Broken Circle (Broken Circle #1) by J. L. Powers and M. A. Powers

Front cover illustrations: Stuart/Adobe Stock Back cover illustrations: Jesse Grant/Studio Linear Cover design by Cecelia Rembert and Aaron Petrovich

Adam Jones is not your average teenager. His mother passed away when he was four-years-old. His father is distant, emotionally and physically, most of the time and his grandfather is a cranky, paranoid old man who believes there are people out there who want to wipe out their family. All Adam wants is a normal life and the courage to tell his friend Sarah how he really feels about her.
Adam also suffers from terrifying nightmares that leave him desperately avoiding falling asleep. When lack of sleep and too much caffeine leads to an incident at school, his father decides that it’s time for Adam to learn about the family business and sends him to a special boarding school in the middle of nowhere. While there, Adam will learn the truth behind his nightmares and why he is so different from the other kids at his school. Most importantly, Adam will discover a place where he feels like he belongs.
But not everything that’s happened around Adam is good. There is a group of dangerous people causing chaos around the world, and if they find the school, all of the students may be in danger. Together with his new friends, can Adam uncover the mystery brewing in his own backyard before someone gets hurt, or is it already too late?
I’ll admit, there are few books that I have read featuring a Grimm Reaper that I actually enjoyed. Many of them either mocked the Grimm Reaper or made him out to be a creature of pure evil.
The concept of the Grimm Reaper fascinates me, especially since he, or a similar creature, appears in many cultures. Because of my views on the Grim Reaper, it is difficult for me to find novels that I actually enjoy.
This novel was well constructed and rich in detail. The characters are well rounded and realistic.
The plot line lacks some mystery for the readers, seeing as we are already aware of the Reaper before Adam is. However, there are other mysteries that the characters are faced with that are very intriguing. I enjoyed the many characters and appreciated their differences of personality.
I enjoyed this novel very much and am excited for the next book in the series. I would recommend this novel to fans of Reaper fiction and any fantasy.
I received my copy of this novel from LibraryThing.com giveaways for the sole purpose of providing an honest review before the publication date October 3, 2017, and have permission from the publishers at Akashic Books to use the cover artwork image featured above.

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