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.

How was it?

Hearne is truly a genius with pop culture references. They operate on so many levels. They are smart and funny, with references hidden in references. The first few sentences of Staked is a prime example of that, alluding both to Tarantino’s movie, directorial style, and foot fetish.

Whenever Oberon shows up it’s always a good time, and grumpy Owen is seriously growing on me. Putting the two together is just hilarious but it’s weird that the dog seems smarter at times.

Staked is action-packed from beginning to end, the multiple P.O.V.s were disorienting a bit in Shattered, but made for interesting storylines. It differentiates each character, giving personalities that are wildly different but work together as well. It also gives the series some of what it was missing, a sense of danger for the main characters. Where Atticus’ seemed unbeatable, and a bit of a Gary Sue, Granuaile and Owen balance it out. They even humanize Atticus and in contrast, show his carelessness and selfishness.

If you want to support this site, help by getting me a coffee from the link below: