Review: Hexed by Kevin Hearne

Okay, turns out that I'm still busy. Sigh, go figure ^_^;

I'm slowly going through the list of authors at the literary autographing event and making my own list :) Oh, you know what is the most frustrating though?!? There's an in-store promotion: Buy 3, get the 4th free!! Ugh!! You know me! So let see if I can make use of that promo... somehow. I'm hopeless, I know LOL.

Also, I got a new camera! Woohoo! We didn't research it extensively, so I hope it's a good one or at least, good for our needs :) At least, it met my and my sister's requirements: can take black and white pictures, have sounds when shooting a video. See, we're easy! LOL. Going to tell my sister to charge it today so we can test it tonight :P

In the meantime, here's a review :) It's not the one I was hoping to put up - I had a plan... but I had no time to execute my plan ^_^; So Hexed it is, because it's the one that come to me easily :)


Hexed by Kevin Hearne
published by Bantam Books (Del Rey) in June 2011

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.

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book #2

The Story: In Hexed, Atticus has to deal with the fallout of the events of Hounded. First, there's people warning him to leave them alone... and also requests to take out some of their enemies. Let say that taking out a god definitively puts you on the radar! And one of these requests is from Atticus' own vampire attorney and friend, Leif Helgarson, who wants Atticus' help to take down Thor; but while Atticus has become a very popular guy, he still remembers the one constant in his life: survive.

Unfortunately, survival is not easy when you still have demons roaming the neighborhood and Coyote mandates you to take care of it. Even worst is with half of the local coven - the Sisters of the Three Auroras - gone, Tempe has suddenly become fair play for other supernatural/magical beings and two factions have decided they want total control - die Tochter des dritten Hauses and the Bacchants. To Atticus' horror, he'll need the help of his "friendly" witches if he wants to stay alive and stay home.

My Opinion: For some reasons, I like characters that have magic powers such as witches, sorcerers, wizards... you get the drift, right? I don't know, I just do... So whenever I come across a book or a series featuring a magic wielder, I give it a try... Hence Hounded with its druid :) The premises of Hounded was quite interesting and the series showed a lot of potential and so, I was really looking forward to Hexed :)

I find it a bit hard to look at the Iron Druid Chronicles series objectively, because I can't help but compare it to the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Part of it is because both protagonists are male and have magic of their own. As I whole, I find Atticus character friendly and likable. I really liked his interactions with Leif at the beginning of the book, attempting to teach Leif how to speak 21st century LOL. However, Atticus is also a lot more wily than Harry. I guess it comes with age and everything he's seen and everything he's done. I find he's a lot less sincere and I'd say more selfish than Harry... and that makes  me wonder if we've seen Atticus' true face yet...

The storyline in Hexed was interesting, but I think it'd have been better if it focused a little bit more on Atticus' alliance with the Sisters of the Three Auroras and their fight against the German witches and the Bacchants. I also thought some of it was resolved a bit too easily ^_^; It was a bit of a let-down, especially considering how much things were happening in Hexed: Coyote and the demon, the two unfriendly witch covens and the demon hunters, etc. and I have to say, all the elements felt disconnected to me :( It was as if Mr Hearne was too busy tying up the loose ends from Hounded and setting up for Hammered that he neglected the actual storyline of Hexed. I mean, I was expecting much more resistance from the bad witches than what we got :(  And not to repeat myself, but it made for a disjointed story :(

Also, one major flaw of Hexed was the slow start. It really took a while for me to get into the book and I felt it's because a lot of the events in the beginning felt random. Also, what is it with Atticus' neighbor?!? I don't know it was meant to be funny... but it missed the mark with me ^_^;

Despite all my complaints, I think that once the action picked up, the book became much more enjoyable. I'm really liking the secondary characters - Granuaile, Oberon and Atticus' attorneys, Hal and Leif. I really would like to see more of their characters :) The story is interesting enough and I liked how Mr Hearne has set up for Hammered. I think that book will also be very interesting :) I hope that in the future books, we'll also find out more of Atticus... not just his past, but also his true self :)

My Grade: This is a hard one. I originally gave this book a B in Goodreads, but once again, upon reflection... there were some issues that pop up... So I think a C+ is the fair grade :) If you look at the overall picture, then Hexed was also an enjoyable read, despite its slow start and it being a bit unfocused.  I'm still very much looking forward to Hammed :P

Review: Hounded by Kevin Hearne

Two reviews this week!! Woohoo :) Although it's 11.40pm and that means I won't have much time to read... ah well. Nothing much happening this week. I'm a bit disappointed because I'm doing computer work these days and I thought I'd have time to write reviews or blog-hop,but unfortunately no :( Booo. As for reading, it's going so-so...

