Read All About It: Trapped

Welcome back! And so, my journey with Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles continues with Trapped, after which I am forced to take a break until I acquire the next few books in the series. Have no fear, I have plenty of other books on my shelves just waiting to be read!

Hearne's series is an interesting conundrum for me--I love the premise and the plots, but I feel like there could be improvements--not to his general writing style, but to certain aspects of the stories, which I have discussed in my previous reviews and will continue to discuss here until they are no longer relevant.

Anyways, lets get on with it!

Image Source: goodreads.com

Eleven years have passed since the events of Tricked, and Granuaile is finally ready to be bound to the earth and begin her journey as a proper Druid. Having been hidden for the last twelve years, Atticus and Granuaile aren't expecting too much trouble--but alas, they find it all waiting for him, as the world starts to realize that he is still alive and kicking. So, Atticus, Oberon, and Granuaile face several trials and tribulations while they try to finish her binding, including their old enemy Bacchus, a new ancient vampire, some dark elves, and the newly released Loki.

With all of these dangers, it's a wonder that the trio is able to make it out mostly unscathed. It is a good sign that Hearne doesn't make his characters almighty--they bleed and burn with the best of them, often with alarming frequency. They always manage to just scrape by, using their wits and powerful weapons. Once Granuaile is finally bound to the earth, Atticus has to take up his sword against Ragnarok, the ending of the world.

Ragnarok is an interesting problem. With most of the famed gods who were supposed to stop it dead or injured (by Atticus' hands, no less), it comes down to Atticus to pay his respects back, and pitch in to prevent the end of the world. It helped to beef up a novel that might otherwise have been a mostly boring narrative, showcasing only a small portion of gods. By bringing the timeline for Ragnarok into his novels, Hearne has built up his universe into something with weight behind it.

This novel pulls on the plentiful pantheons of gods to help and hinder Atticus and Granuaile as they try to introduce another Druid to Gaia, keep themselves alive when multiple gods, beings, and species are after their heads, and it's definitely a big ask for Morrigan.

I sat on this book for a bit before I wrote this review, because I wanted to separate my feelings for it. I really enjoy the adventures of this trio, not in the least because I share their red hair. On one hand, I enjoyed their newly advanced relationship. On the other, I think it lost an aspect of originality--men and women can just be friends. After spending so much time together, relying on each other, I definitely see how their relationship evolved past just friendship, but it was more awkward than fluid because as a reader we didn't experience most of those years. I'd love another novel as an in-between for Tricked and Trapped, if it was just like a collection of stories or an anthology about Granuaile's training (from Granuaile's point of view would be even better).

So, this book continues to improve on the rest of the series, but could have flowed better, or at least been more articulated. I continue to appreciate the crap out of the mythology of this series, as well as the strength of Druidic lore and magic (Gaia for the win!). I hope that the rest of this series fares even better.

Until next time!