Hexed / Kevein Hearne

3 out of 5 stars

***Wanda's Summer Festival of Reading Fluff***

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn’t care much for witches. Still, he’s about to make nice with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial nonaggression treaty—when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II.

With a fallen angel feasting on local high school students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas with their special brand of deadly decadence, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch hunt. But aided by his magical sword, his neighbor’s rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and his vampire attorney, Atticus is ready to sweep the town and show the witchy women they picked the wrong Druid to hex.

Second books are always difficult. How do you live up to the expectations generated by a good first book? Despite the fact that I have given book two the same rating as book one, there were a few disappointments in the second installment.

First, there is not nearly enough of Oberon, the wolfhound. His character made the first book for me and although he features prominently in book two, his page time had been cut down. I miss all his dopey doggy comments. And this despite the fact that I am not a dog person.

Second, Atticus now has an apprentice, Granuaile, who really doesn’t get to do an awful lot in this book. Perhaps she will get her spot in the sun in upcoming volumes, but it was a shame that she had to spend what little time she got concocting alibis for Atticus and pretending to be his girlfriend (and, unbeknownst to her, distracting him with her feminine attributes—I mean really, this guy is supposed to be 1000 years old and he is still that easily distracted by a pretty woman?)

Third, there are lots of women in this book. Lots. And it still fails the Bechdel test miserably. The women don’t talk to each other in any meaningful way—they are all focused on Atticus. They are all merely plot devices to make him look powerful or solve a problem for him.

However, I am willing to continue for at least another book before I decide to abandon this series. I like the Celtic mythological aspects. I like the druid angle. I love Oberon. I see potential in Granuaile.

Summer is winding down, and as it does, I will have less time for this urban fantasy fiesta that I have happily indulged in. But I have definitely enjoyed it and will continue to read in the genre as time allows.