish there was some sort of character development and not a direct route from Stop A to Stop B.

Next, this book is very slow and unnaturally too long for what it needs to be. Harland wants to make sure the reader is following along with the events; however, with having to keep up with the outrageous amount of names I have to remember, I got confused and bored very quickly. Plus, there seemed to be a lot of suspenseful moments that ended with a relieved sigh. This relieved sigh never escaped from a character's mouth nor from mine, but it seemed like the book had some emotions as well as I continued to read it. The same event, which would feature Tala and Aiva both fighting demons in search for their sister, would occur multiple times. I kept wondering if they were going to find Hartley at the end of the tunnel; however, by the third time Tala and Aiva fighting yet more of the same demons, I had enough. I wanted family drama, such as finding that a demon is actually their brother, from the interactions between the demons and Tala and Aiva. I wanted the gang leaders to shed their armor and threaten the demons to a brunch date to eat the most scrupulous waffles ever made. There was never any change, and I want to feel on the edge of my seat in every novel I read, even if it is just Nina Zenik eating waffles with Inej and Kaz on a quiet Saturday afternoon. I want the best for my books and my tears.

Lastly, this book reads like any other adventure novel. It may have some unexpected turns and an author who can write some good scenes, but it feels as if this novel was made from a cookie cutter. It has two kick-butt females, which is great, but they only have one goal: save Hartley before she dies and get attacked unsurprisingly. This book wasn't for me; however, from looking at Goodreads, it seems that a lot of people like this book.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy your day!

I had trouble at first to get into this book (I don’t know why, the first paragraphs felt strange?), however the feeling vanished after a while, once I got used to the narrative style.

The narrative is indeed somewhat specific, in that the chapters seem to me like they mirror episodes from a TV series, with the search for Hartley being the ‘season arc’, and the chapters often revolving around ‘side quests’. This turned out to be both interesting and a weakness. Interesting, because it’s a format I don’t see that often in books; a weakness, because it forced the chapters into a pattern that works on screen, but not so well on books (especially since here, most of the time it was about the sisters finding clues and rushing into a trap). So we had both an overabundance of side plots, but at the same time these plots were discarded after their ‘episode’, and in turn the main narrative was the only real one in the book.

Now, I kind of liked the world building in this story. It’s not the most original ever (there are demons and fae, and humans who train to fight and destroy them and have their own community… we’ve seen that in several series), but the way the nine ‘circles of Hell’ were also involved in the mundane world as nine circles of criminality (prostitution, gambling, money laundering, etc.), and let’s not forget Hell’s Archive and its government, was a good idea. This organisation, this world both parallel to and intertwined with the human world, organised in something understandable, lent more weight, too, to the argument the characters have at some point with the enemy, that is, ‘you kill us demons, but contrary to humans, -we- aren’t given free will, so who’s the most at fault here?’ (So yeah, demons kill and abduct humans and all that, and have to be stopped. Still, that guy had a point.)

I also enjoyed the relationship between the sisters. Tala first appeared as annoying, but redeems this aspect thanks to her strong loyalty to her family. Same with Aiva, who at first looked like she had taken the easy way out for no reason, but turned out to have one (or at least, a trauma explaining her decision), and then focused back on her family when it became really important.

Last but not least, while there were a couple of potential love interests throughout the book, the story remained focused on family relationships (including Owen), and I was glad it didn’t devolve into the typical ‘urban fantasy that is in fact an excuse for some shoddy paranormal romance’ (UF and PNR are two different genres for me, you can tell which one I favour…).

I do regret not seeing more about their relationship with Hartley. All we know about the younger sister is that she’s a paranormal investigator and has a gambling problem, but since she was never seen interacting with her sisters before she vanished, it was difficult for me to really care about her, about what motivated her search, and more importantly, to understand her decisions and her exact plan. It also raises the question of what exactly will happen after that: so there was that huge plan in motion for years, and… Now what? What will the sisters do with their inheritance after that?

Another problem were the action/fight scenes (and there were quite a few), which I found a little too ‘descriptive’, and as such didn’t have enough impact. I didn’t have trouble to imagine them, but I didn’t feel the tension, the adrenaline, so to speak. The writing in general was okay-ish, and didn’t thrill me.

Conclusion: 2.5 stars. It’s not the most original story or world ever, and the writing has just as many good as bad points. I may still be interested in checking out the next book, though, if only to see what the consequences to this series of events will be.

I gave this book 2 stars. I had this book for almost a year and I have to finally give up. This is a DNF at 51% as i can’t make myself read it anymore.

This book has been compared to Supernatural a lot, and yes I do see the similarities. However, at fifty percent, I felt like almost nothing had happened. It was like the first few episodes of Supernatural, except without the subplots so it’s basically two sisters trying to find their other sister and occasionally kicking a demon’s ass to try and get answers. It was just going so slowly and I honestly think it could have been condensed.

Usually when I’m unable to finish a book it’s because it’s truly awful or offensive or just makes me uncomfortable. That isn’t the case with this book, I just think it’s boring. It’s 400 pages of nothing. and I just can’t keep wasting time reading this when there are so many other books I need to read and want to read. Someday I might give it another try because I do think it has so much potential, it just isn’t right for right now.

*This book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review.

*This review is cross-posted to Otakus and Geeks.

This book follows the adventures of Tala and Aiva Morgenstern as they search for their missing sister, Hartley, in a world filled with magic and demons.

