Review--Staked by Kevin Hearne

 

When a druid has lived for two thousand years like Atticus, he's bound to run afoul of a few vampires. Make that legions of them. Even his former friend and legal counsel turned out to be a bloodsucking backstabber. Now the toothy troublemakers - led by power-mad Theophilus - have become a huge problem requiring a solution. It's time to make a stand.

As always, Atticus wouldn't mind a little backup. But his allies have problems of their own. Ill-tempered archdruid Owen Kennedy is having a wee bit of troll turns out when you stiff a troll, it's not water under the bridge. Meanwhile, Granuaile is desperate to free herself of the Norse god Loki's mark and elude his powers of divination - a quest that will bring her face to face with several Slavic nightmares.

As Atticus globetrots to stop his nemesis Theophilus, the journey leads to Rome. What better place to end an immortal than the Eternal City? But poetic justice won't come without a In order to defeat Theophilus, Atticus may have to lose an old friend.

 

Kevin Hearne's Staked is book to set us up for the grand finale of The Iron Druid Chronicles, a series I am only just now finishing because, you know how it goes! Lol. This was yet another action packed installment filled with magic, vampires, battles, and of course, sausage! 

Atticus is done with the vampires. It's time to take them out. After one betrayal too many, he is ready to take as many as he can out of the picture permanently until he reaches Theophilus, the leader of the vampires. Meanwhile, Granuaile is working to remove her mark that Loki put on her and try to find a magical horse that Loki is supposedly looking for as well. Then we have Owen who is set to teach a new group of children, children whose parents are werewolves, the way of the druids.

This book was a bit chaotic what with everything that was going on. We were moving from druid to druid as they were dealing with one major issue after another and it all leads up to a battle of epic proportions! I suspected as such, but the journey to get to that was just as thrilling. From ghosts to witches, this book pulls no punches. I positively love how this series draws on so much mythology from across the world. It's been an amazing melting pot of cultural experiences.

I did feel a little forlorn that once again our main cast of characters was separated throughout the journey. I mean, yes, it's good to be independent, but I just wanted more of these three druids together kicking arse and saving the world, and having a few laughs along the way. We still get all that of course, but it's in parts I feel like and the trio does eventually come together for the world saving parts, but you know how it is when characters spend more pages apart than together. It just leaves you feeling a little morose is all.

The ending was definitely worthwhile! Things have drastically changed for Atticus and Granuaile, along with their hounds. It's hard to say what their final adventure will involve other than the grand showdown with Loki, but I intend to find out as soon as I get the next free moment! This is definitely a series worth checking out if you are a fan of classic urban fantasy and are looking for exposure to mythologies around the world! It's a fun and engaging series that always manages to put a smile on my face and I cannot wait for this grand finale!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars