Great, Christian suspense story that teaches readers the nature of God and His goodness.
Plot
Using their dragon traits and wisdom they gained through their earlier adventures, Billy and Bonnie explore a multi-dimensional domain of evil. In this realm, they navigate seven perilous worlds, each one manifested in a circular plane of existence that leads them deeper into the domain of a powerful enemy.
The seventh circle holds a group of prisoners. They are captives of the evil mistress of the circles, and Billy has to find a way to set them free and give them new life. When tragedy strikes along the way, Billy has to face the most difficult decision of his life: whether to forsake Bonnie to rescue the prisoners or to find a way to save his best friend in the world.
Morality
Some evil characters pretend to be good in an attempt to fool the good characters, but their plan is eventually told to the reader. The good characters stand together and help each other, even to the point of risking their lives for each other. The bad characters use deceit and lies to achieve their purposes.
Spiritual Content
Both Billy and Bonnie are Christians. In the first circle, they meet an evil dragon who offers them fruit from his tree. He is later revealed as Lucifer. Morgan le Fay is an evil sorceress who reminds one of the character of Morticia from the Addams' Family TV show. She has special powers that include the use of darkness. She has pet snakes and a vicious dog who is multi-colored. There are evil henchmen of Lucifer that are mentioned as the Watchers. The methods of entering the circles could be considered magic.
Violence
Swords and spears are used. Good and bad guys are wounded and some characters are killed. Main characters' lives are in danger. The "circles" in the title refer to levels of Hell, and in them the main characters meet living people, dead people, and spirits.
Drug and Alcohol Content
The henchmen of Morgan (called the "New Table Knights") uses scent drugs. Some of these candles make people drowsy, some make them feel good, and some make them laugh. The New Table Knights use these to catch their opposition unaware. Epinephrine is used to counteract the effects of an insect bite.
Sexual Content
The villain, Morgan, acts seductively without appearing to think she will gain anything by it; she smiles at men to get them to listen to her, touches their faces, and kisses one boy's cheek. In one circle, a mysterious, beautiful woman (wearing a sheer dress) tries to trick Billy into thinking that the age-old prophecies say that he is supposed to marry her instead of Bonnie. This character lays her head on Billy's shoulder.
Crude or Profane Language or Content
None. The "oh God!" and "thank God!" references are sincere two-word prayers. Hell and Hades are mentioned but only as the names of the seven circles.
Conclusion
This book has deeply Christian morals, telling readers to rely on God in their most dire hours. The violence has its place, and there is no swearing or anything along those lines. I loved every word of this book, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the next books in the series.
Editor's Note:
Readers should be aware that Davis represents dragons as not only good characters (in some cases), but ones capable of a form of salvation. This brings up deep biblical issues that should not be lightly passed over, and it is SCR's position that these books should be viewed with a critical and discerning eye.
