Hexed (Iron Druid Chronicles)

I love this author. I'm actually on my 3rd book of the series. I find the stories very interesting plus there's real laugh out loud comic relief. I have recommended this series to friends who like books with vampires, werewolves, witches and druids.

The development of the main character, Atticus, is completely believable. His lifestyle, compassion for his dog, and exciting adventures make for an interesting and fast-moving story. I'm looking forward to reading the sequels.

I love me some Atticus! The sequel was just as good as the first and delivered the same humor and action the first one did. I am waiting to see what shenanigans Atticus and Oberon get themselves in next!

I've read the first two books in this series but haven't decided whether to continue. They are entertaining, fast paced diversions but not as well written as Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. Also, there are many similarities, making me a bit suspicious that many of his ideas may have been taken from Dresden's world.

There are logical and moral issues that don't really make sense to me. If the gods exist because of human worship, why are the old pantheons just as active as the newer religions? No one worships Thor, Coyote (native American), or these Irish gods anymore (other than the lone druid left). For gods, these deities are rather weak and easily killed. The demons seem more powerful than the gods. I don't understand how he can justify being friends with a vampire who preys on the innocent. I initially thought it was just a different worldview since he is so old but then he talks about saving innocent lives (such as during WWII) and good vs evil. There just isn't a consistent moral view. Oberon's comments are frequently hilarious, sometimes overdone (yet another Star Wars reference??), but also prevented me from getting into the story because obviously dogs are not that intelligent. Would have been better to use some kind of faerie/supernatural sidekick.

Overall, it is a fun lite read but I just could not get completely immersed in the plot or world because of the nagging inconsistencies.

I HAVE READ ALL 4 IRON DRUID BOOKS BY KEVIN HEARNE. THEY WERE THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE READ IN A WHILE! THEY ARE SO FUNNY AND ADVENTURE PACKED! I REALLY RECOMMEND THEM FOR ANY FANTASY READERS.THE CHARACTERS ARE WELL-DEVELOPED,AND I LOVE OBERON HIS DOG. I WISH I COULD TALK TELEPATHICALLY TO MY DOG! REALLY AWESOME READ!

I totally enjoyed reading this book!! The author tells a great story. His style pulls you end, and you get involved with the characters completely.Hexed

Looking for the perfect mix of humor and thrills with a twist? These are the Druids your looking for. Hexed and Hounded don't disappoint.

Hexed, the sophomore edition of The Iron Druid Chronicles, is nonstop fun and excitement. Atticus O'Sullivan is a modern day druid, the last of his kind. And lately the crazies have been coming out the woodwork. You would think that defeating a couple of Celtic Gods, exorcising a few demons, and killing half a coven of witches would earn a guy some R&R. Think again. Tempting Tempe, Atticus' little Arizonian oasis is starting to look ripe for the picking to some pretty nasty supernaturals.

A brood of German witches kick off the shenanigans by trying to curse O'Sullivan and the local coven. The murderous attempt is quickly followed up by a demonic straggler left behind by Aenghus Óg. Hearne keeps the pace swift with a visit from Coyote, who informs Atticus of a fallen angel preying on some very unfortunate high school students. Then there are the clergymen snooping around his bookstore, and the cops that just won't go away. But the honey-do list just keeps getting longer since some sin city Bacchants are in town and ready to throw down. Let's Party.

It would be simpler to cut and run, but Atticus has decided that Tempe is home, and he has an obligation to heal the land his prior nemisis destroyed. He's going to have to get help from some familiar characters and strike a few ill advised bargains to get through the nine circles of hellion relatively unscathed, though not unmolested. By the end you'll be wondering which battle was more brutal, golems and demon spawn filled witches, or a tussle in the sack with the Morrigan.

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.

Maybe it's just me, but I find the succession of this series each consecutive month refreshing. A throwback to the serials of not so long ago. Yet, because they're so good, I swear the wait is still excruciating. Keep Them Coming Kevin.

I liked this one but not as much as the first book in the series. This one really falls somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me but I have decided to go ahead and round up. I was really excited to get back to the series after enjoying the first book in the series. This is definitely a series that needs to be read in order since this book picks up shortly after the events of the previous installment. This ended up being another enjoyable listen.

One of the things that I loved the most about the first book was the characters. I was really happy to see all of the key players back for this installment in the series. There were a few new characters that were rather impressive as well. I really like Atticus. He is incredibly patient and able to determine the best course of action in most situations. I love that he has adapted to the present time better than most of the other that have lived a very long time. Oberon is such a wonderful character and anytime he was a part of a scene I usually had a big grin on my face.

This book has all of the excitement that I had hoped to see. Atticus has to team with the local witch coven when bad things start happening. Atticus has several problems that he is juggling during the story and somehow he makes it all seem easy. This book balanced the action very nicely against some of the lighter moments in the book.

Luke Daniels continues to do a fantastic job with the narration of this series. He does such a great job with all of the character voices and adds a lot of emotion to story. His portrayal of Oberon is simply outstanding. I couldn't imagine an intelligent Wolfhound sounding any other way. I had not problem listening to this one for hours at a time.

I would recommend this series to others. It is a very unique series that contains the perfect combination of humor, action, and thought provoking mystery. I can't wait to read more of this wonderful series.

A few years back, I read the first book in this series and loved it. Witty humor, clever worldbuilding, well-developed characters and plots in a new Urban Fantasy series...
And now, I'm finally back to continue with Atticus O'Sullivan, the last druid, and his adventures with book two.

Right away, I was back in Atticus' Iron Druid world and loving it. Atticus is living through the fall-out from events of book one, but now he's caught the notice of some dark witches, some crazy Bacchus followers, a demon or two, some zealots, and a couple feuding goddesses. Keeping alive and making good on his promises leaves him somewhat bruised, cut and singed, but all in a days work.

It was delightful to get his interactions with Oberon the Irish Wolfhound, his widow neighbor lady, and his apprentice between all the fast and furious action moments. Atticus is intelligent and clever and has to be to navigate the paranormal world he inhabits.

I experienced the story in audio format with narrator, Luke Daniels, telling the story. First time listening to his work and wow, fantastic job. The Iron Druid world and Atticus' voice came alive. I can't wait to listen to more of his work.

All in all, this was a captivating listen and I whole-heartedly recommend this series to other Urban Fantasy fans.

***Contains minor spoilers***

I enjoyed Hexed a lot at the beginning, but as the book continued, I started to have some problems with it. The world is still very entertaining, with all the various gods and mythological figures wandering around, but after the novelty of it wore off, the story was left feeling like a bad rip-off of Harry Dresden. There were a few big problems I had with it.

1. The women in the book are pretty much exclusively bad guys, or at least viewed as evil by Atticus. He will deign to work with them if needed, but only after taking some drastic steps to make sure they don't turn on him. The exceptions are his young (obliviously) sexy apprentice and a widow that he befriends.

2. Consent - there was one sex scene in the book where it's not clear if there was consent or not. That fact that a woman was the aggressor against the male is irrelevant. There are several points in this scene that indicate the male would have like to either not have sex right at that moment and that he would have liked to be done with everything a lot sooner than the female let everything wrap up. I also don't care that the female was an ancient goddess - consent is important.

3. Atticus is supposedly 2100 years old, but he acts like he's in his 20s. Yes, part of that act is so he can pass in the modern world, but his thoughts match how he behaves. And he doesn't behave entirely consistently either. He puts on different attitudes depending on his mood and who he's dealing with, sometimes causing problems when police run into him in various moods.

4. His interactions with the police are problematic. If he thought like a 2100 year old Celt, the way he acts is forgivable. However, with him thinking and acting like a 20 year, the way he treats the police is not cool. Yes, he's often trying to keep supernatural problems from spilling into the mundane world when he interacts with them, but his behavior just escalates the situations and causes him more problems.

5. When did he suddenly become the magical enforcer in the area? He spend 2 millenia hiding from that world and now he's suddenly responsible for it? Bulls***. I don't care what he did in book 1, suddenly taking responsibility for everyone doesn't really line up with how he acted in book 1.

Overall, I'm just not thrilled with this book. Since I liked book 1 so much, I'll give book 3 a shot, but I don't have high hopes for it.

I really enjoyed the first book in the series, it was unique and funny. The Main Character was likable and badass.
What happened, Eeva? You may ask.
Well, I tell you.
My dear friends, Atticus is an sexist prick! That happened.
It didn't bother me much in first book, because I was so overwhelmed by novely of the plot that I didn't notice the obvious.
Shame on me.

Anyways, I strongly suspect that the author has a problem with women. Every female in those books is considered either fit for being a sex object or not. That's the first thing Atticus sees and that's what he tells us. His inner monologuse when he sees his apprentice in revealing clother made me roll my eyes so hard that is actually started to hurt. [note to the author - women do NOT open the door wearing close to nothing. It's not porn or your teenage fantasy].
Even big bad witches are wearing something that came out from home made porn movie.
When every male character is logical, calm and smart, female characters are the exact opposite. They're impulsive and erratic and if they demand explanation (like the teacher in school) it's because they haven't got laid in quite a time. Wait, what?

Do I need to point out that every single witch is less powerful than Atticus? Shocker, right?
Even the coven of Polish witches needs a man to sort things out. But hey, what am I saying.. The GODDESESS need him for bed/marriage/something. Yada, yada, yada.

I will probably read the third book and decide if I want to go on, but hey, don't keep your hopes up.

I'm giving this book 2 stars because I'm a fan of the widow. And that's it.

Welp, I liked this book as much as I liked the first one - and I liked the first one a heck of a lot.

There is a good bit of action in this book, and you barely have a chance to catch a breath before our friend Atticus is beset once again on every side, be it by a fallen angel, a horde of Bacchants or two beautiful but deadly goddesses. Oh, and there’s a band of Nazi witches in there as well, just for good measure. They only stopped in town to breed some demon children, so, nothing to worry about…. Yeah, right.

Atticus didn’t have any love lost for witches in general. Most of them, in his experience, are looking to get their hands on something of yours (blood, skin, hair, the like) in order to have power over you. Being paranoid is what’s kept him alive this long after all, so I understand this phobia of his. Although, I would love to see him run across a group who actually practiced the “harm none” part of the rede - I think it would change his perspective. There’s a debate raging about sexism in this book, and I can see the point, especially in the case of Brigid. Why a powerful goddess would stoop to acting like a jilted teenager is beyond me, but considering the antics of some of the other pantheons, this may have actually been in character. Still, I was surprised that she didn’t fry Atticus like a side of bacon for not only holding her under the power of Fragarach, but talking to her like a child.

That being said, a positive female interaction he had in this book turned out to be my favorite part. They say that visualization is powerful, and thanks to his saucy widowed neighbor, we get to have a moment speaking to the Virgin Mary herself. She seemed like a pretty stand-up deity, as well, so count that in the plus column for this book. Atticus does seem a bit breezier than I would hope, and I was hoping to see some of that famed Druid wisdom, or at least hints around the edges of his actual age. Although, when he spoke of extending his beloved dog’s life far beyond the norm, I’ll admit I got a bit choked up. That was well played.

Granuaile is officially his apprentice now, and while she was under utilized in this book, I hope to see something cooking in that direction in the next installment. I’m holding out hope for some more depth to Atticus, because I just like the character so much. I might be fooling myself, but...well, it wouldn’t be the first time. Onwards, to Hammered!

If you're reading this review, then you've hopefully already read the first book in the series (Hounded), so the gist is basically the same. Atticus has new enemies in this book, as well as dealing with some of the repercussions of his adventures in the first book. Many of the characters are the same, some are new, and some are more thoroughly developed.

I loved this! Second books in a series are so tough, I feel like they're often trying to find their voice. Maybe the conflict is forced as a way to get more books coming, maybe the plot is too similar to the previous so it just feels repetitive, maybe it just plain works better as a stand-alone. Hexed suffers from none of those problems.

There was one main conflict, with a handful of others popping up throughout. There was some blow-back following the end of Hounded, which added new battles and monsters for Atticus to fight, but in a way that felt completely natural and not just filler text. In addition, Atticus has a LOT going on - he has to fight demons, fallen angels, Bacchants, witches, witches again, and so on. But it was never confusing or rushed or excessive. The battle scenes were exciting (even when they were really early in the book, and you can easily assume how it will end), and especially the ones where he's working jointly with a number of other characters.

You also get a bit more of Atticus's back story, in addition to a few other characters being fleshed out further. It makes the whole book richer and easy to connect to.

And of course Oberon. The greatest. I'll admit I thought he was cheesy in the beginning of Hounded, but he continued to grow on me and I absolutely love him now.

If you enjoyed Hounded, it is absolutely worth continuing on with the series, Hexed does not disappoint. Off to start book 3!

I have been hearing about The Iron Druid Chronicles for years and I am pleased to say the book lived up to its promises. I read the second book of the series (Hexed) and it worked well as a stand-alone.

The characters are amusing, entertaining and bad-ass as one would hope for an Urban Fantasy. Action throughout, magic, and friendship. A fun quick read (taking only about 8 hours for me - I started about 8 pm ... and ended at 4 am on the nose...er, I am not functioning really well today.)

