Tricked by Kevin Hearne

(Iron Druid Chronicles #4)
Genre: urban fantasy
Pages: 338 (handy Mass-market paperback)
Published: April 2012 by Random House
Recommended for: only those who've read the first three books in the series, but I recommend the Iron Druid books to absolutely any fan of urban fantasy or the paranormal genre

My Take:

At the start of this fourth book in the series, our hero Atticus O'Sullivan, last living Druid on Earth, has just returned from the realm of Asgard and a mission to kill the Norse god Thor to find that-- as per usual for Atticus-- a whole bunch of gods, goddesses, and mythological characters of various ilk and pantheon would like very much to see him dead.  After conscripting his old friend Coyote (of Navajo and other Native American tribal lore) to help him fake his old grand demise, Atticus just wants time to train Granuaile, the former philosophy major/hot-headed lady bartender he took on as his apprentice a few books ago, in the magical arts, to spend some quality hunting time with his Irish wolfhound Oberon, and generally lay low for a decade or so.  Unfortunately for Atticus, Coyote has something else in mind: he recruits Atticus to solve a seemingly innocent problem in the local Navajo tribe which turns out to involve defeating a couple of malevolent and nearly invincible local skinwalkers-- scary Western American shapeshifters.  Add to that already deadly mix the reemergence of Atticus's vampiric friend and lawyer Leif, a (characteristically violent) vampire political feud, a Navajo hatalii (medicine man) who is more than he seems, and a very foreboding encounter with the Norse goddess of the Norse underworld (appropriately named Hel) and her pet hellhound, and you have, well, another week in the life of Atticus O'Sullivan.  You have to wonder how the poor guy gets any downtime, after dealing with a millennium or two of this kind of stuff.

This is the third book in the Iron Druid Chronicles which I've reviewed (somehow I managed to miss the chronological third book, Hammered, but I'll get around to reviewing it sometime.)  I remain just extremely impressed and generally delighted by this unconventional and endlessly entertaining fantasy series.  Atticus's flashback-stories about his life in various countries and time periods, the modern urban Arizona setting, the eclectic-ness of the mythological people and creatures featured-- and how hilariously they are portrayed in many cases-- is just fantastic.  In Hammered (the volume I haven't reviewed yet), Atticus has an encounter with the Virgin Mary as well as of course her peace-loving son, Jesus Christ, a variety of valkyries, and of course the total jerk that is the Norse thunder god Thor.  In Tricked, we get to meet somewhat fewer new characters and deities than in the previous books, probably because the ranks of the series' large cast have already swelled with so many great characters.

There is the introduction of Hel and a dastardly hint about a possibly pending apocalypse (but what else is new??)  We get much better acquainted with Coyote-- one of my absolute favorites from the earlier books. Coyote definitely lives up to his reputation as a trickster god, but I came to love his distinct way of talking and pulling strings around "behind the scenes"-- oh, and the way he calls Atticus "Mr. Druid".  I don't want to dole out a ton of spoilers (it's hard with these books, because I just want to put my favorite of Atticus's quotes and pop culture references in the review and maybe frame them), but all of the running gags with Atticus and Granuaile and Oberon had me chuckling out loud every few pages.  (This, by the way, is not such good behavior to be exhibiting-- I'm in college and have a roommate now.)  Speaking of Atticus's hound Oberon, he featured quite a lot in this book, especially compared to Hammered, where his hilarious commentary, lovable naivety, and penchant for sausages were for the most part much missed.  I also enjoyed the (slow but definitely present) progression of Atticus and Granuaile's relationship, which is frequently less master-pupil than Atticus says he would prefer it to be.  (But we all know he belongs with Granuaile and Granuaile alone.)  Who knows, maybe their romance will take front seat in the next Iron Druid book, Trapped.  This fifth book will be released on November 27th, which is soon but barely acceptable-- I need another "fix" of this series very soon.    I'd absolutely love to hear from fellow Iron Druid fans or any other readers!!

