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mad_about_books's review
5.0
Ivy Granger's continuing saga is a morality tale replete with all the baggage that implies. Is killing an enemy the thing to do? If a friend becomes an enemy, how does that change the answer? Do I save the child or do I save everyone else? Because I can, should I?
HOUND'S BITE is an emotional rollercoaster ride. If you are anything like me, a person who cries at the movies, or when your favorite song plays, you'll need a hanky to get through some parts of this book. As I was reading Ivy's response to endangering a child, any child, whether human or fae or demon, the tears welled up in my eyes.
Harborsmouth finds itself, once more, under siege on several fronts. The battle is all blood and guts and horror, and written with such clarity as to tear your heart out. I read this book through tears of anguish at the potential for loss. Let me tell you, reading through tears may make the page a bit blurry, but putting the book down was not an option.
E. J. Stevens has created an alternate universe in which suspension of disbelief comes easily. Traveling there is as easy as turning the first page. Her characters are all so very real and believable because they are all so perfectly and uniquely flawed.
Stevens has carved her own personal niche in the horror/urban fantasy genre with the continuing saga of a strong female lead that is more developed with each new book. This is a series that you want to start with book one, SHADOW SIGHT, and work your way through them all. That is exactly what I plan to do… read them all!
HOUND'S BITE is an emotional rollercoaster ride. If you are anything like me, a person who cries at the movies, or when your favorite song plays, you'll need a hanky to get through some parts of this book. As I was reading Ivy's response to endangering a child, any child, whether human or fae or demon, the tears welled up in my eyes.
Harborsmouth finds itself, once more, under siege on several fronts. The battle is all blood and guts and horror, and written with such clarity as to tear your heart out. I read this book through tears of anguish at the potential for loss. Let me tell you, reading through tears may make the page a bit blurry, but putting the book down was not an option.
E. J. Stevens has created an alternate universe in which suspension of disbelief comes easily. Traveling there is as easy as turning the first page. Her characters are all so very real and believable because they are all so perfectly and uniquely flawed.
Stevens has carved her own personal niche in the horror/urban fantasy genre with the continuing saga of a strong female lead that is more developed with each new book. This is a series that you want to start with book one, SHADOW SIGHT, and work your way through them all. That is exactly what I plan to do… read them all!
audiobookmel's review
4.0
My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.
I was very excited to back in the world of Ivy Granger. This is a series that I’ve really enjoyed and this book was no exception. Ivy is back from her trip to Faerie. Her powers are growing. After spending a year in Faerie (which was only a week in Harborsmouth, since time travels differently between the two), Ivy finds herself not able to slow down a bit.
The Wild Hunt has followed Ivy back from Faerie and they only have until sundown to defeat them or they will tear through Harborsmouth and kill many innocent (and naive) humans. Ivy goes to her friend and mentor, the witch Kaye. Kaye has helped Ivy several times, but this time, she seems to be different. She seems a little power hungry. Ivy learns that Kaye has been up to no good while she was gone.
So, Ivy has to figure out how to defeat The Wild Hunt and help get Kaye under control without killing her friend. Luckily, now that Ivy is back in Harborsmouth, she has her full cast of friends to help her. Ceff and Torn have come back with her from Faerie. Even though they were treated very poorly by Ivy’s family, they stand by her side and do what is needed to help her. She also has Jinx and her man, Forneus the demonic lawyer, to help too.
Again, there are other, smaller characters, that make an appearance and I loved seeing them again. Humphrey (the gargoyle), Sparky (Ivy’s adopted full demon child), Hob (Kaye’s kitchen brownie) and Marvin (a young troll), Father Michael and Kaye’s apprentice, Arachne.
This story gives new meaning to “fast-paced”. Ivy and her friends don’t have a chance to catch their breath. The whole story takes place in about a single day (since they have to fight The Wild Hunt before the end of the next sundown).
I really enjoy this world that Ms. Stevens has created. I think the characters are a lot of fun. I think the world is very creative and interesting. I love the action (and boy is there a lot of action). There is snark. I just can’t say enough about this ragtag group. They all fit perfectly together. I’m very interested to see where this series goes next.
Narration
I really like both Melanie A Mason and Anthony Bowling. I think they both have nice voices and do a good job voicing the characters. This duet style of narration, where the female voices all female characters and the male narrates all the male characters is something that I’m getting more accustomed to. I will say that the sound effects that are included were a turnoff for me. With some, it was hard to hear the voices. The one example that stood out to me the most was when they were fighting with a wall of fire, the sounds of the fire overtook the voices. My personal opinion would be to just let the narrators use their great voices to make the story without the sound effects.
**I like to thank the author for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I was very excited to back in the world of Ivy Granger. This is a series that I’ve really enjoyed and this book was no exception. Ivy is back from her trip to Faerie. Her powers are growing. After spending a year in Faerie (which was only a week in Harborsmouth, since time travels differently between the two), Ivy finds herself not able to slow down a bit.
The Wild Hunt has followed Ivy back from Faerie and they only have until sundown to defeat them or they will tear through Harborsmouth and kill many innocent (and naive) humans. Ivy goes to her friend and mentor, the witch Kaye. Kaye has helped Ivy several times, but this time, she seems to be different. She seems a little power hungry. Ivy learns that Kaye has been up to no good while she was gone.