What I did find that might be a problem for some people, and a benefit for others, is the book really is written like a series of novelettes with one overarching connection. I could totally see this book being put up on the store as four or five small $1.39 stories. "The Demon Jog", "Coyote and the Fallen Angel" (and the best of the stories within the novel - totally funny and in line with the mythology - and the worldbuilding of how magic works is superb), "Bucchant Ball", "Houseguests" etc.. Between every vignette is a chapter moving the overall big story, and sometimes a little something else to move forward the series plot, or to set up for the next book. Lots of things happen, and the book works as a novel - one strong plot carries through it all. I am just used to the difference between the story right now, the story for the novel and the story for the series being less obvious. This novel felt more like The Ship Who Sang (Helva) by Anne McCaffrey (a series of previously published shorts put into one book) - which isn't exactly bad company.

I should also mention the book is sexist, with women throwing themselves at the main character, using sex as a weapon or reward or trap or all three. But this is typical of an Urban Fantasy with a male as the main character (sigh). The women are strong, but most are defined in relation to the male. The secondary male characters are also strong, but don't see any "action". At least in this book of the series, all the characters are functionally single with no happy, stable relationship in the lot. This may change in later books; most urban fantasy series have one stable relationship that produces children (to be put into danger).

An enjoyable read could be put down every three or four chapters (even if I didn't) with cool action at regular intervals. A nice Urban Fantasy (male variety) that lives up to its reputation.

This is the second book in the Iron Druid Series.

At the beginning of Hexed, Atticus has decided to stay in the same city. He likes Tempe and he doesn't want to move again. He also wants to rebuild the earth that was destroyed during his last battle with Aenghus Og.

Soon after, Atticus decides to make a new alliance with the local coven to fight a new set of witches in town. The witches are targeting Atticus's friends/acquaintances and he won't let anything happen to them.

In the middle of all this, we also have a fallen angel, Coyote asking Atticus to take care of a problem; A rabbi and a priest asking too many questions; the cops not trusting Atticus's stories; a Goddess and the Morrigan fighting for power. The end result is multiple fights which involve our main hero.

As with its predecessor, Hexed has a lot of action, funny lines, and great characters. My favorites are Granuille, Oberon and the widow. I do like Leif (love the name!) and the werewolves. I'm not crazy about the witches and I'm not sure what to make of the cop yet.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

The humor of this series makes it stand out. I suspect the audio version accentuates this as the narrator excels at capturing the tone of not only the primary character's personality but the unique individuals surrounding him. The idea of a talking dog is a good example. I thought that would be a tough sell for me. Turns out he's one of my favorite characters because he never fails to bring a smile and often makes me laugh. I'm not sure the written word could have quite the same impact, but given what the narrator does with the charact it's a win.

Who would have thought that Phoenix Arizona would be so full of Celtic mischief. And to be honest not just Celtic, the place is practically crawling with the supernatural. This book seems to have it all. Followers of Bahccus, German Witches that had been using the Nazi's for their own end, Polish Witches that are in opposition to them, Werewolves who have day jobs, and a Vampire lawyer...go figure. If that isn't enough, Mother Mary, Coyote and a Fallen Angel put in an appearance just to keep things hopping.

This book was a fun read from opening to ending. After all how wrong can you go with an over 2k year old Druid and an 1900 plus year old Vampire arguing over the use of Modern English for an opening. A great follow up for a good beginning. Can hardly wait to see what the third book has to offer. Hear that library, hand it over.

For centuries, Atticus has been lying low trying to stay under the Tuatha Dé Danann’s radar but after what went down in Hounded that’s no longer an option. Oddly enough, instead of lining up to kill him, the old Gods want to enlist his help to dispatch some of their own foes. Hexed is another action-packed installment in Hearne’s The Iron Druid Chronicles; full of demon hunting, manipulative Celtic goddesses and witchy magic. You can’t go wrong with this series on audio; both the writing and the narration are phenomenal. A definite must!

I love how versatile Luke Daniels’ narration is; he’s a pro at transitioning from one character to the next and does a great job of giving each of them a distinct voice with the help of accents, pitch and tone. I especially enjoyed his Coyote persona because he absolutely nailed the Southern twang and slower paced dialogue. His interpretation of Oberon never fails to bring a smile to my face and I think Daniels’ has Atticus’ POV down to a tee. I was relieved to hear him pronounce “Roosevelt” correctly this time around but he did botch “nocked” (as in an arrow) a few times which was a mild irritant.

The mythology, multiple plot threads and scheming characters help ensure that this book is never dull. There’s even a bit of sex in this installment, just probably not the fun kind you’re thinking of! Needless to say, the Celtic Chooser of the Slain and the Goddess of War’s tastes are anything but vanilla. However, she’s not the only Tuatha Dé Danann who’s vying for Atticus’ attention; Brighid, the Goddess of poetry, fire, and the forge also wants a piece of the druid pie.

Oberon still continues to be the star of this series; from his bath time adventures to his doggy humor, I just can’t get enough of his POV. As a dog owner I’ve often wondered what goes on inside their heads and these books do a great job of playing off of that. Atticus comes in second on my list of favourite Iron Druid Chronicles characters; I love how he can talk circles around practically anyone and, can often times diffuse a volatile situation with logic and reason. However, when all else fails there’s always Fragarach or in this case… RPGs!

Hexed combines intense action with quick-witted humour to create an entertaining experience that’s truly unique. Kevin Hearne and Luke Daniels are quickly becoming one of my favourite audiobook duos; together they transform Atticus’ story into an irresistible, full-bodied adventure.

If you had lived over 2000 years what would you do for fun when you got together with another long lived such as yourself? Why you would of coarse banter in Shakespearean Quotes.

“Dude if that was a Shakespeare quote duel, he just kicked your ass."
“I know, but I slipped in some T.S.Eliot and he didn't even catch it. Hopefully next time I won’t be recovering from an assassination attempt, and then I'll do better.”

Atticus is the last Druid and that seems to cause him no end of trouble. When he isn’t running his book/tea shop he seems to be a pawn for the gods. Yes god(s) there are many of them, from all cultures and it seems that Atticus has the attention of far too many after killing a minor god in the last book. There is also the matter of some remaining Demons still bound to kill him before they are free of their bounds. Atticus seems to be finding trouble everywhere lately.

I still like this book but I didn’t love it. It was missing something that I really enjoyed in the first book and at the moment I can’t put my finger on it. I’ll blame it all on the witches. I didn’t connect with that part of the story as much and so the coven of bad witches wasn’t as enjoyable to me.

I still liked a lot of things though. All the pop culture references, the time spent talking with Oberon (I totally love that dog his thoughts are hilarious), and even the representation of Coyote a Native American spirit and trickster.

“You know how people are always threatenin' to shove this or that up someone's ass, but they never really do it? Well, now there's a new story gonna be told 'round the fire: 'How Coyote Shoved An Arrow Up A Fallen Angel's Ass.”

What is this book missing? A hint of romance I think. I’d like it if there was one, besides a slight flirtation with his apprentice Granuaile in which he thinks about baseball to control his attraction (do guys really do that?) there isn’t much of anything on the romance horizon. There are also a few goddesses trying to bed Atticus but that is more for political maneuverings and for the most part didn’t seem very enjoyable.

Still I really like the lore in the book and how the magic of the druids works. A few new very interesting factions have been added in the mix and Atticus has promised some favors to a few players so the next boo might be more interesting. There is hint of a hunt of the Thunder God who everyone seems to hate, so I’m in for at least another book.

I tried. I really did. I was willing to give the series a chance after I was on the fence after reading the first book. However, my views on what fiction writing should and shouldn't be prevented me from finishing the book.

I had personal issue with the first book due to the picture Hearne painted witches in, but I let that go as a product of creative license. However, I couldn't continue to do that with this one. I like to think I have a pretty open mind when it comes to gods and goddesses, especially in regards to how they're depicted in fiction, but again, I have certain views on what fiction writing should be, and having the writer's personal bias shoved in your face is not something I consider acceptable. I don't think I was even a quarter of the way through the book when I had enough, and returned it to the store for a refund. A person can only see so much "the entire world hates Thor" or other such comments about other people or groups before one starts to wonder if the boundary of creative license has been crossed - and it was, for me. I will not be reading any more of these books, and likely nothing else from Mr. Hearne.

Another fun adventure with my favorite Druid! I will say up front that I didn't enjoy it as much as Hounded, but I did really like it.

Atticus was as entertaining and witty as expected and still just as bad ass! We get to delve more into the darker aspects of his world as we deal with witches and maenads (Yes!) and the rivalry between the two. Plus Atticus is being tracked by some other nefarious characters, complicating matters further. He is also training his new apprentice, Granuaile, who is not only quick-witted and a fast learner, but I just KNOW she has to end up as a love interest in later books. Atticus is definitely thinking about tapping that.

Speaking of...

The goddesses Flidais and the Morrigan are some crazy broads. Atticus is engaged in sexual relationships with both of them, except the relationship with the Morrigan is painful and scary....and hilarious! I laughed and laughed at that scene even though Atticus benefitted from surviving it in the end. Still...so funny. But both goddesses are up to no good as far as Atticus' is concerned, but he's got their number. I'm intrigued to find out what's really going on with them.

Oberon, Atticus' hellhound, was back and snarky as ever. I love him! His perfectly timed humor never fails to entertain me and I just love the relationship he has with Atticus. So cute. Also, Atticus' lawyers, Hal and Leif, the vampire and werewolf legal team, are hilarious as well. There's actually something kind of sexy about Hal (the werewolf), but Leif (the vampire) is just a hoot. He simply cannot grasp modern language and the scene where he actually gives real slang a try, I howled with laughter. So many laughs to be had in this series.

My only hang up about the IDC is that the mixing of the mythologies can be confusing sometimes. In the first book I found it to be okay, but as I go on, it's not really working for me. I'm trying my best to keep up but I find myself cross-eyed more often than I should be. Greek mythology I know WELL. All the others, I'm like WHAAAAA?? Sure I know some things about Norse myths, but I'm pretty much bottom of the barrel when it comes to Celtic mythology. I don't know a damn thing. Mix that with all the other paranormal activity going on, and you have one confused DeeJay. This is like the only thing that keeps me from completely enjoying this series.

Like I said, great second installment. I'm eager for the third book, Hammered, as they go to Asgard to battle Thor. This promises to be even better than the first two books as this is the first time that they've actually traveled to a different world. Can't wait to read it. Do I recommend? Hells yeah. You need to get on this series now!

A second very enjoyable outing from Kevin Hearne in the Iron Druid series. The action picks up not long after the end of Hounded, in which a goodly section of the Arizona wild-lands were destroyed during Atticus' battle with Aenghus Og and an army of demons / fallen angels, and Atticus spends the first half of the book dealing with the ramifications of that battle, including numerous requests to kill other gods since he's already killed two from his own pantheon. The book is action-packed with multiple sub-plots converging into a big final battle, as is standard for most current urban fantasy series. Also as is standard, this second book expands on the world-building, just somehow narrowly avoiding info-dump exposition at some points. By the end of the book, we have a much better sense of how the Last Living (and near-immortal) Druid fits not only with his own pantheon (most of whom seem to view him as a tool/possession), but how the various pantheons fit together (both with each other -- Tuatha de Danaan and Norse and Christian and so-on -- and within themselves -- the various North American Native pantheons and the Greek/Roman) and what the politic nature of the supernatural world is (In this respect, Hearne does not veer far from the Butcher/McGuire model: legal agreements carry extra weight, words are as important as actions, Accords carry the day). Plot-wise, the only moment that fell particularly flat for me was the fight scene between Atticus, Coyote and the Fallen Angel left over from Hounded; it felt like the win was too easy for Atticus given what we'd been told of the angel's power level, and Atticus' recovery from his wounds was too easy as well. The scene is over fast, and not really important to the main plot. It serves more to wrap up a dangling plot thread from the first book and to introduce us to Coyote, because you can't set an urban fantasy in Arizona and ignore the native pantheons.

I like Atticus as a character, although I admit I'm already concerned about how "all powerful" he seems; these first two books read like what I imagine the Dresden Files would be like if Butcher had skipped the first four books and introduced Harry at the point where he's already becoming aware that he's more powerful than anyone suspected. I'm enjoying Granuile's increased presence in the book. I really like the vampire and werewolf lawyers, as well, and look forward to more detail on how them. And I really love the Widow MacDonagh -- yes, she's a stereotype right now, but not in a negative or derogatory manner. She's a fun supporting character who provides Atticus solid emotional support (and some awkward flirting). The stereotype that doesn't work for me is in the supporting character of Mister Semerdjian, a Muslim who in the first book was just an annoyance to Atticus, but in this book is revealed to be a black market arms dealer. It's too easy of a trigger for readers -- the name itself didn't trigger any associations for me in Hounded, where I don't think the characters religious beliefs are mentioned at all, but in a few paragraphs that are clearly Plot Necessities (Atticus has to get all that non-magical ordinance somewhere, after all, and a black-market arms dealer is an okay person to steal from, right?), the picture of Mister Semerdjian as That Type Of Muslim is clearly painted for us. I suppose, in this light, the characterization of the Widow MacDonagh is also "too easy," but the intent/use of the character is so very different. (Interestingly, I see a lot of reviews of this book centering on how sexist/misogynist it is -- but none of those reviewers (who raise valid concerns) discuss how this one secondary character is equally an insult (perhaps because Semerdjian is in only a couple of scenes, whereas the female characters make up the focus of the book and motivate all of the major plots). Food for thought.

