Review: Circle of the Moon by Faith Hunter

Nell bears little resemblance to the "widder woman" she once was. She is now a full-fledged probie with PsyLED. One night Rick, her boss, changes unexpectedly into his cat form. He wakes up near a witch circle where there is a dead black cat and contacts PsyLED. Nell and Occam are dispatched to check things out and help Rick.

More circles appear with more sacrifices. And it seems someone is trying to force Rick to change into his cat. Nell reads the earth and can tell that somehow vampires are involved, but not how they are involved.

Meanwhile, Nell is trying to prepare her house for her sister Mud to move in permanently. And a man from the compound where the rest of her family lives wants to court Mud. This is not a good thing.

This book takes place after the events of Dark Queen by Faith Hunter - a Jane Yellowrock book which takes place in the same world as the Soulwood series featuring Nell and PsyLED. In Circle of the Moon, Nell tries to reach out to Jane and has difficulty making contact with her. If you read Dark Queen, you'll understand why this is so.

Also in Circle of the Moon, some of Rick's background is explained which I think made him a little more of a sympathetic character. We finally find out more about what his tattoos mean and how he got them. His life has not been without trauma.

There is a subplot involving the relationship between Nell and Occam. And another subplot involving Nell preparing to be guardian to Mindy, aka Mud. These both make excellent subplots and help to further characterize Nell, Occam, and Mindy.

Nell's abilities to read the land and use the magic of Soulwood in various situations continues to grow and change. This makes Nell a very interesting protagonist.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. The writing and plotting are well done. I had an issue with how the book ends, but it was minor. To say what my issue was would risk spoilers so I will leave it at that. This is not a good standalone novel. It would be best if you start the Soulwood series at the beginning. And if you read some of the Jane Yellowrock series as well, you will get added depth. The series overall is worth reading and Circle of the Moon is no exception.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via  NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.