Circles of Stone by Ian Johnstone

Title: Circles of Stone (The Mirror Chronicles, 2)
Author: Ian Johnstone
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: HarperCollins (2nd July 2015)
Source: Publisher
Blurb:

Two halves of the same soul, forced to seperate again . . .

Two worlds that must be saved . . .

Sylas has made two monumental discoveries: his lost mother is alive, and he has found Naeo, his Glimmer – the other half of his soul living in the mirror world of the Other. As his magical powers grown, Sylas is desperate to return to his own world and find his mother. Naeo is also searching for her father, captured by the dark lord, Thoth, who is raising an army of unspeakable monstrosity.

As they are pursued by creatures of darkness, Sylas an Naeo must seperate to survive. But to defeat Thoth they will need to come together again . . .

Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Review:

CIRCLES OF STONE by Ian Johnstone is the second book in his impressive series The Mirror Chronicles. The book continues the adventures of Sylas as he attempts to be reunited with his mother, and of Naeo who longs to be reunited with her father. Events set in motion in the previous book, THE BELL BETWEEN WORLDS (review), start to reach a head as Thoth begins to make his move.

This book is epic. Both in terms of the scope of events that Johnstone weaves into a single narrative, pressing ever onwards, and in terms of how much I enjoyed sitting down and reading this. Without a doubt this book is the best second book in a series I have read in, probably, ever: I was captivated from the first page, and had to know how it would go. If you loved THE BELL BETWEEN WORLDS, then you will undoubtedly adore this. Johnstone builds upon the pages of the first book, and creates a world and characters that are absolutely compelling.

There is a richness to this book that reminded me why I fell in love with the fantasy genre. Johnstone has created a world that just comes alive on the page as you read, with interesting and complex characters. If you are a fan of the fantasy genre this book – this series – really should be a must read. CIRCLES OF STONES has everything you would want from a good book in the fantasy genre.

One of the things I really enjoyed about the book was that from the first page I was back in the world and with the characters. It has been a while since I read the first book in the series, but when I started CIRCLES OF STONE it honestly didn’t feel like that. It did take me a while to remember exactly what was going on, but I never felt lost – and for me, that is a sign of a good book. It was nice to be reunited with Sylas and Simia, and to see more of Naeo and Ash. I also really enjoyed the fact that this book showed more of both worlds and their history.

CIRCLES OF STONE was a truly epic journey: this book did not feel like a second book to me. Johnstone really built up the sense of tension and urgency as this book progressed. I cannot wait to read the third book in this series; if the first two books are anything to go by, it should be an amazing ride.