I went into this book with high expectations. I like psychological books that have a mystery to them so this book seemed like it was right up my alley. I thought this book would make me think about what had happened to Abby--however the only thing it made me think was WTF is going on.

You know when someone tries to be really "deep" about a certain subject and they just can't get there? Well that's what happens here.

I have to admit that I have never read Dante's Inferno (it's on my list!) but I have studied the general gist of it through my university English classes so I know the ideas and purpose behind it. Perhaps if I knew more about it, I would get more out of this (but I doubt it). From what I can see, it doesn't play a major role in the story other than providing some context with regards to Hell so if you are looking for a retelling or adaptation of Inferno, you aren't going to get it!

This book was just a little too out-there for me (read: it was Weird). While I can appreciate the motivation to write this novel and I understand the message the author is trying to convey, I find it falls flat.

I think the worst part is the ending--it just happens so suddenly and I felt that there wasn't any closure. I really think that the ending of the book is the perfect opportunity to accomplish the message the author set out to give and that she lost her chance to do so by ending it as she did. An epilogue or something would have been great. I can honestly say I don't remember too much about this novel other than the fact that I HATED the ending.

Overall: Stay clear of this one! There are better amnesia stories out there if that is what you are looking for.

Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESous Book Reviews as well as read book series recaps!
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CIRCLE NINE, by Anne Heltzel, starts the reader off in the dark and slowly unravels creepy and thrilling revelations that will keep you thinking long after the book is finished.

Initially, the cover of the book spoke to me as a dystopian novel. Since I pretty much always judge a book by the cover I started reading it without reading the summary. Silly me. I started the book and was immediately hooked. When it became apparent that it was not a dystopian, I was already too deep into the book to stop. In this psychological thriller, Abby lives in a lavish cave with her friend and wannabe-lover, Sam. Sam tells Abby she can never leave the cave without him because outside is Circe Nine where people can trick you and steal you away. As the weeks progress, Abby starts to notice things around her not making sense and soon her world comes crashing down. She risks the threat of more verbal abuse from Sam to explore Circle Nine and realizes the terrible turn that her life took.

One event in her life created a mental block in Abby's mind, and as she explores her previous life before the cave, she begins to heal and gains the strength and perspective to attempt to rebuild. Thrillers are not my normal genre to read but this book absolutely blew me away. Heltzel has great talent for creating stimulating visuals for a reader and really dig deep into tough issues such as abuse and drug use. For those who love a good mystery or if you are looking for something out of the ordinary in the YA genre this book is definitely for you!

“Circle Nine” tells the story of Abby, a teenager who has no recollection of her life before Sam – a mysterious boy she met before the fire. It’s obvious from the beginning that the relationship between Sam and Abby is wrong. You know that he’s hiding information from her, you know that he’s hiding her from the world but you’re never really quite sure why. Abby sees the cave, their home, as a palace. She doesn’t see the mattress full of holes at first; she sees a king’s bed. She doesn’t see the roaches and the filth, she only sees the beauty. She doesn’t really see who Sam is, not until Amanda shows up and forces her to start questioning things.

Amanda’s presence upsets Abby’s world. She feels as though she’s trying to steal Sam away from her. They go out late at night together, always leaving Abby behind. Then one night, Amanda and Sam get into a fight and something happens to Amanda. She knows about Abby, she wants to take her away from there – from Sam – but he isn’t going to let that happen.

As Abby begins to remember her life before Sam, as she begins to remember the fire, her parents, her sister, “Circle Nine” becomes impossible to put down. This isn’t an easy book to read. Both Abby and Sam, although it’s easy to hate him, are frail characters. They are broken, and for a while, they manage to complete each other…until the truth comes out.

At times its hard to follow along with the story, especially in those moments when Abby’s perception of reality changes so quickly: one minute she’s seeing the filth of the cave, of Sam, and the next minute she’s seeing the ‘beauty’ of their world. One sentence would state the ugly and the next would state the beauty she saw. Given that Abby’s still grasping reality, I understand the purpose, but it changed too suddenly and sometimes it got to be confusing.

Overall, I liked “Circle Nine”. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but I had trouble tearing myself away from the story. Note: Sam and Abby’s relationship is an abusive one and there is drug use within the story, so it’s important to note that this story won’t be for everyone. If you decide to read “Circle Nine”, which you should, I’d suggest setting aside a few hours of free time to read it within a single sitting. I made the mistake of starting it late at night and staying up well into the morning hours because I needed to know what happened next. It’s a difficult story to take in, and the ending leaves you with something to be desired, but it’s a well written novel worthy of a read. ( )