History Literature / TheCircle

* ShallowLoveInterest: [[spoiler: Gustaf]] is handsome, friendly and devoted to being a good person, and that's pretty much all there is to him.

* {{Flight}}: Vanessa develops this power in the third book.

'''The Circle''' (Swedish title ''Cirkeln'') is a [[UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} Swedish]] young adult fantasy novel written by Mats Strandberg and Sara Bergmark Elfgren and published in 2011. It is the first part of the ''Engelsfors'' trilogy. It was published in the US in 2013.

The novel takes place in a fictional rural town in Bergslagen in central Sweden and follows a group of six teenage girls, Minoo Falk Karimi, Rebecka Molin, Anna-Karin Nieminen, Ida Holmström, Vanessa Dahl and Linnéa Wallin. They have little in common until they discover that they all are witches [[TheChosenOne chosen to save the world]] from an [[EldritchAbomination otherworldly evil]]. The authors have cited ''Series/TwinPeaks'', ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' and ''{{Series/Supernatural}}'' as some of their main influences. The book was quite a big success in Sweden, being nominated for the prestigous annual literature prize "Agustpriset" in the young adult category. It has been sold in over 20 other countries. A film adaptation was announced but was halted due to [[ExecutiveMeddling conflicts]] between the authors and the production company Filmlance, who wanted to make certain changes to the script that the authors felt uncomfortable about. As of 2013, this has cleared up as Benny Andersson (of {{ABBA}} fame) has stepped in and bought the rights from Filmlance. The film will be directed by Levan Akin, with a script by Levan Akin and Sara Bergmark Elfgren. Filming started in early 2014, and was released in 2015 to largely postivie reviews. Benny Andersson wishes to produce the second and third novel if the first film is commercially succesfull. Unfortunatly, it seems that the mediocre box office will mean the sequels will be canceled unless the film is a hit in Norway and Denmark.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Rebecka is [[TheMillenniumTrilogy Mikael Blomqvist's daughter]].

* BrainlessBeauty: Averted

* GoodBadGirl: Vanessa is a good friend, CoolBigSis, and generally nice person who just happens to really like boys [[spoiler: [[BiTheWay and also, it turns out, girls]].]]

--->'''Other Chosen One:''' Since when can you do that?

* MagicalSociety: There's references to a secret magical society run by a tyrannical council, [[spoiler: but it does not affect the plot until the second novel.]]
* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: The first novel references a blue haired girl at a few points and the inscription "Only the good die young" on a toilet door. These elements becomes very important in the second novel.
** In the second novel, the sighting of a lynx is mentioned. [[spoiler: The lynx is Walter Hjorth's familiar.]]

* PowerIncontinence: Most of the Circle, to an extent. Ida can't decide when she is possessed or gets her visions; [[spoiler: Linnea]] also can't turn her ability off when she first gets it. But the worst of it goes to Anna-Karin. At first it seems like she has the best control, since she is the first to use her powers voluntarily and does it the most...until the effects start to get out of hand. And when she tries to ''stop'', things just get worse.

* PunchClockVillain: Alexander, to a certain degree. [[spoiler: Everything he does is because the Council tells him it's the right thing and he is devouted to them to the point of fanatisism. Since the Council has tried to cover up their mistake by passing off TheProfecy as one among many that where not taken that seriously. If they had not, Alexander would have likely helped the Chosen Ones]]. When he comes to Engelsfors, he thinks of himself as cop investigating a crime. Viktor by default since he is just doing what Alexander told him and starts to doubt the Council's position the more he finds out.

* SixStudentClique: Subverted; with the exception of Minoo and Rebecka, none of the witches hang out or know each other very well.

* ShipperOnDeck: about half the cast is cheering for [[spoiler: Vanessa and Linnea]]

* TeacherStudentRomance: Miloo has a crush on the young, handsome teacher Max [[spoiler:and it turns out he is in love with her]].

* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: Averted. Linnéa and Vanessa tell Anna-Karin in no uncertain terms that her planning to mind-control Jari into having sex with her is ''not okay.'' [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil Even less okay than all the other stuff she's already mind-controlling people into doing.]]

* TheirFirstTime: Both [[spoiler: Vanessa and Linnea & Minoo and Gustaf]] in "The Key".

* TakeThat: The philosophy of Positive Engelsfors seems awfully close to that in ''TheSecret''. It leads to very little good.

* PreAssKickingOneLine:
--> ''"We belong togheter"''

The novel takes place in a fictional rural town in Bergslagen in central Sweden and follows a group of six teenage girls, Minoo Falk Karimi, Rebecka Molin, Anna-Karin Nieminen, Ida Holmström, Vanessa Dahl and Linnéa Wallin. They have little in common until they discover that they all are witches [[TheChosenOne chosen to save the world]] from an [[EldritchAbomination otherworldly evil]]. The authors have cited ''Series/TwinPeaks'', ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' and ''{{Series/Supernatural}}'' as some of their main influences. The book was quite a big success in Sweden, being nominated for the prestigous annual literature prize "Agustpriset" in the young adult category. It has been sold in over 20 other countries. A film adaptation was announced but was halted due to [[ExecutiveMeddling conflicts]] between the authors and the production company Filmlance, who wanted to make certain changes to the script that the authors felt uncomfortable about. As of 2013, this has cleared up as Benny Andersson (of {{ABBA}} fame) has stepped in and bought the rights from Filmlance. The film will be directed by Levan Akin, with a script by Levan Akin and Sara Bergmark Elfgren. Filming started in early 2014, and was released in 2015 to largely postivie reviews. Benny Andersson wishes to produce the second and third novel if the first film is commercially succesfull.

* DawsonCasting: Some of the actresses are in their early 20's, for example the actress playing Rebecka was 22 when the film was made. At least one critic pointed out that the actresses looked much older than 16.

* KnightTemplar: The demons. Also the Council as a whole, though individual members run the gamut from semi-ReasonableAuthorityFigure ([[spoiler: Adriana]]) to CompleteMonster ([[spoiler: Walter]]).

[[folder: The Series Oveall]]

* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: Averted. Minoo and Vanessa tells Anna-Karin in no uncertain terms that her planning to mind-control Jari into having sex with her is ''not okay.'' [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil Even less okay than all the other stuff she's already mind-controlling people into doing.]]

[folder: The Series Oveall]

[folder: The Film]

----

*** Then again, this is subverted. [[spoiler: Rebecka]] dies forcing [[spoiler: Minoo to become the leader of the group]]. In ''Fire'' Ida develops into a more usefull member of the group and works along with the others. While [[spoiler: Minoo]] is useless for the most of ''The Circle'', at the end she [[spoiler: reveals are hidden power which is similar to the ones the demons have. Because Minoo likes clearcut rules there is a chance that she may become a SixthRangerTraitor in ''The Key'']].