Meh... got this for free from the library. I didn't realize there would be no resolution at the end... it's just a lead-in for book 2. I prefer series books that have some kind of denouement, even though we know the overall storyline is TBC. ( )

this book was great. i felt the magic between hoyt and glenna so deeply ( )

Loved the characters and their relationships. The premise mechanism of fulfilling prophecy is a fun take on that pattern. Only concern was pacing. The story seemed to end on or right after a climatic spike, it made the ending seem jarring. Yes yes, I'll read the 2nd but I prefer each book in a series to end on a book resolution even if series action isn't resolved. Perhaps it should have ended before the last plot building event (purposely vague for no spoilers) ( )

Entertaining story. Lilith, vampire to end all vampires is raising an army to destroy all the worlds. The goddess Morrigan calls a circle of six to stand against her and romance ensues. It's pretty silly, but also enjoyable. I think she could have done it better in one book, rather than a trilogy, because they're fairly predictable, but, hey, a gal's got to make a living. ( )

This has always been my favorite trilogy of Nora's, though there are a few others that follow close behind. I figured it was time for a reread, knowing this story would allow a good escape from what we're seeing in the world right now. It did not disappoint. Glenna and Hoyt's love, the coming together of their circle of friends as called to face Morrigan's fight... I will never tire of revisiting this world. ( )

I enjoyed JD Robb’s Lt. Dallas so much I thought I should really give Nora a try but to date, I just haven’t found the same compulsion to read. Have tried several MacGregor stories and Morrigan’s Cross trilogy.
Morrigan’s Cross, Dance of the Gods, and Valley of Silence “Circle Trilogy” (2/07)
Nora’s big entry into fantasy. An ok read but really ticked me off that these three books are published separately and not as really one story. Morrigan’s Cross was so clearly not a complete book it really ticked me off. Trilogy is about a time-travelling war against a powerful vampire (Lilith) who wishes to destroy all of humankind . . . although Roberts never explains just how that will come about just because this huge war gets fought in a fantasy world called Gael. Three books are three romances: MC is about Hoyt and Glenna – a witch from 20th century New York and a medieval Irish sorcerer. Hoyt is thrown through time to present day Ireland to find his estranged vampire brother Cian. Morrigan the goddess tells him to collect 5 others to complete the circle in order to defeat Lilith who changed Cian 1000 years ago. Dance of the Gods is Larkin and Blair’s story. Larkin is a shapeshifter from Gael (time frame approximately the same as Hoyt’s) and Blair is Hoyt and Cian’s long-lost ancestor from 20th century Chicago and “demon-hunter” – she kills vampires when she isn’t waitressing in the family restaurant. She ends up in Ireland at just the right time to meet the others. Descriptions of Larkin’s dragon is almost worth the read. Book 3 is Cian and Moira’s story. She’s the future queen of Gael (Larkin is her cousin), the “scholar” of the group. As far as I can tell, there isn’t anything about her scholarship that contributes to saving the group or humankind, but there you have it. Of course all ends well, and Cian is given the gift of returning to human by the gods for helping to defeat his own kind and Cian and Moria rule Gael together, while the others return to the 21st century but regularly travel to Gael for annual visits.
Rebellion (2/07)
Is the historical novel that prequels the MacGregor series. Ho-hum. ( )

Not my favorite compared to her other trilogies, the build up doesn't have me interested enough to think it can last two more books. I'll still read them, I just don't feel as absorbed into the story. ( )

Great vampire/witches/sorcerer book. Intrigue, romance, fights...covers just about everything from love to action all in one book ( )

I like her books but this one didn't do much for me ( )

Interesting storyline but the main focus of this book seemed to be the relationships between the main characters. I'm hoping the next one will have a bit more to it. ( )

4.5 ( )

When I picked this book up at the library, I didn't remember reading it before, which is probably evidence of my overall reaction - just so-so. To be fair, I find myself judging it against Nora Roberts' many other stories that kept me reading far too late into the night. This one wasn't the page turner for me that I was expecting. I can't point to anything specific. It just didn't feel enough.

