Daughter of Hounds

Each time I've read a book by Caitlin R. Kiernan, I've said to myself, "This is the best one I've read so far." That statement remains true. I enjoy dark fiction and horror - and this is an excellent example.

I don't generally give 5-star ratings; for me, that is a place reserved for those truly great books, the stories you can't forget, that give you that emotional gut punch. Did this book do that? Mmmmm... not quite... However, based on a comparison scale of ratings I generally see on Amazon or GoodReads (e.g., there are SO MANY ebooks I've begun, partially chosen for their 4- and 5-star ratings, that make me exclaim, "Drivel! Who actually *likes* this?!", want to scrub my eyes with bleach, and then, as a delayed reaction, nauseate me show more when I realize the potential future implications on society when readers either don't recognize or care about the most fundamental grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors - let alone changes in person, plot holes, and just the complete implausibility of story that STOP! Sorry, back to it...), Daughter of Hounds is solid.

In a manner of thinking, this book was actually a first for me. To really get submerged in a story, I usually need to like the protagonist or some other major character. I didn't like any of them. But because of the way they were written, i.e., Emmy and Soldier being so flawed, I felt connected to them. Again, I didn't like them - but I *cared* about what happened to them.

Kiernan has a style of writing I find distinct from any other. I appreciate the vivid scene descriptions and how she is able to so effectively convey such a sense of gloom and despair (it's completely interwoven throughout descriptions, characters, and dialogue). Sure, a character can stop-gap what's coming, but it's not really the end, is it now? And that thought just hangs over your head as you're reading. show less

Each time I've read a book by Caitlin R. Kiernan, I've said to myself, "This is the best one I've read so far." That statement remains true. I enjoy dark fiction and horror - and this is an excellent example.

I don't generally give 5-star ratings; for me, that is a place reserved for those truly great books, the stories you can't forget, that give you that emotional gut punch. Did this book do that? Mmmmm... not quite... However, based on a comparison scale of ratings I generally see on Amazon or GoodReads (e.g., there are SO MANY ebooks I've begun, partially chosen for their 4- and 5-star ratings, that make me exclaim, "Drivel! Who actually *likes* this?!", want to scrub my eyes with bleach, and then, as a delayed reaction, nauseate me show more when I realize the potential future implications on society when readers either don't recognize or care about the most fundamental grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors - let alone changes in person, plot holes, and just the complete implausibility of story that STOP! Sorry, back to it...), Daughter of Hounds is solid.

In a manner of thinking, this book was actually a first for me. To really get submerged in a story, I usually need to like the protagonist or some other major character. I didn't like any of them. But because of the way they were written, i.e., Emmy and Soldier being so flawed, I felt connected to them. Again, I didn't like them - but I *cared* about what happened to them.

Kiernan has a style of writing I find distinct from any other. I appreciate the vivid scene descriptions and how she is able to so effectively convey such a sense of gloom and despair (it's completely interwoven throughout descriptions, characters, and dialogue). Sure, a character can stop-gap what's coming, but it's not really the end, is it now? And that thought just hangs over your head as you're reading. show less

I took nearly ten years to read this sequel to "Low Red Moon." I had become annoyed with Kiernan's habit of creating spunky heroines only to kill them off and feared that I was going to have my heart broken again. On the other hand, I didn't expect or want a traditional happy ending from Kiernan, and I didn't get one. I did get an ending I could accept psychologically.

Kiernan in this novel and her Siobhan Quinn series fuses dark fantasy, urban fantasy, and noir. While reading it, I was one moment enjoying Emmie's visit to a dark woman in an Henri Rousseau desert, the next gritting my teeth as Emmie and Pearl tried to escape assassins in a blizzard, then I was wincing as Soldier was tortured and raped in an underground hell. I also got show more more profanity and scatological references than I've read or heard in ages. I must insist here that I am not a great prude, that it takes a lot of that to bother me. That stated, I got more than I wanted here.

A great read, otherwise. Kiernan has complained about the trouble she had finishing it, which may be one reason why she hasn't written a sequel. I can and will hope for one. show less

I took nearly ten years to read this sequel to "Low Red Moon." I had become annoyed with Kiernan's habit of creating spunky heroines only to kill them off and feared that I was going to have my heart broken again. On the other hand, I didn't expect or want a traditional happy ending from Kiernan, and I didn't get one. I did get an ending I could accept psychologically.

Kiernan in this novel and her Siobhan Quinn series fuses dark fantasy, urban fantasy, and noir. While reading it, I was in one moment enjoying Emmie's visit to a dark woman in an Henri Rousseau desert, the next gritting my teeth as Emmie and Pearl tried to escape assassins in a blizzard, then I winced as Soldier was tortured and raped in an underground hell. I also got show more more profanity and scatological references than I've read or heard in ages. I must insist here that I am not a great prude, that it takes a lot of that to bother me. That stated, I got more than I wanted here.

A great read, otherwise. Kiernan has complained about the trouble she had finishing it, which may be one reason why she hasn't written a sequel. I can and will hope for one. show less

From the moment I started reading, I was spellbound. The colorful characters -- Emmie Silvey, Saben White, Soldier, Deacon, Pearl, and Odd Willie -- stepped right off the page, handed me a cup of sludgy tea, and dragged me off to a dark world where monsters from the Irish mythos ruled my every thought for days. Kiernan creates a dark fantasy world were little girls might just be what goes bump in the night, and reality isn’t what it always seems. The story paints a grim picture of an ongoing battle between changelings and hounds. The main characters, Soldier a hit woman for the ghouls and Emmie, a strange little girl, both seem doomed from the start, and I was never sure whom I should be rooting for. Truly a unique take on some show more classic monsters chock full of unpredictable twists and turns! show less

I rarely read more than a few books by any one particular author, so I avoid series. I read this as a stand-alone book in a series, only to find out it really isn't. I still enjoyed it though.

I loved the way she played with time and wove two very different characters' lives together, contrasting innocence and jadedness. I'm fascinated on how she can make her audience like a character who does very little likable. However, I felt like I didn't have enough background on a particular character to feel what I was supposed to feel when certain events happened. Clearly, this particular character would have had a lot of history with series readers.

Also, many of the events had the impact of ants running around an anthill that's just been show more kicked over, which in some part was deliberate. This is a world where many things happen because someone says they have to happen, not because a significant number of people involved want things to go a particular way. On the other hand, one is clearly aware of the plot goal of this book as being a small part of an over-arching series plot. If I were a series reader, this would make me jump up & down with joy. I wouldn't be able to wait for the next book. I'm not a series reader though, so it's leaving me feeling that the book's conclusion was weak. show less

main characters names: Soldier, Emmie Silvey, Deacon Silvey, Odd Willie, the Baliff, Pearl/Hester (nothing to do with The Scarlet Letter that I could see, though)

Somewhat confusing tale sort of set in the Lovecraft ouvere. Interesting scenes, particularly the violent ones, but the book as a whole didn't hang together particularly well. The Lovecraft bits were especially forced, though I can't comment on their accuracy, being no expert.

Changelings, vampires, "halfbreeds" of changelings and "ghuls," the universe exploding, etc., The characters go here, they go there, then the story rather abruptly and kind unsatisfactorily ends. Perhaps I'm being a bit too harsh, the pages turned and my attention was kept. And I was more entertained than show more not. Gotta give credit where its due.

And without a doubt one of the more irritating forewards I've ever read in any book anywhere. Would you like some cheese to go with your whine? show less