Customer Reviews

Spiral Hunt (Evie Scelan)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

New authors appear every month, and while Margaret Ronald is not exactly a new author, she has published several short stories before this, this is her first novel. Some of her previous short stories had evidently starred Genevieve "Evie" Scelan who is the heroine of "Spiral Hunt" and who has the nickname of "The Hound". This is because she has the magical ability to smell things. Not like most people, but she can smell the magic behind them, if these objects have had any contact with magic, and she can track things long lost. Evie also seems to be developing other, as yet undefined, magical powers. Ronald also wisely decides not to explain everything, as references to past adventures and arcane things in Evie's life are constantly made, giving Evie and this novel an established feel to them.

One night Evie gets a phone call from a long-vanished lover, and he seems to be speaking in two voices, and before he hangs up he mentions that she has been targeted. This bothers her and she decides to start her own investigation to find Frank, and as the novel develops we are introduced to some of the major characters of her quest, such as her best friend Sarah, who runs the occult magic shop Goddess Garden, and who knows Evie's abilities and who has some secrets of her own. Other major characters are Nate, a friend and mathematician and his kid sister who he has guardianship of, and who may have some latent magical abilities of her own, and then there is the hunky and mysterious Brendan Corrigan. Brendan claims to be a friend of Frank's and who claims to want to find Frank just as much, if not more so than Evie herself, and who always seems to be there when Evie needs him the most.

In true detective novel fashion, what starts off as a simple job ends up getting more and more convoluted. Despite her developing powers, and what turns out to be her ancestry, Evie is neither a likable loser like your average pulp detective, or is she a super-woman with unbelievable fighting skills in tight spandex; she gets her butt womped badly several times, almost getting killed at least once. She is also no Sherlock Holmes as she falls, and falls badly for one really nasty red herring. Ah yes, the power of a pretty face.

What she is, is spunky, determined, resourceful, intelligent, and very much her own person. She will also find that despite having a very powerful enemy, she also has some very powerful and resourceful allies hidden in the background that have their own problems. In the end, she's just an average woman with a nifty power, and a naive newbie to the magical underground who has a lot to learn. The story behind this novel will ultimately be Evie's baptism of fire and through it, she will find out just what she is made of, who her real friends and enemies are. "Spiral Hunt" promises to be series, and is more urban fantasy than paranormal romance, because while the romance is there, it's not the prominent reason for the novel's existence. Although she does gets the girl in the end, it's not how you would think. This is also a good fair-play mystery as while the ending may come as a surprise, if you pay attention you will realize the clues were all there for all to see. "Spiral Hunt" holds the promise to be a full and rich pocket universe with the ability to grow and develop into its own uniqueness if Ronald takes the care to nurture it right. Evie is a good character that ranks up there with Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson, Jeanne C. Stein's Anna Strong, or Gina Farago's Ivy Cole, whose novel "Ivy Cole And The Moon" has a similar ending. I love urban fantasy, and I have no problem with strong women characters, and I certainly would like to see another book in this series as Evie, now outed to the magical world, she had hidden herself in plain sight, is forced to explore her magical Boston more than she had in the past.

A new novel, evidently coming real soon now, would also give Ronald the chance to more fully develop Evie's supporting cast of characters. Don't let us down Margaret.

I thought this book was excellent. The pacing was great and the characters were real and compelling.

I read a lot of Charles de Lint and Jim Butcher and Spiral Hunt has some of the best elements of both. It is a great urban fantasy and reads like a fast-paced detective yarn. A real page-turner.

I really hope that Margaret Ronald will write at least a few more adventures with Evie and her circle of characters. There is a great deal of potential here.

Good job!

Ronald's debut novel posits a magical Boston that maps perfectly, with a heroine who isn't gorgeous and omnipotent and schtupping a vampire - she's ragged and imperfect and unique. The best urban fantasy stems as much from the personality of the city itself as from the characters, with the city itself as a character in its own right. Evie's Boston lives and breathes, and so does Evie - a deeply believable protagonist.

Evie Scelan promised her mother that she would always be careful. She broke her promise when she received a call from an old lover in the middle of the night. She always swore that she would not be drawn into the dark shadowy underworld that lies beneath Boston, but this time, she may not have a choice. By day, Evie tries to lead a normal life as a courier. She is trying to start scrounging out a living by offering her service in "expert retrieval and recovery services."

She tries to keep her old friends out of the undercurrents by not allowing them to hire her for her services. How she goes about tracking these items is by following her nose. She was born with the gift of scenting. By keeping her head down, she would stay out of the underworld, but when she decides to hire herself out, she draws the Bright Brotherhood to her doorstep. She no longer can keep her promise to her mother, but will she be able to keep her friends and loved ones of out harm's way?

I had a tough time rating this book. It had elements that I thoroughly enjoyed, such as being set in historic Boston. While I've never been to the actual city itself, the history of Boston has always called to me and I can easily see there being paranormal elements buried deep beneath the city's surface. I also thought that Evie being able to track things, yet not be a shapeshifter an unusual concept. I think Ms. Ronald has definite promise with this storyline.