But the fight scenes are well-written and appropriately complex when they need to be, Atticus' voice is fun to read (I do wonder if his cockiness/all-powerfulness is being overplayed on purpose, though, with Hearne aiming his hero directly towards the fall that follows pride). The world Hearne is building is still intriguing, and I'm ready for book three.

Those words uttered by Atticus O'Sullivan may be true, but Hexed proves that they can do just about everything else! It's not easy creating a second book in a series, and after enjoying Hounded so much, I was nervous that the author would not be able to sustain the high level of storytelling magic that was so captivating in Hounded. I needn't have worried. Hexed ably continues the tale, bringing Atticus into an uneasy alliance with the local coven of witches as they do battle against a group from Atticus' past that seek to encroach on his territory.

Atticus is in a rather strange position in this latest installment. His success against Aenghus Og has left him a marked man. Everyone is seeking him out to try and convince him to help them with their own God problems. The entire paranormal world now seems to have his number, which leads to some intense demon battles, some fierce sex, and a steep learning curve for his new apprentice. Most of the characters are back from Hounded, and we get to know some a little better this time around. The dialogue is as witty as ever, the action is true edge of your seat stuff, and Oberon is still enjoying his stories, with very entertaining results.

This continues to be a first rate urban fantasy series that any fan of the Dresden files will no doubt enjoy. It's a fast read that will make you hold your breath at the suspense and laugh out loud at the humor - sometimes on the same page! I'm off to go pre-order the next installment. First rate entertainment.

I love Atticus and his dog Oberan. I particularly love the dog who loves to watch movies and live in character - right now he is all about the 60-70's and "sticking it to the man". All the characters in the book are great. The whole book just waffles back and forth between serious and outright funny. Atticus may be centuries old but he has learned how to fit into modern day and tries to fly under the radar but its getting harder after killing a God. Now it seems everyone is either scared of him or trying to take him out, not to mention he seems to be caught in a fight between two Godesses both who seem to want a piece of him (literally). Since his cover of being a stupid geeky book store owner is slowly being carved away by incidents beyond his control he now finds himself being more himself, which can be dangerous. He can sometimes be found wandering the streets naked, riding around town with a sword strapped to his back and turning into different animals to help him escape different situations. So far this series hasn't disappointed and it just seems to be getting better. Can't wait to see what is in store for the druid and his friends next time.

Kevin Hearne's Hounded completely justified its hype and was a favourite of mine amongst this year's Urban Fantasy debuts. Not only did it liven up the subgenre's landscape, but it also announced Kevin Hearne as an author to watch. Now before I continue, just a warning: MILD SPOILERS are ahead...

Now for those who have read & enjoyed Hounded, you'll be happy to hear that Hexed features more of the same and then some. Starting out, the book finds Atticus relaxing after his victory over Aenghus Og, which finally freed him from his millennia-long vendetta. Because of his actions though, Atticus is flooded with offers by various pantheons to become a Godslayer for them and eradicate other deities. At the same time, Lief--Atticus' lawyer/sparring partner/vampire--wants him to help settle his debt to Thor, while the Polish witch coven of Radomila is interested in signing a non-aggression pact. Complicating matters even further is a demon last seen in the climax of Hounded; a hell minion who has been terrorizing a local school, which requires aid from the Irish widow Katie MacDonagh; a promise to Morrigan given in the previous book which puts Atticus in a difficult situation with the Tuatha Dé Danann; a group of German witches who are muscling in on the Polish coven and also targeting Atticus, while aided by Bacchants or Maenads from Las Vegas; and protecting his druid initiate, Granuaile MacTiernan.

As you can see, a lot is happening in Hexed, as the book continues to develop events and characters from its predecessor, while planting seeds for the next sequel and beyond. Based on what happens in Hexed, it's obvious that Kevin Hearne is planning some big things for the rest of the series--which is now planned for six volumes--as Atticus is forced to become a weapon/person that he doesn't want to be, which was a major plus for me to read about. In particular, I can't wait to see Atticus, Lief and other super-powered folk take on a certain Norse thunder god. Another thing I liked about the story was the way Atticus had to coax, cajole and bargain favors in order to get everything under control.

Writing-wise, prose is once again very polished and the action non-stop, while the banter between Oberon & Atticus continues to fuel the novel's comedic moments and making the non-action parts that much more enjoyable. Then there's Atticus who remains an engaging narrator, which is noteworthy because he easily could have come off as a pompous protagonist. Instead, due to the author's skill, Atticus is an intelligent, semi-rogue avant gardist with a wee bit of a chip on his shoulder, which he's entitled to. Atticus is also very aware of his long life and strives that much harder to make it smoother for himself and those he calls his friends. Speaking of which, Granuaile MacTiernan has been a minor character in the series so far, but I believe her role will grow in future volumes, while Katie MacDonagh has an interesting friendship with Atticus that I hope will be revealed in greater detail in the next chapter of the series. Lastly, there is a generous helping of Shakespeare in the novel which adds to the book's overall fun quotient.

Negatively, I remarked that Kevin Hearne's debut was a bit too PG-13 and formulaic, but in Hexed, the author seems to be heading in a darker direction as there are quite a few deaths. And while the book's plot remains familiar to urban fantasy veterans, Kevin Hearne is trying to carve his own path by precipitating events that readers would not normally see until much later in a series. So apart from some familiar elements within the story, I have no other complaints about the book.

CONCLUSION: Hexed is an excellent sophomore effort by Kevin Hearne who is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. In short, I highly recommend picking up the Iron Druid Chronicles, which just might make you forget about other urban fantasy novels...

I don't know how I missed hearing about the Iron Druid series all these years, but now that I've finally found them, what a treat to have the next ready as I devour each one. I actually liked this one even better than the first one. The range of types and personalities of characters was even greater and the humor was even defter and better-timed. I enjoyed what appears to be a long homage to a favorite Sookie Stackhouse character in Leif the Viking vampire. The extended family of varied characters around our old-young Druid is falling into place. Lots of action, surprises, humor, passion of all kinds. A great read! Now on to the next!

3.5 stars - I started this as a DTB a while back and the beginning didn't grab me, but when this was on sale at audible I decided to give it another shot. I have to say that I did have the same issue with the beginning when 'listening' to Hexed but since I had the audio book on the phone to listen to while driving I kept on going.

I would say that this still ended up being a mixed 'read' for me. There were things that I liked about the story as an end to end adventure dealing with Maenids, a fallen angel, and evil witches the story was entertaining. I still have problems connecting with Atticus as a character - he is sort of detached from the world and I can't help but compare him to Harry Dresden and Atticus has the snark but not the endearing charm. I liked his dog Oberon - who offers a dog's eye view of the proceedings from time to time.

As to the performance by Luke Daniels, for the most part I enjoyed his telling of the story and he handles the female roles surprisingly well. I did have nits with the voices for Oberon (just a bit off for me) and Coyote (I really disliked Coyote's accent and that gets doubled because Atticus uses the same accent in Coyote's presence.)

Overall though, I found the Hexed to be more entertaining in audio than I did the Hounded in print, so I will likely continue the series in that format.

Originally posted on my blog: The Bibliophile's Corner

Cover Talk: Um. Beautiful. Atticus is beautiful. And manly. And rugged. And has Celtic tattoos. Did I mention beautiful? Yet, manly.

First Impressions: Well, after falling in love with the first book, I knew the second had to be just as good. And I was right.

First Line: "Turns out when you kill a god, people want to talk to you."

Characters: Atticus is a beautiful fighting, Celtic machine. Seriously, he knows how to kick ass and look good doing it. I love how with each cover of the series, we get to see more and more of his face. I'm just saying. But Atticus is spot on again. I love his humor, intelligence, and badassery. I am really excited for the next book.

Granuaile is amping up to be one of my favorite characters. As Atticus' apprentice, there is more to her in this book and I'm assuming more to her in the next several books. She is Atticus in female form. I have just decided this. Both are funny, witty, smart, and sexy. I'm really jealous. I want to study to be a Druid too!

Oberon is the best animal character ever. Hands down. In the first book, he wanted to be the Genghis Khan of dogs. Now he is a peace, love, and dog treats kind of dog. I love Oberon.

And of course, all of the secondary characters are brilliant again. Hal and Leif, the lawyer duo, are willing to do just about anything for Atticus, with the proper payment of course. Morrigan and Brighid are both seducing and threatening Atticus in the same breath. Gotta love Celtic goddesses. And all of the witches are entertaining to read about.

Plot: Again, as in the first book, there are so many different things going on. Atticus does not handle just one magical beasty, but tends to battle with three. Not to mention balancing personal and professional relationships between two Celtic goddesses, a werewolf and vampire lawyer duo, an attractive apprentice, a millenia old witch, and a wonderful Irish wolfhound. Seriously, this book has it all.

I find the humor to be one of my favorite parts of this series. While Atticus partakes in many life threatening situations, normally back to back, I find his humor to be wonderful. It helps that he has a deal with the goddess of death, so...that's nice.

I really enjoyed that this book was more about the witches. Hearne does a great job at introducing characters, alliainces, and enemies in the previous book, only to build off of them in the following book. If things are going like I think they will, I will be reading about Thor in the third book.

Final Thoughts: This series keeps getting better and better. I have three and four. I also need to buy five. If you have not started this series yet, you need to start now.

The quote above is a good summary of what is good about this book. When the action begins it is fun, relentless and over the top. However, the main problem with this second entry in the series is that the first half is somewhat dull. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying it was boring, but after the blast I had with Hounded: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book One, this one was a letdown. Half-way thought this novel, when the main's character dog, Oberon, and the Morrigan take a more prominent role in the story things become better.

After defeating the supremely annoying Aenghus Og, things are looking up for the young-looking 2100-year-old druid Atticus, but there are some loose ends to clean up. Left-over demons are no good, and neither is missing an ear! Add to this a gorgeous looking girl that wants to become a druid under his guidance, one that can make him babble like a toddler, and things look promising. When you throw into the mix witches, werewolves, a vampire, goblins and other creatures, the stage is set for a great urban fantasy. The point in which the author falls short is just in the fact that the story is not as interesting as the previous one and it gets a while to get completely drawn into it. At least for me.

When the brown stuff hits the fan though we are treated to fast and furious action scenes in which the weapons, abilities and magic system are among the best in the genre. If the author had taken less time to get to the good stuff, this would have been great and that is why I am going to continue reading this series hoping that is the case in future books. In this one, spending more time focusing on the gods, Oberon and the initiate would have probably done the trick. One final point is that for the most part the humor is as good as in the previous book, but I have no clue why the author decided to spend so much time at the start dealing with how Leif the vampire talks and Atticus nagging him about it, when this was not an issue previously.

The Good: Hexed is detailed in every aspect. Fully fleshed out secondary characters. In depth descriptions of how Atticus's magic works. The reader is kept informed, not left to wonder over minor details that detract from the more important plot. The premise in Hexed is even better than the story we got in Hounded. Atticus has multiple enemies and has to team up with other local powers to save himself. It's good witches versus bad witches with Atticus in the middle.

The Bad: I really dislike how long it takes me to get through these books. I love everything about them, except I can easily put one down and not feel compelled to pick it back up again for weeks. I'm slowly making my way through the series because they are worth the read in the end, but it's harder than it should be.

I picked up this audio book from the library because of the front cover. I'm kind of a sucker for Celtic tattoos and he looks dreamy. Once I read the synopsis I figured I would give it a try. I thought it would be perfect for a few Reading Challenges too.

The story is the second in the Iron Druid Chronicles (I didn't read the first one ) and while a few pieces were missing, it didn't hinder the story in any way. The character explains when something occurs that pertains to the first book. However, there is a lot of backstory and telling. I enjoyed it more when the book concentrated on the here and now.

The narrator, Luke Daniels, is hands down the best performer in an audio book I've ever encountered. His delivery is perfect! Absolutely perfect! The humor shone through and I was cracking up at one word sentences. "Hello," and "Hey!" come to mind. The accents used are convincing and even the voice for his dog Oberon, is cute. I will probably listen to anything this guy does.

One of the other things I liked about this book is the way that the magic is explained. Atticus doesn't simply allow his apprentice to see through his eyes with a snap of his finger, he explains what he's doing. Changing energy or molecules or whatever, then binding her aura to his. But this relates to something I didn't like about the book. That Atticus seems to be able to do SO much and therefore get out of some serious scrapes. Even though he is a druid who is several hundred years old, it was hard to swallow everything.

The main thing that bothered me is the portrayal of the Goddess Brighid. She comes off as needy and a little petty and I love the Celtic Pantheon so I have them up on a pedestal. But this is only one scene in the book and does not overshadow the positive aspects.

I usually don't always enjoy smart alec, talking dogs, I did enjoy Oberon, his Irish Wolf Hound. He was funny and silly in only a way a dog can be. I especially loved when Atticus told him about the 60's, Oberon would indulge in hippie phrases.

This is a fun, action packed story with a lot of magic. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much in print form, but I would definitely listen to more in this series, especially if Luke Daniels is the narrator.

Hexed is much improved upon by Hearne from Hounded, and marks a promising future for the Iron Druid Chronicles. While Hounded was a fun read, it lacked much of a coherent plot and clearly was Hearne's attempt at getting his feet wet. Hexed on the other hand begins to see the formation of a plot, although the overarching plot is certainly not there yet.

