Tag: Kevin Hearne

This Chicks Audio Review: Trapped (The Iron Druid Chronicles #5) by Kevin Hearne

Atticus has spent the last twelve years in hiding while training his apprentice Granuaile. Forced to fake their deaths in order to get all the gods off their backs they are surprised to hear that Loki has escaped his realm and is destroying the realms of those who killed his brother Thor, and Earth may well be next. With only the final rites needed for Granuaille’s graduation to a Druid they must travel to Mount Olympus in order to complete that ritual. Unfortunately, it seems that word is out that he is, in fact, alive and they have to avoid gods, dark elves, vampires, and of course Loki to accomplish their task.

I’ll admit, this wasn’t my favorite of the Iron Druid Chronicles series. Luke Daniels still did a stand up job as narrator, but there were times that the story dragged on. Yes, everyone was out to kill them- and I do mean everyone! It’s just that it got a little old. The tattooing of Granuaile’s marks were interrupted three or four times and they had to keep moving or fighting and well, I hate to say this, but boring. I wanted to see how Granuaile would change after becoming a druid and it seemed like it would never happen.

Sometimes in a series there are those books that becomes a bridge between one plot and the next step in the characters journey and Trapped was that type of book. If it weren’t for the humorous musings of Oberon, Leif the vampire and Atticus’s ex-friend showed up again, and the fact that Granuaile finally made Atticus face his feelings for her this book could be a throwaway. I would tell you all to just skip it. It wasn’t horrible it was just, well, a placeholder for the next book, which is I’m sure a great one. BUT, Oberon was pretty charming, and well, feelings were revealed. I guess that made it worthwhile. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link and purchase this book!* Trapped (Iron Druid Chronicles)

Copyright 2022 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick’s Audio Review: Tricked (The Iron Druid Chronicles #4) by Kevin Hearne and narrated by Luke Daniels

After Atticus O’Sullivan helps kill Thor, the Norse Gods are on his tail looking for revenge. Needing to start fresh somewhere he calls on Coyote to help him stage his own death and in return he helps Coyote bring gold into a mine for a local tribe. What he doesn’t realize is that Coyote has an ulterior motive and he’s tricked into fighting two skinwalkers who attack their campsite. With Oberon and Granuaile by his side Atticus is again fighting for his life.

I am hooked on this series! I have been a fan of the narrator Luke Daniels, but I really think he’s at his best in this series. I find myself having fun and laughing out loud, especially during the inner monologues between Atticus and his dog Oberon. We see more of Granuaile in this novel than any yet to date and the chemistry between she and Atticus is sizzling! Unfortunately, she is his apprentice and I’m not sure he’s ever going to let himself fall for her but it’s fun to see him struggle!

I thought the plot of this novel was really interesting. I don’t read a lot of American Native inspired fiction but I do know that Coyote is a trickster god so it’s not too surprising when Atticus gets tricked into a fight he doesn’t want. I enjoyed the interaction between his Druid culture and the very spiritual Native Indian beliefs and learning how some things in the two cultures are more similar than they are different.

Atticus knows that he now has a lot of enemies and he’s going to be looking over his shoulder waiting for a fight, but he doesn’t realize that he may need to watch his front too. Someone that he trusts betrays him and that betrayal leaves him reeling and really, really angry. This sub-plot could lead to an interesting twist in a future story but for now I’m ok with letting that character go.

If you like fantasy, love audiobooks with humor, and want to add to your library this series is great and Tricked was an awesome fourth novel. Each novel has moved these characters forward and made me eager to read the next novel in the series. You can’t get higher praise than that! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase the novel/audiobook!* Tricked: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 4

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Right Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chicks Audio Review: Hammered (Iron Druid Chronicles #3) by Kevin Hearne, narrated by Luke Daniels

Leif Helgerson, vampire, attorney, and friend to druid Atticus O’Sullivan, helped him wipe out an evil coven of witches in the last novel and it’s time for Atticus to return the favor. However, what Leif wants is to kill Norse god of thunder, Thor. Despite being warned by two other gods against killing Thor, he teams up with werewolf Alpha, Gunner, a Russian sorcerer, and some frost Giants and they head to Asgard for an epic battle.

