Through the Veil (Circle of Three, 9)

Rating:
Summary: "Welcome to the Land of the Dead"
Review: "Through the Veil" is the ninth book in the "Circle of Three" series, which chronicles three teenagers' journey through a year-and-a-day of discovering and exploring Wicca. If you haven't yet come across these books, I suggest you stop reading now and head back to book number one "So Mote It Be", as the books are very closely tied together and it's near impossible to read them out of chronological order (which is annoying, but there you go).

The three girls are Kate, Cooper and Annie (the ex-popularity queen, the rebel and the nerd are their individual personalities in a nutshell) and in "Through the Veil" they are fast approaching Halloween - Samhain in the Wicca calendar. Samhain marks the thinning of the veils between the living and the dead, which is especially relevant for Annie considering her parents passed away when she was young.

This title deals mainly with Annie - she is approaching her sixteenth birthday, and has asked her aunt if she can take a visit to San Francisco for her present. She lived there with her parents before they were killed in a house fire that she accidently started. Now she's been having disturbing nightmares about them and seeks out a way to communicate with them. As such, a few Wiccan rituals are thrown in - a meeting with a physic, a circle taken place at Annie's old home, and the coven's Samhain celebration itself which involves some symbollic "role-playing" along the same lines as the events that took place in "What the Cards Said" and "In the Dreaming". Not that that's a bad thing - these gatherings are pretty much the only reason I keep reading these books.

Meanwhile Kate and Cooper are dealing with their own (less critical) problems. Kate's parents are vehemently against her involvement in witchcraft and react by sending her to a therapist, confiscating her Wiccan tools and forbidding her from seeing her boyfriend or from attending her Wiccan class. Cooper on the other hand has quit her band due to the fact they aren't interested in playing her Wiccan-themed songs (fair enough, I say - she doesn't half over-react!) and just found out that her parents are separating.

As you can see, the plot is all over the place and often comes across as messy with the constant switching points of view - if would have felt more focused if Isobel Bird had chosen one girl and developed her personal story more fully (Annie's is certainly the most important, but Kate and Cooper get just as much screen-time). On top of the three stories outlined above, Bird also crams in a love interest for Annie's aunt, a physic that communicates with Annie's parents, and a truly bizarre transsexual witch - I'm sorry, but I couldn't quite see the point of that particular character.

"Through the Veil" is one of the more interesting installments, despite the lack of a clear storyline and the hopelessly cheesy ending. "The Circle of Three" books are hardly high literature, but for me they're quick, mildly entertaining reads. The three girls are sympathetic enough to justify getting hold of other books in the series, but be quick - they're already out of print.

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Summary: Through The Vail
Review: Every time I read one of these I like it more and more! Read them all and learn a thing or two! Brightest Blessings!

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Summary: A Nice edition to the series
Review: In the Circle of THree series the three girls have worked together to solve problems that they have faced. But in above the veil the problems they face, will have to be faced alone. Annie, drawing closer to her 16th birthday finds her thoughs to be lingering on her dead parents. She misses them so terribly and wants to talk to them so much just once more. Kate is trying to convince her parents to let her continue taking wicca classes but everything she dose never seems to help. Everythign around Cooper that once seemed stable is falling apart. Including her band. And her parents have a surprise for her that she will not enjoy.

Though this book wasn't as good as the last two (THe Five Paths and Blue Moon)it still was a nice read. It's good to hear about the girls problems but I really wish they'd get back to a more magickal theme. THe next one, Making the Saint, looks good. I hope you enjoy it!

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Summary: through the veil...
Review: The girls are getting ready for Samhain (Halloween), and in preparation, they have to go through a little of their own troubles:
Kate is still having to go to her psychiatrist. Her psychiatrist requests that her parents participate in one of her sessions to express their feelings on witchcraft. Kate is okay with that. But when her psychiatrist asks that Kate take her parents to a ritual with her witch friends, and her parents accept, Kate is terrified. Will her parents give in and let her continue her studies, or will they draw the line and let her live with a gap in her life?
Cooper got over the whole pentacle issue at the school, and has come back stronger than ever, and with new lyrics--lyrics about witchcraft and the Goddess. When she shares her new style with her band and asks them to play at the Samhain ritual, they begin to feel uncomfortable. In a fit of frustration, Cooper quits the band. Will her quitting the band have an effect with her relationship with TJ?
Annie begins to hear voices--voices that sound like her parents. They sound angry. Angry with her? She can't tell. She decides to take a trip to San Francisco to figure every out. She ends up at her old house, the one that burnt down but was rebuilt. She finds out that it is haunted--by the ghosts of her parents. She tries to send them through the veil to move on, but when she goes back home she still hears the voices. Are they punishing her for causing the fire?
Yes, like all the other books in the series, this book was good. They are ALL good. Check it out!

Rating:
Summary: Making new friends, understanding the old ones better
Review: This addition to the Circle of Three series focused on Annie quite nicely. It suspensfully and in a heart touching way, introduced elements which helped her to continue to heal her inner pain concerning her parents death.

