Ronald, Margaret: Wild Hunt
Wild Hunt (2010)
Written by: Margaret Ronald
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 311 (Mass Market Paperback)
Series: Book Two (ongoing)
Disclaimer: free from author
Spiral Hunt, Margaret Ronald's debut, was definitely one of the more unique urban fantasies I'd read in a long time. A unique setting in Boston, as well as a heroine who had a really neat trick up her sleeve and a story that didn't revolve around romance. The focus here was magic and lots of it, and while I felt the book was a must-have for urban fantasy fans, I never really connected to it on an emotional level. That said, I noted the sequel's release and stuck it in the back of my mind for one of those books to pick up when I felt like it.
However, a mutual friend of mine and the author's contacted me about getting free copies, so I forwarded him the Spiral Hunt review and told him if he thought it was worth getting me the second book, to go ahead and forward the author my info. So he did, so she sent me her second book. And I have to say, I was quite pleased this go around. What is it lately with the second books grabbing me so much more than the first?
The premise: ganked from BN.com: Genevieve Scelan thought she was done with magic.
She was wrong.
Sure, six weeks earlier Evie-bike messenger, supernatural tracker, and avid Red Sox fan-had been instrumental in bringing down the Fiana, the organization of magicians that had ruled Boston's undercurrent for hundreds of years. But now they were gone, Boston could breathe easy again, the Sox had a chance at the pennant, and Evie was ready to relax.
Except it turns out that when you take down the guy on top, everyone assumes you're going to fill his spot, and now Evie finds herself at the center of a whole lot of unwelcome magical attention. On top of that, a new client needs her to call up a family ghost and ask about a stolen inheritance; Evie's friend Nate has a supernatural problem of his own; and a legendary pack of hounds has been terrorizing Boston's undercurrent. And try as Evie might to deny the legacy that runs through her blood, when the Hunt is called, the Hound must run . . .
Review style: I've been remiss in my reviewing duties, so it's been a little while since I finished this book, and my brain's a bit fuzzy. That's okay. I want to try and pinpoint what grabbed me this time and how that compares to what didn't grab me in Spiral Hunt. Spoilers? Yep, because said spoilers relate to what works this go-around. If you have to avoid spoilers at all costs, I understand, so feel free to jump to the "My Rating" section at the bottom of the review and you'll be just fine. :)
When I reviewed Spiral Hunt, I made a couple of observations.
1) The book passed the Bechdel Test in spades (which requires there to be at least two female characters who talk to each about about something OTHER than men).
2) The book was about 1% romance.
Now, Wild Hunt still passes the Bechdel Test in spades (seriously, there's at least four other female characters in this book that our heroine interacts with, and at least three of them have relatively important roles in the story), and as far as romance goes, I'd up that 1% to, let's see…. maybe 5%? Maybe 10%? The point is that there's a bit more romance in this book than the previous one (and to be honest, it kind of surprised me), but the romance is far from the point of the story.
I think that one of the things that really helped this book, and I don't know if it's because I'm now familiar with the world Ronald has created or what, but I felt more at ease in this fictional Boston. In Spiral Hunt, I felt like Ronald was almost trying to hard to make Boston come alive on the page, but in a way that would make sense to those who've been to the city and alienate those who haven't. This book though felt a little less heavy-handed, though the Ronald's Boston was by no means a generic city. It just didn't feel like the author was slapping me upside the face with the fact that the story was in Boston. So that helped.
And I'd be lying if I said the increase in romance, even though it was surprising and just a little, didn't help my enjoyment. I liked the awkward tension between Nate and Evie, and was rather surprised that he finally gave into his urges so directly. Now, don't get me wrong, Ronald isn't a detail-by-detail writer when it comes to sex scenes, but rather one of those that cuts away with either a funny quip or strong suggestion of what had just happened. Well, waking up in each other's arms butt-naked is more than a strong suggestion, but you know. This technique may frustrate those readers who are more of the paranormal romance inclination than they are of the urban fantasy inclination (yes, there is a difference between the two, though the lines often blur), but the emotional connection between Evie and Nate is there, and that was enough to give the book bonus points in my eyes.