My Rating:

Review: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Genre: urban fantasy
Pages: 370 (paperback)
Published: 1996 by Avon
Recommended for: fellow Neil Gaiman fans; enthusiasts of a good urban fantasy

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Under the streets of London, there's a world most people could never even dream of. A city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, knights in armour and pale girls in black velvet. This is the city of the people who have fallen between the cracks.

Richard Mayhew, a young businessman, is going to find out more than enough about this other London. A single act of kindness catapults him out of his workday existence and into a world that is at once eerily familiar and utterly bizarre. And a strange destiny awaits him down here, beneath his native city: neverwhere.

My Take:

This review comes with a inherent disclaimer, that disclaimer being that I personally consider Neil Gaiman to be something of a god in the world of fantasy literature.  The thing about Gaiman's books which captivated me when I was younger, and which still does now, is that as a writer he has the rare ability to make a reader feel like they've slipped through the cracks of the mundane, every-day world and found the extraordinary in the most unremarkable places along with his characters.  Urban fantasy can be fantastic-- ie American Gods, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, The Magicians, any of Holly Black's books-- , but it can also come across as flat and totally unbelievable.  Neil Gaiman's books have a brand of witty dark humor which makes them really enjoyable to read, every last one of them, and his characters are unique and intriguing, even though I think most of his novels are overall very plot-driven.

Neverwhere isn't my favorite Gaiman book, but I did really enjoy it and found myself thinking back to the storyline and the characters long after I turned the last page.  All in all, the mostly unpredictable plot twists and mad-cap characters-- the inhabitants of London Below, an underground London which is as dangerous as it is fascinating-- are what made reading it such a wonderful experience.  I've always wanted to visit London, but if I do it's now going to be very tempting to chat with a few homeless people or random mice in hopes of their telling me a way into London Below... maybe I'll even try drawing a door on an alley wall.  For anyone who's a fan of urban fantasy, Neil Gaiman, or fantasy in general, I'd definitely recommend Neverwhere. 

As far as my sparse (to say the least) posting schedule goes, I'm really hoping to have a new home computer and get a few opportunities to post and visit blogs over Christmas break.  Merry Christmas to my readers in advance, if any of you are still visiting occasionally! 

Hexed by Kevin Hearne

 (Book #2 in the Iron Druid Chronicles)
Genre: urban fantasy
Pages: 294 (paperback)
Published: June 2011 by Del Rey
Series recommended for: all fantasy fans

Synopsis:
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 nonaggression treaty—when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II.

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.

My Take: 

Hounded, the first book in the Iron Druid Chronicles, made a fangirl out of me.  Having finished Hexed, I am officially a total Atticus O'Sullivan fangirl for life.  I hope very much that these books are the first in a very loonng series (we're talking Tarzan of the Apes series long, though hopefully the plot points won't include anyone discovering Atlantis just yet).  As it is, I could not be more excited for the next book.  


A myriad of mythological figures and characters make an appearance in this volume...I'm a sucker for witch stories-- the more folkloric their brand of magic, the better--, so let's start there.  There are two covens in this book: the local Tempe coven are a half-dozen Polish witches who we met in the last book and who Atticus is currently trying to negotiate a peace treaty with.  (These ladies are all right, unless they happen to get a hold of a strand of your hair for their collection... ahem.)  And then there are the aforementioned new witches in town: Die Tochter der dritte Haus, or the Daughters of the Third House.  Atticus has a rocky personal history with these particular witches, and we get to learn about another little piece of his extensive lifetime.  But there's really no time to reminisce about the past, because the Daughters of the Third House are determined to take Atticus down for good this time... and if they can't have him, they'll start with some of his dearest friends.  

