carroq's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
So the initial premise for this book is lacking: the main character's mother dies, so Christian and his father move to a new town where he is an outcast. He is taken in by the other outsiders at his school and things start to get more interesting. They seem to dabble in magic as a lark, but it turns out to be real. Christian finds himself in over his head.
This book gets very dark between the magic rituals and the fallout that Christian faces. That darkness sets this book apart from similar books that I've read. And I like that Christian's progression through the book feels natural.
My favorite part of the book is probably the art. When the magic begins to show up, the art brings it out subtly. It adds to the tension and darkness of the book too. Aside from a few stumbling points related to the plot, this is a solid book worth picking up.
So the initial premise for this book is lacking: the main character's mother dies, so Christian and his father move to a new town where he is an outcast. He is taken in by the other outsiders at his school and things start to get more interesting. They seem to dabble in magic as a lark, but it turns out to be real. Christian finds himself in over his head.
This book gets very dark between the magic rituals and the fallout that Christian faces. That darkness sets this book apart from similar books that I've read. And I like that Christian's progression through the book feels natural.
My favorite part of the book is probably the art. When the magic begins to show up, the art brings it out subtly. It adds to the tension and darkness of the book too. Aside from a few stumbling points related to the plot, this is a solid book worth picking up.
urlphantomhive's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 Stars
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
I fell for The Circle because of the nice cover. The art inside is slightly different, but still the strongest point of the graphic novel.
Christian has just moved to a rather boring small town and has some troubles adjusting and finding new friends. That is, until he’s tricked by a couple of teenagers with sinister plans to be a part of their circle. Things go wrong quickly from there.
It was a very quick read, but the story was not that interesting. It has all been done before and especially Christian is so very naïve. Also, it was as if a lot of the story was missing still because a lot happens in such a small number of pages that the events (and the ‘why’s behind it) stayed un(der)developed.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
I fell for The Circle because of the nice cover. The art inside is slightly different, but still the strongest point of the graphic novel.
Christian has just moved to a rather boring small town and has some troubles adjusting and finding new friends. That is, until he’s tricked by a couple of teenagers with sinister plans to be a part of their circle. Things go wrong quickly from there.
It was a very quick read, but the story was not that interesting. It has all been done before and especially Christian is so very naïve. Also, it was as if a lot of the story was missing still because a lot happens in such a small number of pages that the events (and the ‘why’s behind it) stayed un(der)developed.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
kittykult's review against another edition
3.0
A teenage boy named Christian moves to a new town with his father. He befriends a group of outcasts and they decide to mess with the occult. Unfortunately, the only way to stop the ritual that possessed them is by killing off his new friends, one by one.
I enjoyed the art (Alyzia Zherno goes off every time) and the story was mostly fun. "New kid gets into the wrong crowd" is one of my favorite horror tropes. At first I thought the story was going a different way because there was a nod to The Lost Boys when they first hang out.
Unfortunately, I feel like the pacing was a little off, and this is something that happens occasionally with graphic novels - the story and characters are not fleshed out and so the story feels rushed and by the time we get momentum and start enjoying the world, BOOM everything is off the rails and the end comes slamming into you. Also there's a bit of a problematic "gy**y" arc and this was created in like 2017 so c'mon we know that's a slur and we shouldn't use stereotypes of nomadic cultures to resolve plot lines, thank you.
Overall, I was disappointed because I went into this wanting so much more than I ended up getting, but I didn't think the story itself was terrible, Damon Clark just needed to build on it a little more.
Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy. Let me be the first to apologize for taking ages to get around to reviewing this book even though I received it before it was published. I am a bad little bean.
I enjoyed the art (Alyzia Zherno goes off every time) and the story was mostly fun. "New kid gets into the wrong crowd" is one of my favorite horror tropes. At first I thought the story was going a different way because there was a nod to The Lost Boys when they first hang out.
Unfortunately, I feel like the pacing was a little off, and this is something that happens occasionally with graphic novels - the story and characters are not fleshed out and so the story feels rushed and by the time we get momentum and start enjoying the world, BOOM everything is off the rails and the end comes slamming into you. Also there's a bit of a problematic "gy**y" arc and this was created in like 2017 so c'mon we know that's a slur and we shouldn't use stereotypes of nomadic cultures to resolve plot lines, thank you.
Overall, I was disappointed because I went into this wanting so much more than I ended up getting, but I didn't think the story itself was terrible, Damon Clark just needed to build on it a little more.
Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy. Let me be the first to apologize for taking ages to get around to reviewing this book even though I received it before it was published. I am a bad little bean.
jilljemmett's review against another edition
2.0
Christian and his father move to a new town to be closer to his grandparents after his mother dies. He gets into some fights with other kids on the first day at his new high school. Another group of kids notice him and invite him to go to their hangout in the forest. They say they need one more person to join their group to complete the ritual. They proceed to perform rituals, which involves killing people from their school.
