Review – Hounded by Kevin Hearne

Tempe, Arizona is as far removed from paranormal activity as is possible. And that’s where Atticus O’Sullivan, rare book salesman, herb peddler, and 2,000 year old Druid the last of his kind has decided to set up shop. He’s been on the run, guarding a very powerful sword from a very angry ancient Celtic god for over two millennia now. But while these years have been good to him,  Atticus has become more powerful than he could have possibly imagined The Morrigan, a very old god of death, has predicted death and doom for our hero, and it’s up to Atticus, with help from a pride of werewolves, and a gorgeous bartender possessed by an Indian witch, to stay alive, hopefully for another thousand years.

*Blurb from Goodreads*

Hounded is the Urban Fantasy debut for author Kevin Hearne. I had the pleasure of being able to meet Hearne at the LepreCon festival in Tempe, AZ in May.  He was super nice, funny and even signed my book for me. =)  While up in Tempe I even got the chance to eat and walk around some of the areas talked about in the book, VERY COOL!

The Iron Druid Chronicles follows the story of Atticus O’Sullivan, the last known Druid alive. He’s old as dirt, snarky as all get out, but still hip and modern with the times. He’s been running from an ancient and pissed off god for millennia now, and is finally sick and tired of running. He’s ready to fight.

Between making deals with The Morrigan, a contract with a shady witch, a death predition, a sexy bartender whose sharing her body with a witch, the local werewolf pack, and his trusty sidekick Oberon the Irish Wolfhound; Atticus just might have a chance to come out of this whole ordeal alive.

I have to admit, I am usually not the biggest fan of Urban Fantasy books with a male protagonist. I don’t know why, but I have a harder time relating with the characters (and really, let’s face it: most male authors don’t put nearly enough smexy times in their books, and I need my smexy time!).   But Hearne has created a great world where I found myself cheering Atticus along, and wishing for an Oberon of my very own.

I liked that although Atticus was centuries old, he still found ways to fit in with the modern society. He had some great insights into the modern society, some hilarious snarks about the “old world” and just an all around great personality that sucked me in. I hope to see Atticus develop a more personal relationship with the sexy bartender Granuaile,  cuz he’s hot and she’s hot and they would be smokin’ together!

My favorite aspect of this book was most definitely Oberon. The Irish wolfhound was HILARIOUS with his crazy one liner jokes, his absolute dedication to Atticus, and his hero worship of Genghis Khan. I loved that pup, and there are few UF authors who have me cracking up out load, but with some of Oberon’s quips, I was in stitches.

<You’ve been kissed by three goddesses in as many days,> Oberon said once Brighid had left, <so I think you owe me three hundred French poodles. That should make us about even.>

<Toto didn’t deserve that kind of trauma. He was so tiny.>

I do have to say that some of the mythology and magical references were so drawn out and thick that there were times my head hurt. The complicated names and phrases for everything did include a great little glossary with pronunciations (for those OCD folks out there), but even after flipping back and forth, I still had moments of utter confusion.

Add to that the twisting and turning in the plot, the ulterior motives from each and every person, and the constant backstabbing and readers are in for an insane ride. Just make sure you have your thinking cap on, because this was not a breeze though easy read.

I am really excited to continue on with this series. I really loved Atticus, and can’t wait to see how he reacts to taking on a Druid apprentice and discovering more about his magic. I can’t wait to see how things progress with The Morrigan and the other gods after everything that transpired at the end of Hounded. I think this series as a whole has AMAZING potential.

All in all this UF debut was a great read. While complicated and somewhat confusing at times, the plot progressed quickly. The characters were all developed with incredible depth and even the gods seemed to be spot on from what little I know of Irish mythology. I can only hope that we get to see more of the wolf packs, vampires, and witches in the upcoming books.

I give Hounded a B