Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Book Review: Hexed by Kevin Hearne


Hexed (Iron Druid Chronicles, #2)
by Kevin Hearne 

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Mythology
Reading Grade: Adult
Publication Date: June 7, 2011
Source: Random House online store
Age Rating: 17+

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. 
 
My Review

Okay, I'm pretty sure I cracked a rib laughing through this one, since I can feel the pain in my right side. This book went to epic levels of hilarity, and I could not—NOT put it down. That, for me, is saying a lot, because I usually have no trouble putting a book down and doing other stuff. But, not with Hexed. Atticus put a binding spell on my copy, so when I started to read it, I could only get about 10 feet from it before I found myself right back at the bookshelf I keep it on. It was the weirdest thing ever!

I say this only because I am completely convinced that Atticus is real, and so are all the other amazing characters in this series. Kevin Hearne does a brilliant job of giving each of his important characters detailed little nuances that all real people have—for example, Atticus loves omelets for breakfast and whole wheat toast with orange marmalade. Oberon loves steak (of course, what dog doesn't?). It's things like this that make me believe that they both actually live in the Tempe, Arizona area and that if only I'd drive over there, I might find Atticus' house, and run into his super hot vampire attorney, the famous Leif Helgarson!

Uh, oh... Here comes a long spiel (or squeal?) on how much I love the vampire Leif Helgarson, the famous vampire who isn't famous—or, at least everybody in the book seems to know who he is, yet Atticus can't figure out why, since the man himself claims he is not famous. He is the reason my rib is busted because he's just so ridiculously hilarious, I couldn't not laugh hard enough to crack it. I found myself obsessively reading this book because I just wanted to find out more about Leif… 

Here is he is in a nutshell: Imagine an English butler trying to talk like any typical college frat boy. Now, make sure he's pronouncing everything the way an English butler would, very stuffy-sounding and proper, but using all those hip and cool phrases, like “I'm chill, how 'bout you?” or “Throw down!” when he wants to start a fight. But, of course, he's not even using the correct slang, and saying these phrases more like, “I am cold,” or “Throw up!” Now, you have the most epic vampire in fictional existence trying to be cool, and that fella's name is Leif Helgarson. Leif is the raddest, baddest vampire dude ever, and he makes Dracula look like the mosquito of undead bloodsuckers. (He hates Dracula, by the way.)

If you're a nerd like me, and you want to read a fun and funny book filled with forever quotable quotes and quips, then look no further, folks. <— (This sentence has two sets of literary alliteration—go me!) This book is for y'all. If you want to read about crazy, wacky characters and all their antics, and how all the gods and goddesses in every mythology from world history are able to converge together in the same 10-mile radius, and, well, not get along with each other (as you would imagine they would not), then read the Iron Druid Chronicles. I just barely squeezed in reading these before the year ended, but they are already my favorite reads of the entire year of 2011. Mr. Hearne cannot write these books fast enough!

 My score: 5 out of 5 stars. (A-mazing!)


P.S. That is Alexander Skarsgaard from the True Blood TV series, as an FYI.

14 comments:

  1. The reason I haven't been blogging all night is because I'm too busy reading Hounded! Haven't gotten to any bits with Leif yet but I am in love with Oberon :) So glad that you liked this one and I look forward to reading it!

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    1. @Lan: Yay! Hounded is amazing and so is Oberon! He is the funniest dog character ever. Leif is really more of a stand-out character in the 2nd and 3rd books.

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  2. If I were to just see the cover and even read the summary, I wouldn't assume that this book was funny.

    I think I need a book like this!


    Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
    bookluvrmindy

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  3. I have now added these books to my wishlist! Yay!!!

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    Replies
    1. @Mindy: This book is a riot, and it's too bad it doesn't seem like it from the blurb. Never fear, it will create laughs in you, and you'll adore some character or other, for sure.

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  4. This is my fav book in the series so far - I laughed until I cried. Then I did it again. LOL Some of the conversations between Leif and Atticus were so hilarious I replayed them over and over, since I was listening to this in audio version (Which, by the way, is FANTASTIC - an incredible narrator. Loved him.)

    If you don't already, you should follow Kevin Hearne and Oberon on Twitter. They're hilarious!

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    Replies
    1. @BJ: I loved Leif and Atticus' conversations the most! That made me into a rabid fan... And, yeah, I already follow both Kevin Hearne and Oberon on Twitter. They are awesome.

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  5. I still haven't picked up the first book in this series and I honestly have no idea why!!! x) I LOVE the whole idea of the Iron Druids, and all of the awesome reviews I've read (like yours!) have only been raving about it! And I also love it when characters are so awesome that you think they're real (or at least wish they are LOL)! Atticus & Leif sound so awesome!

    AMAZING review, Cathy! <3 I seriously want to read this book now -- my ribs are ready to ache with laughter! ;)

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    Replies
    1. @Mimi: Thank you so much! I appreciate that. You really should get into this series. It is addictive and you'll read them fast. You'll be wanting more because you'll finish and not even realize it. They are great fun!

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  6. I just found these books on Audible. Might be my next download! I still have a crush on the model for the book covers. :)

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    Replies
    1. @Camille: Definitely get to it! I really like the model on the book covers, too. He's hot.

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  7. Cathy,
    Geez. Every time I read a review of this series, I want to read it more and more. You already had me sold with an mc named Atticus. Add in Leif and I'm a goner. I'll read these as soon as I can.
    Great review!

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    1. @Andrea: Leif just kills me! You will definitely love Oberon, the dog, because he's super cute and funny. Everybody at least loves Oberon. Definitely read these books, Andrea!

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  8. Hexed like Hounded was a witty well written book. There were some serious storylines happening here that could have easily gotten confusing. But Hearne's clever writing allowed for clarity while navigating through the fast-pasted and complex threads. I highly recommend the audio version of this book. The narrator , Luke Daniels, is excellent. Daniels does all the accents spot on, and must be a linguist with how well he speaks all the foreign languages. He really brings the words and characters to life. I think Hearne's biggest strength is the diversity and knowledge in the cultures and supernatural beings. The books seem well researched and work well together.

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