Review: Hounded by Kevin Hearne:

The Particulars: Urban Fantasy, Del Rey, available in print and as e-book.
Source:  The Library
The Grade: C-
The Blurb:
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 with a secret of her own, to stay alive, hopefully for another thousand years.

The Review:

What I liked:

The premise is what hooked my interest, and I am glad that I downloaded it. 

This is the first book in the Iron Druid series.  It is a funny and fast paced Urban Fantasy, with a solid base in Celtic Mythology.  I liked the druidic magic Atticus use, how he has developed it in ways that even the gods haven’t thought of. I must admit that I liked the Celtic gods that appeared regularly.  It was fun to watch them trying interact with the modern world.  Atticus was wise enough to not mouth off to them.

It is clear from the start who the villain is, but the element of uncertainty comes from the fact that Atticus doesn’t know if the other deities will tell Aengus Og were he is, or not.

What I didn’t like:

I had a couple of issues with the plot.  The  plot felt, well, a bit pat as if there were no real surprises.  Yes, there was some uncertainty, but none of the totally unexpected twists that the best Urban Fantasy novels have.  That might be because Atticus is so old, and because he knows how Aengus Og thinks.  

Summary:

A fun read, with a lot of promise.