Hexed does three things that were very lacking in Hearne's debut; character building, foreshadowing, and world building. All of these combine to create a much more enjoyable and in-depth read. While I called the first book something similar to brain candy, Hexed deviates from that territory and tries to make the Iron Druid Chronicles a legitimate series. It doesn't quite achieve that, but it is a valid attempt.

In Hounded, many of the characters felt two dimensional and stilted. There was not a whole lot to them aside from what was directly said by the author. The interaction between Atticus and his gods continues to be good, but the relationship between Atticus and those around him improves remarkably in terms of getting fleshed out and our ability to see into them. The most important of these is his relationship with his apprentice Granuaile. We begin to see some of the Druidic teachings that Atticus is trying to impose, as well as what Granuaile is actually like without the influence of a witch in her head. In both cases, Hearne does an excellent job and it really makes the reader look forward to the fact that Atticus will be spending the next 12 years at least with Granuaile by his side as opposed to dreading it.

The other aspect that really gets fleshed out is Atticus's relationship with Leif and Hal. They are often referenced in the earlier book but neither seemed to have much of a personality aside from the typical werewolf vampire stereotype. This book faces important conflicts for each of them that allows Atticus to truly get to know them better, or at least gives the reader a chance to do so. Prior we knew that they were Atticus's lawyers but we did not know exactly how far the personal feelings went outside of that. In Hexed we see that Hal truly does like Atticus as a friend. The easy banter that they fall into and Hal's willingness to toe the line against Magnus's orders help the reader get a much better sense of Hal's character. Leif on the other hand appears to have a much more business like relationship with Atticus. While they appear to enjoy each other's company as evidenced by some of the Shakespearean banter in the book, when it gets down to the fine details it does appear to be more quid pro quo then Atticus's relationship with Hal is. The fact that Leif is unwilling to help Atticus until he promises to help with Thor leads the reader to believe that there could be a conflict that has Atticus and Leif on opposite sides if push ever came to shove.

This leads into the next major improvement that Hearne appears to be working on; foreshadowing. The first book really read more along the lines of: the rambling day to day activities of the last druid. The plot was moment to moment and there was hardly any foreshadowing in it. This is not the case in Hexed, and really shows growth as an author. We begin to learn of the politics among the gods, especially with The Morrigan and Brighid. Their attempts to manipulate Atticus into taking their sides are enjoyable and add some of the only humility we see from Atticus. In addition, one can tell that there is a rich back story with Thor to come at some point in the future. Why does everyone want him dead? What did Thor do to Leif?

We also begin to see some of the more realistic foreshadowing about those around Atticus. It only makes sense that there would be ramifications now that he's not running. Atticus begins to realize this in Hexed, and it adds a sense of realism that was missing in the first book. It's not just him that can be targeted, but those he loves as well.

Lastly, the world building has drastically improved. We the readers begin to learn about the gods on Earth, the realms of the different gods, and how those realms can be accessed. Prior to Hexed we knew that most gods did not reside on Earth but we did not really know where they did reside. Did all the gods live together there? Turns out that no, most gods have their own realms and places they can and cannot access. We learn more about the ways of the druids as well, through Atticus's teachings of Granuaile. Overall we the readers just begin to learn a lot more about the entire world that they live in. It appears to be going the route of most urban fantasy: the world is the world we know it, but we just refuse to see the supernatural. This is neither bad nor good, but it is nice to know the direction that it is going.

This is not to say that Hexed is without its faults though. It has them, and they are not rare. The humor at times is very forced. The books also seems to not know what to do when there is not action going on. For such a short book, it does experience points of dragging on. Be it because of scenes not flowing well together, or repetitive action scenes. Hearne needs to learn that there is more to a book then just Atticus getting himself into scraps repeatedly, healing up, talking to someone important, and then rinsing and repeating. He does a better job in Hexed but it still isn't great. There are also points where the writing is just sub-par. It won't flow that well, or it could be sequenced better.

As a whole though Hexed is a remarkable improvement upon Hounded. It truly is a good attempt at turning a young adult style brain candy book into a series that has a shot at drawing older readers looking for a more serious style of book. I hold high hopes for it and will be eagerly reading the next installment.

4/5 overall.

The second story in this series continues with another adventure from the only living Druid living, Atticus O'Sullivan. After defeating Angus in the last story the land of the fey is in turmoil since there is no leader. All the different types of fey plus the paranormal (witches, vampires and werewolves) are trying to gain power. Atticus is going on with his business when suddenly he is attacked magically by powerful witches that remain to be unseen. They try to kill him but are unsuccessful due to his strong Iron Druid magic. So while he is looking for witches he is dodging demons and goddesses and police officers and falling angels in order to stop the old enemies from trying to kill him. With the help of his friends his dog Oberon, the widow, his apprentice Granuwail, Laksha and the Madgen he manages to face off with his enemies from years back.

I listened to this book audio book and I really like the narrator. The story itself was ok but I don't know if this series is one of my favorites. It is entertaining and has some fun and funny moments at times but most of the time I tuned out. I do really like Atticus and his dog Oberon. Oberon is really funny and I like that we get to hear what he is saying. I also like the fact that when Atticus is faced with a pretty woman he starts reciting baseball facts in his head so he is not distracted with what he is trying to do. It is really funny. I am going to continue with this series due to the entertainment and funny scenarios that Atticus keeps finding himself in. I am looking forward to the next adventure.

I give this story a solid 3 stars.

This book gets a steely 5 gnomes out of 5 gnomes for being a superb sequel, having laugh out loud writing, and characters that the reader can truly care about.

This series has become one of my top 5 series, I just love so much about it. The characters and story are refreshing because it has characters and themes that are common yet used in unexpected ways. Take religion, if you read this series you will see and hear about a plethora of gods and goddesses from across many cultures. I like that there are all these religious figures still out there in the world but some just appear more often than others.

The setting is the same as the previous book and you get to find out even more about the large cast of characters. I liked seeing more of Atticus's nighttime lawyer, Leif the vampire and Granuile his new apprentice.

The side characters in this book are fleshed out really well. The interactions between Leif and Atticus are great especially when he tries to help him with his word phrasing so he doesn't sound as old as he actually is. Granuile (who's name I can't for the life of me pronounce) is seen more in this book and shown to be quite savvy to all the weirdness of witches, police problems, and learning all manner of information on what druids can do. It would be interesting if Atticus and Granuile had a relationship because you can tell he's interested, on the other hand though Atticus has a well known weakness for pretty women and she is technically his student.

Many of the best lines in the book are said by Oberon, the Irish wolfhound. Seeing how he and Atticus interact is a lot of fun and also makes me hope that Kevin Hearne never has any plans to kill him off like so many other authors, movies, and TV shows do with beloved pets. I actually found myself tearing up a bit at the point in the book when you find out how old Oberon is and how much Atticus looks out for him.

If you thought Atticus had problems in in Hounded then you are in for even more carnage when you read Hexed. There's gods, goddesses, good witches, bad witches, a tall priest, a short rabbi, and even more magic and fighting. The book is also chock-full of humor, I actually had to stop reading the book at work because I didn't want people to think I was a weirdo laughing to myself all alone in the library.

The endings of this book and the one before it are great because they both end on a funny note. Ending at a funny line or situation is to me much more preferable and unexpected then having a cliffhanger that makes you want to throw the book out the window. Overall I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes fantasy, magic, or really stupendous male main characters. I for one am very happy that the third book has been released and plan to read it as soon as possible. I look forward to reading more about Atticus's world and whatever else Kevin Hearne writes in the future.

*****Caution: Contains a spoiler. *****
Our intrepid hero has been attacked by magic and casts his suspicions toward the local witch coven. Of course responsibility is denied and Atticus with the ever faithful Oberon at his side must once again beat back the opposition. Atticus' plate is already full with Goddess visits, a possible new and exciting threat, new vows being made, Granuaile's apprenticeship and everyone wants his assistance to kill Thor! If it was easy being a druid everyone would be doing it.

Perhaps a better name for this episode would have been She Wants Me. This installment of the series seems to be all over the place, it felt busy and unfocused. Well not quite, this one squarely focused on sex. There's very much the stereotypical adolescent teen male ideal of everyone of the opposite sex finding him irresistible at every turn. Every female (and I do mean every) is determined to try her hand at inept and wanton flirting with poor beleaguered Atticus. He almost needs a bat to beat them back and he has to stay strong - but how much can one guy take? Unfortunately for me this entry tripped dangerously close to silly and immature. I felt the overall story arc advancing but can't say I thoroughly enjoyed the journey. I will miss Perry, but felt that even his loss was designed to surround our plucky hero with ever more females. Hmmm, immediately the quasi-introduction of a new employee and another appearance of the Daughters of the Three Auroras come to mind. I'm sure the importance of this episode will become evident later but for right now it feels more like a bridge whose sole purpose is to get you from book one to book three than anything else.

I loved Hounded all the way through but I didn't have that warm fuzzy with Hexed. I did however enjoy parts of this outing to a degree and am looking forward to the next adventure.

'Hexed', the second installment in the Iron Druid Chronicles, picks up shortly after 'Hounded' left off. Atticus O'Sullivan, the 2100-year old last surviving Druid, only wants to resume his quiet existence in Tempe, Az, tending his shop and training his new initiate. Only now he's on everyone's magical radar after having finally dealt with his nemesis, Aenghus Og, late of the Celtic pantheon of gods, and the Christian demons he consorted with. Now that Atticus has earned a rep, all manner of various and sundry characters both divine and paranormal want to sway him to their cause, or at least dispatch a rival or two for them- oddly enough, Thor's name keeps popping up in the discussions. Chief among these are his vampiric lawyer, Leif- who also wants him to go after the Thunder God. Complicating things are the arrival of a coven of evil witches bent upon seeking revenge against the Sisters of the Three Auroras, the coven that forms the local power base but who are vulnerable after the events in the first book. Turns out even Atticus himself has actually run afoul of these women before, back in WWII. If that weren't bad enough, a group of Bacchants drops in from Vegas to paint the town red in their own unique way. Atticus is forced to call upon an ally for assistance but at a steep price- namely acquiring a few Asgardian Golden Apples to maintain their immortality (can you see where the plot of the third book is headed?).

For those who are fans of Christopher Stasheff's humorous style from his 'Warlock in Spite of Himself' and 'Wizard in Rhyme' series, this one will be right your speed. Or think of it as an UF version of `Moonlighting'. These books are funny, inspired and very well crafted, but never bogged down with the details- it's always a pleasure to read an author who sweats the small stuff. All the characters right down to the supporting cast are fleshed out and well-rounded, coming to life with the dialogue; everyone feels vibrant and alive on the pages.

Kevin Hearne does an excellent job of tying together multiple storylines and sub-plots; though they may drag a little in places there's a constant flow to it all. You get the feeling Hearne's having more fun writing this stuff than you will reading it. The only drawbacks for me are that it's one of those series where magic is everywhere, hiding in plain sight, and you don't quite have a clear sense of what it can and can't do. Plus Oberon, Atticus' wolfhound and best friend whom he communicates with telepathically, is an excellent sidekick and Hearne plays them off each other beautifully, but often seems a lot more clued in than he should be. But that's just me.

In today's emo-laden UF landscape littered with tortured souls and soulless characters, the Iron Druid Chronicles are a bolt of lightning in the sky. OK- maybe that's a little strong, but they do shed enough light on the genre to help you see what not to step in.

Last year I read Kevin Hearne's debut novel Hounded and really, really liked it. I very much enjoyed this take on urban fantasy, with a male protagonist, a blending of just about every pantheon you can think of and the most brilliant wolfhound ever in Oberon. So once I finished Hounded, I was thrilled to know there were already two more books on the way and there would be three more books in the more distant future. Earlier this month I finally got to go back to Tempe, Arizona and Atticus by reading Hexed and I'm pleased to report it was as fun as its predecessor was; Hearne's writing is as good on second impression as it was the first time.

Between Hounded and Hexed there is a form of continuity, in the sense that decisions and events from the first book have their repercussions in this one, but the story arcs are separate and as such this book could be read out of sequence. However, that would cause the reader to miss a lot of the underlying nuance and some of the in-jokes - French poodles anyone? - which to me make this such a strong series. The elements that did return from the first novel, such as Atticus accepting Granuaile as his apprentice and his reaching a détente with the Tempe witches' Coven were handled really well. The scenes in which Atticus goes to sign the non-aggression treaty, accompanied by his werewolf lawyer Hal, were really cool and showed how precarious this peace and the trust between the two parties really was.

One of my hopes for the series was that we'd find out more about Atticus' past, as the glimpses we'd caught during Hounded were tantalising and I wanted more. Hexed delivered this through die Töchter des dritten Hauses; through them we learn more about Atticus' activities in WWII. These flashbacks were truly enjoyable and lend a depth to Atticus' character that was less noticeable in Hounded. Perhaps not so much providing history as enriching the universe's mythology is the number of deities and mythological creatures that stop by to recruit Atticus to their cause, due to his increase in reputation--or rather perceived level of badassery. We meet several new pantheons outside of the Celtic and Christian and it was fun to see they all have similar goals: getting Atticus to promise to kill their particular nemesis. But it's not just deities who try to recruit him, it's his friends as well.

