Audiobook review: Staked by Kevin Hearne
Staked opens with Atticus in Toronto, a place he swore he’d never visit again. He’s there to steal the list of all vampires in the world. We finally learn what happened when he was in Toronto years ago, under the name of Nigel. Meanwhile, Granuaile is in Asgard with Oden, working on a way to remove Loki’s mark. And Owen has moved to Flagstaff with Greta, where he plans to train six young humans to become Druids.
As with the previous book, Staked is shared in three different POVs: Atticus, Granuaile, and Owen, each on their own separate journey. While I enjoy each story, I miss the time when Granuaile and Atticus were on the same path, working together and loving one another. Each character’s story is filled with challenges and heartache, and there is a lot of growth and lessons learned for all.
While I truly enjoyed listening to Staked, Atticus’s life weighs heavily on his soul, and it brought me down at times. Atticus has some big “cock-ups” and his actions are followed by dire consequences. Staked is emotionally dark at times, which makes for a gripping, if not heart-wrenching, story. I loved the reintroduction of the Witches and Rabbi Joseph.
Narration: Luke Daniels continues to amaze me with his consistently strong narration. Not only has he mastered the voice for Atticus, Granuaile, Owen, Orla and Oberon, but his wealth of accents for all creatures great and small is astounding. He seems to fit each character’s personality with a slight inflection here and there, or an outrageous accent when called for. This time around, I enjoyed his voices for the various trolls who charge into Owen’s bad graces.
Overall, I enjoyed Staked and the various journeys each Druid took, but I really want the trio – or at least Granuaile and Atticus – to work together, and not be separated for most of the book.
My Ratings
Story: B
Narration: A
There were two novellas that were part of this month’s read along. If you’d like to read my thoughts when I originally read them, please visit Goodreads:
The Purloined Poodle : The Squirrel on the Train
Jen
About the Book:
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 pain-in-the-neck 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. Ornery archdruid Owen Kennedy is having a wee bit of troll trouble: 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 price: In order to defeat Theophilus, Atticus may have to lose an old friend.
Author: Kevin Hearne
Narrator: Luke Daniels
Series: Iron Druid Chronicles #8
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Audiobook Release Date: January 26, 2016
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
Source: purchased
Audio Speed: 1.7x