About My Book Reviews

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Scourged by Kevin Hearne

Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles (Book 9)

Link to Book Review of Book 1:

https://www.krwardbookreview.com/2019/05/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none_11.html

Title: Scourged

Author: Kevin Hearne

Published: 2018

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Grade Level: Adult

-Movie Rating: R, for mild vulgar language and mild sexual content


Audiobook:

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 8hrs 58min

Recommend: Yes!

 

Blurb (from goodreads):

Unchained from fate, the Norse gods Loki and Hel are ready to unleash Ragnarok, a.k.a. the Apocalypse, upon the earth. They’ve made allies on the darker side of many pantheons, and there’s a globe-spanning battle brewing that ancient Druid Atticus O’Sullivan will be hard-pressed to survive, much less win.

Granuaile MacTiernan must join immortals Sun Wukong and Erlang Shen in a fight against the Yama Kings in Taiwan, but she discovers that the stakes are much higher than she thought.

Meanwhile, Archdruid Owen Kennedy must put out both literal and metaphorical fires from Bavaria to Peru to keep the world safe for his apprentices and the future of Druidry.

And Atticus recruits the aid of a tyromancer, an Indian witch, and a trickster god in hopes that they’ll give him just enough leverage to both save Gaia and see another sunrise. There is a hound named Oberon who deserves a snack, after all.


My Scores:

Writing Style: Solid

Owen’s voice is completely unique and a joy to read.

Granuaile’s voice felt a bit scattered, but it may have been the author’s goal to make her seem overwhelmed.

Atticus’ voice just falls flat for me. If it wasn’t for other characters, like Oberon, the Morrigan, and Coyote, his POV would be intolerable. His sections may as well be written in third person because I didn’t get much of his inner thoughts as all, which is shocking compared to how this series started out. Maybe the author stretched himself too thin?

 

Characters: Fully Developed

I’m so glad I got to see the compassionate side of Owen Kennedy grow through his students and through his relationship with Gretta. They make such a unique and loving couple! And I was over the moon when we meet Owen’s animal companion in this novel. It couldn’t have been more unexpected or more perfect. 

What happened to the relationship between Atticus and Granuaile? I can’t understand it… I feel like I may have missed something in one of the novellas. I kept waiting for them to become Knightly and Bloom in Pirates of the Caribbean, having these amusing conversations while in the midst of an epic battle they may not survive. I am completely disappointed on that front.

 

Plot: Slow Burn

I was glad for the mini synopsis at the beginning, and the hint that I need to read book 8.5 (Besieged) before diving into this book.

The pacing was good; there was plenty of action and unexpected twists. But overall, the plot left me feeling melancholy. I was not expecting it to be such a downer. All I can say is thank god for Oberon!

 

Overall: Enjoyable

Yay! I finally finished!

Overall, this novel left me feeling melancholy. Not to say that it wasn’t an enjoyable read with plenty of action and wonderful characters. All I can say is thank god for Oberon!

I was let down by the novels that followed book 6 (Hunted), but I don’t regret reading this series. I am excited to start the new series Ink and Sigil, and I have a guarded hope that it will be just as book 1 (Hounded).

 

Goodreads Rating: 3 out of 5 stars 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment