The Ninth Circle

The Ninth Circle

 

 

C. A. Harland

 

*This review is based on an advanced reading copy. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read the book in exchange for an honest review*

 

There were one or two things I liked about this book, but I just didn't feel anything while reading it and there were a few discrepancies within the book that I couldn't look past.

 



First things first, the main reason this book made me mad within five seconds of starting it. As an author, you always want to make sure that your book is original, and one way of ensuring this is by researching. Now, when I think of YA books with demon hunters, my first thought is The Mortal Instrument series by Cassandra Clare. I by no means think that this is the greatest series ever, but there's a huge fan base in the YA community that does. There weren't too many similarities within the plot that were like the shadowhunter world, but the main characters are three sisters with the last name Morgenstern.... same as the last name of the main characters in the main competitor's series. This just doesn't make sense to me.

 

The world in this book is pretty cool, there's nine different circles of demon hierarchy and they're separated on their 'specialties' (money laundering vs. gambling, etc.). The ninth is the demon government and the highest rank circle. The Morgenstern sisters hunt demons after their mother taught them everything they know. There's Hartley, Aiva, and Tala. After Hartley goes missing, Tala asks Aiva for help finding her.

 

The chapters are separated by episodes, which is pretty accurate. This read more like a screenplay to me than a book. Too much is going on in each chapter that it really did read like episodes. I can't tell you how many times the sisters fall for traps and miraculously escape with more knowledge than they had (pretty convenient). They also start manifesting some random powers.

 

The explanation for the powers was the best part of the book and I felt like it was so downplayed because of their rescue mission. There's also a few confusing parts (spoilers below):

 

It's revealed that the sister's (may) be half-demons which is cool. Tala completely does not believe this and doesn't want to... but there's a point where she needs to get a job somewhere that only hires demons and she offers her blood as proof. If she doesn't believe she's half-demon, how would that work? And why would she even think to do that? And after she gets the job how can she still deny the fact that she is half-demon? It just didn't make sense. All three sisters are supposed to be super powerful but Aiva's powers make no sense and she seems useless next to Tala. Tala is a super bitch... did not like her one bit. I also don't understand how people call them bitches and sluts the entire book but no one can say 'ass'? It's always arse. There's also the point that they're in Ireland and no one speaks with an Irish accent (other than when they're talking about the police).

And then there's Hartley and the whole rescue mission. If she's so upset that they killed her father, why didn't she defend him or fight her sisters before they killed him? And all of the other demons disappear when they die, so how do they still have her body? And most importantly, why is the main villain demon's name Furfur? Not very threatening.

 

Overall, everything with the Morrigan was cool, but there wasn't enough in there about it and now the gang is split up. It just didn't do it for me.