This is a strange story. It was very unpredictable.
The art was confusing at times because of the dark colours. The style reminded me of Tim Burton. However, many of the characters looked alike so I couldn't differentiate between them.
There was a lot of unnecessary profanity in the story. The feelings of the characters could have been displayed in a more emotional way if there wasn't as much swearing.
Some parts of the story were inconsistent too. On one page, Christian's father tells him he doesn't have school because it's Sunday, but in the next frame he is heading out the door for school. I couldn't tell if he was dreaming, if his father was wrong, or it was a mistake in the comic.
I think this story could have been much more successful with some more editing.
This is a strange story. It was very unpredictable.
The art was confusing at times because of the dark colours. The style reminded me of Tim Burton. However, many of the characters looked alike so I couldn't differentiate between them.
There was a lot of unnecessary profanity in the story. The feelings of the characters could have been displayed in a more emotional way if there wasn't as much swearing.
Some parts of the story were inconsistent too. On one page, Christian's father tells him he doesn't have school because it's Sunday, but in the next frame he is heading out the door for school. I couldn't tell if he was dreaming, if his father was wrong, or it was a mistake in the comic.
I think this story could have been much more successful with some more editing.
andyn5's review against another edition
5.0
A great, creepy graphic novel to be fully enjoyed!
After the death of his mother, Christian and his father moved to Shell Bay. Christian doesn’t seem to be destined for an easy life. As he starts in a new school, he becomes the target of bullies. When the group of weird kids help him, Christian becomes part of something that he doesn’t fully understand. Unknowingly, he joins them in an occult ritual that gets them possessed by darkness. Soon, they all start developing strange powers and Christian learns right after that it comes at a high price. Faced with horrifying truth, he has to make a choice if he wants to reverse the ritual: kill off the circle before they kill him or let the darkness take over him completely. Will he be able to make his choice before time runs out?
Both the story and the art are amazing and they complement each other very nicely. The angle of the drawings and the dark colours only bring out the horror of the story more.
The story develops at a steady, suspenseful pace and it ends with a dramatic climax. There isn’t a boring moment with this graphic novel. There aren’t any loose ends left when the story is over and I felt that the story should have a sequel. Damon Clark started and finished the story completely, but I think there’s still space to explore Christian’s life after his horrifying adventure. However, I felt that the deaths and the ultimate feeling of fear weren’t truly there. Everything happens very fast and I couldn’t feel or see the impact of the events on the characters. It would have given more depth to the plot.
This graphic novel is all about wrong choices; how bad life can get, especially when one thinks it cannot get any worse. On the contrary, of other graphic novels, the main character doesn’t have a single drop of luck. Every time he tries to make amends, everything just turns ever so darker.
I read this novel in one go, I couldn’t put it down. Even though it’s a horror story, I felt nostalgic and a bit like a kid again when I was reading it. I recommend it!
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Diamond Book Distributors and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book.
After the death of his mother, Christian and his father moved to Shell Bay. Christian doesn’t seem to be destined for an easy life. As he starts in a new school, he becomes the target of bullies. When the group of weird kids help him, Christian becomes part of something that he doesn’t fully understand. Unknowingly, he joins them in an occult ritual that gets them possessed by darkness. Soon, they all start developing strange powers and Christian learns right after that it comes at a high price. Faced with horrifying truth, he has to make a choice if he wants to reverse the ritual: kill off the circle before they kill him or let the darkness take over him completely. Will he be able to make his choice before time runs out?
Both the story and the art are amazing and they complement each other very nicely. The angle of the drawings and the dark colours only bring out the horror of the story more.
The story develops at a steady, suspenseful pace and it ends with a dramatic climax. There isn’t a boring moment with this graphic novel. There aren’t any loose ends left when the story is over and I felt that the story should have a sequel. Damon Clark started and finished the story completely, but I think there’s still space to explore Christian’s life after his horrifying adventure. However, I felt that the deaths and the ultimate feeling of fear weren’t truly there. Everything happens very fast and I couldn’t feel or see the impact of the events on the characters. It would have given more depth to the plot.
This graphic novel is all about wrong choices; how bad life can get, especially when one thinks it cannot get any worse. On the contrary, of other graphic novels, the main character doesn’t have a single drop of luck. Every time he tries to make amends, everything just turns ever so darker.
I read this novel in one go, I couldn’t put it down. Even though it’s a horror story, I felt nostalgic and a bit like a kid again when I was reading it. I recommend it!
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Diamond Book Distributors and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book.
antoniaptl's review against another edition
3.0
I'd like to thank the publisher for providing with a copy of this book through NetGalley.