So, Ivy has to figure out how to defeat The Wild Hunt and help get Kaye under control without killing her friend. Luckily, now that Ivy is back in Harborsmouth, she has her full cast of friends to help her. Ceff and Torn have come back with her from Faerie. Even though they were treated very poorly by Ivy’s family, they stand by her side and do what is needed to help her. She also has Jinx and her man, Forneus the demonic lawyer, to help too.
Again, there are other, smaller characters, that make an appearance and I loved seeing them again. Humphrey (the gargoyle), Sparky (Ivy’s adopted full demon child), Hob (Kaye’s kitchen brownie) and Marvin (a young troll), Father Michael and Kaye’s apprentice, Arachne.
This story gives new meaning to “fast-paced”. Ivy and her friends don’t have a chance to catch their breath. The whole story takes place in about a single day (since they have to fight The Wild Hunt before the end of the next sundown).
I really enjoy this world that Ms. Stevens has created. I think the characters are a lot of fun. I think the world is very creative and interesting. I love the action (and boy is there a lot of action). There is snark. I just can’t say enough about this ragtag group. They all fit perfectly together. I’m very interested to see where this series goes next.
Narration
I really like both Melanie A Mason and Anthony Bowling. I think they both have nice voices and do a good job voicing the characters. This duet style of narration, where the female voices all female characters and the male narrates all the male characters is something that I’m getting more accustomed to. I will say that the sound effects that are included were a turnoff for me. With some, it was hard to hear the voices. The one example that stood out to me the most was when they were fighting with a wall of fire, the sounds of the fire overtook the voices. My personal opinion would be to just let the narrators use their great voices to make the story without the sound effects.
**I like to thank the author for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
traditionson's review
3.0
3.5*
I am finding the supernatural element and lore of this book far more interesting than the main character and overarching plot. I find her difficult to read about as despite talking about being more focused clearly misses so many important clues that come up. You see so many things that leave you shaking your head in frustrating making it hard to keep the emersion in the book. I enjoy some of the personal touches but it very much is all the secondary characters that carry the series sadly.
I am finding the supernatural element and lore of this book far more interesting than the main character and overarching plot. I find her difficult to read about as despite talking about being more focused clearly misses so many important clues that come up. You see so many things that leave you shaking your head in frustrating making it hard to keep the emersion in the book. I enjoy some of the personal touches but it very much is all the secondary characters that carry the series sadly.
ayanamifaerudo's review
3.0
Actual rating: 3.5/5
*Ivy Granger is all grown-up and saving Harborsmouth.
*The narrative does tend to be repetitive. I get that we dive into Ivy's mind but... repetition of what was stated in a paragraph or chapter before.
*Ivy Granger is all grown-up and saving Harborsmouth.
*The narrative does tend to be repetitive. I get that we dive into Ivy's mind but... repetition of what was stated in a paragraph or chapter before.
laffingkat's review
4.0
This is the fifth full-length novel in the Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective series by E.J. Stevens. This story is a continuation of past entries in the series and would therefore be best read in order, although it is written so that it could be enjoyed on its own.
This was an exciting, fast-paced book with lots of action. I really enjoy the character interactions and humorous dialog in this series, and this particular book was interesting because it brings together so many of Ivy’s allies. It is, however, more about combat than conversation and seemed a bit chaotic at times because there is so much to keep track of. For a psychic detective, Ivy was sometimes a bit slow to put together clues, but she also had her clever moments.
The author does a nice job breaking the tension with moments of levity. As an example, I was amused when Ivy’s friends teased her about her housekeeping, and Torn’s flirting is always fun.
I really appreciated the narration by Melanie A. Mason and Anthony Bowling. Their performances were well paced and easy to understand, and I enjoyed the character voices. It was especially fun to hear the howls from the Wild Hunt and Herne’s creepy laughter, or the voice of the witch Kaye when she was juiced up on power.
If you enjoy snarky urban fantasy, I recommend this book and the entire series, and I think it’s a great choice for listening. There is some sexual suggestiveness and some swearing, but it’s generally terms like “Mab’s bones” or “Oberon’s eyes,” which I found amusing.
I was given a free copy of this audiobook by the author and volunteered to provide an honest review.
This was an exciting, fast-paced book with lots of action. I really enjoy the character interactions and humorous dialog in this series, and this particular book was interesting because it brings together so many of Ivy’s allies. It is, however, more about combat than conversation and seemed a bit chaotic at times because there is so much to keep track of. For a psychic detective, Ivy was sometimes a bit slow to put together clues, but she also had her clever moments.
The author does a nice job breaking the tension with moments of levity. As an example, I was amused when Ivy’s friends teased her about her housekeeping, and Torn’s flirting is always fun.
I really appreciated the narration by Melanie A. Mason and Anthony Bowling. Their performances were well paced and easy to understand, and I enjoyed the character voices. It was especially fun to hear the howls from the Wild Hunt and Herne’s creepy laughter, or the voice of the witch Kaye when she was juiced up on power.
If you enjoy snarky urban fantasy, I recommend this book and the entire series, and I think it’s a great choice for listening. There is some sexual suggestiveness and some swearing, but it’s generally terms like “Mab’s bones” or “Oberon’s eyes,” which I found amusing.
I was given a free copy of this audiobook by the author and volunteered to provide an honest review.
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