The Circle: Book I (The Engelsfors Trilogy)

by Sara B. Elfgren

Paperback, 2014

Status

Available

Publication

The Overlook Press (2014), Edition: 1, 608 pages

Description

On a night after the apparent suicide of high school student Elias Malmgren, a blood-red moon fills the night sky. Minoo wakes up outside her house, still in her pajamas, and is drawn by an invisible force to an abandoned theme park on the outskirts of town. Soon five of her classmates--Vanessa, Linnea, Anna-Karin, Rebecka and Ida--arrive, compelled the same force. A mystical being takes over Ida's body and tells them they are fated to fight an ancient evil that is hunting them. The park is a safe haven; the school, a place of danger. The six are wildly different and definitely not friends...but they are the Chosen Ones. As the weeks pass, each girl discovers she has a unique magical ability. They begin exploring their powers, but they are not all firmly committed to their mission--to discover the truth about Elias's death. Then a horrible tragedy strikes within the circle. Newly determined to fight the evil forces, they begin to learn magic from The Book of Patterns, an ancient work with a will of its own that reveals different things to different witches. In this gripping first installment of the Engelsfors Trilogy, a parallel world emerges in which teenage dreams, insanely annoying parents, bullying, revenge, and love collide with flirtation, dangerous forces, and ancient magic. An international sensation with rights sold in 24 countries, The Circle is razor-sharp and remarkable from start to finish.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member GingerbreadMan
First of all: this book doesn’t really need my praise. Released just a few weeks ago here in Sweden, it seems to be spreading like wildfire. It’s topping several best seller lists, and the reviews are raving. For me, it was the whole front page of the culture section of our biggest daily that
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did it, where one of my favorite critics somewhat baffled called it “beautifully crafted” and “perfect circle”. I’ve already said it’s going to conquer the world, and after finishing I’m still convinced. This is a book you’ll all read. Or deliberately choose not to.

What is it then? Well, it’s a YA brick, first in a planned trilogy. About teenage witches on a mission to stop the apocalypse. Yeah, I know: Woo-bloody-hoo. But it’s also a pitch perfect novel about growing up in a small town where the future left decades ago, about the horrible social games of teenage life and about all kinds of…real stuff. And really, while nothing is perhaps truly original in this book – think Buffy meets Let the right one in meets Fucking Åmål, maybe – it’s just so cleverly balanced between it’s dirty realism and it’s occultism, it cannot be denied. At times, I even wish the authors would stop babbling about demons and just focus on the tension in the locker room. Which is, for me at least, not often the case with this type of literature. And of course, like in Buffy, what Strandberg and Elfgren are doing is also finding the effortless links between these two streams of the story – so that the magic and the horror and the secrets actually become mirrors of teenage life.

In drab, industrial Engelsfors (beautifully captured, for someone who’s grown up in a town like that) six girls from very different social stratas – both at home and in school – are brought to the deserted dance park under a blood red moon. They have nothing in common: the bully, the sporty girl with a secret eating disorder, the outcast, the victim, the white trash and the painfully average. They are not friends. But they are finding out they need to find a way to work together, or die.

People don’t just change here, other than by extremely small steps. And yes, the girls drink, smoke, have sex and are often extremely cruel to each other. This is not a pretty book, nor is it moral. But it rings true, witch circles or not. And of, course, it is virtually impossible to put down.
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LibraryThing member sealwhiskers
To those who call this "a Swedish Twilight" I want to say that this is like Twilight minus the vampires, mediocre language, weak plot, problematic love story and gorgeous broody guys. If you take away all that and instead add a very good plot, very good language and very convincing and engaging
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characters, then yeah, it's EXACTLY like Twilight!
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LibraryThing member -Eva-
Part one of a forthcoming trilogy, which starts off with a spooky death and the introduction of a virtual barrage of characters. It's a little confusing, but once you've got everyone straight in your mind, this is one of the most captivating YA novels I've read. Six girls, all different - the
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outcast, the brain, the popular, the ugly, etc. - have to learn how to work together to defeat the evil power. Doesn't sound all that original, does it? It may have a standard premise and seemingly stereotypical characters, but it's certainly not a standard story. The two authors have managed to bring small-town Sweden (or anywhere, really) to life, along with a realistic depiction of teenage issues and feelings.