So on my Nora Roberts Scale, this one is a 3 for me. Still, I enjoyed it and will look for the second in the series (and I'll probably discover that I've read that one too!).


( )

Grittier series than the usual NR. ( )

I read this and both of its sequels on a flight when I was about 12. I learned a great deal about writing crowd pleasing novels that day. For one, that I can't stand crowd pleasing fiction. ( )

If you can judge a book by the number of times you roll your eyes, like maybe two hundred times gets two stars... well, there ya go. Who knows, maybe I just don't like Romance as a genre (I don't normally read them, are they all this cheesy?). I've never read Nora Roberts before, either. But I read this for two reasons. One, because I want to explore all genres to help me with my writing, and two, it said it was about vampires. What can I say, I'm a sucker. (No pun intended). It's kind of like how one might eat anything that says it has chocolate as one of the ingredients. But let me just say this: Not all vampire books are created equal. I gave this two stars, instead of one, because there were a few moments that I was intrigued. A bit. But that's all. ( )

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Toss in a dozen fantasy clichés and stir for 352 pages

Nora Roberts (aka J.D. Robb), as you probably know, is a prolific award-winning (and best-selling) author of romance novels. Not being a romance novel reader, I had never before read any of her work. But, when I found that I could read her fantasy trilogy (The Circle) on audiobook, I decided to give it a try.

First, let me say that authors don't get to be award-winning best-sellers for writing poorly, so I'm perfectly willing to believe that Nora Roberts is an excellent romance writer and, if I ever decide to read a romance novel, I won't hesitate to pick up one of her books.

However, I couldn't help but get the impression from Morrigan's Cross, the first book in her Circle trilogy, that Nora Roberts is a romance writer trying to attract fantasy readers. And perhaps she couldn't decide which type of fantasy readers she wanted to attract because she threw a bunch of random fantasy clichés from several sub-genres of fantasy literature into the pot and stirred. And this is what came out:

* Hoyt: The medieval sorcerer who time-travels to the 21st century
* Morrigan: The Goddess who commissions Hoyt and the others to fight the vampires, but doesn't help much
* Cian: Hoyt's brother -- a centuries-old vampire who listens to Nine Inch Nails while flying his private airplane
* Lilith: An ancient vampire queen who's got black hair, red lips, and wants to rule the world
* Glenna: A red-headed NYC Wiccan witch in a little black dress
* Blair: A kick-butt female vampire hunter who can fell three vampires while changing her tire and says almost nothing that's not sarcastic
* Moira: A princess from Gael who must save her people and her land from evil
* Larkin: A handsome shape-changer who might have been interesting in another novel

With a cast like that, it sounds like there would be, at least, plenty of action... Not so. Vampires occasionally and suddenly appear out of nowhere, scrap a bit, and retreat. But most of the plot of Morrigan's Cross is focused on the relationship between Hoyt and Glenna who suddenly decide that, after knowing each other for about two weeks, they "complete" each other and must be married. They spend most of their time making the lights surge while they're in bed, and arguing (a lot) about how Hoyt wants Glenna to stay safe in the house. Occasionally they work on trying to figure out how to fight vampires.

There were some other disappointing plot elements. For example, Hoyt has traveled from the 12th century to the 21st and keeps brooding about what's going to happen to him and his family and if he'll succeed in his task to vanquish the vampires. Cian (his brother) tells him that he (Hoyt) becomes a legend in their family history. Basically Hoyt says "oh" and doesn't think to ask what he's so legendary for. Might there not be a clue there??

Most disappointing, though, is the arbitrary nature of the magic. It's as if Ms Roberts doesn't realize that fantasy readers demand a consistent, well-planned system of magic. Hoyt and Jenna show us a few remarkable displays of power (rose petals appear out of nowhere while they're in bed), but then seem to forget who they are at other times. At one point, they have to melt down Hoyt's mother's favorite candle-sticks (now centuries old) to get the silver they need to fashion crosses (I won't even get into the weird religious inconsistencies). Yet Glenna finds a wedding dress at NeimanMarcus.com and says a little charm ("As I will, so mote it be") which puts the dress directly on her body. When Blair asks (at the end of the novel) if that method might work to acquire the weapons they've been wondering how to get, Glenna says "I suppose it would." Aaarrrrggghhhh!

Perhaps the strangest thing is that the whole story has a narrator who's telling the tale (filled with explicit sex and blood-drinking vampires) to a bunch of young children sitting around the fire on a rainy day. Weird.

I won't be reading the other two books in The Circle Trilogy. And I think Ms Roberts should stick to the romance genre. She's very popular over there.
Read this review in context atFantasy Literature . ( )

3.75 stars

Hoyt, a sorcerer, comes from 12th-century Ireland to present day to fight an old, strong vampire, Lilith, who was the vampire who turned Hoyt's twin brother, Cian. Hoyt must find a 6-person army, including his now 900+ year old vampire brother to help him fight Lilith. To complicate matters, Hoyt falls for the present day witch, Glenna, who is also part of the army.

This is the first in The Circle trilogy and I'm quite enjoying it. The only problem with these trilogies is that you know, even when this story ends, there's a long way to go to finish the whole thing. ( )

This book is filled with half-and-half emotions for me.

The Writing
The writing is smooth and easy. You don't have anything to really hinge on, and nothing to catch you up. But at the same time, the author has a bad habit of giving away how much she bullshits the storyline and details of interest. Her knowledge about medieval anything is more than flawed. It's blunt and clumsy--making the first couple of chapters in the book a sore trial as you bumble through since she does such a poor job of it. Things smooth out later, once she gets into the current century. Clearly she's a lot more comfortable writing present day than anything else. I'd say she should stick to it if she knows what's best for her.

The only downfall to the smoother writing once we get into present-day concerns is that we realize how brainless the reading itself is. Half the time you're reading nothing that really leads to anything. "Oh I'll throw in some training here for two pages. The other fifty can be of them oogling each other. Perfect!"



Moving on. Her grammar and vocabulary are fine. Each hit snags sometimes. And it's fine. I can deal with that. What bugs me is that I'm basically reading about nothing. Who cares about the fact that this "sorcerer" and "witch" with their mumbled mumbo-jumbo incantations are madly in love after, what, two days, and get married three weeks later. Begging their host, "Can we live in your house?" "Do you think it's bad that I want a wedding dress when we're supposed to be fighting a war?" "Man we don't have a lot of time to prepare for this epic battle, huh? Just a couple of months left, huh? Running out of time aren't we? But let's go complain and whine and wheedle and have sex all the time, and does this dress make me look fat?"







Heeehhhhhhhh. *Aggravated sigh* MOVING ON.


Plot
Just an excuse to make people hook up.


Characters
All decent if they're not paired up. With the exception of Cian and King. Oh but that doesn't last. Of course. Though the evil vampire queen can have her yuri. But nooo. No yaoi. None. (If you don't know what the terms mean, don't google them. Caution's advised. NSFW~)

Pretty much the only enjoyable characters are, of course, the side characters. The two main characters are just self-absorbed pricks that have redeeming qualities that are constantly thrown into the shadows by their whorish natures. And yes, that applies to BOTH the man AND the woman. Hoyt, Glenna--I'm looking at you two.



Everyone else is awesome because they're not stupid, pretty much. Aka, they don't think solely of themselves. Roberts has the most annoying tendency of "forgiving" her two main characters whenever they've done something blatantly stupid by making a big deal out of it, and then pretending like everyone got over it, or like they regret it. Psh. Yeah. Tell that to me when you two are off having sex while your host is drinking himself into a miserable stupor because the dumbass bitch decided to open the door, get herself almost killed, and instead got someone else killed cause he had to SAVE her dumb feminist ass! Idiot saying she didn't need anyone there with her when she answered the door--IN A SECLUDED AREA, NOT VISIBLE FROM THE ROAD, IN THE PITCH BLACK NIGHTTIME WHERE THERE ARE NO STREETLIGHTS, WHEN YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A WARZONE, tell me, DO YOU ANSWER THE DOOR WHEN SOMEONE KNOCKS WITHOUT HAVING BACK-UP?!

