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mhuang's review
4.0
I received a digital copy of this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and voluntary review
Rating: 4,5 stars!
"The female version of the Winchester brothers"
That's the first thing I saw written about The Ninth Circle, and I immediately knew that I had to read this book even if it was the last thing I'd do. I absolutely LOVE those two, and would actually die for Sam and Dean Winchester so of course I went in with high expectations because of that one sentence and boy, did it live up to those expectations. People, if you feel even a tiny bit the same as I do about the Winchesters, then put aside whatever book you were about to read and make way for the Morgenstern sisters.
The similarities between this book and the Supernatural tv show are undeniable: Tala (Dean) comes bursting into Aiva's (Sam's) completely normal life after their baby sister Hart (John) is missing, and so the two older sisters set out to find her. Despite these similarities, The Ninth Circle has its own suprises as well though, which made me enjoy the story even more. Moreover, it's fast-paced, action filled and there was no ridiculous love interest! Finally a good fantasy story where girls can actually be and stay single throughout the book. For the main characters here, there was no time for silly romance while trying to rescue their baby sister and I loved it!
Plotwise, I think this book totally rocks - the way the demon and the human world flow together? Amazing. The Nighthunters? Super badass, though I would have liked some more details about connections and all that jazz (maybe I've just watched too much Supernatural though). Although, character wise, I think this series could get some improvements - which hopefully will happen in the future. The main characters were really well written and they each were likable in their own way, but I felt like the secondary characters - even Hart, their youngest sister - were lacking.
But in short, The Ninth Cirlce was pretty damn awesome. Definitely a recommender, especially if you like Supernatural or just some old demon hunting family business!
Rating: 4,5 stars!
"The female version of the Winchester brothers"
That's the first thing I saw written about The Ninth Circle, and I immediately knew that I had to read this book even if it was the last thing I'd do. I absolutely LOVE those two, and would actually die for Sam and Dean Winchester so of course I went in with high expectations because of that one sentence and boy, did it live up to those expectations. People, if you feel even a tiny bit the same as I do about the Winchesters, then put aside whatever book you were about to read and make way for the Morgenstern sisters.
The similarities between this book and the Supernatural tv show are undeniable: Tala (Dean) comes bursting into Aiva's (Sam's) completely normal life after their baby sister Hart (John) is missing, and so the two older sisters set out to find her. Despite these similarities, The Ninth Circle has its own suprises as well though, which made me enjoy the story even more. Moreover, it's fast-paced, action filled and there was no ridiculous love interest! Finally a good fantasy story where girls can actually be and stay single throughout the book. For the main characters here, there was no time for silly romance while trying to rescue their baby sister and I loved it!
Plotwise, I think this book totally rocks - the way the demon and the human world flow together? Amazing. The Nighthunters? Super badass, though I would have liked some more details about connections and all that jazz (maybe I've just watched too much Supernatural though). Although, character wise, I think this series could get some improvements - which hopefully will happen in the future. The main characters were really well written and they each were likable in their own way, but I felt like the secondary characters - even Hart, their youngest sister - were lacking.
But in short, The Ninth Cirlce was pretty damn awesome. Definitely a recommender, especially if you like Supernatural or just some old demon hunting family business!
liketheverb's review
4.0
The Ninth Circle is a story about family, about strength, and about compassion. Harland makes it clear that strength is not just physical, but emotional as well. With a plot that has both purpose and clarity, characters that are real and complex, and themes that are ubiquitous and important, The Ninth Circle is a story of family, of hardship, of tragedy, and of hope that will make you laugh, cry, and sigh with a mixture of disappointment and exasperation. I enjoyed watching the Morgenstern girls face both the demons of hell and their own internal demons and come out the other side stronger and more resolute than ever.
"As Tala stared at the name, she tried to figure out how she felt. It was something she'd never had to do before. She always knew what she was feeling. She didn't have questions about herself. But now, she was unsure. There was sadness, obviously, and pain, and regret, and several other things that were so tangled up she couldn't identify them. She wondered if Ava was experiencing the same thing, and if she would explain it. Aiva was better at things like feelings. But as she looked at her sister, Tala couldn't bring herself to ask."
