Review: Hounded, Hexed and Hammered by Kevin Hearne

Hounded by Kevin Hearne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Source: Audiobook 


Synopsis from Author's website:

Atticus O’Sullivan has been running for two thousand years and he’s a bit tired of it. After he stole a magical sword from the Tuatha Dé Danann (those who became the Sidhe or the Fae) in a first century battle, some of them were furious and gave chase, and some were secretly amused that a Druid had the cheek to defy them. As the centuries passed and Atticus remained an annoyingly long-lived fugitive, those who were furious only grew more so, while others began to aid him in secret.

Now he’s living in Tempe, Arizona, the very last of the Druids, far from where the Fae can easily find him. It’s a place where many paranormals have decided to hide from the troubles of the Old World—from an Icelandic vampire holding a grudge against Thor to a coven of Polish witches who ran from the German Blitzkrieg.

Unfortunately, the very angry Celtic god who wants that sword has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power, plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good, old-fashioned luck of the Irish to kick some arse and deliver himself from evil.

Hexed by Kevin Hearne


My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Source: Audiobook


Synopsis from Author Website:

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn’t care much for witches. Still, he’s about to “make nice” with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial non-aggression treaty—when suddenly the witch population in modern day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. The new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of WWII.

With a fallen angel feasting on local high school students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas with their special brand of deadly decadence, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch-hunt. But aided by his magical sword, his neighbor’s rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and his vampire attorney, Atticus is ready to sweep the town and show the witchy women they picked the wrong Druid to hex.

Hammered by Kevin Hearne
My rating 3 of 5 stars 


Source: Audiobook


Synopsis from author website:

Thor, the Norse god of thunder, is worse than a blowhard and a bully—he’s ruined countless lives and killed scores of innocents. After centuries, Viking vampire Leif Helgarson is ready to get his vengeance, and he’s asked his friend Atticus O’Sullivan, the last of the Druids, to help take down this Norse nightmare.

One survival strategy has worked for Atticus for more than two thousand years: stay away from the guy with the lightning bolts. Plus things are heating up in his home base  of Tempe, Arizona. There’s a vampire turf war brewing, and Russian demon hunters who call themselves the Hammers of God are running rampant. Despite multiple warnings and portents of dire consequences, Atticus and Leif journey to the Norse plane of Asgard, where they team up with a werewolf, a sorcerer, and an army of frost giants for an epic showdown against vicious Valkyries, angry Norse gods, and the hammer-wielding Thunder Thug himself.

Books 1-3 of the Iron Druid Chronicles

Atticus O'Sullivan is a 2100 year old druid passing as a regular Irish 21 year old bookshop owner. He lives in Tempe, Arizona as it is dry and arid and the lack of life force in the area makes it difficult for faeries to get to (or one particular faery with a grudge). As a druid he draws power from the earth and his tattoos, and can shapeshift into animals or birds at will. He runs a bookshop and sells herbal teas and medicines and generally tries to avoid trouble, hanging out with his lawyer friends who just happen to be a vampire and a werewolf, and helping out the (usually sozzled) elderly widow down the street.  Atticus is likeable, noble and sarcastic, and a very relateable character.

These are really great books with plenty of magic, faeries and evil guys- action and pace. I read a lot of books in a year, so a 3 star rating still means that I really liked these books. I'm always really mean with my stars anyway, but I think in this instance it was just a case of wrong reader. This just maybe wasn't the book for me. I know that other book bloggers have loved this, and I can totally see why, because it is funny, action packed and with great characters based around a unique mythology, but, it also felt like more of a "bloke's book" to me. There is a lot of male posturing, and at times felt like a sequence in an xbox fantasy game. Atticus is running around with his magical sword and meeting up with beautiful goddesses and sleeping with them (no double entendre intended!). I just personally prefer stories with real romances and focus on relationships, than just lots of meaningless sexual conquests.

There are many different characters in this book, both good and evil, but my absolute favourite character is Atticus's dog Oberon. Oberon can speak into select people's minds, and his thoughts are always so pure and simple. His voice is a breath of fresh air amongst all the drama, sword swinging action, betrayals and danger of the rest of the story. In the midst of a war he'll be there, asking if they can go and get some sausages after all this, because he's been very good! He will always be unwaveringly loyal to Atticus. Some of the funniest moments in the books are Oberon's attempts to persuade everyone how good he's being and how much he therefore deserves a treat or a belly rub. But he is so smart as well, randomly quoting his favourite TV characters (like Eric Cartman).

