This first installment in Roberts's paranormal Circle Trilogy (which continues with Dance of the Gods and Valley of Silence) starts off like a storybook, with an old Irishman gearing up to weave a fantastical tale of vampires, witches, sorcerers, shape-shifters and time travel. Hill lends the Irishman a gruff, lilting tone befitting his role, but as the story adopts a life of its own—with more characters joining the mix and the dialogue taking on a snappier edge—his narration falls short. For the handsome and commanding sorcerer Hoyt Mac Cionaith, who's charged with gathering a band of six to battle a power-hungry vampiress, Hill employs a deep, growly voice that evokes images of ogres rather than sexy men. In stark contrast, his female characterizations are muted and ultra-feminine, which suits the soft-spoken scholar who eventually joins Hoyt's troupe but not Hoyt's no-nonsense counterpart, the beautiful witch Glenna.