"As Tala stared at the name, she tried to figure out how she felt. It was something she'd never had to do before. She always knew what she was feeling. She didn't have questions about herself. But now, she was unsure. There was sadness, obviously, and pain, and regret, and several other things that were so tangled up she couldn't identify them. She wondered if Ava was experiencing the same thing, and if she would explain it. Aiva was better at things like feelings. But as she looked at her sister, Tala couldn't bring herself to ask."
ameserole's review
4.0
I received a copy of The Ninth Circle, Book 1: Fire via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Oh, it was. So, The Ninth Circle is based in Ireland (which I'm dying to see personally!!) and it's about Tala Morgenstern and her sister Aiva Morgenstern. Sidenote: The name Morgenstern makes me think of Valentine from the The Mortal Instruments series. So Tala and Avia have to work together to find their sister Hartley, who disappeared when she was on the trail of her long-lost father. Oh, and they are demon freaking hunters. See now it's totally reasonable that I thought of Cassandra Clare while I was reading this.
So the two sisters track down Hartley's whereabouts throughoutthe circles of hell Dublin's criminal network. Now I'm not going to spoil all of the circles and what is waiting for them there but picture it has a YA version of Dante's Inferno with a twist because there's a shitload of demons and such. For example, the sisters will meet harpies, hellhounds, sirens, etc.
Honestly, I liked this book. It had bits and pieces from the story line that made me think of shows, like: Shadowhunters or Supernatural (which I just actually started watching too!--HELLLLO DEAN <3). Or it made me think of books, like Dante's Inferno obviously, The Mortal Instruments, and for some reason I can't think of the other book that comes to my mind--I think it might be by Jodi Picoult, but I have no idea! It's like on the tip of my tongue.
In the end, I liked both Tala and Aiva. I honestly couldn't pick a favorite sister, they are equally amazing in my eyes. I have nothing to complain about them. Plus the POV's were highly entertaining.
I seriously cannot wait for the next book. If you're a supernatural fan, a YA fan, a YA supernatural fan, or you just like books and need one to past the time: I suggest you read this book immediately!
Spoiler
Now I'm fairly new to NetGalley and I was just browsing through some books when I came across The Ninth Circle and honestly I asked for it mostly because of the cover. But then I read the synopsis and I was instantly intrigued. I have never read a book written by C.A. Harland so I was interested if this book would be a good match for me.Oh, it was. So, The Ninth Circle is based in Ireland (which I'm dying to see personally!!) and it's about Tala Morgenstern and her sister Aiva Morgenstern. Sidenote: The name Morgenstern makes me think of Valentine from the The Mortal Instruments series. So Tala and Avia have to work together to find their sister Hartley, who disappeared when she was on the trail of her long-lost father. Oh, and they are demon freaking hunters. See now it's totally reasonable that I thought of Cassandra Clare while I was reading this.
So the two sisters track down Hartley's whereabouts throughout
Honestly, I liked this book. It had bits and pieces from the story line that made me think of shows, like: Shadowhunters or Supernatural (which I just actually started watching too!--HELLLLO DEAN <3). Or it made me think of books, like Dante's Inferno obviously, The Mortal Instruments, and for some reason I can't think of the other book that comes to my mind--I think it might be by Jodi Picoult, but I have no idea! It's like on the tip of my tongue.
In the end, I liked both Tala and Aiva. I honestly couldn't pick a favorite sister, they are equally amazing in my eyes. I have nothing to complain about them. Plus the POV's were highly entertaining.
I seriously cannot wait for the next book. If you're a supernatural fan, a YA fan, a YA supernatural fan, or you just like books and need one to past the time: I suggest you read this book immediately!
eroof514's review
2.0
I received an e-copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. I really enjoyed this book and it reminded me of a female irish Supernatural. Tala and Aiva have grown up learning to be demon hunters. Their sister Hartley goes missing and they are the only ones who can find her. They go through many different leads and demon circles looking for their sister. This is a fast paced book and one that is easy to get into. I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes a good demon hunter story or who likes the show Supernatural. The one thing I think could be better about the story is the writing, but I know that after first books authors improve writing style.
elsaaqazi's review
4.0
I received the book from Netgalley.
This book had EVERYTHING! From action to amazing story telling and crazy plot twists. I found that there were so many things similar to the show Supernatural in it. And as I love the show I loved the whole Hunter/ Demon situation. This book deserves so much more recognition!
This book had EVERYTHING! From action to amazing story telling and crazy plot twists. I found that there were so many things similar to the show Supernatural in it. And as I love the show I loved the whole Hunter/ Demon situation. This book deserves so much more recognition!
lucyknitsandreads's review
4.0
I can vividly recall the summer when I had to read Dante's [b:Inferno|15645|Inferno (The Divine Comedy #1)|Dante Alighieri|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1333579470s/15645.jpg|2377563]. I was 16 and I was staying with family friends for a few days. As it was on the required reading list for that year, I had to suffer my way through its archaic language and religious theme that I didn't know much about. And even though I struggled with it, the idea of Hell and its circles was fascinating.
