A review by barb4ry1
Hounacier by Seth Skorkowsky
4.0
Matt Hollis is a great and relatable character. Malcolm Romero isn’t. At least that’s what I thought after finishing Dämoren. You can’t blame me. Malcolm behaved like a huge asshole all way through.
And yet here we are following Mal’s adventure in New Orleans. His mentor and father figure was murdered. Malcolm returns to New Orleans to catch the killer but instead loses his holy machete (Hounacier) and finds himself on the run. Not only from others. He’ll have to face even more dangerous foe. I can’t say anything more not to spoil the twist.
This book is all about Malcolm and his relationships (with people, holy blade, ghosts, himself). We learn more about him. He was brought to faith by terror – in his past, he was atheist working as a journalist. While looking for a strong article topic he decided to investigate the world of voodoo. Upon witnessing exorcism his world shattered to pieces and he felt a calling that would eventually lead him to become a Valducan demon hunter.
I’m impressed with world-building and amount of research put into crafting the story. The author does a great job of describing the city giving us a deeper look at voodoo and the loa. Voodoo is a central theme in Hounacier. It feels vibrant and authentic. And it’s fascinating.
Additionally, we get new and fantastic insights into demon culture – through scenes and notes that broaden knowledge stored in Valducan archives. While our demon hunters slay demons and we can relate to them, demons pictured in Valducan series aren’t just flat incarnations of evil. They’re much more and they’re fascinating.
Hounacier isn’t Dämoren copy. It’s different in almost every possible way. It’s more low-key and more intimate. Obviously, we witness demon-slaying and good action scenes but it has a feel of a psychological thriller as well, especially after sudden twist that’ll face Malcolm with the biggest challenge of his life.
It’s dark and violent book. If you have very visual imagination you risk getting a visceral reaction to the events more than once. Some scenes were terrifyingly gruesome.
The pacing of the book in uneven. The first half of Hounacier sets the scene. After the twist, the novel becomes much faster. I can understand that for some readers the beginning will feel a bit slow but I enjoyed New Orleans descriptions. It’s one of the cities I dream to visit one day.
Overall, I’m impressed with Hounacier. It took me to really dark places but remained engrossing. If you look for dark Urban Fantasy mixed with horror Valducan is the series worth trying.
And yet here we are following Mal’s adventure in New Orleans. His mentor and father figure was murdered. Malcolm returns to New Orleans to catch the killer but instead loses his holy machete (Hounacier) and finds himself on the run. Not only from others. He’ll have to face even more dangerous foe. I can’t say anything more not to spoil the twist.
This book is all about Malcolm and his relationships (with people, holy blade, ghosts, himself). We learn more about him. He was brought to faith by terror – in his past, he was atheist working as a journalist. While looking for a strong article topic he decided to investigate the world of voodoo. Upon witnessing exorcism his world shattered to pieces and he felt a calling that would eventually lead him to become a Valducan demon hunter.
I’m impressed with world-building and amount of research put into crafting the story. The author does a great job of describing the city giving us a deeper look at voodoo and the loa. Voodoo is a central theme in Hounacier. It feels vibrant and authentic. And it’s fascinating.
Additionally, we get new and fantastic insights into demon culture – through scenes and notes that broaden knowledge stored in Valducan archives. While our demon hunters slay demons and we can relate to them, demons pictured in Valducan series aren’t just flat incarnations of evil. They’re much more and they’re fascinating.
Hounacier isn’t Dämoren copy. It’s different in almost every possible way. It’s more low-key and more intimate. Obviously, we witness demon-slaying and good action scenes but it has a feel of a psychological thriller as well, especially after sudden twist that’ll face Malcolm with the biggest challenge of his life.
It’s dark and violent book. If you have very visual imagination you risk getting a visceral reaction to the events more than once. Some scenes were terrifyingly gruesome.
The pacing of the book in uneven. The first half of Hounacier sets the scene. After the twist, the novel becomes much faster. I can understand that for some readers the beginning will feel a bit slow but I enjoyed New Orleans descriptions. It’s one of the cities I dream to visit one day.
Overall, I’m impressed with Hounacier. It took me to really dark places but remained engrossing. If you look for dark Urban Fantasy mixed with horror Valducan is the series worth trying.