The supernatural part, which is the main story, often takes a back-seat to the mechanics of the various relationships and before you even know it, you have a personal stake in the well-being of these girls, even those you don't like. Thankfully, the characters never succumb to what I refer to as Sookie-Stackhouse-Syndrome - getting into trouble by acting stupid - and I am thankful to the authors for not taking the cheap way out; nobody dies unless the evil power is actually cleverer or stronger. I also appreciate that the girls don't suddenly bond and become bosom buddies once they realize that they will be needing each other's powers, but rather more realistically, the ones who don't like each other in the beginning still don't get along at the end. I am very much impressed with the writing, characterization, and plot and wish more than anything that the forthcoming installments don't let this one down.
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LibraryThing member julienne_preacher
You all know the story: A girl finds out she's special because she has a connection to angels/vampires/ mermaids/ Ghostbusters. Then it turns out she's more special than anyone else and the fate of the world is on her shoulders alone. And like that wasn't enough, she also falls in love with a boy
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she can't be with because his her mortal enemy/ her guardian/ her brother/ just too sexy for her party.

Well, this is NOT that kind of book. It's all much more complicated than that. Instead of one heroine Extra Special, we get six very ordinary ones. They're supposed to save the world with their powers, but first they have to get along. That's quite a challenge when the group includes a bully and her victim and one of the girls dates another one's ex. These girls are troubled (by all kinds of issues, not just boys) and it shows in how they act. They're far from perfect and that makes them extremely believable and relatable.

The story begins with a mysterious death that looks like a suicide. From then on anything can happen. Anyone can get hurt and anyone can die. The authors don't promise their readers safety, but they will give you a hell of a ride. Unfortunately the book is a beginning of another trilogy - I'd be happy to read a great YA fantasy standalone sometime.
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LibraryThing member clfisha
Fab YA fantasy

A derelict fairground and an ancient prophecy, a shocking and suspicious suicide at school and six girls drawn together one dark and stormy night.

Such a familiar (if enticing) setup means it's all down to the execution and rest assured that's all good. It's not a quick, fast paced
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flash bang of a story though. It’s meaty and rich, with multiple flawed characters you will need to get to grips with and then fall for. A slow burner of a story that gently draws you then builds and builds until tension oozes off the page. It's dark enough for teenagers to lap this up but may give some adults pause. Ok I didn't love it (not a fan of YA) but I still had a lot of fun reading it.

It does have some faults, I think the translation Americanised it so to my (UK) ears I struggled for a while to get a sense of place and one of the girls (Ida the bully) barely makes it to two dimensions as do some of the adults but the rest is all good. It is the 1st in an unfinished trilogy too but it manages to have a great plot and be cool piece of world building. Plus I think the 3rd is due out Sweden this year.

Strongly recommended for YA lovers and anyone else who wants an engaging fantastical read.
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LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
Almost four stars but not quite, sometimes the characters blurred a bit. However it was good to see characters that didn't change radically when they gained power, it was grief that changed some of the characters more.

Six teenagers are drawn together in a small town in Sweden, there should be
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seven but one is dead, of an apparent suicide. When another dies they have to find out what's going on, why have they suddenly manifested paranormal powers and what's going to happen to them.

It's interesting, I liked the gritty realism of it and man, no-one is safe in these stories.
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LibraryThing member Mrsmommybooknerd
Fans of paranormal young adult novels are going to gobble up THE CIRCLE. There are multiple characters offering multiple point of view. Some characters you will love and others, well.... It is a story that will grab you and take you on an adventure. There is thrill, depth in characters and an
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original story. It captures what is like to be a teen and captures what is great about this genre. I look forward to more in the series and I would love to see this made into a movie. 4 stars.
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LibraryThing member Bookswithbite
When I first got this book and I all I can think of was,” Wow dude! This book is HUGE!” It took me two-three days to read. Not because it was big but because I had a hard time getting into characters and the plot.

Plot: This plot is about several different characters being called by a council
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and coming into their powers. My problem with this plot is that it has SOOO much going. There is not one chance for the reader to be relaxed in one character cause once you get settle in, the plot moves again. The plot also moves very slowly when it comes to their powers and why they have them. It’s like one minute they show powers and the next the plot moves again. For me, I got annoyed by this. I wanted to explore more instead of once again moving to another character.

