And so it comes full circle with their power growing so strong when they are together that the impossible becomes possible. I'm always surprised when this ends and says it's only been a year as the characters have grown so much and seem so much older.2017: a fitting en dot the circle of magic. They have grown in their powers and each told a tale of the focus use. We finish with Briar as he completes his change from Roach & a life of crime to Briar, plant Mage. Determined not to lose anyone he cares about Briar gets involved with first tending the sick then working on a cure for the plague that has hit Summersea. All the girls have a part to play in his journey, and, by the end he even challenges death.

The series became dull by this book...which was sad because I was hoping for more out of Briars book...more of his backstory and his friends...mostly the book is about an epidemic that hits the area around the Circle...so Im not absolutely thrilled with the storyline...but it had some moments between the teachers and students that are important for the series plot line...I think that I will try to read the next portion of this series...we will see how that goes.

When I was reading these books for the first time, this was my least favorite of the quartet. As I'm revisiting them I was actually a lot more invested than I remember. Briar's story is definitely very emotional. It focuses on the strength of the relationships that he's built, and the risks that he's willing to take in order to protect them.

Ugh blue spot disease! Rosethorn and Briar worked hard. I love how Briar was willing to die for Rosethorn it really shows how close they've become. Edit: Added detailI really got to know Crane is this book. I still don't really like him but he's not as bad as the children think. I'm sad that Flick died, but she's probably gone to a better place. Amazed that the children were able to save Rosethorn. I don't know how but they did! O.O

This review is for the first four books, Circle of Magic.An overall four stars, with the individual ratings as follows:Sandrys Book: 4Triss Book: 4Dajas Book: 3 Briars Book: 4This is, shortly, an excellent YA/childrens series. The books are short, but never feel rushed. They are simple, but never simplistic. Each book has a strong moral core, and they each contain messages, but this is never pushed (at least not strongly) on the reader. They are essentially very good examples of how to speak to children honestly, and without condescension. The books, perhaps especially the fourth one, do not shy away from dealing with unpleasant or serious topics, but rarely linger on them for the sake of drama. Things happen mostly in the open, but there are little hints of things (relationships, events) hovering at the edges.The primary characters are mostly likeable - or not, when required. There are out-and-out villains, but certain adversaries are shown to be more complex, or at least shown to be human.The books are, for lack of a better term, predictable but not in a negative sense. Youll see where things are going. You are given the information to figure it out, and those things then play out mostly as expected, but the pacing is good and the characters are good company, so rather than a chore it becomes a very pleasant experience to watch events unfold.I liked the fourth one best, slightly ahead of one and two (the fourth book being basically The Andromeda Strain - with wizards!), mostly because Briar is a somewhat more interesting character, even if he is perhaps also the most familiar character to fantasy readers. I suspect that all readers will have a favourite of their own from the core group, for various reasons. Of course, we all know that overall, Frostpine is totally the best, right?The Circle of Magic proved to be a very charming experience, so heres hoping that the next four will be equally enjoyable.