Arcane Circle by Linda Robertson directly follows the battle at the end of Fatal Circle. Johnny is injured, WEC is after Seph, and Menessos’ fate is unsure. The action never really lets up.

Where Fatal Circle focused more on vampire politics, Arcane Circle is all about the waeres. We’re given an inside look on waere politics and what Johnny has to look forward to as the Dom Lup. One of the bigger mysterious of the series is solved, though not completely fulfilled. Johnny finally uncovers who locked away his memories years ago by tattooing him against his will. While uncovering this secret, Seph is brought face to face with a huge demon from her past. All the while, Seph and Johnny must deal with the repercussions of her television premier.

I find myself becoming more and more picky the further into a series I get. It’s because of this (and an article I read on cracked.com) that I mention an issue I had with the Rege. Johnny refers to him as Pope-Czarzilla. He’s made out to be the real Big Bad Wolf. Everyone quivers in fear at his mere reputation. Then when he shows up, he gets his ass handed to him — more than once. He was a disappointing villain simply because there was all this build-up and not much substance. Because of the strength of the story itself and the emotional turmoil the characters went through, this was just a pebble in the larger pond of Persephone’s world.

On to the good stuff…

Menessos is mostly absent, “calling in” his role for most of Arcane Circle. Though my heart recently softened toward him, I was happy to focus on dark, delicious Johnny. Johnny’s evolution in this series both excites and worries me. He obviously loves Seph, and though she loves him in return, her feelings and their relationship with Menessos could prove too much for my poor wolf. Johnny has so much love in his heart that I can’t help but hope for a happy ending for him.

Overall, Arcane Circle took the various aspects of urban fantasy I love, threw them all together, and created a visual masterpiece of discovery, devotion, and desire. You have magical creatures (Thunderbird and Errol are as much stars as Seph and Johnny), egotistical lords, and a love triangle that possibly spells disaster for the world in general. Make sure you don’t have anything planned for a few days when you pick this up because you will not be able to put it down!

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Pocket; Original edition (December 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439190259
• ISBN-13: 978-1439190258

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Books in the Persephone Alcmedi series in the order they should be read:
Vicious Circle
Hallowed Circle
Fatal Circle
Arcane Circle