Atticus' circle of friends is growing and while we meet new ones, our acquaintance with those of the previous book deepens. For example, we see a lot more of Atticus' vampire lawyer, Leif. We learn more about his capabilities and his weaknesses and we see him fighting and kicking ass in a fantastic battle. Another character we get to see more of is Granuaile. As Atticus' apprentice, she is also a way for Hearne (via Atticus) to give us some more background on Druidic magic and history when Atticus teaches her these things. She also shows how alone Atticus has become as the lone remaining Druid on the planet and how he keeps himself isolated because he doesn't want to endanger his friends. What I really I like as well is that she's the one piece of skirt that Atticus doesn't pursue. Where in the previous book Atticus tended to think more with his loins than his brain, here he is careful to keep it in check around Granuaile.

Hexed contains lots of humour. For example, Atticus' confusion when he gets seduced by the Morrigan - a rather painful experience, as she's the Goddess of Death - and it wasn't about the Morrigan lusting after him at all, it was about repairing some of the damage Atticus had sustained in Hounded or Atticus' repeated attempts to update Leif's rather old-fashioned manner of speech. But the most humour is displayed by Oberon. His snarky little commentaries on Atticus' house guests, his silly obsessions with the strangest things, such as Sixties hippy culture and the Man, and the way he always, always know how to earn a treat, even if he doesn't do anything, are very entertaining and I just love Oberon to bits.

Hexed is a great sequel, that doesn't disappoint at all. It's just as fun and fast-paced as the first book and just as addictive. It's urban fantasy at its best. If you enjoyed the first book, this is a must-read, because it's great to return to Atticus' world. However, Hexed is far more open-ended than Hounded, with a clear hook in place for the third book. As such, I couldn't wait to get started with Hammered, so I've already read that as well.

This is a very interesting series. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in this series, and I'm looking forward to reading more. The characters are interesting, and I'm looking forward to seeing them grow. The action is non-stop and fast-paced,, the suspense keeps you turning pages, and the twists and turns keeps you guessing "what's next?". I can't wait to read the next book.

Hexed is the second book of the Iron Druid Chronicles written by Kevin Hearn. In it, Atticus O'Sullivan is back and he brought his friends, both old and new, with him.

Being a druid, Atticus has never really gotten along with witches. However, the events of the previous book, Hounded, lead him to form a tenuous allegiance with the local witch coven, which was weakened severely by the events in the aforementioned book. Taking advantage of the diluted defenses of Tempe, another group of witches tries to move in and claim the territory. These witches aren't so nice. Atticus and the local witches team up to fight against these malevolent invaders.

Trailing the bad witches is another group of baddies--Bacchants, also known as Maenads. They've come to wreak havoc using the tools of their god, Bacchus, namely, booze and unmitigated sex. To deal with them, Atticus seeks help from another ally, Laksha. Laksha is an Indian witch that Atticus first meets in Hounded. She agrees to help him with the Bacchants--for a price.

Also included in this story are a fallen angel, rocket-propelled grenades, The Virgin Mary, and a wily Trickster. As you can probably tell, it's a tale packed with fun, mayhem, and adventure. It'll keep you entertained and wanting more.

(from loebick.com)

Now that the preternatural world knows that Atticus O'Sullivan is powerful enough to kill a god, his days of anonymity are over. His identity is known, his whereabouts are known, and his possession of two powerful swords is common knowledge. He suddenly finds that his friends and acquaintances all want his help in defeating their enemies. What Atticus really wants to do is leave town with his apprentice and his faithful dog Oberon. Duty won't allow him run this time because of the destruction Aenghus Óg caused to the land during their recent battle. He must repair the land before leaving Tempe.

Determined to live peacefully, Atticus is ready to sign a treaty with the local witch coven who shares his territory. Unfortunately, the treaty must be shelved temporarily due to an attack by a rival coven who would like to take possession of the area. This new coven is evil, destructive, and teams up with demons. They have no intention of leaving town without a fight.

In order to locate and defeat the dangerous coven and their demons, Atticus must rely on the help of his friends. He finds himself promising to help with them with plights, in order to receive their help in return. This means that defeating the witches is only the beginning of the adventures he will be facing in the future. He will have promises to keep.

I am really enjoying how smartly written this series is. Atticus is a brilliant, educated, intuitive man. He uses a smart mouth as a way to trap liars, negotiate deals, and outwit his enemies. His inner dialog and logic is as interesting to read as the action scenes.

Something I have criticized in other series that contain immortal or long-lived creatures is that the characters don't seem to be as intelligent as they should be after living for hundreds of years. That is definitely not the case with this series, and I applaud Kevin Hearne for not falling into that trap. A two-thousand year old Druid ought to be a smart cookie with a lot of common sense, and Atticus is exactly that.

The mental connection between Atticus and Oberon (his Irish Wolfhound) is also fun to read. Oberon is definitely the comic relief in the series. His canine POV of the world never fails to make me laugh or smile.

One thing that bothered me in the first book was that there are so many species of preternatural creatures. I had been expecting a book about Celtic Druidry, and instead got a book that was a melting pot of every creature I've ever heard of. I was caught of guard by that oddity and didn't entirely warm up to the concept in the first book. This time around, I was fine with it. I'm sure it is mostly because I knew what to expect going in, but it was also because the story itself was an improvement over the first book. I was more absorbed in the plot this time around, which meant that I wasn't focusing on little things like the many species. That is a really good sign.

Overall, I think this is a witty and fun read. I recommend the series to fans of contemporary Celtic fantasy. It is appropriate for adults and mature teens. There is violence and sexual content, but neither are graphic in nature.

I would have given this a 4.5 rating if halves were an option.

Finally we have an urban fantasy author writing about something other than werewolves and vampires devoid of their mythological undercurrents. Kevin Hearne's Hexed takes us back to the roots of all the mythological creatures which have dominated much of fantasy for hundreds of years, but with a welcome change of scenery.

Hexed follows Atticus O'Sullivan, one of the last remaining Druids in a world in which all of our myths and religions are "true." Gods roam the Earth, the Virgin Mary sometimes shows up to help the homeless, and witches wreak havoc. It's that last group which has caused Atticus a lot of grief. He and a local coven of witches have crossed paths before, and people have died as a result -- mostly the witches. But all that is over with now, because a new threat, the Bacchants, has shown up in Arizona to take the city of Tempe for themselves by crashing it deep into the worst of human
selfishness and debauchery. And the best allies are sometimes you most recent enemies...

I keep saying that I am not an urban fantasy fan, and then I read a really good urban fantasy book like Hexed and have to eat my words. Hearne's novel is simply a great deal of fun, and it's also quite refreshing. While many of the stock urban fantasy "creatures" are present here, the novel itself avoids doing the same old nonsense, perhaps because the main character is an Irish Druid instead of a tramp-stamped clone. Atticus as a character is not only "new" -- in the sense that his character "type" hasn't been seen very often -- but also fascinating. Hearne writes him with a modest sense of self-confidence, which I found rather endearing. Here is a character who has an extraordinary amount of power, who occasionally gets a little cocky about it, but knows when he's been outmatched (though he wouldn't tell his enemies as much, seeing how that would be stupid). Since we're in his head, however, we get to learn who Atticus is in a very intimate way, a feature that gives Hexed an extra edge. First person is hard to do, too, but Hearne manages it with flare. (One example of "flare" I can't help bringing up, even if it's not the best written of Hearne's near-nerdfests, is when Atticus and Oberon, his canine companion, have a brief discussion pertaining to why a local road is suspiciously like Mos Eisley; if you don't get the joke, then something is wrong with you.)

One of the other interesting aspects of Hexed is how Hearne has taken most, if not all, of the major or memorable forms of religion and inserted them firmly into the real. While Atticus "worships" (though that's the wrong word) the Celtic gods of his origin, others adhere to a strictly Abrahamic faith (Christianity primarily), while still others stick to their Native American or "dead religion" roots. I couldn't help finding it endlessly amusing, especially when traditional figures of the various faiths make an appearance in Hearne's book (such as the Virgin Mary, various Celtic gods, and plenty of mentions of the Norse varieties). Most interesting is what the book suggests about the various human myths: that co-existence is not that far from possible, so long as you accept that a world which takes the supernatural at face value would inevitably present the supernatural as strangely less-than-powerful than our ancestors seem to remember them. Hearne's world is one in which gods can die, albeit with great difficulty. They all have weaknesses, and many of the gods, true to their mythological nature, play power games to off one another (just as humans do, which perhaps explains why so many of our various versions of mythological faith are about gods and creatures that are suspiciously human in personality). Placing Atticus in the middle of this, in the field of the mortals as opposed to the realms of the gods, lets us imagine (and see) what surviving in a world of vindictive and egotistical deities is really like -- granted, with a heavy dose of humor and snark.

The only things that presented problems for me as a reader were: a) the way Atticus sometimes presented information; and b) the distinct feeling that there was supposed to be a book prior to this that I hadn't read yet. The former is a result of the first person narration, which occasionally falls prey to matter-of-fact telling in chapters. Atticus reminds us too often of details we need to know, without attempting to find other ways to convey the same information; these moments sometimes pulled me out of the story, but they also bothered me because they reflect the fundamental flaw of the first person narrator: namely, that presenting information in FP is uniquely challenging if one intends to avoid the pitfalls of telling.

The latter is a problem that the publishers should have fixed from the start. Hounded, which precedes Hexed chronologically, should be read first, something which I could only find by comparing publication dates. Some of the events that happen in that book are at play, at least peripherally, in Hexed, and most of those events shape Atticus in ways which become important to later volumes. While jumping into the middle doesn't detract from the strength of Hearne's story, I would still avoid doing so in exchange for a better reading experience.

But don't take the previous two paragraphs as a reason for avoiding this book. Unless you dislike first person narration, Hexed's main character is a joy to read. Perhaps the only thing lacking for Atticus is character development (in terms of "growth" as opposed to "presentation"). But what I learned about him by the end of the book allowed me to see Hexed for what it is: a darkly humorous game of fiddling with the encyclopedia of myths that have and continue to dominate our modern world. Atticus comes through as a strong character with a fun personality; the myths and legends spill from the page like paint on a godly canvas; and the fast pace and amusing plot spins the (urban) fantasy trope of good vs. evil on its head. And let's face it: even if stuffy literary critics can't accept Hexed for what it is, SF/F fandom sure as hell can.

Hexed
Iron Druid Chronicles Book Two
By Kevin Hearne

The last remaining druid Atticus O'Sullivan has been happy living in Arizona but now there is a coven of witches who are after his life and will stop at nothing even if it means killing his close friends in order to get to him. Not only does Atticus have to deal with witches but also demons are on the loose and bound to the area until he is dead. If Atticus is not careful there may not be any druids left in the world.

Snarky and accident prone Atticus O'Sullivan is a man's man his weakness is women, very attractive women which adds to the hilarious nature of this series along with his dog Oberon whom he shares a mental link with and his old Irish neighbor you can't help but laugh out loud at the situations Atticus finds himself in. With tongue in cheek comedy witty dialogue and an action packed story this is one book sure to please anyone unless you don't have a sense of humor that is.

This is the second book in the series.

Kevin Hearne is one of the best new authors I have come across in a long time. His series about a 21 century old Druid (the last of them) and his Irish Wolfhound in current-day Arizona is priceless. The droll timing of his humor vs. danger vs. politics is perfect. This is one of the best developed worlds I have seen in a long time.

There is a little bit of romance, but it is generalized enough for mature teens to not dwell on... too much :)

I highly recommend all three books in this series. If you have access to mp3 player or Audible, I would highly recommend that you listen to the books. The reader has all of the characters down just like I would think of them. His depiction of Oberon (the Druid's dog) is heart-lifting!

All the best,

Jay

I love this book. Hubby got it for me for Christmas as a single hard back book, Iron Druid Chronicles Volume 1.

This book continues where Hounded leaves off. Repercussions of the final battle between Atticus and his enemy's is coming home to roost. We learn more of Atticus' background and the lovely Granuaile is now his student, learning to become a druid. More gods, goddesses and magic is introduced and the world the author is building is becoming more complex, layered and dangerous.

Where the first book was an introduction and a rollicking tale, the author begins to bring out deeper themes of honor, commitment, and responsibilities. I recommend it.

This series just makes me happy - I have a lot of fun reading it, it's funny, I like the characters, and there's lots of kick-butt action.

In Hounded, Atticus had been living in secret, hiding from his enemies, barely attaching himself to humans (lots of defensive mechanisms here), but after 2000 years of running, he makes a stand, and book 2 starts with the consequences of his actions. He's spent a long time on the outside, keeping a low profile, but soon he's making deals, getting deeper in debt, and finding that several enemies escaped the showdown in book 1. He's also been banned from his favorite bar since he's taken on the lovely barmaid as his druid apprentice. (The horror!)

A couple of new faces pop in and we get to know a few others better. I'm really getting into this world.

Lots of action, lots of magic, and lots of events set in motion that will undoubtedly come back to bite Atticus later. And I can't wait to read all about it.

This is an enjoyable series with a druid who is practicing amongst many others or a paranormal or religious bent. In this story he is pitted against a group of bad witches and throws in with a group of good witches to defeat them. He has a dog that psychicly speaks to him and definitely enjoys treats and has quite an impressive vocabulary - one a human would be proud of. I will continue reading this series.