[a:C.A. Harland|8434494|C.A. Harland|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1442982943p2/8434494.jpg]'s [b:The Ninth Circle, Book 1: Fire|34861977|The Ninth Circle, Book 1 Fire (The Ninth Circle #1)|C.A. Harland|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1492266805s/34861977.jpg|56104863] was a more youth-friendly re-imagination of the same story, mixing it with a bit of the Winchester brothers' trade. Even the structure of it reminded me of Supernatural, and that made this book even better.
See, the story -for the most part- is like that of Supernatural. We have the Morgenstern sisters, Tala, Aiva and Hartley who grew up in a Nighthunter family, chasing demons and other supernatural creatures. Tala and Hartley work as private investigators, specialising in the supernatural (and everything that "normal" people would simply call odd.) The third sister, Aiva, gave up the family trade when the sisters moved to Dublin after their mother's death and she works as a librarian. But her little sister, Hartley, goes missing while trying to find the father she never knew, and so Aiva has to join Tala to find her.
They have to track Hartley's every movement through Dublin's criminal network, the Circles. Every circle has a different function in the magical underworld which we get to know step by step. The first chapter is about the First Circle, where low-level demons operate as recruiters, finding humans who are willing to sell their souls to demons. The Second Circle that runs brothels and doesn't shy away from human trafficking. The Third Circle which revolves around drugs. The Fourth Circle that caters to gamblers whose debts land with the collectors of the Fifth Circle. The Sixth Circle does all the money laundering while the Seventh Circle provides all the weapons needed by demons in the Fifth, just as they are guns-for-hire. The Eighth Circle is home to demons dealing with document forgeries and scams and they are the guards of the Archive - where they keep all the records of Hell. The most powerful of them all is the Ninth Circle, which is the governing body of the underworld.
Apart from all the Circles that we get a glimpse of, we meet many creatures of Hell. Harpies, hellhounds, selkies, sirens and a lot more.
*~*
I can say I enjoyed this book a lot. For one, I really like Supernatural, so a version where women my age are the main protagonists is right up my valley. The world-building was very interesting and I loved Aiva. There even was a Bobby Singer like character named Owen, a guy who was like a father to the girls. And I think this resemblance was the reason why it took me this long to finish this book. Okay, I've been busy with work, but still. Most nights I could have read a few pages before bed but I just watched my TV shows instead. Because this felt a bit like another episode of Supernatural, and harsh as it is, if you watch 10 of those, you can pretty much say you've seen them all. I mean, it was written on Netgalley, "The Ninth Circle is made up of twelve sequential episodes. These episodes each detail a story or adventure of Tala and Aiva, which when combined, make up a complete novel". And it really was like that. Demon Hunting Sisters, Season 1, Episodes 1-12.
That being said, I would recommend this book to everyone who's a fan of Supernatural and stories about demons and Hell because it's a nice little read. But don't expect a closure because the story goes on with book #2, Strength! Let's hope we don't need to wait long.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
[a:C.A. Harland|8434494|C.A. Harland|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1442982943p2/8434494.jpg]'s [b:The Ninth Circle, Book 1: Fire|34861977|The Ninth Circle, Book 1 Fire (The Ninth Circle #1)|C.A. Harland|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1492266805s/34861977.jpg|56104863] was a more youth-friendly re-imagination of the same story, mixing it with a bit of the Winchester brothers' trade. Even the structure of it reminded me of Supernatural, and that made this book even better.
See, the story -for the most part- is like that of Supernatural. We have the Morgenstern sisters, Tala, Aiva and Hartley who grew up in a Nighthunter family, chasing demons and other supernatural creatures. Tala and Hartley work as private investigators, specialising in the supernatural (and everything that "normal" people would simply call odd.) The third sister, Aiva, gave up the family trade when the sisters moved to Dublin after their mother's death and she works as a librarian. But her little sister, Hartley, goes missing while trying to find the father she never knew, and so Aiva has to join Tala to find her.