I was, however, a little confused regarding Nate's role in the previous book. I'd given my copy of Spiral Hunt away to a friend who was looking for UF that utilizes magic systems, especially those that are Wiccan, so I didn't have it to refer back to. I wish it were otherwise, because it's been over a year since I read Spiral Hunt and the beginning chapters of Wild Hunt indicate that Nate played a bigger role in the climax of the previous book than I remember. Maybe it's me, or maybe the author is stressing that Nate is now aware of the undercurrent and what it involves so much that it SEEMS something bigger happened previous than it really did. It certainly leads up to the fact that we learn Nate is the son of a werewolf (rather, a werewolf like creature).
There is a little predictability to this book, such as the werewolf bit. While all of the events leading up to that discovery were odd and unique in their own right, my brain figured out what Nate roughly was before Evie did. Still, it was an interesting turn of events and I wonder what kind of role that's going to play in future books.
Also interesting was Evie's friendship with Rena and the nosedive it took. To be honest, I'm still processing why and how it went wrong. Maybe I'm forgetting something from the first book, but it seems like Rena's overreacting a bit. That said, when both sides are withholding information, and when the cops aren't really aware of the magical undercurrent that kind of runs the city, it does make Rena's job hard, and it's harder when you have a friend who could give you the answers, but then the answers aren't something you can take to court. I don't know. I was rather disappointed with that development, because I don't feel it was developed to a point where the split seemed inevitable. Then again, maybe I'm forgetting key information from the first book.
I liked Ronald's take on the Wild Hunt itself, and I was fascinated by the climax of the book and what Evie may have accidentally exchanged for Nate's life. My guess? All Evie says before returning Nate is "You son of a bitch. Just give him back to me." Which gets me thinking: Evie's the Hound, and female dogs are often referred to as bitches (as much as I hate the usage). So what if Evie has given up a child? It's not a stretch to imagine the spirit taking an egg of Evie's and the appropriate sperm of Nate's (or hell, fertilizing the egg itself), and it'd be kind of funny considering how awkward Evie feels around children.
Mind you, I'm not sold on this theory, but when I look at Evie's dialogue, it's the only thing I can think of that the spirit might take. Then again, the next book in the series (trilogy?) is Soul Hunt, so if this missing thing that the spirit took from Evie plays any part, maybe it relates to soul itself. How, I don't know, but we'll see.
My Rating
Worth the Cash: this book was a far stronger installment for me, and while I'm torn if that's because the author lightened up on the areas she needed to lighten up on or if it's because I'm just familiar with the world and characters (or both!), I found myself enjoying this book a lot more. It still passes the Bechdel Test in spades (which is something that not all urban fantasies can boast of), and the romance quotient is a wee bit higher than the previous book's 1%, but this book is far from something you'd call a paranormal romance. The overall mystery and focus on the magic system and how the hierarchy works in the city definitely takes the forefront, and I was pretty engaged in the story itself. I still think this is one of the more unique urban fantasies around (and it doesn't hurt that it takes place in Boston), and I'm glad I was able to connect with it more with this book versus the previous book. Fans of the first book, this second installment is a must have. And this time around, I'm looking forward to the third.
Cover Commentary: I do love the color in this particular cover. It's hard not to notice, and the style is rather unique for urban fantasy, which tends to focus on dark blues and dark purples and of course, blacks. Here, we've got a rainbow, and I just want to stare at the pretty colors for a while. Not fond of the heroine's pose on the cover, but that's okay, because in the background we have the growling, snarling dogs, and that's quite appropriate for this book. And, of course, what appears to be the Boston city skyline (which, to be honest, I wouldn't recognize if it bit me in the butt), and that's a nice touch and consistent with the artwork from the first book.
Next up: Clementine by Cherie Priest