Trapped: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 5

After 12 years Granuaile is ready to be a full fledged Druid! Atticus has burned many bridges, so the final steps may be difficult. Old markers are being called in. New grievances committed. I’d think he’d learn his lesson!Added bonus. Oberon shares his knowledge, some of which is LOL funny!I’m really glad to have found this series.

I think this is very much a transitional book in the Iron Druid series. It builds a lot on events of the previous books and you will be lost if you haven't read those. So my first piece of advice: don't start with this one!The overall arc of the series is definitely evident here, but I kind of don't feel like this book is a unified whole. It was more a series of parts that happened roughly at the same point in time, but the narrative wasn't entirely cohesive. I'm sort of willing to put up with that in a longer series where many of the books are already published (as was the case here). But if I had read this right after it was released, and without the next volume available, I would probably not have been very happy.In this book, a lot of what Atticus (the POV character) has done/said previously in the series is coming back to haunt him. Unintended consequences and all that. Although in previous volumes, his sense of morality has been just a bit different (presumably due to the time and place he was raised), he's got a strongly human side here. I think he does feel some guilt for what he's done (or let be done) in the past, and some of the actions he takes are attempts to make amends for that (especially towards the end, with the Norse goddess Freyja).I'm not sure that appropriate amounts of time were spent on each part of the story. There was a rather long sequence in, say, the first 2/3 of the book, where Atticus's apprentice Granuaile was finally being bound as a druid. (Kudos to the author, by the way, for basically saying "twelve years passed" without describing them in agonizing detail.) Of course there are interruptions and celebrations, and the interruptions do serve to further both the plot of this book and the series arc. But Granuaile's tattooing (the final step in being bound) took a long time.And then events that had been simmering earlier in the book got short shrift. The final battle scene was quite brief. And Oberon (Atticus's dog) kept getting left behind rather than going on adventures with Atticus. It's almost like the author was given a page limit he couldn't surpass, or else he got tired of writing and had to finish something up. The epilogue seemed out of place, as well. (It fit with the events of the story but shouldn't have been an epilogue since it was setting up the action of the next book.)That being said, there were some things I did like. Atticus's changing relationship with the Norse gods is interesting. I also liked the introduction to the dark elves and assume we will be seeing them again soon. Atticus's attitude towards Granuaile is refreshing. He does exhibit a desire to keep her safe -- but he fully respects her martial abilities, as well, and he expects her to make her own decisions and not to blindly follow his lead. I think this attitude is fitting, considering what Atticus has to say about female warriors in the Celtic pantheon.Also well-done were the islands where time moves differently, and the way Atticus both introduces them and uses them to his advantage later (and Granuaile's reaction to them, as well -- simply because it was genuine and Atticus did not expect it to be so). We're starting to see what elements make a Druid and what elements make an ancient (Atticus) or modern (Granuaile) human, to separate Atticus as a person from the idea of a Druid. (And yes, Atticus is somewhat immature here. There's no way around that.)The setting for this book is quite a bit different from previous novels. Most of it takes place in/on different planes of existence and/or in remote places. There are few scenes in cities and we do not experience Arizona or the Colorado desert as we did before. So this takes a bit of a detour from urban fantasy. I'm fine with that because I read a lot of traditional fantasy, as well. But keep in mind that it *is* a switch from previous books.The writing style is pretty much the same. Granuaile can now hear Oberon's thoughts, as well, and the author employs this to humorous effect. We get a couple of guest narratives; these have become a staple in this series. Yeah, they're kind of like big infodumps, but they provide necessary background and there aren't really any other ways to work that information in. I would not say there's a great deal of character development, but there are bits and pieces. It's about average for a first-person POV novel that's later in a series.In the end, pacing was a bit uneven and the plot was not really unified (nor was it neatly tied up at the end), although there were also enjoyable elements and I thought the worldbuilding was great. At any rate, I'm going to continue reading the series because I *am* invested in what happens going forward. 3.5 stars.

