A review by nathanaeljs
Black Dog: Hellhound Chronicles by Caitlin Kittredge
3.0
Hellhounds aren't the usual suspect for fantasy novel protagonists. They tend to be the ones trying to munch on the protagonist or someone that hapless do-gooder has sworn to protect. Ava isn't particularly much of an exception. For the last better-part-of-a-century, she's hunted down people stupid enough to make bargains with demons. She doesn't have much a choice in the matter, as she traded her freedom in exchange for continued existence when she was murdered during the Prohibition. Enter Leo, your usual sexy tattooed bad boy, who happens to be a necromancer hit man for some sort of occultic Russian mafia. Pulled into Leo's plot against his father, Ava ultimately ends up pissing off the wrong demon and embroiled in a fight between demons and the fallen angels who created them.
In a lot of ways this felt like an episode of Supernatural. The road trips, the humor, even the world-building to some extent. That's not a bad thing at all. I enjoyed my time in this world and look forward to seeing more when the next entry in the series comes out. The plot, setting, and dialogue all felt very strong to me and were enjoyable. The characters, specifically Ava, Leo, and Lilith, didn't work quite as well. Lilith is, quite frankly, utterly bland. There's not much in the way of menace there and she seems a trifle incompetent. Leo is a fairly stock character, complete with daddy issues, a tragic backstory, smoldering good looks, and an insta-love connection to the protagonist, which does at least get a decent handwave toward the end. Ava is the most problematic though. Since the book is in first person, we spend a lot of time in Ava's head. She's really whiny. Granted, she has good reason to be whiny, given the heaping helping of suckage that the entirety of her nearly century long life and unlife has been, but it still grates.
Final verdict: Black Dog is a fun quick read, with some reservations that I'm hoping will be ironed out in the next book.
Note: I received an ARC of this book through GoodReads' First Reads program.
In a lot of ways this felt like an episode of Supernatural. The road trips, the humor, even the world-building to some extent. That's not a bad thing at all. I enjoyed my time in this world and look forward to seeing more when the next entry in the series comes out. The plot, setting, and dialogue all felt very strong to me and were enjoyable. The characters, specifically Ava, Leo, and Lilith, didn't work quite as well. Lilith is, quite frankly, utterly bland. There's not much in the way of menace there and she seems a trifle incompetent. Leo is a fairly stock character, complete with daddy issues, a tragic backstory, smoldering good looks, and an insta-love connection to the protagonist, which does at least get a decent handwave toward the end. Ava is the most problematic though. Since the book is in first person, we spend a lot of time in Ava's head. She's really whiny. Granted, she has good reason to be whiny, given the heaping helping of suckage that the entirety of her nearly century long life and unlife has been, but it still grates.
Final verdict: Black Dog is a fun quick read, with some reservations that I'm hoping will be ironed out in the next book.
Note: I received an ARC of this book through GoodReads' First Reads program.