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A review by rhodered
Hound and Key by Rhiannon Held
3.0
There was a lot to like about this book, with one significant exception - the romantic relationship. Although this isn't primarily a romance (to me it's an SF-style fantasy/adventure) the relationship between the two most prominent leads is a big enough plot thread that it pulled down the book's overall score for me. So, it's a four except for this.
What's wrong? Ages. The male lead is 32, and a true 32 at that (although he has a mystifying total lack of friends which is never addressed). The female lead is perhaps 22 at most, but her stunted life experience puts her somewhere around 14-15. I'm not that happy seeing a 32 year old with a 22 year anyway; this is worse. And it's not really explained - they hop into bed very early on (so, not really a spoiler) for no reason beyond hormones and random, fairly inconvenient whim. It's just...odd.
Ok, so what's good? A handy, non-comprehensive list:
- sense of place: the author absolutely nails Washington State and Oregon. The vegetation, the houses, the weather, the people. It's redolent of the pacific northwest.
- gender roles: some characters are capable of reincarnation, and they don't always wind up as the same genders each time. The author used this to explore several ideas - including 'gay for you' - brilliantly.
- feminism: passes the Bechtel test with flying colors, includes female characters of several ages (not just 20-somethings), includes a variety of female professionals, healthy male-female friendships, and unabashed female sexuality.
- mythology & magic: unlike the trend in paranormal and fantasy, this book's M&M doesn't stray beyond a very defined arena. You don't have shamans or vampires or werewolves or fae or angels or any other magical creatures popping up. This is basically our own world with just one specific, small group of gods and their offshoots added in.
- nobody is kick ass or utterly exhausted: I'm so tired of the tropes of the kick ass heroine who can do judo and magic and god knows what else. I'm also tired of the tired, where the lead goes without adequate sleep for days and days while fighting the big bad. Neither of those occur here - relief!
- fun cultural asides: at the start of each chapter, you'll find a little "quote" from a cultural source, slightly altered to account for this world. It's elegant and delightful.
- no cliffy: the current story wraps up, but there's room to go on. Well done.
What's wrong? Ages. The male lead is 32, and a true 32 at that (although he has a mystifying total lack of friends which is never addressed). The female lead is perhaps 22 at most, but her stunted life experience puts her somewhere around 14-15. I'm not that happy seeing a 32 year old with a 22 year anyway; this is worse. And it's not really explained - they hop into bed very early on (so, not really a spoiler) for no reason beyond hormones and random, fairly inconvenient whim. It's just...odd.
Ok, so what's good? A handy, non-comprehensive list:
- sense of place: the author absolutely nails Washington State and Oregon. The vegetation, the houses, the weather, the people. It's redolent of the pacific northwest.
- gender roles: some characters are capable of reincarnation, and they don't always wind up as the same genders each time. The author used this to explore several ideas - including 'gay for you' - brilliantly.
- feminism: passes the Bechtel test with flying colors, includes female characters of several ages (not just 20-somethings), includes a variety of female professionals, healthy male-female friendships, and unabashed female sexuality.
- mythology & magic: unlike the trend in paranormal and fantasy, this book's M&M doesn't stray beyond a very defined arena. You don't have shamans or vampires or werewolves or fae or angels or any other magical creatures popping up. This is basically our own world with just one specific, small group of gods and their offshoots added in.
- nobody is kick ass or utterly exhausted: I'm so tired of the tropes of the kick ass heroine who can do judo and magic and god knows what else. I'm also tired of the tired, where the lead goes without adequate sleep for days and days while fighting the big bad. Neither of those occur here - relief!
- fun cultural asides: at the start of each chapter, you'll find a little "quote" from a cultural source, slightly altered to account for this world. It's elegant and delightful.
- no cliffy: the current story wraps up, but there's room to go on. Well done.