-______- UUUUUHHHHGGGGGGHHH.

Main characters get a 1 out of 5,000 rating.

Side characters get a 3 out of 10. Not convinced they're epic because I distrust the inclinations the author has put into each one of them.


In the end... this wasn't terrible and it wasn't long. But it was not pleasant to read bullshit so much it was being shoved up my nose, down my throat, and what have you. I was going to give it a three star rating, but know what? This level of shallow-minded stupidity can't be made up for by just a few good side characters. Especially when they're degraded and ignored throughout the majority of things.

You wanna read this? Ugh. Fine. You might like it. But know this: you like the main characters and my stock in you as a level-headed, clear-minded person drops into wrinkle-nosed disgust. Take it out of the library. Do not buy this immediately. Trust me, it isn't worth your money. ( )

Yes, it's a NR trilogy, this time with vampires and all out fantasy a la LOTR. ( )

transferring information from 2006 spreadsheet

From my blog http://www.onstarshipsanddragonwings.com/

Morrigan’s Cross is the tale of one man fighting across time to battle the vampire queen Lilith. Morrigan the Goddess sends to him allies of all sorts, including his brother who was turned to vampire, a witch, a shapeshifter, an archer and a warrior.
I like having audiobooks to listen to while driving because music on the radio wears on me after a while. However, I had trouble picking out a new audiobook one day and so just grabbed the Nora Roberts on the shelf that looked fairly up my alley. Unfortunately some of the discs were a little damaged, so I missed small segments here and there, and of course driving is a little distracting at times. All of this combines to this warning: I definitely didn’t get the full effect of this book, for better or worse (the Goodreads reviews are very divided…).

Goodreads
Title: Morrigan’s Cross
Author: Nora Roberts
Hours: roughly 10
Genre-ish: Urban fantasy without the urban?
Rating: ★★★☆☆ - pleasant read, fairly predictable
Setting: Morrigan’s Cross starts in historical Ireland, but then shifts to the present day, but with the normal urban fantasy twist of vampires and witches and goddesses being real. It’s not a strictly urban fantasy book, however, just setting.
Premise: Hoyt is blessed with magic in historical Ireland, but when his brother goes out drinking and ends up a vampire, there is nothing he can do. Then the goddess Morrigan comes to him with a quest and a way to right the evil that is the vampire queen. Morrigan shifts Hoyt forward in time to the modern age and sends him a number of allies as he prepares to battle Lilith and keep her from destroying all the worlds, both his and others.
Strengths:
I’m a fan of more classical vampire stories, especially those that involve Lilith and Irish accents.
The magic in Morrigan’s Cross was very influenced by modern day Wiccan practices, which is something I generally enjoy reading.
The writing (and narrating) was compelling and easy to follow in terms of content and pace.
The allies that come to Hoyt at various points in the book have fun and interesting dynamics for the most part, including interesting histories of their own.
Weaknesses:
The narrator’s accent was very Irish and therefore sometimes a little difficult to follow. It probably would have been better for the books listen-ability for him to have softened the accent. After all, what good is the awesomest writing if you can’t understand it?
The romance element between Hoyt and his witch friend, Glenna, was fairly well done, but a bit too explained for my taste. I guess I’m weird in that I don’t read or listen to books for their, ahem, intimate moments.
The scene that was supposed to be very sad did not make me very sad, and I cry rather easily at books….
Summary:
For a book that I randomly picked off of a library shelf, I’d say Morrigan’s Cross did quite well. I think I would have liked reading it better than listening to it honestly. I’m not, however, planning to pick up the next one, since I’m just not that interested in what happens to the world in the big scary battle that is coming. The plot is fairly predictable, but the writing is strong, so if Morrigan’s Cross sounds like something you are in the mood for, go for it! ( )

More reviews at: http://www.onstarshipsanddragonwings.com/2012/08/07/morrigans-cross/

Morrigan’s Cross is the tale of one man fighting across time to battle the vampire queen Lilith. Morrigan the Goddess sends to him allies of all sorts, including his brother who was turned to vampire, a witch, a shapeshifter, an archer and a warrior.
I like having audiobooks to listen to while driving because music on the radio wears on me after a while. However, I had trouble picking out a new audiobook one day and so just grabbed the Nora Roberts on the shelf that looked fairly up my alley. Unfortunately some of the discs were a little damaged, so I missed small segments here and there, and of course driving is a little distracting at times. All of this combines to this warning: I definitely didn’t get the full effect of this book, for better or worse (the Goodreads reviews are very divided…).