The only way Atticus can get Oberon to take a bath is by telling him a story in the tub, and Oberon becomes so completely intrigued by these tales. This is how throughout the whole of book 1 Oberon becomes obsessed with Genghis Khan, and throughout book 2 he is obsessed with hippies, Wavy Gravy and "sticking it to the Man"! What can I say- I love Oberon, cutest Irish wolfhound on the planet!

I really enjoyed the mythology in this book. It opened the doors to so many different possiblities, and hilarious clashes of culture, and gave the sense that absolutely anything could be possible. In this world any religion that people believe in is true- so every version of Heaven/Hell from any belief is real, and what will happen when you die depends on whatever you believe in. It also means that any god/goddess from any belief system is real and wandering the Earth. Atticus through the course of the books might find himself buying a whisky for Jesus, making deals with an Indian goddess, or tracking down the Norse god Thor. I thought it was so funny when Atticus is daydreaming about chatting with Captain Kirk and Spock, and lamenting that Star Trek never became a religion so that they could hang out for real!

A small downside for me though was the number of different characters, and all the different bargains and alliances that Atticus makes. The story becomes so political at times! Although Atticus is always diplomatic and tries to avoid conflict wherever possible, he can't help owing favours, and making deals with certain powerful people. Some people are not always to be trusted, and sometimes a  character is not what Atticus originally expects. There are so many characters- demons, witches, deities, faeries, and even run-of-the-mill bad humans that I couldn't keep track of who was who, and whether they were an ally at that moment or not. I couldn't always understand why he needed to go into battle to help out another character, but even though I was confused I just went along with the flow. It's Oberon again that provides light relief during moments when Atticus is conducting meetings and making bargains, since Atticus is the only one who can hear Oberon's sarcastic comments and Atticus struggles to keep a straight face at vital moments.

I would love to see more of Atticus's new apprentice Granuaile in the next book. She is a smart and kick-ass character that hasn't seemed to have had a whole lot of druid training so far- with Atticus off on his different quests and battles, he seems to only call on her when he needs a ride, to provide an alibi to the police, or to take care of the dog.

I love the books for the humour, and the heart behind the main characters. They are all a roller coaster of excitement and action, and I will definitely be reading the next book in the series, just to continue with the story a little longer and to see how it develops.


Rest of the series:

Book 4 Tricked is due to be released late April 2012


The Iron Druid Chronicles is currently set to be a six book series, but the author has stated in interviews that he would love to write nine books for the series. Whether this will be possible depends on book sales of the series so far.

www.kevinhearne.com/books

On a side note- I love the covers for the books. This is just exactly how I picture Atticus to look while I'm reading these books. I listened to the audiobooks for this series- expertly narrated by Luke Daniels.

In My Mailbox 8th April 2012

In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where book bloggers can talk about the books they've gotten the past week- whether bought, borrowed, swapped, or given for review. This feature was started to increase interaction between bloggers and to increase our awareness of all the new books coming out.

I got some amazing books this week- check 'em out!

Bought:

• The Calling by Kelley Armstrong. Goodreads. I absolutely adore this author's young adult series. This is book 2 in the Darkness Rising series, and I can't wait to start reading it after the cliffhanger ending of book 1. I've been stroking the cover all week!   I love that this title was was released here in the UK before it is in the US. I feel like chanting "Na na nanaa naaaa!" (But I won't)   :D

Kindle Bargains:

• Pretty When She Dies by Rhinannon Frater. Goodreads. Thanks to the nagging  encouragement of certain bloggers who shall remain nameless (*Cough* Bookish Brunette *Cough cough* Xpresso Reads) who continually rave about how awesome this author is, I downloaded this title when it was on sale this week. This is a vampire book, and it does actually sound pretty good. 

For Review:

• Yesterday by C.K Kelly Martin. Goodreads. This sounds so good- it's a dystopian story, with visions of the future, and has been described as a dark sci-fi adventure. 

This is due to be published in September. Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the review copy.

• Flutter by Gina Linko. Goodreads. This is about a girl who suffers with seizures (or so everyone thinks) when actually she experiences something like time travel loops to mysterious places. Described as a sci-fi romance this looks very exciting.

This is due to be published in October. Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the review copy. 

So those were the books I got to read this week. What did you get?

Happy reading!