Another quick fun and easy read! There’s just something about Atticus and the storytelling of this series that has me cracking up out loud. Kevin’s books are crawling with witty one liners, great internal dialogue and humorous conversations and situations. It’s funny and has enough paranormal and good plot. Still can’t figure out where this series is going to go eventually (big battle amongst the gods across multiple worldly planes with Atticus at the forefront? Atticus falling in love? Oberon getting a lifetime supply of sausages?) But whatever it is, I’m in 

Not a must read before you die, but quite entertaining! Onward to book 3!

See my profile's website link for my reviews on other books.

Oberon seriously makes me bust out laughing at every turn, he is the best dog ever. Atticus is as sexy and kick ass as ever in Kevin Hearne's second addition to the Iron Druid Chronicles. He teams up with the The Sisters of the Three Aurora's to kick the butts of some German witches that come rolling into town with demons. I really enjoyed getting to know Malina and the local coven better. In book one they were the evil witches but the remaining coven members really stepped up and showed that they can be great allies. All supporting characters really bring that extra something to the story. The Morrigan makes a few appearances again and I just cant tell with her what her next move will be. I love the mix of action, humor and mythology that Kevin continued with in HEXED and cant wait to see what HAMMERED will bring to the table. Maybe we will get some actual romance between Atticus and Granuaile?? One can hope.

I love everything Kevin Hearne has written. He is fun to read, has an impressive vocabulary and an old world charm. His stories about a 2,000 + year-old Druid manage to convey the lessons of a life well lived as well as a deep understanding of what makes people act the way they do. After imbibing his eloquent and courtly prose, ordinary English seems prosaic and watered down as if all the flavor and bouquet of a fine wine has somehow been depleted. The stories are good. All the Gods and Goddesses of all the pantheons are in play as well as various witches, demons, vampires and werewolves. It is a wonderful mashup that works. Have fun.

Poor Atticus. After the epic battle in Hounded, he just wants to train his new apprentice and tend his Druid grove in peace, but it's just not in the cards. He's still cleaning up the demon mess left behind by that battle, and that's not all. Atticus is asked, by the local witch coven, to take down a group of Bacchants that threaten to turn their patch of Arizona into a seething den of iniquity. He's also got his Viking vamp lawyer trying to convince him to take down Thor, which he absolutely does not want to get involved with. Then there's that feisty (and nasty) coven of German witches, and they're out for his blood...

Hexed is just as awesome as Hounded, and some of my favorite characters are back, and getting lots more play! For example, my favorite Viking vamp Leif is enlisted to help Atticus and the Sisters of the Three Auroras fight that coven of German witches I mentioned earlier. This particular showdown is like the O.K. Corral, but with a Druid, witches, a vamp, golems, goat headed demons, and RPGs. Seriously, RPGs folks! My favorite Irish wolfhound, Oberon, is back and better than ever (I seriously love this dog), and we get a rather memorable visit by the Morrigan (remember the Morrigan?), and get to see her, um, softer side. Yes, the softer side of a death goddess is just as entertaining as it sounds. We also get to spend a bit of quality time with the lovely Brighid, which is always a singular treat! Mr. Hearne's writing is fast paced and spot on, and really, if you're like me, you'll have quite a bit of trouble putting this down in order to get other things done. Like, you know, eating and stuff. Hexed is steeped in magic and wrapped in awesome. It really doesn't get much better than this!

Hounded was great. So, I thought it would be a challenge for Kevin Hearne to match the story, the pace, the sly humor, the characters and the plot. Well, he nailed it again with Hexed. Where has this guy been hiding for the first part of his life. Talent like this doesn't spring out of the void.

Read this book. Atticus is back in fine form. The bad ass German witches ( hexen ) are out to get him. The Kabbalists who might have been on his side think that he's one of the bad guys. The werewolf pack won't help him unless he signs on to kill Thor ( book 3 ). So, he finds new allies. Oberon has his back and his front. And the good times roll.

I'm counting the days until Hammered is released. For one thing, I want to find out what happens to Mr. Semerdjian.

***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***

It isn't often that I find a book that I truly believe deserves a five star rating, a book with well-rounded and intriguing characters, a page-turning plot and no obvious little quirks to irritate me as I read. Hexed is one such book. While I recommend reading Hounded before reading Hexed, it's not completely necessary and the second book in the Iron Druid series blows the first one away.

In this story Atticus, the 2100 year old druid in a 21 year old's body is facing a whole new future after having killed his long time rival Aenghus Og in the previous novel. He doesn't have to fear the Celtic pantheon chasing him down anymore and thinks he can finally really plant roots and find peace. Unfortunately for him, but fortunate for readers of this series, he's wrong. Pantheons from all over the world are approaching him to warm him not to mess with them while trying to sick him other pantheons, there are still demons on earth contracted to kill him and since he weakened the coven of The Sisters of the Three Auroras by taking half the coven out in Hounded, other dangerous magical groups are crossing into his little territory in Arizona and gunning to take him out of it. He faces not only a fallen angel from hell, but a group of super-strong Bacchants, a coven of German witches called the Daughters of the Third House, and some Kabbalistic priest from a group called the Hammers of God. To make matters worse, when one of his battles becomes a little too public the police are on his tail and he's got to find a way to shake them while still taking out all the bad guys they can't even begin to comprehend, let alone handle. Even without a Celtic god out to kill him in this book, the stakes are higher and the dangers more intense.

Except for the already almost perfect character of Oberon, the mind-talking dog, this book shows a lot of character growth in almost every character. Granuaile, the somewhat naive apprentice he agreed to take on in the first book begins to show signs of higher intelligence and strength. She stands up to Atticus when she thinks he might be wrong and does her best to support him in whatever ways she can if he needs her. If she continues to grow with each book in the series I look forward to seeing what she becomes by the time the series has reached its conclusion.

Atticus begins to show a little bit more grudging respect toward the Coven of The Sisters of the Three Auroras when he enlists their help to taken on the other coven of witches invading their territory after those witches attack him in the widows home. While he does reveal a lot more about his past to begin to make you understand why he hates witches so much it's nice to see him starting to view the witches as individuals rather than showing prejudice against the group as a whole.

The Morrigan actually start to show some signs of emotion when she helps him to regrow his ear and then makes an actual effort towards becoming his friend. Before this they shared a shaky truce, and you wondered throughout Hounded if she was really on his side or not. In Hexed it becomes clear despite her manipulating ways she kind of actually cares about what happens to Atticus. While I never expect the death goddess to become warm and fuzzy, it's nice to see that she does have a somewhat softer side.

My absolute favorite character changes though were in that of the Sisters of the Three Auroras when they came to Atticus's side to help fight the evil German coven. Malina and her sisters showed some real ass-kicking power in that battle and I hope to see more of that in future novels. Atticus may not completely trust the coven yet, but they proved themselves to be valuable allies in that battles and I think Hearne has actually created some female characters equal to Atticus in power and honor.

As you read through this second book in this series, you see that the difference between the female characters in this book and the previous ones was tremendous and as a female reader you can't help but cheer on the new powerful, honorable female characters he's brought to the table in Hexed.

While my review can't even begin to show you how much of wonderful read this book is, any reader of Urban fantasy would definitely be missing something if they passed over this page turner in a book store. What's really wonderful about Hearne's books is that while there is a greater story arc and a larger danger that plagues Atticus throughout the book, within that story there are smaller dangers leading to almost constant action on every page. It's like reading multiple stories packed into an exciting larger story. I for one am greatly looking forward to Hammered when it comes out in July.

My only complaint, and it isn't a very important one, is when writing a review I have to constantly look up how the names of characters are spelled in these novels because Hearne doesn't employ characters named Joe and Bob that everyone remembers how to spell. lol. But then again that's just me and it's not really a complaint. I'm very grateful to the writer for offering this book in a Goodreads giveaway that I was fortunate enough to win. If I hadn't I might have missed the excellent characters and plots of the Iron Druid series since he wasn't a writer I was previously familiar with. Now I can guarantee I won't miss any of his other works.

This is seriously my new favorite series. It's fun (and very funny!) while still having lots of serious with some awesome kick ass fight scenes. Atticus is the perfect character and I pretty much love everything about him. His personality really pops and he can kick serious butt! He can also talk to his dog, Oberon (not the fairy King!) and this dog is hilarious!
The book was fast to read, hard to put down, and set off lots of giggle fits. It's all Atticus' personality because even while he's kicking some ass he's still thinking things that are hilarious. I love a good urban fantasy that's as balanced as this one and I'll be impatient the whole month I have to wait for the next one (thank goodness they are in rapid release!).
Kevin Hearne, you're my hero!

I just finished Hexed and loved it. Growing up in the Southwest, I know that Hearne nailed his setting and being generally interested in mythology and history, it was refreshing to see modern and myth mixed expertly and with high dosages of reverence and smart aleck on the same page. This is a romping, complex, often hilarious read. I will love to go out for coffee with Atticus or Kevin who thought him up for that matter, just to talk down all the lines and complexity of myth and history while laughing and cracking jokes and possibly taking a canine ride with Wavy Gravy. One of my favorite characters is Atticus's hound. Read it to find out why. I'm not spoiling it.

Urban fantasy with a bit of paranormal thrown in. The story is set in modern day Tempe, Arizona next to Phoenix and the University of Arizona. The character of Atticus O’Sullivan is great, his dog Oberon just cracks me up, and the other reoccurring characters are quite a handful. Lots of mythology with him being a Druid, the Tuatha Dé Danann a bunch of "gods", some witches and oh so many more things of interest to keep the story very interesting.
I think this series has me hooked.

The "difficult second book". Hexed is the follow up to the rather entertaining "Hounded" and thankfully it is almost as entertaining as the first one. This time our Druid hero is attacked by some rather nasty witches and has to make some deals and alliances in order to be able to go on the offensive. One of those deals will be resolved in the next book, but Hexed is a self contained and enjoyable urban fantasy. I particularly enjoyed a brief cameo from the Virgin Mary, but that might not be to everyone's tastes! But I think it is a clever and fun series which doesn't take itself too seriously but it is not superficial at all, both effort and research has gone into this - and it shows. Looking forward to the next one already.

This series is as informative and interesting as it is hilarious. I absolutely LOVE the history and mythology. Oberon is hands down my favorite with the widow a close second. Incredible series. Thank you.

I liked it as much as the first but I wasn't discovering new things like talking to Oberon. I agree with one of the other reviewers that it needs more strong female characters who aren't sexy, goddesses, or witches, or a combination thereof. It's not unusual in this type of book but still slightly disappointing.

An excellent follow-up to Hexed. Similar to Harry Dresden, Atticus is both extremely powerful and weak at the same time. A crackhead could get the drop on him with a gun or he could kill a god. I love the thought that goes into his battles. Diplomacy and firepower backed by many lifetimes of knowledge.

I an enjoying his relationship with the different deities and how single-minded and petty they are. Another fantastic entry in the Iron Druid series.

"I was chillaxin' with my girl and my pooch. We were hittin' baseballs in the park, and I took my sword off so I could swing away, you know? But damn if some douche didn't come by and jack it when I wasn't looking. I was goin' apes***, dude, and I'm still pissed. If I ever catch who did it, he'll have to deal with my kung fu." - Atticus O'Sullivan

For a good laugh, right here is the best part of this chapter. Atticus pretending to be a clueless college brat when asked by a law enforcement officer. Hexed is an action pack adventure. An excellent follow up to Hounded. Loved Oberon and the Widow! Definitely reading the next book in the series.

Excellent addition to the series and I really like how he is fully integrating additional characters. Very good read, if you have not read this series you don't know what you're missing. The humor and detail reminds me very much of Jim Butcher and the Dresden series which is very high praise. I look forward to reading more in this series.

This is seriously my new favorite series. It's fun (and very funny!) while still having lots of serious with some awesome kick ass fight scenes. Atticus is the perfect character and I pretty much love everything about him. His personality really pops and he can kick serious butt! He can also talk to his dog, Oberon (not the fairy King!) and this dog is hilarious!
The book was fast to read, hard to put down, and set off lots of giggle fits. It's all Atticus' personality because even while he's kicking some ass he's still thinking things that are hilarious. I love a good urban fantasy that's as balanced as this one and I'll be impatient the whole month I have to wait for the next one (thank goodness they are in rapid release!).
Kevin Hearne, you're my hero!

I just finished Hexed and loved it. Growing up in the Southwest, I know that Hearne nailed his setting and being generally interested in mythology and history, it was refreshing to see modern and myth mixed expertly and with high dosages of reverence and smart aleck on the same page. This is a romping, complex, often hilarious read. I will love to go out for coffee with Atticus or Kevin who thought him up for that matter, just to talk down all the lines and complexity of myth and history while laughing and cracking jokes and possibly taking a canine ride with Wavy Gravy. One of my favorite characters is Atticus's hound. Read it to find out why. I'm not spoiling it.

Urban fantasy with a bit of paranormal thrown in. The story is set in modern day Tempe, Arizona next to Phoenix and the University of Arizona. The character of Atticus O’Sullivan is great, his dog Oberon just cracks me up, and the other reoccurring characters are quite a handful. Lots of mythology with him being a Druid, the Tuatha Dé Danann a bunch of "gods", some witches and oh so many more things of interest to keep the story very interesting.
I think this series has me hooked.