Book 5 is better than book 4. Having said that, please understand that book 4 was good so book 5 is wonderful. "Trapped" once again begins to show more complexity and Hearne's wicked sense of humor is more evident--generally from the mouth of Oberon who is, has been, and hopefully will always be a crackup. I did miss Coyote and hope he reappears at some point. Trickster gods are always good for tangling various subplots in an interesting way; however, tangled subplots and creatures with tangled motivescontinue unabated in book five. It's often hard to decipher who's on first. But that's half the fun. I'm looking forward once again to the next book.

Once I read the blurb on Trapped, “Atticus O’Sullivan is finally ready to bind his apprentice to the Earth” I had a sense of foreboding. I knew exactly what was going to happen. Atticus would spend the whole book trying to complete the ritual with Granuaile and it wouldn’t actually happen until the very end. I wasn’t wrong.There’s a lot I enjoyed in Trapped. The story is action-packed and fast paced as Hearne throws a myriad of obstacles at Atticus. I appreciated the chase, and also seeing how accomplished Granuaile has become, even before she gets her druidic powers. It was also great to see Atticus finally become proactive and go on the offensive for once. The interplay between the two of them and the continued will they/won’t hey of their potential romance amidst the mayhem, was well done.On the downside, the book was predictable, especially with dragging out the binding. There was a lot of running around, but very little if anything was resolved. This left me somewhat undecided about how to rate the book. I was glad Granuaile finally becomes a druid, but disappointed that everything else that happens was obviously set up for future novels (the Dark Elves, Loki teased again, the vampires).Overall, I enjoyed Trapped but it still felt like a bridge novel - filler between two greater stories. I’m eager to see what happens with the Dark Elves and, eventually, Ragnarok, but hope the next book has a more self-contained plot.

I loved the earlier Iron Druid books and passed them onto friends in that evangelical way you do when you find something new and great. I was disappointed by this one though. Considering the backdrop is a possible apocalypse nothing much happens. The characters hide a bit, get discovered and have a little fight, then more hiding, more fighting etc. Even the dialogue with Oberon seems forced this time.Also twelve years has passed but really there is no sense of which year this is set in. Given that the first book was written in 2011 (and presumably set then)this must be set in around in 2023 yet no mention of any changes to the world is really made. Presumably the economic crisis is resolved enough that Greece still has a relatively booming tourist industry (Hearne gets bonus points from me for setting the Greek action in a couple of towns I know).I'll continue reading the series to find out what happens but I preferred the earlier ones where the antagonists were small scale local nuisances rather than world affecting gods.

I have only a few things to say about the book.Mostly, I liked and enjoyed it.The characters are eminently likable and the powers they haveis well limited so they are not overpowered.The language used is really good to read, funny, witty, ableto get the feel of the story and circumstances across.Unfortunately, this is not as good a book as the previous ones, there are some storyhanging points and the ending suffers, somehow the book has a piece-meal feel to it andthe parts seem too random and not integrated well.The book finishes in a cliff-hanger but instead it feels unfinished and leaves a bit of andisappointed impression.It is not all bad, in fact it is an enjoyable book. However if the previous part had been at the same level as this one, I would not bother reading the next one.Of course it

This is several books in from when we are first introduced to the Iron Druid and his world. I have read all the books published so far in this series, with this one the latest release. I would say this book is up to the same standard as the others, i.e. a good page turner. The characters are developing far from the first book. The apprentice graduates in more ways than one and begins to take on a more than support role in the storyline. The iron druid himself seems to be needing to confront his internal demons as much as external enemies. Various gods show up and there are some high octane fight scenes. By the end (no spoilers) I was left wanting more, but satisfied with the book. Highly recommended.

Yet another pantheon making a full appearance. I thought the Bacchants would be making a comeback and here they come. Again highly entertaining it is too. Politics start coming to the fore as well here and show some depth of understanding from Atticus - well he has to have learned something in 2000yrs!!Granuaile is really coming into her own and is becoming herself rather than a side kick - I can't wait to see what happens with her :)Keep reading. It's worth it :)

After what I felt was a poor fourth book (lots of great mythology, little real plot) I enjoyed reading this book, it kept my interest and made me laugh in all the right places (Oberon's the best). I have only given it four stars because, with the introduction of all the new baddies, the potential for a truely gripping and outstanding sequel is set. If the next book book fulfills all that is promised then I can't wait to read it and anticipate that five star rating.