Review: Arcane Circle by Linda Robertson

Arcane Circle by Linda Robertson

Persephone Alcmedi #4

Even magic can’t solve everything. . . .

After facing down the forces of Fairy in mortal combat, Persephone Alcmedi still must deal with the aftermath. Not only does Seph now possess deadly secrets she must hide from the arcane and mundane world alike, but the dozens of magical creatures who’ve taken up residence behind her cornfield need food and shelter, and there’s still her foster daughter Beverly’s tenth birthday party to plan.

And that’s not all. . . . Seph’s boyfriend Johnny has revealed himself as the wærewolf Domn Lup, and the ruler of the wære world is en route from Romania to make sure Johnny really is the “king” he claims to be. But Johnny’s hiding a dangerous secret: his magic is locked in his mysterious tattoos. He and Seph must find a way for him to reclaim it—fast—despite those who have no intention of letting Johnny gain his full powers. Seph knows that, in the arcane world, strength is always a necessity and power must be constantly proven, but how far is she willing to go to succeed . . . and at what cost?

After the events of the last book Persephone was left pretty much in shambles. Johnny was wounded, perhaps fatally, and many of their allies were killed by the fairies before Seph could get the gate shut. What's even worse is the fact that Menessos's life, or well, undeath, hangs in the balance. She had to stake him in the previous book in order to sever his tie with the fairies and banish them from this world. Only time will tell if he will awaken as a true member of the undead, or whether that staking killed him for good. Before any of them even get a chance to even lick their wounds, Johnny and Seph find out the leader of all the wæres is coming to visit, and it doesn't seem like he wants to hand over any of his "power" and acknowledge him as king. Of course her choice to become Menessos's Court Witch in the last book is still causing problems, as well as a certain elder witches death. But what else can you expect for the the Lustrata, the bringer of balance. It will only get worse before it gets better.

In the last book, the tensions between Johnny, Seph, and Menessos really came to a head. Seph realized that she had strong feelings for both of them, but she couldn't really quantify them. She knows she is very attracted to Johnny and quite possibly in love with him but she also knows the same could be said about Menessos, even though she would wish otherwise. This love triangle issue really took a back seat in this book since there were much more pressing matters, such as the question of Menessos's life in the balance and the race to unlock Johnny's powers. However, there were different events that made me believe that it could potentially cause some major problems in the future. I'm not usually the type of person to wish for the heroine in the book to keep both the men, but in this situation I think she needs both of them equally, albeit each in their own way. It's just a matter of the three of them first accepting this fact, and then learning to cooperate with each other and find a good balance.

The focus of this book was definitely more on Johnny and the wæres rather than the vampires. Don't get me wrong, Seph is still in the thick of it with the vampires, but they definitely took a back seat in this book. Considering the fact that Johnny never really wanted anything to do with wære politics, nor wanted his birthright as the Domn Lup, he seems to be handling his new responsibilities well and really steps up to the plate. Seph really worries about him losing himself in the mess and changing too much, but I don't think that will happen. Of course he will change some, but at his core he will still be the man she is falling for. He still will choose good over evil and stand by her side through everything. It's just going to be a matter of trying to prioritize and learn some balance. Luckily he has a good teacher, the Lustrata.

I enjoyed this book, perhaps not quite as much as the last one due to the lack of Menessos having a major role, but other than that it was really good. I really love both Johnny and Menessos, especially when the time is balanced between them. This may make me greedy wanting both men for her, but I just think they would work well. After some hard truths were learned in this book as well as someone from Seph's past showing up and majorly conflicting things, I cannot wait for the next book. It will be interesting to see what is in store as more and more of the supernatural community starts to find out who Seph really is. As of yet, most do not seem to be reacting very well, but with her iron-clad determination I know she won't give up until her destiny is fulfilled.

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Arcane Circle (Persephone Alcmedi 4)