The "difficult second book". Hexed is the follow up to the rather entertaining "Hounded" and thankfully it is almost as entertaining as the first one. This time our Druid hero is attacked by some rather nasty witches and has to make some deals and alliances in order to be able to go on the offensive. One of those deals will be resolved in the next book, but Hexed is a self contained and enjoyable urban fantasy. I particularly enjoyed a brief cameo from the Virgin Mary, but that might not be to everyone's tastes! But I think it is a clever and fun series which doesn't take itself too seriously but it is not superficial at all, both effort and research has gone into this - and it shows. Looking forward to the next one already.

This series is as informative and interesting as it is hilarious. I absolutely LOVE the history and mythology. Oberon is hands down my favorite with the widow a close second. Incredible series. Thank you.

I liked it as much as the first but I wasn't discovering new things like talking to Oberon. I agree with one of the other reviewers that it needs more strong female characters who aren't sexy, goddesses, or witches, or a combination thereof. It's not unusual in this type of book but still slightly disappointing.

An excellent follow-up to Hexed. Similar to Harry Dresden, Atticus is both extremely powerful and weak at the same time. A crackhead could get the drop on him with a gun or he could kill a god. I love the thought that goes into his battles. Diplomacy and firepower backed by many lifetimes of knowledge.

I an enjoying his relationship with the different deities and how single-minded and petty they are. Another fantastic entry in the Iron Druid series.

"I was chillaxin' with my girl and my pooch. We were hittin' baseballs in the park, and I took my sword off so I could swing away, you know? But damn if some douche didn't come by and jack it when I wasn't looking. I was goin' apes***, dude, and I'm still pissed. If I ever catch who did it, he'll have to deal with my kung fu." - Atticus O'Sullivan

For a good laugh, right here is the best part of this chapter. Atticus pretending to be a clueless college brat when asked by a law enforcement officer. Hexed is an action pack adventure. An excellent follow up to Hounded. Loved Oberon and the Widow! Definitely reading the next book in the series.

Excellent addition to the series and I really like how he is fully integrating additional characters. Very good read, if you have not read this series you don't know what you're missing. The humor and detail reminds me very much of Jim Butcher and the Dresden series which is very high praise. I look forward to reading more in this series.

(Originally rated on Goodreads) After finishing Hounded, I went right into reading Hexed hoping it wouldn't disappoint as some sequels tend to do. Gratefully, it did not disappoint. It had all the humor and action of the last, while continuing with the aftermath of the previous battles 3 weeks later. I loved the addition of Coyote and Atticus's pranks. I felt a bit dismayed because of Perry, who I had hoped would come to druidic side someday. Makes me wonder if later there will be possible threats from maybe Bacchus and that forboding organization (The Hammer of God). Now I really can't wait to see how they travel to Asgard in Hammered!

I really do love this series.

It's not because the plots are all that deep. I think, actually, that it's because they -aren't- that I like the stories being told. Not being buried in heavy, complicated plots lets the focus stay on the characters and that's what I read for in the end: characters I can learn to love.

I laughed out loud quite often, and not just at Oberon this time, though he does still get an unfair portion of the best lines, I think. If a book can make me laugh, I count it very good.

This book felt a little short to me, but I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe it was that I got caught up in what was going on and didn't really pay attention to passing time. Or, maybe it's actually shorter than Hounded. Either way, I'm not upset about it. Matter of fact, I wish there was more. I do have other books in the series to look forward to, so that makes it a little better. Still, I could have lingered in this story a little longer and been quite happy to do so.

I am reading this series and the Dresden series at the same time, one for one. I have to say I am enjoying this series just a hair more, I like the self assuredness that Atticus brings to the story. Atticus and his trusty wolfhound sidekick are very enduring? He has A grasp on almost any situation because he has been around for thousands of years and has been through much. The super odd returning characters mixed with the witty,dry humor make these listens great. Fantastic narration brings it all together for pure enjoyment.

This second installment of the Iron Druid Chronicles features more of the butt-kicking druid Atticus O'Sullivan doing what he does best - facing down his enemies with equal parts might and wit. After defeating his nemesis, Aenghus Og, Atticus now faces an enemy just as dangerous...a coven of German witches. To defeat them, Atticus must team up with Malina and her crew, a proposition that leaves him conflicted. Can he trust his newfound "allies"? Meanwhile, Atticus is still dealing with the aftermath of the events in Hounded - one of the demons summoned by Aenghus (a particularly powerful fallen angel) is on the loose, not to mention the dangers posed by a group of Bacchants who have taken up residence at a Scottsdale nightclub and are enjoying their own version of late night sushi.

I received this book in advance of its release date and devoured it as quickly as I did the first book in the series. HEXED is every bit as good as HOUNDED, and might even be better. Hearne continues the world-building process, introducing deities from other pantheons and new mythical creatures, including the Native American trickster god Coyote, who (rumor has it) will be a recurring character in the series. (If that's true, I'm pretty excited - how much can Atticus trust a trickster god, and to what new adventures will that lead?) The best minor characters are all still here (including Oberon and the widow - two of my personal favorites), but perhaps what I liked most was the development of Leif, Atticus's vampire attorney. In HOUNDED, the werewolves got to have most of the fun. Not so in HEXED. The impressive combat abilities Leif displayed in the battle with the Fir Bolgs was just the beginning - wait until you see what he does in the climactic battle of HEXED!

I really loved this book. If you read and enjoyed HOUNDED, then you'll feel the same. The voice and charisma of the main character that made HOUNDED such a breath of fresh air continues here, along with all of the humor and snark of the first installment. I can't wait for book three!

Ok, ok, I read Hexed and I'm hooked.

Intriguing, action packed, humor I'm hooked! Found #1 Hounded at the local book store and really looking forward to #3 Hammered due out July 5th (oh I also was lucky and found the free down load Clan Rathskeller,this is a free short story that takes place ten months before the events of "Hounded", the first book in the Iron Druid Chronicles).

If you have not read one of these books, you should, Kevin Hearne is an amazing writer. You will find the Iron Druid Chronicles a great series and a great read.

Thanks Goodreads!

I can always tell which books i've completely fallen in love with based on how fast I read them, and wow can I tell you I LOVE this book and series!! I read this in 4 days!

This book was so action packed! From chapter to chapter something exciting was happening, whether it be a battle with witches or other supernatural/godlike characters, or bits of fun entertaining dialog between his smart ass dog Oberon. I'm also really enjoying the roll of his apprentice and I'm hoping to see more of character building and becoming a larger role.

Overall this book was page turner to the very end!

I read book one and enjoyed Atticus, his magic, and especially his dog. What bothers me about this book is that Atticus is really lousy at making deals. Everyone he makes a deal with gets a thousand times more out of him than they give him. Also, he keeps getting into battles that, given his past history we're told from his backstory, he has always avoided. The only reason given for him sticking around where he is and getting involved in other people's fights is that he's been in this town in Arizona for 10 years and he is tired of running. Well, the guy he ran from for centuries, he killed in the last book. So he doesn't need to run from him anymore. But why stick around in this town if it is suddenly being overrun with horrible magical creatures? What's the point? He hasn't really made any deep friendships here, so he has nothing to defend. He only really cares about his dog Oberon, and Oberon would be willing to live anywhere, as long as Atticus was with him. Saying he wants to heal the burned-out area in the desert that the god Atticus killed in the last book is a reason for staying doesn't make sense to me either. The one scene of him trying to heal it described a process that would take him hundreds of years, if he worked at it the same way day after day, because he can't even use his magic to do the healing.

The main reason I kept reading the book in spite of all these things that were flaws for me was that Atticus himself (in spite of his lousy motivation) and his magic continued to be interesting. Like I said in my review of Book 1, the author is no Jim Butcher, and Atticus is just not remotely as appealing as Harry Dresden, who is so nobly saving people all the time. But compared to many of the other protagonists in urban fantasy I've read, I like Atticus more than most of them, who can be pretty self-centered, isolated bunch. Atticus is a little less so than most.

I loved this second book on audio as much as the first. I really love the fact that Atticus has good problem solving skills, heals himself with earth energy and takes care of the people around him. He is a kind man and acts accordingly. And he loves his dog.

And while he seems to know a lot, Atticus is not a know-it-all, but he is always trying to improve his skill set. I have a feeling he's a lot like his creator.

More please, Mr. Hearne. And never settle for less than Luke Daniels as your reader. He IS Atticus and Oberon!

I do Audible.com with the Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Series - Luke Daniels is the Narrator and does a FABULOUS JOB with Kevin's stories!!! I have listened or read ALL of these books and recommend them to EVERYONE!!!
They have MAGIC, Vamps, Were's, Witches, "the gods", Jesus and just about every race in them!!! It is exciting and sad and FUNNY!!! a PERFECT mix !!! This series is One of my top three Urban Fantasy Series EVER!!!!

Don't judge this book by the crappy beginning. It picks up after the initial conversation (the first book was so fantastic, I was worried for a minute). Enjoying the Iron Druid series so far. Witty and charming (no pun intended, but works anyway), a fast and immensely entertaining read.
If you enjoyed American Gods and Anansi Boys (Neil Gaiman), you'll enjoy this, no doubt!

For a Druid who has just come out of hiding for the last 2000 years after defeating Aenghus Óg rather easily in the first book Atticus speads alot of this book sending up flares of here I am come get me. Not as good as the first but Oberon is still his snarky self and I really enjoyed it. I'm not sure why so many reviews claim these books as horribly sexist. They really aren't that bad though I do agree the auther seems to have a decided prejudice against christianity and catholics in particular

Audio-
This second book in the "Iron Druid Chronicles" series finds Atticus , the last druid, trying to make nice with the a coven of witches. He gets sidetracked by another cover this one he knows from the past, and they want death. Lets not forget he has the Bacchants and Celtic goddesses,leaving him scratched and tired. Oberon, Atticus's Irish wolfhound, steals my heart more than once. There are so many funny moments, my favorite has to do with the Widow...LOL
I am on to the next.

Want a quick, but entertaining read? Then check this book out! There were a few points in this book (and the other) where I truly wanted a bit more 'humph' behind the main characters' attacks, i mean really, the guy's a couple thousand years old. Could have learned a few more things then shape-sifting, swinging a sword and becoming the sex slave of a few old goddesses that nobody worships.

Other then that, the humor was good. Couldn't put the darned thing down all day, and i for one am pining for this third book.

This is an excellent story dealing with Druids, werewolves, vampires and witches who live in today's society. They strive to fit in but still have their battles with good and evil.

I am seriously impressed with Kevin's vocabulary. It is not very often when I don't know what some of the words used mean. I looked several up Nd to use simpler words would not have fit the story line.

Not only is it a very good story but It is very well written.

I like these stories. Very well written. I find myself looking up definitions of words and I embrace the chance to learn. It is very imaginative and unique in story and I enjoy Oberon the wolf hound the most.

First I must say that I love this series, it's great combination of fantasy/paranormal with some Gods thrown in and lots of humor sprinkled in. Another thing is that some of the bad reviews were by people that were actually offended by his portrayal of said Gods. How can you be offended by Jesus when it's a fiction book, anything can happen and it doesn't necessarily mean it's the truth. How offensive is it that Jesus was walking among mankind and that he was carefree and happy? Regardless, this is an great book, great series. If you were bored then maybe he used to big of words and were unable to understand?

Over two millennia old Atticus O'Sullivan hid in Tempe, Arizona behind soccer and the Third Eye Books and Herbs store as he knew Celtic God Aenghus Og wanted him dead; However instead the Druid did the impossible, killing two Tuatha De Danann and survived his battle with the God Aenghus Og though Atticus needs time to heal (see Hounded) and train his new mentee Granuaile. Instead he is in demand by a horde of people who want him to kill a God or two, or sell him life insurance.

Making matters more complicated is the arrival of Nazi witches and their demons he knew from his WWII in Europe days. They come to kick his butt while his pact with the local coven is in trouble. Finally there is the matter of the Fallen Angel dining on the locals and the Celtic Goddess wanting to dine on Atticus.

The second Iron Druid urban fantasy is a tongue in cheek fast-paced frolic as the hero wonders what happened to his nice safe world. His asides are amusing as he watches all the paranormal activity that suddenly has surfaced in Tempe. Fans of satirical wise ass heroes will want to join Atticus as he feels Hexed with the brewing battle against the horde of illegal aliens.

Harriet Klausner

I'm a huge fan of Jim Butcher and Harry Dresden and just want to say even though i feel I'm being a traitor this new series knocks them out of the park! Atticus and Oberon and all the rest feel like my new best friends and i want to continue seeing what new trouble they can get into and how they get out of it. I've read the first two books...took two days to do it...sorry to my housework and hubby. lol Can't wait to get the third. Buy a copy and then buy all your friends a copy cause you will sure want to share these stories with everyone!

The story line established in book one continues and is broadened. Character profiles are expanded and augmented, grieving the reader an opportunity to become more involved with the characters and storyline. Our hero becomes re acquainted with an old group of adversaries from his past, setting the stage and directions for this book. It exciting to be caught up in the action and trying to imagine were we will be taken next.