They have to track Hartley's every movement through Dublin's criminal network, the Circles. Every circle has a different function in the magical underworld which we get to know step by step. The first chapter is about the First Circle, where low-level demons operate as recruiters, finding humans who are willing to sell their souls to demons. The Second Circle that runs brothels and doesn't shy away from human trafficking. The Third Circle which revolves around drugs. The Fourth Circle that caters to gamblers whose debts land with the collectors of the Fifth Circle. The Sixth Circle does all the money laundering while the Seventh Circle provides all the weapons needed by demons in the Fifth, just as they are guns-for-hire. The Eighth Circle is home to demons dealing with document forgeries and scams and they are the guards of the Archive - where they keep all the records of Hell. The most powerful of them all is the Ninth Circle, which is the governing body of the underworld.
Apart from all the Circles that we get a glimpse of, we meet many creatures of Hell. Harpies, hellhounds, selkies, sirens and a lot more.
*~*
I can say I enjoyed this book a lot. For one, I really like Supernatural, so a version where women my age are the main protagonists is right up my valley. The world-building was very interesting and I loved Aiva. There even was a Bobby Singer like character named Owen, a guy who was like a father to the girls. And I think this resemblance was the reason why it took me this long to finish this book. Okay, I've been busy with work, but still. Most nights I could have read a few pages before bed but I just watched my TV shows instead. Because this felt a bit like another episode of Supernatural, and harsh as it is, if you watch 10 of those, you can pretty much say you've seen them all. I mean, it was written on Netgalley, "The Ninth Circle is made up of twelve sequential episodes. These episodes each detail a story or adventure of Tala and Aiva, which when combined, make up a complete novel". And it really was like that. Demon Hunting Sisters, Season 1, Episodes 1-12.
That being said, I would recommend this book to everyone who's a fan of Supernatural and stories about demons and Hell because it's a nice little read. But don't expect a closure because the story goes on with book #2, Strength! Let's hope we don't need to wait long.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
anubisvalor's review
5.0
This reminds me so much of supernatural, I love the strong female leads in the story and really hope that their will be a second book and this isn't just a one off.
theprintedgirl's review
2.0
This book reminded me a lot of the supernatural TV series. It’s about a family of 3 people who used to hunt demons together. One person decided to quit and now another person of the family is missing and they have to go and find him/her in a world filled with monsters. I’m not saying that this is exactly the same or that there is some sort of plagiarism. I’m just pretty sure that if you like that TV show, you will probably like this too. It is exciting and scary and has many action scenes.
Let me start the actual review of by saying that I really liked the overall story. It was a unique story and I think the writer is really skilled in describing scenes and actions. The characters were also really detailed, something I consider one of the most important things in making or breaking a book. There were many surprises and plot twists, which made it a real page turner at some points!
But I did have one issue with this book. I think it lacked some kind of side story. It was just the main story line and that was it. Everything that happened was something that was needed for the audience understand the story. There was never a moment where there was a side track in any way. When there was a scene that wasn’t necessary to the plot it only lasted half a page and afterwards it was never mentioned again. Because of this lack of diversity in the story I got the feeling that it was just action scene after action scene. It's difficult to explain what exactly was the problem, it just lacked something I take for granted in all other books. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the book. But it was just a little too much action for me.
I’m looking forward to reading the other books in this series!
Blog | Tumblr
Let me start the actual review of by saying that I really liked the overall story. It was a unique story and I think the writer is really skilled in describing scenes and actions. The characters were also really detailed, something I consider one of the most important things in making or breaking a book. There were many surprises and plot twists, which made it a real page turner at some points!
But I did have one issue with this book. I think it lacked some kind of side story. It was just the main story line and that was it. Everything that happened was something that was needed for the audience understand the story. There was never a moment where there was a side track in any way. When there was a scene that wasn’t necessary to the plot it only lasted half a page and afterwards it was never mentioned again. Because of this lack of diversity in the story I got the feeling that it was just action scene after action scene. It's difficult to explain what exactly was the problem, it just lacked something I take for granted in all other books. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the book. But it was just a little too much action for me.
I’m looking forward to reading the other books in this series!
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endlessmidnight's review
2.0
Well, if you want to read this book refer to the last pages where the glossary is. Otherwise, you will be like me, asking constant questions, what are the ten circles, what are the difference creatures? Wait, what since when is there a new creature? Well, the author provided a very extensive glossary, but didn’t came in useful since it was at the back.
And I was thrown into this world without any cushion and look lightheaded to figure out what they all are. Nighthunters who hunt creatures or demons or whatever.