I went to the library yesterday to pick up a book - A Secret Affair by Mary Balogh - but once I was there, somebody else had already gotten to it. And turns out the other copy that was available, was only available on May 19. Seriously, if it's not available now, then just don't mark it as available! Anyway, let see if I can be a good girl and resist the temptation of buying it :P


Hounded by Kevin Hearne
published by Ballantine Books (Del Rey) in May 2011

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book #1

The Story: On the outside, Atticus O'Sullivan is an Irish lad, too young to run his own occult bookshop with an apothecary's counter. In truth, he is 21 centuries old and the last druid walking this earth. Centuries ago, during the Battle of Magh Lena, Atticus stole a magic sword, Fragarach - the Answerer, given by Lugh Lamhfhada to Conn of the Hundred Battle so he could conquer and unite Ireland. The Fragarach's magical powers allow it to pierce any armor, a definite ace up your sleeve in a battle. Because of this, Aenghus Og, the not so lovable god of love, has hounded Atticus to reclaim the sword and through a deal with Morrigan, Atticus has remained alive and been on the run for centuries. As a result, Atticus has seen and done it all...

Nowadays, Atticus is settled in Tempe, Arizona because of its low god density and quasi-total absence of faeries. Unfortunately for him though, the respite is over as Aenghus Og has found him... through the internet! And this time around, the god of love has decided to get his hands dirty instead of sending his goons... and Atticus will be waiting, tired of running. Standing on his side will be the local pack of werewolves, a  Viking vampire, bartender possessed by a Hindu witch and his loyal wolfhound, Oberon. Together, they'll have to wade through the various Celtic Gods intentions and be wary of witches...

My Opinion: I saw the cover of Hounded a couple of months ago and told myself I had to check it out... and then, forgot about it ^_^; It's only after seeing Anna's review that I remembered and then, checked out the author's website. After reading the blurbs, the reviews and ahhh-ing over the covers, the decision was quite simple - I had to give Hounded a try :)

I have to admit, I found the whole concept of this series very similar to the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher and that played a big part in my decision to pick up this book. I liked the idea that Atticus is a druid, although I have to say, Celtic god pantheon is not my favorite ^_^; Overall, so far, there is some similarities between the Iron Druid Chronicles and Dresden Files, but it's different enough to stand on its own and Hounded was quite enjoyable :)

The most important element in a series like the Iron Druid Chronicles is the main character and in this case, Atticus. I think Atticus was quite an interesting character, given what he is and how long he's lived. He is very knowledgeable - of about everything :) He's definitively smart as well as friendly. Also, his wittiness reminded me a lot of Harry. What bothered me though was that he felt "young." I know he has to look the part and that means adopting the demeanors and speech of a modern American, but the aura Atticus projected... He didn't feel like 21 centuries old. I'd have expected someone a bit more wise, zen and less of a hot head. Also, I can't help but LOL at men and sex - gets them at any age :P Still, I think he makes a good hero and it's someone I'd read more about :)

The world building so far is okay. I enjoyed the parts that were about Atticus' magic - I thought that was very interesting, how he drew power from the earth, the three forms he can morph into. I think that Mr Hearne took time to think about that part and it paid off. I also liked the other supernatural beings present - witches, werewolves and vampires. I especially love the fact that Atticus' lawyers consist of the second-in-command werewolf Hal, and the viking vampire Leif. By the way, viking vampire - two words I never thought to associate together LOL. Really looking forward to seeing more of him! I also liked the animosity between witches and druids which for some reasons doesn't surprise me. What didn't work as well for me was the whole Celtic aspect ^_^; I know that comes with the druid territory, but I thought it was a bit confusing, especially combining it with the faeries. Except for Morrigan, my Celtic mythology knowledge is very limited... Add in Celtic terms like Tir na nOg, Tuatha De Danann and yep, I was a bit lost. Sure, by the 10th time I stumbled across those words, I kind of figure out what they meant... but while reading Hounded, I wished there's been an index and I usually loath those, but in this case, it would have come in handy. Also, I know it adds authenticity, all the Celtic words incorporated was just too distracting ^_^; So on the world building front, I think that it was a bit of a mixed bag.

When I picked up Hounded, I was quite surprised at how thin it was - it comes at just under 290 pages. At the end though, I was pleasantly surprised because I think Mr Hearne handled it quite well. We got a good sense of Atticus, the world is set and there was even a story in it! LOL. No, truthfully, I thought the story was a bit slow at first... it seemed that all we saw was Atticus running around in a bit of panic at first... but in the end, it turned into something quite complex and had me engaged :)

At the end, I'm going to say that the most interesting part of this book was Atticus and his interactions with everyone else. How he found himself in this situation, how he's adapting and dealing :) Plus, he has a great cast of characters surrounding him. Oberon his wolfhound is just too cute and seems like the perfect companion for Atticus... Plus his addiction to French poodles tells me that he is quite the dog version of a lady's man like his master :) I'm also really looking forward to Granuaile's storyline, I think to see what a druid is is going to be very interesting.

By the way, as I mentioned in one of my comments, don't go into Hounded expecting romance. I think it is in the cards in the future, but unfortunately, not this time...

My Grade: Originally, I was going to give Hounded a B+... but after a few weeks and this review, I think a B is better suited. Hounded was definitively a very enjoyable read, although a bit muddled at times. I'm really looking forward to the next release, Hexed. I think that the series has a lot of potential and that's why I'm going to hold back on the grade a little :)

By the way, did I mention the covers? :P