Atticus's werewolf attorney Hal makes only a brief appearance in this second book, but Atticus's vampire attorney Leif soundly steals the spotlight and steps in as Atticus's cohort in his most uncanny art of scaring-the-shiz-out-of-the-local-authorities.  Time and time again, Atticus avoids trouble with the mortal authorities more creatively than any urban fantasy hero out there!  Let's see... Oberon the Irish Wolfhound is back and packing a still more hilarious obsession-- this time the lovable pooch is ready to hop on the Magic Bus with Ken Kesey, and is all about sticking it to the Man.  (You just have to read the book, I swear ;)  Granuaile, Atticus's newly-adopted Druidic apprentice, is really starting to grow on me.  Not so much Brigit, sexy and, yup, fiery Celtic goddess of fire and the forge, as well as one of Atticus's main love interests.  I have this long ground-in image of Brigit as this saintly, Virgin Mary-like figure (except, y'know, pagan and armed with blacksmith's tools and what not), but her character in this series is as wily and deadly as she is admirable.  Devastated the archetype for me, but I'll give her a break.  I also loved the character of Coyote, the Native American hero of countless stories in the flesh, and here a wily, hilarious badass.  


The conclusion of this book promises a battle to the death with Thor, everybody's least favorite resident thunder god himself, in Hammered.  I recommend this series to every mythology freak out there, as well as anyone who loves a fun urban fantasy adventure. 
 

Overall Rating: 5/5 all around 

The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver

Genre: YA fantasy
Pages: 340 (paperback)
Published: 2011 by St Martin's Griffin
Recommended for: readers who enjoy urban fantasy and the demonic variety especially

Synopsis:
Riley Blackthorne just needs a chance to prove herself – and that’s exactly what the demons are counting on…

Seventeen-year-old Riley, the only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper, Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father's footsteps.  The good news is, with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheaval and Lucifer increasing the number of demons in all major cities, Atlanta’s local Trappers’ Guild needs all the help they can get – even from a girl. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing crush on fellow apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving distressed citizens from foul-mouthed little devils – Grade One Hellspawn only, of course, per the strict rules of the Guild. Life’s about as normal as can be for the average demon-trapping teen.

But then a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood.  And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, sudden tragedy strikes the Trappers’ Guild, spinning Riley down a more dangerous path than she ever could have imagined. As her whole world crashes down around her, who can Riley trust with her heart – and her life?

My Take:

This book is a sort of paranormal romance as well as a urban fantasy, jam-packed with mystery and deadly intrigue and, yes, two guys vying for our bad-ass heroine's affections.  Except that one of them wasn't, which is really what made the romantic angle unique for me.  Though The Demon Trapper's Daughter is a page-turner, it does have the distant feel of a House of Night book-- a slightly disconnected and predictable, if enthralling, plot; two love interests, one of which I can't even fathom the heroine's reasons for liking... and hell-spawn for villains.  In this case, I mean literal demons.

The fantasy part of this urban fantasy sort of fell flat for me.  I thought it was cool how the demon trappers' guild captured demons (which in Riley's alternate and futuristic Atlanta, are as common as, say, house flies) and sold them to the Vatican for profit.  But frankly, the Demon Trappers' Guild has nothing on the Shadowhunters-- the demons were vaguely Judeo-Christian types, one of whom actually sported a pitchfork (I swear), and none of whom had names or personalities whatsoever.  I miss Buffy: Giles pouring over dusty books and reading off the mythos and attributes of various demons, all the while frowning and adjusting the bridge of his glasses in the midst of his scholarly concentration.  I think Rupert Giles would become bored quite quickly with Riley's demons.  The necromancy aspect of the story was considerably more sinister, but I really can't go into that much without spouting spoilers. ;)

Now, the characters: Riley I could deal with.  She's impulsive and reckless, but her sarcasm and bad-ass-ness (she's the sole chic demon trapper in Atlanta, apprentice or not) make up for it.  But I couldn't stand her constant rudeness to and lack of appreciation for another character: Denver Beck, her dad's twenty-something partner in demon trapping and the guy who's been taking care of her whiny butt for reasons-which-shall-not-be-mentioned-in-a-spoiler-free-zone.  Beck's character is that of a backwoods boy with a rough past, but it quickly becomes clear he has a heart of gold.  Rusty gold, but still.  The book alternates between his POV and Riley's, which was a surprise, since Beck is not once mentioned in the synopsis. He speaks in a kind of Southern-ish dialogue (lots of 'yer's and 'ya's) which reminded me more of Hagrid than some of the good 'ol boys we have in the Carolinas and Georgia, but I was willing to forgive him.  I didn't hate Riley's main love interest-- Simon, her fellow apprentice in demon trapping and a NCB (Nice Catholic Boy), simply because there wasn't much to hate.  Simon was a very flat character, an angelic blond type with little personality in contrast to the quirky and caring Beck.  This book is the first in a series, so maybe Riley will wake up and realize that in the forthcoming sequel.

All this complaining aside, I really did enjoy this book-- it's fast-paced and a great just-for-fun read.  Still, it won't be making it to the Favorites Shelf.

Cover: 5/5 (fits perfectly)

Premise: 4/5

Characters: 3/5

Plot: 3/5

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

(#4 in the Mortal Instruments series)
Genre: YA urban fantasy
Pages: 424 (hardcover)
Published: April 2011 by Margaret K Elderry

SPOILER ALERT: Any spoilers are from the first three books in the Mortal Instruments series only.

My Take:

City of Fallen Angels honestly needs no introduction, nor does it really need another review (there are about 1,500 on Goodreads alone) stating what the millions of people who pre-ordered the book and waited on pins and needles for it and read it in four hours like it was the last Harry Potter all over again have already found out: it's good, it's pretty much fantastic.  But not as fantastic as the first three books in the Mortal Instruments series.  There's my review in two sentences; if you want to know the reason and method behind my madness, read on.

Why CoFA is great (and not so great):

--CoFA is great because we get to spend more time with the cast of the Mortal Instruments.  Nerdy and lovable Simon, sexy if emo Jace, bad-ass-with-a-whip and freak'in awesome Isabelle (my favorite character)... not to mention all the other token, beloved characters like Magnus, Alec, Clary, Luke, and Maia.
This is not so great because I think a couple of the characters were so drastically, annoyingly different from the Shadowhunters/warlocks we know and love.  They've definitely all changed throughout the course of the last three epic books, there's no doubt about that.  But while reading some of the characters made me feel like I was coming home (if ya know what I mean), I couldn't help but be extremely frustrated with Jace.  Jace is kinda whiny, we all know that, but in the past he has made up for it by A-- actually having valid reasons to be whiny, and B-- making us all snicker with his bluntness and sarcasm.  In this fourth book, I couldn't help but be annoyed with Jace, simply because I feel like he wasn't balancing the sarcasm and the crazy recklessness with the whining and morbid thoughts.  It was just way too much of the latter, and that made the book a lot less fun than I was expecting it to be.  Magnus Bane also disappointed me because, even though he didn't have a very big part in this one, he barely made me smile even once.  Magnus is one of my all-time favorite zany characters, but in CoFA I was really missing his snarky remarks and general Magnus-ness.  All that said, it was great to be reacquainted with Izzy and Simon (whose POV I really enjoyed) and Clary.

-- You know that happily ever after?  The one at the end of City of Glass, which had me going around in a blissful euphoria for days, smiling like a lunatic while I did the dishes?  Of course, good books are built on good catastrophes, so I knew a fourth book would rip all that to pieces.  I don't mind that-- anything for more Mortal Instruments books.  But maybe I was super-naive in hoping that Clary and Jace would be, you know, together forever now.  After all the crap they've been through to be together,wouldn't it be okay if they could just be in love and kicking major demon a$$ together now (like the sneak peek chapter led us to believe, right)?  But no.  Without letting a single spoiler-jam-packed rant slip from my tongue (er, fingers), let me just say that Cassandra Clare is cutting Clary and Jace no breaks.

Climbing down from my soapbox, I will say that the writing was up to par with Cassie Clare's other books completely, though the plot didn't capture my attention as fully as those of the first three books in the series.  There were a few crazy-cool surprises and twists, including one giant cliffhanger which I'm just dying to blurt out.  The book is worth reading for those last few pages alone, because I'm so excited now for what's to come in City of Lost Souls.  So all in all, I loved it... but I didn't love it as much as I'd hoped I would.  But such huge expectations are hard to live up to.

