Hunted by Kevin Hearne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I love Kevin Hearne. His books are always funny and fast-paced, easy escape reads. They’re not fluff, though. Hunted continues this tradition. The title is apt, because Atticus and co. are literally on the run from some vengeful goddesses of the hunt. As if that wasn’t enough, everyone’s favorite crazy Norse god Loki wants to rampage too. I have a soft spot for Herne, the Celtic Hunter god, and guess what? He shows up too! Do you have a favorite god from world mythology? I bet you can find that pantheon here!
Having just started running 5ks with some regularity, I shudder at the idea of running across Europe. Granted, Atticus, Granuaile, and Oberon (there has never been a funnier doggie sidekick) have some tricks to make the run less like an ultra-marathon, even though they’re constantly on alert for sneaky Diana and Artemis. Hearne is really good at combining action, humor and heart-wrenching emotion all in one section. Our druids barely have a moment to breathe, but when they do, the reader breathes along with them.
We’ve heard some from Oberon already in this series, but we get to see Granuaile’s point of view in this book. It’s interesting to contrast her mind with Atticus’s, the (very) old with the new. Of course things that have happened in previous books come back to the fore here. However, this book has its own conflicts, and some very major events occur. The action, for all that this is a fantasy novel, is realistic, and people die.
No matter the direness of the circumstances, Hearne fills the text with witty banter and terrific one-liners, and you will probably laugh out loud while reading this at the absurdity of some of the phrases. You will also get your daily dose of geography, mythology, food, beverage and druidry lessons. Read and learn, and enjoy.
My copy also included the novella “Two Ravens and One Crow,” which details an event that occurs in the twelve years between TRICKED and TRAPPED. I had the pleasure of reading it when it came out, and it was fun to give it a reread.
Received as a digital ARC via Netgalley and the publisher.
[amazon asin=B00AUSCOIS&text=See book on Amazon]