The only thing that did manage to ground me somewhat was the main characters. They were like a vessel to read through, and they did have some personality but really, I don’t even know what to make of them since both Tala and Avia are just there. I can read through them, the narration is smooth. But is there anything else that stands out? Nope.
As for the plot, would have worked better if I was not confused, just a teensy little bit of info dumping I would not have minded. But here, I was wondering what was going on. Is there even anything to help me? And well, I could barely imagine what the demons look like, and all the hidden nuances about the demons, the back story behind the characters which never seemed to really have a place or even spurred them on until the last quarter of the book.
And really again, nothing sucked me in. The writing was okay, and readable. The characters, in my eyes don’t exactly feel real yet. And the worldbuilding, please I beg of you, just do some info dumping, I don’t even understand any of what the characters are talking about. Except the go to bars, hunt demons and whatever I could figure it out.
My verdict: up to you.
And I was thrown into this world without any cushion and look lightheaded to figure out what they all are. Nighthunters who hunt creatures or demons or whatever.
The only thing that did manage to ground me somewhat was the main characters. They were like a vessel to read through, and they did have some personality but really, I don’t even know what to make of them since both Tala and Avia are just there. I can read through them, the narration is smooth. But is there anything else that stands out? Nope.
As for the plot, would have worked better if I was not confused, just a teensy little bit of info dumping I would not have minded. But here, I was wondering what was going on. Is there even anything to help me? And well, I could barely imagine what the demons look like, and all the hidden nuances about the demons, the back story behind the characters which never seemed to really have a place or even spurred them on until the last quarter of the book.
And really again, nothing sucked me in. The writing was okay, and readable. The characters, in my eyes don’t exactly feel real yet. And the worldbuilding, please I beg of you, just do some info dumping, I don’t even understand any of what the characters are talking about. Except the go to bars, hunt demons and whatever I could figure it out.
My verdict: up to you.
kerrimcbooknerd's review
3.0
I would like to thank Netgallery/the publisher/C.A. Harland for the this digital ARC in exchange for a review.
Okay. I'm going to start this out by saying I really, really, REALLY wanted to give this book more than three stars. As it is, three stars is kind of pushing it.
This is a story about three sisters, the Morgensterns, who happen to be Nighthunters. Nighthunters is a fancy term for people who hunt down demons, fae, and other supernatural baddies. Basically, it's Supernatural but with women. The action kicks in right out the gate: Hartley, the youngest Morgenstern, is missing and Tala has to convince their erstwhile sister, Aiva, to come back to the world of demon hunting to help find her. The first scene involves plenty of action and I was completely here for this.
And then it just kind of hit a wall. It felt like a lot was being thrown at the reader all at once. There were just too many plotlines to follow and unnecessary characters (looking at you, Detective O'Brien) to keep tabs on. The action scenes were good, but the actual plot was lacking. I will say that I really enjoyed the final chapters, when everything was finally coming to a head. But then one of the major plot points kind of just fizzled out. Unless, of course, it will be brought back up in later books (one can hold out hope). Either way, this book left me feeling dissatisfied. It had such potential to be amazing and it was just... okay.
Still, I was intrigued enough by the Morgenstern sisters that I think I would return to this world, if given the chance. I suppose that's why I finally ended up giving it three stars. Good, not great, but worth another go around.
Okay. I'm going to start this out by saying I really, really, REALLY wanted to give this book more than three stars. As it is, three stars is kind of pushing it.
This is a story about three sisters, the Morgensterns, who happen to be Nighthunters. Nighthunters is a fancy term for people who hunt down demons, fae, and other supernatural baddies. Basically, it's Supernatural but with women. The action kicks in right out the gate: Hartley, the youngest Morgenstern, is missing and Tala has to convince their erstwhile sister, Aiva, to come back to the world of demon hunting to help find her. The first scene involves plenty of action and I was completely here for this.
And then it just kind of hit a wall. It felt like a lot was being thrown at the reader all at once. There were just too many plotlines to follow and unnecessary characters (looking at you, Detective O'Brien) to keep tabs on. The action scenes were good, but the actual plot was lacking. I will say that I really enjoyed the final chapters, when everything was finally coming to a head. But then one of the major plot points kind of just fizzled out. Unless, of course, it will be brought back up in later books (one can hold out hope). Either way, this book left me feeling dissatisfied. It had such potential to be amazing and it was just... okay.
Still, I was intrigued enough by the Morgenstern sisters that I think I would return to this world, if given the chance. I suppose that's why I finally ended up giving it three stars. Good, not great, but worth another go around.