The way this flows is just like episodes of a TV show; absolutely riffing off Buffy, Angel, or Supernatural. If you like those shows and want some fastpaced urban fantasy, this isn't half bad. I don't wanna give away too much since there's a lot going on. Sometimes the writing felt forced; trying too hard to be badass but overall, it's a fun read. A bit gory but hey, there's demon killing happening so that's to be expected. 3.4 out of 5.

decided to read for the cover, kept reading for the book. wonderful and magical in all aspects.

Book Review: Ninth Circle by C A Harland
Review by Dawn Thomas

444 Pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Release Date: October 17, 2017

Science Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal

The story takes place in Dublin, Ireland. Tala Morgenstern, a night hunter, is attacked and the necklace her mother gave her is taken. She and her younger sister, Aiva have to find Hartley. She is missing and there is no sign of her. The two sisters do not have much to go on to find her. They find the recruiter for the first circle. He is a half-man half-feline kasha. Now to get answers.

Cara Johnston and her mother Michelle were attacked in a parking lot. Michelle watches helplessly as a dark figure carries Cara and disappears in the night. She goes to Morgenstern Investigations to see if they can help her find Cara. Michelle describes a double rose image, which is the only clue for them to go on. Tala recognizes it as the symbol used by The Two Roses strip club. Aiva believes the women working in the club are sirens. The two sisters have to work through the demons of nine circles to find their sister.

The book is well written and the characters are developed. The book is written in the third person in the present tense. I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys supernatural stories.

As many other reviewers have said, this book is trying to be the female Supernatural, what with the sisters being demon hunters and all. I think for a specific set of reader, this might be appealing. However, it lacks any real emotional impact, the characters feel like they're being held at an arm's length away from the reader. It does have some very well-written action scenes, which is essential in a book about demon hunters, however the plot did not pay off as much as I hoped it would. This is the first book of a series, though, so it's hopefully likely that the plot is just beginning.

OK, this book took a while for me to finish. I admit that half way through it, i stopped reading but I didn't want to put it in the DNF category so, i decided to read it after some time..that 'sometime' turned out to be atleast 2 months... so this time when I read it, I actually quite enjoyed it...I started from the beginning and I actually finished it! Hooray!
Now, I will say that this book 'felt' a little long... it's actually not but there were times where I felt like the pace of the storyline could have been faster. But C'est la vie... that's just my opinion.

Book 1 of The Ninth Circle actually felt somewhat like supernatural but the female version of it. I am at the minority here when I say that I wasn't much a fan of supernaturals (I watch here and there) but THIS book has me intrigued.
I love a book with strong, independent female characters and Fire, definitely did not disappoint.
The storyline is dark and kickass...The plot is rather witty and entertaining.
I can't wait to read book 2 (I know, Color me surprised hahaha)

Absolutely fantastic that I am lost for words. I really enjoyed this book, and I'm assuming from the title and the book, that there will be more. Can't wait to read more from this author.

Please see "notes to publisher" for my comments and thoughts on what I read.

3.5 stars or 7/10.

Promising but not perfect, The Ninth Circle is an exciting read but I found it difficult to connect with the characters and to engage with them fully- although the three sisters who are the main characters became more interesting throughout. It’s worth sticking with this book as it gets more unpredictable (thankfully) as the plot develops. Overall, both the characters are the plot need more depth but i’m hooked enough to want to read the next installment and to recommend it to other fantasy fans.

This book is a nice action-packed urban fantasy book. I appreciated the world the author built and the relationship between the main characters, Tala and Aiva. You can find a more detailed review in the video linked here (english subtitles available).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHfrCbt89xw

Didn't quite enjoy much as I hoped I would. I didn't feel attached to the characters nor did the plot manage to hold my attention.

This was such a fantastic book. Much better than other demon-related books out there and is easy to read. Despite the strained relationships between Aiva and her sisters, I really enjoyed how the plot unveiled.

When little sister Hartley goes missing Aiva must rejoin the family business of demon hunting to help Tala find her. Their search takes them into Dublin’s criminal underground. Where the gangs are led by demons and for every circle up they go the danger increases.

I've read a lot of fantasy books but not many that include Ireland. As Ireland is so close to home in Britain, it's really interesting to lead about the folklore and myth that surrounds the isle. I loved that The Ninth Circle also brought together it's own ideas of hell and of the gangs of demons that lead to hell.

The books mainly about family and betrayal. Over and over again, someone is betrayed and it's always the trust in their own family that brings Aiva back to the family unit. Although there is a very clear divide between the two sisters, Tala and Aiva. They have very different ways of handling things which causes trouble throughout the book.

I thought that this book contained a lot of paranormal cliches and tropes which were not necessary. Personally I think it needed a pinch less paranormal and more fantasy elements. For some reason, there was something that kept reminding me of Twilight era books.

There was a lot shoved into this book. We meet a 'big bad' by the end, after multiple battles with different demons. On the one hand it could have been stretched over 2 books with the betrayal as a cliffhanger and a lesser demon being the end fight. On the other hand that might have made two books lacking something as well. I'm still unsure to how I feel about this as the book seemed to be all about fight, fight, fight.

Overall The Ninth Circle is an enjoyable book. But I couldn't say it was completely unique to others it's genre except for the Irish folklore.

I received The Ninth Circle* by C.A. Harland from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an unbiased and honest review.