Book Review: Circle by Syd Blue

Circle

By Syd Blue

Publisher: Syd Blue

Published: Feb. 8, 2013

ASIN: B00BDPZOIY

Amazon Synopsis:

Discovering a girl under his bed isn’t the strangest thing happening to Spencer. The real shock comes when he finds out who she is and why she is on Earth. 

Mandy, an extraterrestrial girl, has been hiding out ever since the jet she stowed away on crashed in the desert behind his home. When the pilot is captured by the Air Force, Mandy is left lost and 

alone. She asks Spencer to risk everything to rescue the pilot from Edwards Air Force Base and help them get back home with the one thing their civilization needs to survive.

On the run from soldiers, fighter jets and attack helicopters, Spencer and his family fall into crisis when they find out what it is that Mandy and the pilot have really come to Earth for.

Book Links

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My Thoughts:

Spencer and Nick Cass help a strange young girl rescue her pilot friend from the Edwards Air Force Base. They discover that this young person, Mandy, and her friend Jaz Lee are from a planet called Circle and have come to Earth for something to save their planet.

Circle is a fast-paced action novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat as you race along with the Cass brothers and Mandy trying to stay one step ahead of the military. A blend of science fiction and fantasy, this novel will stretch your imagination as you consider the possibilities of genetic manipulation and space travel.

I enjoyed the interaction between Spencer and Mandy and hope that there might be future books where the two might be able to have further encounters. Mandy is a sweet, innocent almost-twelve-year-old who looks older than she is, and is the sole child on the planet of Circle. Though she is sweet and innocent, she has a huge heart full of courage.

Jaz was a most interesting character as well, and one I would like to know more about. We find out some things about him, such that he is very brave, has been to earth before and that he cares less about fame than he does about making sure the job gets done right. I'd love to know about his previous sojourn on earth.

Nick was a very self-centered character. He was all about himself and what he could get out of any situation. The experiences in this book were ones that helped him grow up and become more of a man and by the end of the book I liked him a lot better. I think his girlfriend did too.

This book isn’t all serious though. It’s funny too. Imagine the looks on people’s faces when they are greeted with Mandy’s standard greeting of “Hi, I love you”. A bit startling if you’ve only just met her, for sure.  It was a lot of fun to see earth for the first time through Mandy’s eyes. I couldn’t figure out why she would throw the dishes out the window. Of course it made sense later, but the trouble it caused Spencer who was trying to hide Mandy from his mother was quite amusing!

Circle also had a great lesson about our environment and our use of non-biodegradable plastics too. Hopefully it will help us to think twice what we do with all those throw-away plastics we use before we buy them.

Circle was an excellent read. I’d be interested in a sequel. I’ll be looking for more books by this author. I gave this book 4 stars out of 5. It’s aimed toward teenagers, but I think adults will enjoy it as a light read.

Thank you to the author for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.

About the Author:

Syd Blue had her 1st flying lesson on her 14th birthday. What a birthday present! Now she’s a commercial pilot living a life in the skies. She started writing novels in the back of her parent’s Mooney when she was small enough to fit in the baggage compartment. Trips to grandma’s house were even more fun in a plane, especially when she could get the yoke away from her 3 brothers, all of whom are pilots too.

FlyGirl Syd has also written, edited and produced for everything from TV stations to production companies, from book publishers to national magazines. She has had over 40 articles published and screenplays optioned, and supervised writing staffs around the world at magazines and news services. She also produced an award-winning documentary, TV shows, commercials and short films.

As Chief Pilot running an aviation business specializing in aerial surveillance, she sees the expansive view from above throughout the Southwest. Home base is a cabin in the woods with her knight-in-shining-armor husband, gigantic heating bill, and three precious hissing-fire cat-beasts (all of whom hate flying).

FlyGirl and Circle are at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and Syd is repped by Paul S. Levine, the best agent in the world.

Author Links

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