Characters: There are several different characters that this story tells. I can’t name them all but I’m sure there are more than 6 characters that the reader is jumping between. And to be honest, I did not like this. There are a lot of story lines, a lot of minor characters to know. This is the one main reason why I read this book so slow. There is a lot to know and well if your not paying attention you can miss out on stuff.

Ending: The book ends with nothing really much explain. Instead the reader is left with lots of questions. There were only about two characters that I really latched onto and wanted to know.

This is an okay book. Be sure that if you decided to pick up this book that you dedicate time to it cause it will make you think. You have to read it slowly and take in each character carefully. If you think that your going to read it and fly right through it then you will only be left confused. Overall, it’s good. I think if the authors slow down the story and explored other storylines instead of creating others, I might have enjoyed it more.
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LibraryThing member Mothwing
This is the first book in a long, looong time that I found that is
1.) centred more or less exclusively on female teenaged characters,
2.) whose main plot isn't a love plot,
3.) who don't get raped.
This is so incredibly rare it really bears mentioning (Seriously. Try thinking of more examples of
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books that fit these characteristics). And it is a Fantasy book! Of course there are love plots, but they are a part of the story and have usually been established before the plot - teenage witches coming to terms with their powers - starts.

The different girls don't all differ that much from each other, but after some time were believable enough to be interested in. I'm definitely considering Finisheding the sequels.

I don't understand why this book has been compared so widely to completely unconnected books simply because the authors are also Swedish when what we have here is a mix between Charmed with a bit of the Buffy scooby cast thrown in. Set in Sweden, though, sure. It most certainly doesn't have the least bit to do with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and as far as I'm concerned is a better book for that, because grittiness and female characters doesn't always have to be about sexual abuse.
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LibraryThing member TheCrow2
A group of high school witches vs THE evil. Nothing new or interesting here, it's a typical YA, but the well made up and written story and characters make the book a very enjoyable reading.
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
The Circle is a Swedish YA Fantasy by Mats Strandberg and Sara Elfgren that is the first in their Engelsfors Trilogy about a group of witches. A handful of diverse teens find that they are witches and in the near future they will be engaging in battle with a terrible evil. In the time before the
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battle they need to identify their strengths, practise their magic and, the most difficult task, bond together in trust. Of course they are not left alone to develop their skills, someone or something is hunting them and kills two of them before they realize that they must also hunt this evil down.

Even with a fair amount of teen angst about the opposite sex, family issues, fitting in and being popular, I still was completely swept up in this story. At almost 600 pages, it is quite detailed, and by the end of the first book they have only scratched the surface of whatever evil is about to emerge. What I found most engaging were the characters, each of the five remaining girls have a distinct personality and a distinct magical skill. Based on the elements of water, metal, earth etc., they are individually strong but when they join together, almost invincible.

I will certainly be continuing on with this trilogy as not only was I captivated by the darker fantasy elements, I also enjoyed the author’s handling of the teen issues like body image, suicide, grief, bullying and friendship that are explored.
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LibraryThing member sensitivemuse
I would say if you're a fan of The Craft, then you might like this one. Think of the movie, but set in a Scandinavian setting (Sweden) and with more characters involved. It's a big read (about 500 pages or so) but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The plot is steady and at first it was hard to figure out
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who was who. You had characters representing different cliques in the school and you also quickly figured out who you liked and who you didn't really like. I'm with Team Minoo and Anna-Karin. Minoo for her smarts and she seemed to be central to the story, and Anna-Karin for her powers and vengeful personality.

One little thing I didn't particularly like was the lack of background story. It was limited to just a few pages, the girls received each a book and were told to read it and voila. It didn't explain much and there's mention of this "Council" who the is, or what their plans are we don't know. The lack of the background does leave the plot with less substance. What that being said however, the simple plot and each character having their personality traits and flaws greatly makes up for this shortfall.

Despite the length of the novel (may be off putting to some people) it gave each character their own story, and this was enjoyable to read. It certainly gave you more opportunity to get to know them as to who they are, and it shows how their newfound abilities shape them for the next books to come.

I'll be looking into the next book for this series! it certainly got my interest!
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Awards

Augustpriset (Nominee — 2011)

Language

Original language

English

Physical description

608 p.; 5 inches

ISBN

146830819X / 9781468308198

Local notes

young readers
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