Circle Nine

October 10, 2011
Abby has no clear memory of her life before Sam, with whom she lives in a cave that usually seems like a "palace." There, he reads Dante's Inferno to her and warns her that the outside world is Circle Nine, the worst part of hell. He assures Abby that she is safe, but she sees momentary flashes of their luxurious lair "strewn with garbage and threadbare blankets and stained sheets." There are other mysteries, too: Abby sketches a girl repeatedly, dreams of her, and gains new memories; eventually she ventures out into Circle Nine to discover her painful past. Readers will race through the first part of this imaginative psychological drama, trying to determine what is real and why Abby's memory is so damaged, though the story's intrigue lessens after the mystery is revealed. Still, debut author Heltzel layers her story with questions about guilt, identity, and survival, leading to Abby's insight that "you can never just have good or bad, one or the other. They're both there, all the time, in Circle Nine or in my head." Despite the story's darkness, the conclusion points to a hopeful path forward for Abby. Ages 14âup.

February 1, 2012

Gr 10 Up-A teen wakes up next to a flaming building, her lungs burning, her head throbbing, and she can't remember who she is. The boy who rescues her tells her that her name is Abby and his is Sam. He seems surprised that she can't remember that they're friends and he promises he'll take care of her; she goes with him to live in an abandoned mine shaft in the woods because she feels she has no other choice. Thus begins this psychological drama told from Abby's perspective. She exists in a fugue. Sam controls her, keeping her safe from the outside world or, as they call it, Circle Nine. She believes she is happy and in love with him. But when Sam brings another girl into their home, Abby begins to questions his loyalty. As he gets sicker and sicker without what he calls his "medicine," Abby remembers elements of her past and finds that she must leave the cave to help herself and him. She ultimately draws on her inner strength to cope with her tragic life. Though readers may be puzzled by the writing style-italics are used instead of quotes and the prose is constrained-if they forge ahead they will soon be engrossed in the mystery and suspense. With explorations of addiction, homelessness, and abuse, this book touches on some of society's weightiest issues. This is a title for teens who like their fiction serious and gritty.-Mindy Whipple, West Jordan Library, UT

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2011
A sad and slow-moving meditation on secrets, lies, identity and fate.

Abby lives in a lavishly decorated secret cave in the woods, doted on by the handsome and mysterious Sam. She's free to sketch all day, losing herself in her artwork, mythology and the classic literature Sam loves to read aloud. She wonders about her life before she met Sam, but the details are too fuzzy to pin down, and everything seems perfect as she basks in the glow of Sam's affection and care. Leaving their snug hideaway to uncover the truth is out of the question, anyway, because Sam fears Abby will be attacked by the evil denizens of the world outside, which he's dubbed Circle Nine, after Dante's most intimidating Circle of Hell. His reasoning doesn't hold up: Abby notes that Sam leaves the cave to get "medicine" from his "doctor," Sid, while Amanda, another Circle Nine resident, turns up to live in the cave, too. Amanda makes Abby question her perceptions of the cave, the food they eat, even Sam's motivations. Astute readers will have sussed out most of Sam's problems and Abby's past well before her memories trickle, then surge back, eliminating the urgency and suspense essential to any psychological thriller's success.

Abby and Sam's tragic story is better suited to tearjerker fans than die-hard thriller readers. (Mystery. 14 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 15, 2011
Grades 10-1 Abby, a teen girl who can't remember her own identity, awakens to find herself holed up in a wondrous cave shimmering with wall paintings, replete with comforts, and tended to by a handsome young man who reads to her from Dante's Inferno. In fact, the title of this shape-shifter of a thriller comes from Dante's lowest circle of hell, reserved for those who have betrayed others. Along with Abby, the reader is charged with piecing together what happened in the past and what dangers still lie in wait. Heltzel ably portrays Abby's panic and disorientation before bending the novel from a semi-dystopian survival tale to a psychological suspense story, all the while maintaining a salient metaphor for abuse as Abby becomes more alive to what is going on. So much time is spent in the dark that Heltzel's poetic prose loses a bit of impact. But this is undoubtedly disturbing stuff, and Abby's inability to sense the rightness of her actions makes this an ideal adult crossover book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2012
When Abby wakes up with amnesia outside a burning building, she welcomes the protection and love of a mysterious boy named Sam. As her memories begin to return and Sam becomes more erratic, Abby wonders if she should continue to trust him. The story starts strong, suspenseful and engaging, but readers may find the ending drawn-out and anticlimactic.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)