The Ninth Circle

Jasmyn is a story built around a fairy tale that involves castles and swans and a certain secret something that makes the entire story revolve around itself. And that certain something is very unique and mystical. The book jumps into action immediately, without wasting any time, at the end of the first chapter itself. At the end of Jasmyn's husband's funeral, 5 black swans fall from the sky. Everyone dismisses them as a consequence of some natural disaster or a disease (?, sorry don't remember), but then things start to get more mysterious and confusing. Jasmyn comes to know things about her husbands past which she never knew existed. She goes on a journey with Bill, her husband's brother, to find out the truth for herself. Jasmyn is very different from the many fairy tale retellings I have read. But wait, Jasmyn is not a fairy tale retelling; it's a story that revolves around a fairy tale, something so different and unique that I have to applaud the genius behind the story. I really don't want to give away much because I know that I enjoyed discovering a new secret, a new mystery after every few pages and I don't want anyone else's experience to lessen even by 1%. I thought there were a few loop holes in the story for almost 3/4 of the book, but trust me it all comes together in the end. And the end is as dramatic and grand as any action packed fantasy movie. Read it if you enjoy fast paced mysteries and fairy tales. I'm not sure if I should tell which fairy tale it is for the fear of spoiling the book for you. Because as far as I know, it's not a very well known one, it could be called more of a myth based around real places and people. But yes, this book will make you want to finish it in one sitting.

I picked this up in a bookshop, read the back, seemed interesting. Put it back, after all you cannot buy every book you look at. Did this a few times and there was always other books I wanted more at the time. Then I finally took the plunge on my new Kindle. I AM so glad I did. It is a great read. Guy wakes up, does not remember a thing. Is he a good guy or a bad guy. Sometimes he is a prick and other times a saint. Is he a demon or an angel. Are his friends his enemies. Well without giving the plot away he is a bit of both. Excellent first novel.

The characters are flawed and unforgetable. The story is a mystery and a fantasy and a religious thriller. I loved it. I smelled a sequel at the end and I would love to read it.

I loved this book and found it so gripping that I read it in a couple of days. The story is told through the diary of the main character, Gabriel, who starts the book with amnesia and then gradually starts to discover disturbing things about his past life and his own inner nature. At times he can be pompous, vulnerable, violent or wonderfully self-obsessed - Gabriel is a fantastic character who reminded me of a dark, dangerous version of Adrian Mole - with martial arts prowess thrown in as well. The Budapest setting is gothic and beautiful and I loved the twisting and turning of the plot - which I found pleasantly hard to predict. The angels and demons tie in nicely with the dark, religious, paranoia-tinged atmosphere and Stephomi (a travelling scholar who befriends Gabriel) is a brilliant character with his clever wit and dry sense of humour. The Ninth Circle is a funny sort of mix between grand-scale thriller and supernatural mystery combined with one man's desperate quest for redemption but for me it ticked all the right boxes. Five stars.