Cover: 4/5 

Premise: 5/5

Characters: 4/5

Plot: 4/5

Overall Rating: 4/5

Early Review of Hounded by Kevin Hearne

Genre: urban fantasy

Pages: 320 (paperback)

To Be Published: May 3rd, 2011 by Del Rey

My Take: 

When I first won Hounded from a Goodreads giveaway, I had no idea what a good thing I had coming in the mail.  It's not too unusual that I venture into adult urban fantasy or even literary fiction, though obviously I read more YA than anything, this being a YA blog.  But Hounded may very well be the best urban fantasy, if not one of the best books period that I've read all year.  It's a hidden, fast-paced and fun fantasy gem which will not be hidden for long, judging by the slew of enthusiastic reviews I've seen on Goodreads and a few other blogs.  The editor's note on the inside cover of the ARC copy mentions the 'Kevin Hearne Effect'-- and man, has the Kevin Hearne Effect worked its magic on me!  This book is like the perfect, Celtic lovechild of American Gods and the Percy Jackson series.  I recommend it a thousand times over.

Atticus O'Sullivan, Druid and indie book-seller, is 21 (centuries) and counting, though he maintains the appearance of a 21 year old Irishman who runs an occult bookstore in Arizona.  Atticus is an intellectual Druid as well as a warrior (you get to collect a lot of hobbies after you've lived a few millenniums), but he's no ancient, white-robed priest with a flowing beard.  His light-hearted sarcasm and casual use of twenty-first century slang are as hilarious as his other immortal counterparts' misuse of it.  Atticus has friends in high places, to put it mildly, since he's had loads of time to rack up bonus points with the immortal gods of every pantheon and various other supernatural beings.  Let's see...his lawyers are a vampire and a werewolf; his next-door neighbor is a kick-ass old Irish lady who likes her Sunday mornings mellow (you'll see what I'm talking about;); the bartender he's been crushing on is actually possessed by an ancient Indian witch; and, oh yeah, he's got the Morrigan, goddess of death, on his side.  Long ago Atticus made a pact with the Morrigan so that she will never take him, leaving him immortal and virtually invincible.  

But Atticus hasn't made all those friends without making a few enemies as well.  Most notable among them is the Celtic god of love, Aenghus Og.  He's been chasing Atticus through the centuries, determined to reclaim a sword the Druid took from him long ago.  God of love though he may be, Aenghus is far from a lovey-dovey Cupid type.  (Not that Cupid was that lovey-dovey, originally.)  Throw in a coven of Polish witches whom are real, er, witches, a wishy-washy goddess of the hunt, and an Irish wolfhound who can communicate with Atticus telepathically, and you have a heck of a lot of myths gone wild.  Well-researched myths, too.  As a mythology geek, I loved Hearne's take on the various gods and goddesses, throwing them into modern society in a way that reminded me of Neil Gaiman's American Gods.  But a reader wouldn't have to know zip about mythology in order to love Hounded-- Atticus explains everything in matter-of-fact terms.

I can't possibly review this without declaring how much I love Oberon the Irish Wolfhound!  He and Atticus's mental conversations (soo much more interesting than the dog-human convos in The Knife of Never Letting Go) were hilarious, and Oberon was just so endearing in every way.  Atticus himself captured my heart and allegiance immediately, as did most all of the other characters from his shop-assistant to the goddess Flidais.  And the ending-- hysterical!  Loved it.  The best part is that the next two books in the Iron Druid Chronicles, Hexed and Hammered are being released soon after the first book, a book every consecutive month.  I can't think of a better way to spend the summer than by the pool, deeply absorbed in the Iron Druid books!  Sorry this review's so long-- I couldn't resist writing a novella of a review for this one. :)

Cover: 5/5

Premise: 5/5

Characters: 5/5 

Plot: 5/5

Overall Rating: 5/5