Luke Daniels, as usual, does an amazing job with the narration of the Iron Druid Chronicles. There are so many characters and many different accents, I am amazed with how well he nails it and how much life he puts into these characters. My favorite again is Atticus’s dog Oberon who has a voice more intelligent than Scooby Doo, and it is an admirable sidekick and adds great comic relief.

Hammered has been the most difficult to get into of the three I’ve read in this series so far. When you read a series there are sometimes books that feel like filler or like you’re being set up for future plots. This book feels like one of those. You do learn Gunner and Leif’s back stories and also why all of these characters have a beef against Thor, which is semi-entertaining. I don’t get the feeling that this advanced Attitcus’s character but may in fact set him back a bit. You can’t help but think when Jesus warns you against killing Thor that it might not be a very good idea to do it.

This isn’t the first novel I’ve read that describes Thor as a big bully and not so nice god and I can’t help but think that a certain movie studio may have changed that character to fit female fantasies and sell tickets. When we meet Thor in this novel I did not visualize Chris Hemsworth’s handsome face. Hearne does a great job of wiping away any fantasy vision of Thorne to portray him probably as he was in the original myths, a big jerkwad.

Even though I felt slightly let down by the pace of this novel, I’m still a big fan of the series and I love the narration by Luke Daniels. I did immediately turn to the next novel, Tricked. This is one addictive bit of fantasy! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this audiobook!* Hammered: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 3

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick’s Audio Review: Hexed (The Iron Druid Chronicles book #2) by Kevin Hearne, narrated by Luke Daniels

Atticus O’Sullivan, is the last Druid standing, and is much older than his 25 year old appearance, by about 20+ centuries. He doesn’t usually think much of witches but is about to sign a treaty with the local coven when another coven tries to drive stakes into their territory. A witch coven who are breeding with demons. Tempe Arizona seems to be a hotbed of activity lately with a fallen angel eating the local high school population and a horde of Bacchants wreaking havoc at a local concert when I Atticus going to find the time to witch hunt?

I’m late to the party discovering Kevin Hearne’s fun fantasy novels set in current time but I’m certainly not going to let all of these books go to waste! Luke Daniels narration is spot on and imbues humor, wit, and a certainly surfer sang-froid to the main character that is truly enjoyable and his adorable Oberon voice (Atticus’s trusty hound) is enough to keep me coming back for more. However, it’s Kevin Hearne’s writing that has me hooked with new characters popping up in every chapter that keeps me reading to discover what the heck is going to happen next!

There is a lot going on in this novel but the main story regarding the above witch takeover is the most interesting. It opens the dialog to learn little bit about Atticus and the covens actions during WWII which were pretty interesting and bare details that may bring fruit in future novels. At least I hope because it was super interesting. I love it when fantasy authors weave real life into their totally fantastical fiction.

Admittedly, I don’t read a ton of novels by male authors and truly I’m not sure why that is? However, now that Kevin Hearne (and Luke Daniels!) are on my fantasy radar I’m excited to see the backlog of books available that will keep me busy for a couple of years at least!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this audiobook!* Hexed: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 2

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads1 Comment

This Chick’s Audio Review: Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1) by Kevin Hearne, read by Luke Daniels

Synopsis:

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 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. 

I have never read a book by Kevin Hearne and I really enjoyed his characters sense of humor. Luke Daniels did a great job of imbuing his characters with warmth and that humor shone through. Atticus spoke in the current vernacular, slang included and the contrast between what he sounded like versus what he actually was- 21 centuries old, surprised me and kept me engaged. I’ll admit, it seems like I don’t read books written by men, or with male protagonists and I really enjoyed this change. It may help me branch out in my reading choices in the future.

The book reads very simply. Almost as if this were a young adult fantasy novel, which I think helped me get into the story quickly. Boy, that makes me sound bad, but truly, in this pandemic if I can’t get into a novel quickly I give up and move on to the next one pretty quickly, so in this case this is a good thing. I’m somewhat invested in all of these new characters and can see myself making my way through this series. In audio, of course! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!* Hounded: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 1

Copyright 2021 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads4 Comments