The Broken Circle (Book) Review
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The Broken Circle does a great job of pulling readers into a whole new world, all while making it seem like we’ve always been there.
Author Cheryl Potter seeks to weave the joys of knitting and a fantasy story all into one entrancing yarn – but is that a combination that actually works together?
At first glance, the concept behind The Broken Circle sounds like something that would only appeal to knitters, but that really isn’t the case. While knitting and yarn is certainly an essential part of the story, it is presented in such a way that anyone who enjoys a good tale of magic and fantasy, good vs. evil, will feel right at home in this book, craftiness optional.
The Broken Circle: Yarn of the Knitting Witches spins a story of twelve witches, trained in the art of using fragments of magical crystals to imbibe the garments they make with subtle magical powers. From a cape that lets the wearer pass unseen to a bottomless market bag to a shawl that keeps the wearer from passing to the other side, the garments that look like ordinary pieces of needlework are anything but. It is important that they do look ordinary, for magic has been outlawed in all its forms, as a war wages for the fate of the world – a world which the Dark Queen seems intent on decimating.
This is a book that I found myself lost in, almost from the start. I have read a lot of fantasy novels, and this one is a really good example of how the genre should be done. Potter weaves an entire world and all of its lore into this book, and yet it is all is easy to read and quite engaging. The Twelve (the knitting witches) split up long ago after the betrayal of one of their own, but with the world in peril it is time for them to gather over the dyeing pot once more. Of course, there are many who are determined to stop this from happening, not the least of which is the Dark Queen who has caused it all. There is a cast of characters who, in their imperfections, are at once believable and likable.
The Broken Circle does a great job of pulling readers into a whole new world, all while making it seem like we’ve always been there. The characters are likable, simply because none of them are presented as all knowing or perfect. Powerful though they may be, each of them is also decidedly human and relatable. While knitting is a central theme, the story is much more about fantasy and magic (although those more interested in the knitting aspect can look up the companion knitting book for some fun new projects).