Unblogged Favourites, Part four

I noticed as I was compiling my Review Archive a few weeks ago that there are many of my absolutely favourite books that I have never talked about on my blog. I have only been blogging for a little over a year, but I have been a prolific reader all my life, and there are certain books and series that I have loved, and still think about and re-read, books that I will always enthuse about to my friends (or even strangers) in a bookshop, books that will have a permanent place on my bookshelves and in my heart- but they have never before had representation on my blog. I want to mend that now by talking about some of these amazing books.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads

 

This is a letter written in the past tense written by 16 year old Gemma to her kidnapper Ty. Throughout the book these are the only two characters but it's still absolutely gripping. I think I pretty much read this in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. Terrifying and moving at the same time. I read this years ago and yet this story is imprinted on my brain. I've since re-read it many times. 
I think it's a little scarily stockholm syndrome of me- but many many times, I finish a long day of work on my feet all day, after dealing with rude people, sitting in traffic jams getting angry at rude dangerous drivers that cut me up, back home to a pile of bills that I can't afford to pay, and I think "I could go and live in the desert with Ty- no other people- no obligations- just sitting reading and playing cards, feeding the chickens every morning. That sounds pretty good". 

A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads

I just LOVE this book. Switching between two different time zones to solve a mystery, this is so beautiful and completely compelling. I adored Mattie the main character, and couldn't stand Royal, who wanted to marry her. Harsh in places but this just makes the story even more moving- just amazing. 
In some parts of the world this book is titled A Northern Light. 

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads

 


This book is so incredibly powerful. Set in Germany during the Second World War and narrated by Death himself, it tells the story of young girl Liesel, who takes any book she can get her hands on. It also focuses on the rest of the neighbourhood, giving the story a powerful scope of interesting characters. I sobbed my heart out at this book. Tragic and sad, but a definite must-read for anyone. 


More of my favourite books next week!


Previous posts:
Unblogged Favourites, part one
Unblogged Favourites, part two
Unblogged Favourites, part three

The Time Will Come #56

The Time Will Come is a weekly meme hosted by Jodie at Books For Company, where we can spotlight those books that we've had sitting on our shelves for too long. Books that we really want to read but never seem to get around to.

I downloaded this onto my kindle AGES ago, when all the reviews first started appearing. I still haven't read it yet. Sweet, funny and contemporary- I WILL read this... one day...

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Goodreads

When Ginny receives 13 little blue envelopes with instructions to buy a plane ticket to London, she's soon on an adventure that will change her in more ways than one.

 


There is also a sequel- The Last Little Blue Envelope

Review: Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Synopsis from Goodreads:
What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?

Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Connor, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.

Spellbound is book 1 in an original and compelling YA paranormal series. Kind of witchy, but definitely packed with old legends, a mystery and a sweet forbidden romance.

This is told in the first person from Emma's point of view, and I loved her voice. There are so many quirky "inner monolgue" type sentences, that added a real level of personality to the story. She has had such a hard life up until the story begins with her moving into her aunt's house, but she has always come out fighting, and she is such a strong character. I liked that she sticks to her principles despite peer pressure, avoiding heavy drinking because of her expereinces with a drunken stepfather, and despite starting fresh at a new school she decides to befriend Angelique the outcast because she likes her, rather than the bitchy popular kids. I really liked her feistiness, and that she will always speak her mind, even if it leaves her by herself.

I loved the fact that there were so many different layers to the story. There are so many different elements to it- There is Emma's drama at high school, with creep Anthony hitting on Emma's cousin, but also the mysterious magical goings on outside of school. With streetlights smashing above her head as a warning to her of nearby danger there is always an underlying sense of suspense and mystery. It moves at the perfect pace to feel like there is always something going on, and some new twist or revelation, but it never felt rushed.

There are also stories within the story, as details of Emma's past lives are gradually revealed, and this gave it a real sense of an old fairytale retelling as well. Emma and Brendan meet and are inexplicably drawn to each other, but discover they are cursed to keep reliving the same tragedy over and over again. They hope that by them finding out about the curse they can take steps to arm themselves against history repeating itself again. There is a really dramatic finale that ties together the two threads of the storyline, both the contemporary one and the magical one.

This is a great book- it is very exciting, and had me gripped with tension, but is also such a powerfully beautiful love story incorporating an ancient curse, past lives, and magic spells, all within the setting of a bitchy private high school. I loved the fact that it was so funny as well- very wittily written, with sassy one liners that always made me chuckle. And I loved the vibrant mixture of the characters as well- all of Emma's friends and family had such a personality and substance to them, very strong characters that added an extra touch to the book. I loved quirky goth girl Angelique, and the matchmaking of Emma's new gay best friend Cisco.

Brendan the main guy is very crush-worthy, without the insta-love. Brendan is very sweet, mysterious and intelligent, and their relationship is built out of a curiosity about the other. The romance is very slow-building, and with plenty of ups and downs that initially leave Emma feeling very confused. When they eventually stop dancing around each other, it feels like an actual honest relationship, and very endearing.

I won a US paperback copy of this book in a contest, but it is due to be published in the UK by Mira in September 2012. I loved this book and I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series- Spellcaster next.

Next in the series:

Spellcaster. Published in the US by Harlequin and out now.