Title: Morrigan’s Cross
Author: Nora Roberts
Hours: roughly 10
Genre-ish: Urban fantasy without the urban?
Rating: ★★★☆☆ - pleasant read, fairly predictable
Setting: Morrigan’s Cross starts in historical Ireland, but then shifts to the present day, but with the normal urban fantasy twist of vampires and witches and goddesses being real. It’s not a strictly urban fantasy book, however, just setting.
Premise: Hoyt is blessed with magic in historical Ireland, but when his brother goes out drinking and ends up a vampire, there is nothing he can do. Then the goddess Morrigan comes to him with a quest and a way to right the evil that is the vampire queen. Morrigan shifts Hoyt forward in time to the modern age and sends him a number of allies as he prepares to battle Lilith and keep her from destroying all the worlds, both his and others.
Strengths:
I’m a fan of more classical vampire stories, especially those that involve Lilith and Irish accents.
The magic in Morrigan’s Cross was very influenced by modern day Wiccan practices, which is something I generally enjoy reading.
The writing (and narrating) was compelling and easy to follow in terms of content and pace.
The allies that come to Hoyt at various points in the book have fun and interesting dynamics for the most part, including interesting histories of their own.
Weaknesses:
The narrator’s accent was very Irish and therefore sometimes a little difficult to follow. It probably would have been better for the books listen-ability for him to have softened the accent. After all, what good is the awesomest writing if you can’t understand it?
The romance element between Hoyt and his witch friend, Glenna, was fairly well done, but a bit too explained for my taste. I guess I’m weird in that I don’t read or listen to books for their, ahem, intimate moments.
The scene that was supposed to be very sad did not make me very sad, and I cry rather easily at books….
Summary:
For a book that I randomly picked off of a library shelf, I’d say Morrigan’s Cross did quite well. I think I would have liked reading it better than listening to it honestly. I’m not, however, planning to pick up the next one, since I’m just not that interested in what happens to the world in the big scary battle that is coming. The plot is fairly predictable, but the writing is strong, so if Morrigan’s Cross sounds like something you are in the mood for, go for it! ( )

The best book in this trilogy. On the whole, this genre is what I really prefer from Roberts. However, she is a very skillful writer. However, she isn't as good as the best fantasy writers so that undercuts her talent as one of the best romance writers in in mind. ( )

The characters' profiles are interesting but it wasn't supported that much by their back stories aside from the leads. Book one focused a lot on Hoyt and Glenna and a bit about Cian but I wanted to read more about the other circle members, Queen Moira, Larkin who is a shifter, and Blair a demon hunter who is a descendant of Hoyt and Cian's sister. And of course contrast it with Lilith and her minions. ( )

A vampyre queen, Lilith (a traditional choice for a female of evil and destruction), wants to destroy the world and spread ‘beautiful chaos’. Morrigan, a goddess, chooses six people to form a circle and fight her. They are chosen from across space and time to form the band and defeat Lilith and her army of vampyres. (It’s spelled with a y in this book.)
This book is a flat soda that you keep drinking only because it tastes a little like something you would like, but mostly because you paid for it. Every character is one dimensional, predictable, and so very uninspired. Roberts can tell a story, but she managed to spin such a hackneyed plot that it was beyond saving. I bought the trilogy for my boyfriend’s mom who loves Nora Roberts, but I am almost embarrassed to send them to her now that I’ve read the first book. I hope the second and third are better, for her sake and not mine because I’ve already been scared off from this trilogy. ( )