Title: Hounded
Author: Kevin Hearne
Format: Ebook
Publisher: May 2011 by Del Rey
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, young adult
Synopsis (courtesy of GoodReads):
The first novel in an original, back-to-back three-book series The Iron Druid Chronicles—introducing a cool, new, funny urban fantasy hero
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.
My review (courtesy of me!):
I read this book for my first read along that I participated in where a bunch of readers get together and read the same book then hop to each other’s blogs for a discussion. It was a really fun time and I enjoyed this book a lot. I admit this is in the genre I usually read but probably not something I would have picked up on my own. But I am really glad I read it because it was a really great read!
I loved reading from a male point of view. Atticus is old, like older than dirt practically but you wouldn’t know it by the way he looks, dresses and talks. He is hot, not wrinkling. He is funny, not stodgy. And he has muscles and red hair, not sagging skin and bald. LOL. No but seriously, he is wise because he has lived for so long and that makes him incredibly smart. I found that a lot of his observations about the people and the situations around him incredibly insightful but he was also so funny!
I enjoyed reading about a druid and the powers that Atticus has been able to hone. I enjoyed the way he talked with people, mostly answering a question without revealing any of the stuff he didn’t want to reveal. He came across as very ‘new age’ with his tea shop and his herbs but really I found it kind of hot. He knew exactly who he was and he lived his life in a way that made him happy.
His dog Oberon was awesome as well. The conversations that he had with his Irish Wolf hound were hilarious. It was a first for me, reading about a dog that wanted to have a harem of French poodles, lol. You could really tell that Atticus cared about his dog and thought of him like family and not just as a pet and that I really liked.
The other characters in the book were really fun to read as well. Witches (can’t trust em!), werewolves (hot as always) and vampires definitely kept the plot interesting. And then, there were the Gods and Goddesses that would appear at a moment’s notice. While I can’t say I really liked any of the God’s (except maybe Morrigan) they were really fun to read about and really I would think that’s what they really would be like in the real world. J
The writing style was easy to follow, engaging and fun. It was a fresh, light read that I really enjoyed. The plot was easy to follow and though it took some twists and turns I never got confused. I think Kevin Hearne created some memorable characters in this book and I look forward to the future when I can continue this series.
I would recommend this book for anyone wanting a fresh read still within the paranormal genre.
So there you have it. My opinion.
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