From Goodreads: Blackstone is a mercenary sorcerer who does not rule any valleys and has yet to be bound to another sorcerer. Undertaking work for the sorceress queen, Spiral, he finds himself the expendable pawn in an assassination mission. Turning against the queen he fights Spiral’s loyal sorcerers and finds himself tasked with the guardianship of the marked man’s son. As the two flee from Spiral they have to work through their mutual bitterness and distrust of each other. A new tangle is thrown into their relationship when Blackstone frees a werewolf from her cage set in a town square and reverts the werewolf back to a young woman, cursed since childhood with lycanthropy.

Fleeing from the townsfolk who had previously kept the young werewolf, Loralune, captive, the three person band must confront Loralune’s transformation under the full moon, the posse that runs them to ground and a sorceress looking for revenge against Hiroe and Blackstone. Survival against these threats leaves them vulnerable to other, more insidious dangers.

_________________________________________________

Truth be told, lately I have found that I am all fantasized out.  It’s been a very long time since I’ve picked up a fantasy novel, or a sci-fi one for that matter, that really drew me into the story and enveloped me with the characterization and plot line. But Drawing the Circle did just that, which was a real treat!  Beineke has created a wonderful story that pulls readers into the text with its fantastical world filled with sorcery and strange creatures.  It was a lot of fun to read, and I especially liked Blackstone.  He is a very interesting character who is able to see goodness in even the most dangerous creatures.  He also never gives up hope, attempting to help as many people as he can along the way, regardless of their perceptions of him, which is a very admirable quality.

The story follows Blackstone for much of the beginning, but then shifts to follow the life of Hiroe in order to give readers his background leading up to the confrontation with Blackstone.  From there, the story parallels both characters as the two hero’s travel together, but then it takes on a rather strange twist.  Almost out of nowhere, the novel jumps ahead multiple years to show Hiroe as a grown man.  Initially, I was quite unhappy with the sudden jump into the future. I wasn’t expecting it and it disrupted the flow of the novel.  I wasn’t sure why Beineke decided to do this to such a wonderful story, but as I kept reading, small clues began to emerge that explained the sudden change in the novel, and by the novel’s end, I was once again happy.  In other words, there is a rhyme and a reason for this sudden shift, but to find out what it is, you’ll have to read the book.  I highly recommend it!  Four stars!

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.