Recently Read: Weave a Circle Around

Author: Kari Maaren
Genre: Young Adult- Science Fiction/Fantasy
Publication Date: 2017
Page Count: 336
Rating: 3/5

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Freddy lives with her younger sister, her deaf step-brother, her step-father, and her mother. She can't seem to get along with her step-brother Roland, who has bounded with her sister Mel over role-playing games, and her step-dad and mother are never around. Freddy feels out of place at home and at school. When new neighbors move into the often-vacant house next door, Freddy quickly discovers they are not who, or even what, they claim to be. 

I'm pretty sure I saw this book on a list of books recommended to fans of Stranger Things right after I finished season two. And since I, like the rest of the world, am a HUGE fan of Stranger Things I decided to check this one out. 

There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed and parts that I felt underwhelmed by. I really liked the concept, and the supernatural elements were really unique. The neighbors, Josiah and Cuerva Lachance were unlike any supernatural force I have encountered before, and I'm always interested by time travel in a plot. Even with these super cool individual elements, there was something missing. The characters fell a bit flat for me, and the time travel section of the novel was a bit too scattered and didn't add enough to the overall plot. The mystery of the novel was interesting enough to keep me reading in order to unravel it, but once it was unraveled it was a bit underwhelming. 

The end of the novel was also a little scattered and there was a couple of events that I didn't entirely understand how they were resolved. I know that the supernatural is not always meant to be understood, but I don't think that was what was going on here. 

One element of the novel that I really enjoyed was its connection to the Coleridge poem "Kubla Khan." I'm a sucker for contemporary fiction, particularly YA, that aligns itself with or references a classic work, and this one did it really well. "Kubla Khan" is a heck of a roller coaster ride, and it served its purpose very well in this novel. I thought that was a really clever addition. 

Overall, this was a super quick read and a pretty unique plot. I'm glad I picked this one up from the library, as it was entertaining and pretty light-hearted. I've really been in the mood for sci-fi and historical fiction lately, and this one kind of checked both boxes. If you like supernatural/sci-fi reads, I would give this one a try!