The story revolves around Christian Reynolds, a teenager who moves to a new town with his father (Thomas) after his mother's death. Fast enough, he becomes the target of bullies (Chad and Brett). Being the new kid in town means he has no friends, thus when Daniel, Phoebe, Todd, Rachel and Justin approach him, he quickly starts hanging out with them. However, he doesn't know the secret they share. They need Christian in order to complete a spell where they summon demons to gain power and beat the bullies. The so-called Circle, succeeds and everyone seem to have a unique power, which rises from the summoned demon(s). They kill in order to gain more power and when the time comes they try to persuade Christian into helping them for a second time, in order to gain the power to control the demon within them and not let him take over. Christian doesn't want anything to do with them no longer, hence they kidnap his father and blackmail Christian into meeting them. Of course, Christian has other plans, but I'll let you read it and see for youself.
This comic involved everything it promised it would. It is within the fantasy and supernatural realm. It is a very dark, grim, scary tale of a teenager peer pressure gone wrong. Very similar concept, but it was well organized. It seemed rushed at points, so that is probably the reason I will give it 3 stars, but it was nonetheless a good read! The other reason, is that I found a particular Father-Son dialogue to be very unrealistic from the father's part. I found the design of the illustrations to be completely accurate, detailed and on point with the story!
I could also see the relation between Christian's name with Christianity vs the summoned demons with represent hell and Satan. Maybe that's just me though!
I definitely recommend this comic to anyone that likes comics (duh), but also supernatural tales with a dark twist, that are predictable nonetheless.
The story revolves around Christian Reynolds, a teenager who moves to a new town with his father (Thomas) after his mother's death. Fast enough, he becomes the target of bullies (Chad and Brett). Being the new kid in town means he has no friends, thus when Daniel, Phoebe, Todd, Rachel and Justin approach him, he quickly starts hanging out with them. However, he doesn't know the secret they share. They need Christian in order to complete a spell where they summon demons to gain power and beat the bullies. The so-called Circle, succeeds and everyone seem to have a unique power, which rises from the summoned demon(s). They kill in order to gain more power and when the time comes they try to persuade Christian into helping them for a second time, in order to gain the power to control the demon within them and not let him take over. Christian doesn't want anything to do with them no longer, hence they kidnap his father and blackmail Christian into meeting them. Of course, Christian has other plans, but I'll let you read it and see for youself.
This comic involved everything it promised it would. It is within the fantasy and supernatural realm. It is a very dark, grim, scary tale of a teenager peer pressure gone wrong. Very similar concept, but it was well organized. It seemed rushed at points, so that is probably the reason I will give it 3 stars, but it was nonetheless a good read! The other reason, is that I found a particular Father-Son dialogue to be very unrealistic from the father's part. I found the design of the illustrations to be completely accurate, detailed and on point with the story!
I could also see the relation between Christian's name with Christianity vs the summoned demons with represent hell and Satan. Maybe that's just me though!
I definitely recommend this comic to anyone that likes comics (duh), but also supernatural tales with a dark twist, that are predictable nonetheless.
giralka's review against another edition
4.0
I started and finished reading this in an hour. The first thing I noticed about this graphic novel is its cover illustration. I think it looks pretty amazing and mysterious too. Upon reading it, I was hooked after the first chapter.
I have to say, there isn't really anything out of the ordinary with the plot. In fact, I had already anticipated the rather predictable twist in the story.
However, I genuinely enjoyed reading this. It's a fun read, in my opinion. So if you're looking to take a break from whatever heavy stuff you're reading, give this a try. It'll be out this June!
I have to say, there isn't really anything out of the ordinary with the plot. In fact, I had already anticipated the rather predictable twist in the story.
However, I genuinely enjoyed reading this. It's a fun read, in my opinion. So if you're looking to take a break from whatever heavy stuff you're reading, give this a try. It'll be out this June!
crimilde's review
2.0
Interesting concept, and it started off pretty strongly, but became harder to believe as the story progressed. The end part in particular had a lot of characters behaving in so extremely unnatural ways that it totally destroyed my suspension of disbelief.
Decent read, and it's worth noting that the artstyle is great, in my opinion, definitely this graphic novel's strongest point.
Copy provided for free by Netgalley.
Decent read, and it's worth noting that the artstyle is great, in my opinion, definitely this graphic novel's strongest point.
Copy provided for free by Netgalley.
dbguide2's review
5.0
*Received from Netgalley.
So this my first graphic novel and may I just say that it is absolutely wonderful. Very dark and fantastically written. The fact that it's gruesome just makes it all the more better and the writer even made the teenagers speak how they would normally.
So this my first graphic novel and may I just say that it is absolutely wonderful. Very dark and fantastically written. The fact that it's gruesome just makes it all the more better and the writer even made the teenagers speak how they would normally.
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