I'm really liking this series, it's nice to see an urban fantasy that the lead role is portrayed by a man, cause so often men are just co-leads, or the love interest. the fact that it's based on a druid is awesome as well, since druids are often not the main faith or power in books. all in all the iron druid chronicles is shaping up to be one of my preferred series.

Our favorite Druid is back, and this time with a coven of German witches spelling death at him!

How does he rise to the challenge? By creating a pax pact with other local witches, and going to war alongside a werewolf and master vampire. Death and destruction reign, you'll love it all!

Enjoying the growing (to me) life and legend of Atticus O'Sullivan. The author provides me with a new look of hero. The ancient age and knowledge of Bran the Werewolf and the Vampires in Patricia Briggs series. Atticus is fun. Glad there is not a lot of romance and sex to page through. 'Almost" believable stories.

Kevin Hearne continues this most excellent series with more rousing action, bigger and badder Baddies, laugh-out-loud commentary on the state of our current use of the vernacular via the rather uptight and oh-so-proper speech patterns of his vamp attorney--and not the least, leaving us cringing at the rather steep price he has to pay for ear replacement.

Atticus O'Sullivan has catapulted to the top of my favorite Druid list (OK he's the only one but still...). I can't wait to see what happens when he confronts Thor the Thunder Thug. Oh, gee, I don't have to! On to the next...

HEXED is a fantastic follow up to HOUNDED ... but it doesn't read like it is book two in a trilogy. Two reasons for this: 1) there will be a fourth book due out soon; 2) KH is a wordsmith GOD.

His stories are more than stories ... they are written at multiple levels, in several voices, and all of the characters remain, well, in character.

Buy. Read. Enjoy. Purchase for friends. Repeat.

Love, love, love this author and this story! He mixes all different mythologies with new world situations with a healthy dose of humor. Have read the second and started the third in this series since finishing this book. Kevin Hearne is a brilliant writer and I can't wait to read more of his works.

As I said in my review of "Hounded," Kevin Hearne brings a fresh approach to urban fantasy, and he keeps it going in the second novel.

Hearne does a great job of strengthening characters from his first book and adding fascinating characters to this one. He also, without being too over the top, sets up the third book in the tilogy, "Hammered."

Really, all I need to say about this book is it has a scene where Atticus shares a Guinness with Jesus in an Irish bar. I have never seen that before. ;)

Love it! The main character is funny, flawed, and well-written. There's action, sexy time without being gross, fun recurring characters (who doesn't want a whiskey-sipping widow in their corner?!) Fun book, and i normally can't stand mixing fantasy with reality. But this does a good job of it, so you don't feel like rolling your eyes or like there are so many plot holes you want to throw the book at someone.

If you read my review of Hounded you will see I had an issue with the humor being poorly timed and way too cheesy for my taste. I also got annoyed that the author made so many real world modern day references such as music and movies. Once in a while cool, but it seems too forced and overdone for a fantasy. I find it hard to believe during a fight with witches who are actually doing some damage to the widow's house and to Atticus himself that she would be commenting on his "bum" and he would be trying not to laugh. It was just an absurd placement that broke up the action. The final scene where the vampire was trying to use modern day "hip" talk during the final battle was over the top and made me want to throw the book in the garbage, it got that absurd.

I doubt I will continue this series, I hope it would mature a little in the 2nd book but more of the same. Just not the type of fantasy I am looking for. If it were just about 25% more serious/dark I think it would be an awesome series. But a telepathic scooby doo, the constant need to put modern day references in everything to let us know what music and movies the author likes, and the cheesy humor are just driving me away.

This is my second time reading this series. The first time through I listened to them. Luke Daniels is an amazing narrator. This time through I am taking my time and reading it through. Not disappointed at all and still find myself laughing out loud.

Yes, I still love the covers, but I read this because the first book practically read itself to me!

Lately I've needed fast paced adventure with humor. I guess my brain's just in a phase. Well, this is it. When I finished the book, I was hopping to the bookstore to pick up the next two!

Even better than the first book. It has action, humor, and sarcasm, just like I like it. This is a great series in the tradition of the Dresden Files. I intend to keep reading the rest of the series.

The Iron Druid Chronicles are the most amazing new urban fantasy series since the Dresden files. What's even better? Hearne is prolific! You have a very short wait time between books, and a good thing. I can't get enough of Atticus (can't spell his full name without looking it up in the book). Keep them coming, Hearne! We wait with bated breath.

It is rare I find a book so close to home and so close to heart. I live in AZ and I identify with many of the places the author mentions. His descriptions are accurate and I encourage anyone to visit some of the great places he mentions in this book. I have spent years hiking and off roading the wilderness if AZ and its a shame I never ran into him. His research into he particulars of magic binding and religion aids the tale and leaves the reader to research more of the same.

Thank you for sharing a great adventure and I hope to read more soon.

I love this series and have been surprised as it is not my normal type book to read. I love the characters and can't wait for the next book in the series! I won't go into what the story is about because other reviewers have done that and others will as well. Just a great read!

Atticus the Cool Druid fleshes out further in this second installment. Lots of action and tragedy. I found that there was considerable social commentary amidst the banter and that the author provided considerable food for thought.

Enjoyable enough story with a good balance of interesting dialog, amongst the supernatural diaspora, and action, but I confess my favorite parts are the mental exchanges between the Druid and his Irish Wolf Hound.

I loved this book as much as the first one. Perfect amount of action and humor. I think that the narrator did a great range of voices for each character. I really can't find anything I don't like about this book.

I've come to loathe this series. I found the beginning of Hounded to be slow but I was looking forward to Hexed. I then spent the entire first chapter of Hexed thinking "Wtf is this?" Here's a summary of how it starts: Atticus harasses, harangues, and otherwise preaches to Leif about how to use modern English.

It should be noted that in Hounded Leif spoke perfectly normal modern English. Suddenly in this book he's speaking archaic English and is mystified by Atticus's English lesson. Imo, it is not okay to blatantly change the basic foundation of your characters from one book to the next.

Moving on, I have trouble with the overabundance of super beautiful, perfect bodied, gorgeous haired women that seem to account for just about every female written into the books. It seems like an unnecessary amount of text is dedicated to Atticus's detailed fawning over women which just kills the flow. I fail to understand Granuaile's purpose, besides to let us read about baseball while Atticus is trying not to think pervy thoughts while he's ogling her. The focus seems to be on how much Atticus wants to bang her. Really I find the majority of Hearne's characters to be flat. I'm disappointed in the treatment of Coyote, whom Hearne describes as having two facial expressions. I see Coyote as an embodiment of unpredictability and I can't imagine him only having two facial expressions. I feel like this was a hugely missed opportunity. Basically, Hearne's Coyote seems really half-a**'d.

I find myself annoyed at the world building. It comes off as though Hearne decided to throw everything together in one world. Everything exists... but he's still trying to figure out how it all fits together so a lot of things just get glossed over and dismissed as magic. Or I feel like Atticus knows all about how things work but the reader doesn't get to be let in on the secret, if that makes sense.

Lastly, I can understand authors living a little vicariously through their books but Hearne over does it So. Much. Knowing that Hearne is an English teacher and reading about Atticus's fixation with proper English usage (plus the English nerdgasm in the 1st chapter), I am overwhelmed by the feeling that Atticus is merely an avatar for the author. This makes the high rate of perfect bodied women who want to get in Atticus's pants seem a lot like reading some guy's sexual fantasyland diary. For me this series has serious issues, especially the major alteration of a character from one book to the next. Sorry, I'm a stickler for operating inside the universe you create as an author.

Good, solid writing, fun story, likable characters. Just a really enjoyable series. Would definitely recommend it. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that I sort of save that rating for life-changing books, of which here are very few.

Hexed like all the series is such a great adventure! Adicous is whitty yet he keeps you on you toes! You can't wait to find out what is gonna happen next! Oceron is such a protector of all he cares about! But he loves his sausages!! My husband got me started on the series. Now I have my grandson started on it! I got him the first three books so far! We all love it!

I adore the author's (and the main character's in turn) sense of humor. I laughed out loud SO many times and I even read a few passages to my 7yr old (who, admittedly, didn't quite get so,e of the humor) and my husband who laughed as well.

This book stays with the theme of the first book, only having added to the fun already started with the first book. The language stayed the same. The characters stayed for the next big adventure. I highly recommend it

A great book and a wonderful surprise. I wasn't sure what to expect and found it to be a great read with a lot of humor. Well developed characters. A Druid in a modern day world with old world contacts and grudges.

This book stays with the theme of the first book, only having added to the fun already started with the first book. The language stayed the same. The characters stayed for the next big adventure. I highly recommend it

A great book and a wonderful surprise. I wasn't sure what to expect and found it to be a great read with a lot of humor. Well developed characters. A Druid in a modern day world with old world contacts and grudges.

I listened to the narration of this book and did not finish the book. I stopped around chapter 13 or so.

Positives: The narration is decent. I liked the inclusion of Coyote. I think he is a great character. I enjoy his presence in other books by other authors, this one was not an exception. Atticus and Oberon are mildly entertaining. The scene where Oberon talks to Atticus about life and death and Atticus tells the readers that he has been artificially prolonging Oberon's life was very moving. This was the best scene in the two books I read in this series. Ultimately, this series is just not for me. I love urban fantasy and fantasy books. I enjoy male authored and male point of view books, but for me this book missed the mark. I am clearly in the minority.

Okay, on to the rest of my review: I thought this book suffered from the same issues I had with book #1: no emotional connection with Atticus, low cost to using his magic, everything comes easy for him.

I am not going to go into a lot of detail about this book, but here are some scenes that irritated me:

The scene in the beginning where his assistant answers the door scantily clad is just beyond silly. First, no woman who was not purposely trying to entice would answer the door dressed like that. Let me make it clear -- I have no problems with purposely trying to entice, titillating scenes or scantily clad women. It was the delivery of this scene I thought was off. Once Atticus is conversing with her, his apprentice is apparantly clueless as to the affect of her near nakedness and continues to wonder out loud why Atticus is uncomfortable and looking up in the air? Umm, any woman knows immediately when a man is reacting to her appearance in such an obvious way! Sorry Kevin Hearne, women don't answer the door dressed like that generally and usually don't go to bed wearing such an outfit unless there is a specific man present they want to please. I hope this doesn't disappoint you too much. I know the general style of humor he was attempting here -- oblivious sexy woman doesn't understand her effect on man, walks around in sexy nighties just waiting to answer the door for men who ring it. I just thought it was not very believable. And because of that I couldn't enjoy it.

Atticus verbally attacks a teacher who calls out and wonders what is going on, no animosity in her voice - he is fighting a demon near the school. Atticus then proceeds -- out of nowhere and completely disconnected with the scene - to attack the teacher for not teaching the children English well enough. So here we have someone he apparently does not know, we have had no information or discussion of poorly prepared students in the subject of English presented in this book thus far. Then Atticus says to himself, "I need to shut up and stop taking my frustrations out on this poor frumpy lady who probably never gets laid." Huh? Just random attacking of teachers based on assumptions, criticizing their appearance and then making assumptions that they don't have sex because her appearance is not pleasing to him? I really don't have a problem with "frumpy" as a description, but when it is contrasted with how he describes almost every other woman in the story and we don't get to know anything else about her appearance (mousy limp hair maybe? Don't know, not in the description. Slack ill fitting clothes? Don't know, not in the description. All he says is "frumpy" which I guess means he doesn't want to have sex with her and thus he assumes she is not getting laid very often, because you know if Atticus doesn't want her she isn't getting any. What if she has a husband or wife somewhere she has spent her life with? I know I am getting deep here and humor was intended. I just don't think it is funny to make jokes about innocent bystander's appearance. It really rubs me the wrong way.) I know the humor he was going for, but it just came off the wrong way. I think that if he also described men as frumpy or had provided more of a decription of this woman beyond "frumpy" and had not equated her being frumpy with not having sex, I likely would not have had an issue. For me it was the delivery e.g. -- I find her unattractive, I will dismiss her completely and assume that no other man wants her. I honestly don't think this is the way most men think.

I won't be reading or listening to Hammered, #3 in this series.

I like these kinds of books. I loved the premise. But the characters seemed shallow and unmotivated. Everything happened so easily. It just wasn't really worth the time. I tend to write longer reviews for books I like than books I don't, because if it wasn't worth the time to read its not really wroth the time to review.

I like the druid and other characters but the story moves quickly without depth. The characters and situations are entertaining, except the dog who is getting cartoonish. I could pass off the book as an entertaining light read but ...

The author is unfamiliar with the Phoenix metropolitan area or lives constantly in air-conditioning without going outside. There is much to say about that hellish enviroment that was not mentioned. For instance the druid bicycles to/from work. In Phoenix this is not a trivial detail. Nothing is said of the heat, skin-killing sun, road conditions, killer traffic (that is traffic which wishes to kill cyclists and pedestrians), or the state of the druid's aroma or dehydration after the ride.

But more offensive is the Coyote character, presumed to be Navajo. Not. The dialog was not that of a Navajo. They do not call caucasians "pale skins" , they call them 'white people' or bilagaana. They do not talk like southerners. The coyote character is a generic native american of old. He needs a car? He steals it.

A real native american who needs a car borrows it from his clan sister's son-in-law's son's garage. If the author knew any Navajos, or Pueblos, or Apaches, he could have created a much more interesting Coyote.