I also liked the interplay between Kate, her therapist, and her parents. We knew from the earlier books that Kate had a close relationship with her parents, especially her mother. I liked the healing process happening in her family too. I wish we would have gotten more information about how Kate's parents felt about the ritual they attended. I have only read up to this book, maybe more info will be coming in book 10. I hope so.

I liked this book. It certainly lacked some the action and magick that the earlier books had, but it made up for those elements by working on character development and introducing some new exciting characters that are sure to add spice in the upcoming books.

Rating:
Summary: Making new friends, understanding the old ones better
Review: This addition to the Circle of Three series focused on Annie quite nicely. It suspensfully and in a heart touching way, introduced elements which helped her to continue to heal her inner pain concerning her parents death.

I also liked the interplay between Kate, her therapist, and her parents. We knew from the earlier books that Kate had a close relationship with her parents, especially her mother. I liked the healing process happening in her family too. I wish we would have gotten more information about how Kate's parents felt about the ritual they attended. I have only read up to this book, maybe more info will be coming in book 10. I hope so.

I liked this book. It certainly lacked some the action and magick that the earlier books had, but it made up for those elements by working on character development and introducing some new exciting characters that are sure to add spice in the upcoming books.

Rating:
Summary: This series is great.
Review: This series teaches a lot about growing up and about Wicca. This book provies a lot of information on holloween and the religion that Kate, Annie, and Cooper practice.

Rating:
Summary: This series is great.
Review: This series teaches a lot about growing up and about Wicca. This book provies a lot of information on holloween and the religion that Kate, Annie, and Cooper practice.

Rating:
Summary: Cooper, Kate & Annie part the veil & change their lives
Review: With another great turning of the Wheel of the Year, Cooper, Kate and Annie continue to grow and change like the year itself. Cooper makes an important decision regarding the direction her music is taking her and new connections are made. She also is forced to deal with the unhappiness and uncertainty of her parents separation.

Kate continues to deal with the fallout from telling her parents she's studying Wicca. This story finds her under virtual house arrest with no privacy, her belongings are searched, magical tools get taken away, emails and phone calls are monitored and she's unable to attend Wicca class, see or talk to her Wiccan boyfriend Tyler, or see her friends outside of school. On top of all of that, she's forced to see a psychiatrist too...could things get any worse?! Thankfully, the mood is about to change.

But the focus of the story is on Annie. The wheel has now turned to the season of Samhain, the Witches New Year, when the veil separating the realm of the living and the realm of the dead is very thin. Annie is frightened and haunted by recurring dreams of her parents and the fire she accidentally started. She begins to hear their voices calling to her. She realizes that she must begin to deal with the guilt she's been harboring all these years concerning her parents untimely death. She starts by asking her aunt for a birthday gift to help her on her way to healing.

Bird continues to enchant with three down-to-earth teen characters, practicing the Craft of Wicca, much like it is practiced today. The story has a somewhat syrupy ending, but it does remind those who practice Wicca, of some of the emotional, profound or life-changing experiences that they themselves may have experienced on the Wiccan path.

Bird has really developed these characters well and this book brings readers closer to them than ever. All of this and a wonderful, beautifully constructed Samhain ritual too. Fans will enjoy this latest installment in the series. Others interested in the magical adventure that life can be are strongly encouraged to read the wonderful books in the Circle of Three Series.

Rating:
Summary: Cooper, Kate & Annie part the veil & change their lives
Review: With another great turning of the Wheel of the Year, Cooper, Kate and Annie continue to grow and change like the year itself. Cooper makes an important decision regarding the direction her music is taking her and new connections are made. She also is forced to deal with the unhappiness and uncertainty of her parents separation.

Kate continues to deal with the fallout from telling her parents she's studying Wicca. This story finds her under virtual house arrest with no privacy, her belongings are searched, magical tools get taken away, emails and phone calls are monitored and she's unable to attend Wicca class, see or talk to her Wiccan boyfriend Tyler, or see her friends outside of school. On top of all of that, she's forced to see a psychiatrist too...could things get any worse?! Thankfully, the mood is about to change.

But the focus of the story is on Annie. The wheel has now turned to the season of Samhain, the Witches New Year, when the veil separating the realm of the living and the realm of the dead is very thin. Annie is frightened and haunted by recurring dreams of her parents and the fire she accidentally started. She begins to hear their voices calling to her. She realizes that she must begin to deal with the guilt she's been harboring all these years concerning her parents untimely death. She starts by asking her aunt for a birthday gift to help her on her way to healing.

Bird continues to enchant with three down-to-earth teen characters, practicing the Craft of Wicca, much like it is practiced today. The story has a somewhat syrupy ending, but it does remind those who practice Wicca, of some of the emotional, profound or life-changing experiences that they themselves may have experienced on the Wiccan path.

Bird has really developed these characters well and this book brings readers closer to them than ever. All of this and a wonderful, beautifully constructed Samhain ritual too. Fans will enjoy this latest installment in the series. Others interested in the magical adventure that life can be are strongly encouraged to read the wonderful books in the Circle of Three Series.