My struggle came with trying to follow too many strands of the story at once, and I found myself a little confused here and there. However, I easily believe that the storyline has a lot of potential and Ms. Ronald's plot is unique. On those two factors alone, I have to give this book 4 1/2 tombstones. Spiral Hunt is not your standard paranormal story and has many appealing aspects to it. If you enjoy reading paranormal novels that have historical elements throughout them, then I think you may enjoy Spiral Hunt. I get the impression that this is going to be a series and I look forward to seeing what Margaret Ronald has in store for Evie Scelan and her scenting ability down the road.

Reviewed at Bitten by Books Paranormal Fiction Review Site by Virginia

Spiral Hunt starts as a slice of Boston life seen through the eyes of
a bike messanger. We meet her friends, get some of her back story and
get hints here and there about the underlying magic. As we learn more
about Evie and the history of Boston in the middle of the book, more
magic seeps into the story, and with all the characters in place, the
core mystery reveals itself. As we enter the last 3rd of the book,
the body count rises, reality takes a back seat to magic and
EVERYTHING gets turned up to 11. The book wraps up nicely and as the
pace winds down after the climax, the pieces are set up for a stellar
series.

The motivations of the big bad never felt coherent and the wavering between love interests was a bit awkward, but the important stuff fell into place and overall it was an enjoyable read.

Because of how powerful the magical undercurrent that flows through Boston is the Fiana , mages who left Ireland due to the famine and settled in Boston. Massachusetts. Over the decades, their power grew so that they set the laws of magic usage; non-members are frightened by the iron rule of this cartel as much as they fear addiction of excess usage of magical undercurrent.

Frank McDermott calls his former lover Evie "Hound" Scanlon, a practitioner who avoids the undercurrent as much as she can, to help him as he wants to escape from under the dictatorial control of the Fiana. Evie is renowned for her incredible olfactory sense that enables her to locate missing people and things. Her police detective friend Rena asks Evie to identify a strange corpse of a person who has the body of youth and visage of age; Frank was assassinated with his body covered by Celtic looking patterns. Three more bodies similar to the remains of Frank have been found in the past, but in spite of police investigations, the cases have become cold. Evie considers for some unknown reason the Fiana are after her, killing her loved ones. Her theory seems affirmed when they snatch the young sister of a friend; placing her in a difficult situation because a rescue attempt probably means death.

The vivid account of magical Boston in which non-practitioners are ignorant of the swirling undercurrent, the detailed laws of magical physics and vicious Fiana enforcement make for a superb urban fantasy. Readers will admire intrepid Evie who knows the probable outcome of what she faces, but proceeds anyway even as she distrusts any magical practitioners because they could be Fiana operatives; instead she turns to non-magicians for assistance. Readers will appreciate this strong opening tale with a unique vision of Beantown. Urban fantasy lovers have a new star on the horizon.

Harriet Klausner

I would gladly reread this book, and I believe I would gain some understanding by doing so.

I have read three books in the last week: one by a new author; one by an established author; one by Margaret Ronald. Spiral Hunt is easily one of the best books I have read in a long time. It is rich in ideas and backstory. The main character is fully realized and behaves rationally. The plot is interesting and well revealed. Cudos to Ms. Ronald!

I have to agree with all the five star reviews and calling Margaret Ronald's novel, Spiral Hunt, a refreshing take on the urban fantasy scene. I also agree that this is one of the best novels I've read in 2009, so big props to Ms. Ronald!

I like how the history of Boston is woven into the story and how it plays such a large role in the way things are now, at least in the world Ronald creates where there are the normal humans, and what is called the undercurrent: the underground (sometimes literally!) world of magic. The heroine, Evie Scelan is aware of both worlds and has learned to live outside of the magic. Save of course her natural talent which is finding things by their scent, which she does not consider "magic" of any kind.

Evie is an interesting character and I really enjoyed learning about her talent, her childhood, her parents, and her friends. Ronald's discription of Boston makes me want to visit, just for the real life history alone! I also like how she brings in and uses Celtic myths, lores and legends. If this is an introduction to a new urban fantasy series, then sign me up! I can't wait to get back into the undercurrent!

Evie Scelan is known as the Hound because of her ability to track people and items through what she perceives as their scent. This alone is a nice twist on magical abilities, giving the book some lovely sensory descriptions. Another thing I enjoyed was the use of celtic mythology, which was not done in a way that pushed my celtic-cliche buttons, and which tied in nicely with the historically accurate influx of Irish immigrants in Boston. The descriptions of Boston seem to be well done, though it's not a city that I'm familiar with. But there are some very evocative descriptions of the city which bring it to life even for someone who's never been there. The physics of magic in this world were understandable and sensible. The story hooked me in nicely and kept me turning pages.

Overall, this is a fun and original addition to the urban fantasy genre, and I can't wait to see what the author comes out with next!

This is Margaret Ronald's first novel, though I've read some of her short fiction before. I really enjoyed reading this: It's a fantasy-like story set in real-world Boston. The protagonist, Evie, can find things by tracing their scent. When she begins to search for a former friend, however, she finds herself pulled into an underworld that blends ancient Celtic myth and very present danger.

I believe that Ronald is planning to write more books featuring Evie--I'm looking forward to it. She's given the character a great voice, and has devised a plot that's intriguing and multi-layered, but still easily followed.