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indecisivesailorscout's review
5.0
Over a decade ago I gave this book one star because it was decidedly not what I was looking for as a teen newly obsessed with fantasy and adventure. This felt too slow! Too bland! Nothing was happening and I didn't enjoy it at all. However, I've learned a little bit of patience since then...and discovered that a truly good story can unfurl before your eyes if given enough time for its warmth and depth to sink into you. I'm very glad I decided to go back to this now, and found it to be exactly what I needed at this time in my life.
tani's review
3.0
I might have liked this better if I hadn't read other books by Patricia Briggs. As it is, it was kind of obvious to me that this was one of her earlier works, and although it was enjoyable in places, it also bored me in places. I had high expectations for this one, and although it wasn't horrible, it didn't live up to those expectations. I guess that's the way it goes sometimes.
heidenkind's review
5.0
Love, love love this twist on a beauty & the beast tale. I read it right after 9/11 and the similarity between the reactions of her characters to a disaster and the reaction of the country was just plain eerie.
blodeuedd's review
3.0
This is a stand alone world, and it's very very light fantasy.
Plot:
Aren has the sight but that doesn't help her when her family is slaughtered by raiders. At the same time the magic that binds that earth snaps, and releases all sorts of beings, nasty hobgoblings, spirits, and a hob. The world is not as it used to be and now her village is plagued by weird beings and raiders. Aren decides to take destiny in her own hands and strikes a deal with the hob living on the mountain. But some bargains are really high to pay.
My thoughts:
As I said, very light fantasy, the kind of fantasy that is in between high fantasy and romance fantasy. It's really short too, and easy to read. Aren, the heroine is 30, and have been married for one day. Her brother had magic, and was killed because of it so no one wanted to marry her. Magic here belongs to the bloodmages, and you either join them or die. And the priests tell people that people with magic are evil, so not a good world to have magic in.
I liked the concept that all the "magical" creatures were gone because of a spell by the magicians but now they are back, and people have forgotten how to ward themselves against them. Superstitions have died out. Aren is therefore really careful with her sight, and she is a good heroine, first she is happy just standing behind everyone else, but she grows and becomes so much more than the rest of the women in the village.
Then there is the hob and his price, he is a funny being, very kind and he does grow on you. It's an interesting cast of magic haters, raiders, and the ones that are willing to fight, like Kith, oh I liked him.
Recommendation and final thoughts:
I guess this one could be a good introduction to fantasy. It's light, it still has a lot of action, and loss. There is magic, and a tiny bit of romance. This book could lead to more. I liked it, it's not my normal kind of fantasy but I do like Briggs and she is a good author. Sometimes easy and light is good.
ifalways's review
3.0
It was a pretty okay book. Not to shabby not the best. Definitely not the book to read if you're just getting into the fantasy genre.
kowalskepie's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
tracey_stewart's review
5.0
This is another in a long line of read-so-long-ago-a-reread-feels-like-the-first-time books. I didn't remember a thing about it, except that I loved it then - and I loved it now.
The story centers around Aren, a woman who has lived in a remote farming village all her 29 years, and who had just about resigned herself to being a spinster when her father engineered a match for her. One reason the resignation wasn't as bad as it might have been, and why marriage isn't as simple as it might have been, is that she has a secret: she has a gift. She can see things that will happen (though usually not clearly enough to be very useful), and find lost things. Magic isn't just discouraged in these lands, it's hunted out; necromancers long ago found a way to suppress all natural magic and monopolize power for themselves, through bloodshed. Boys are given a choice of serving the necromancers (which could mean becoming a necromancer - but probably means dying) or ... dying. Girls with gifts have no choice - they are simply killed. Her brother many years ago chose to die under his own power rather than in any way fall under their power; a childhood friend wasn't, in many ways, so lucky.
And then, suddenly, one day everything changes. The necromancers' hold on magic is broken - and so is Aren's life when raiders maraud through her village. And they're not the worst of the dangers her people face, as with the loosing of magic, the wildings are returning - all the creatures of magic who have survived the long drought, most of whom are not fond of humans. Except perhaps as lunch.
In short, the village is besieged, and isolated, and needs help - and Aren gambles on a legend and goes up onto the hill called The Hob, seeking the newly awakened Hob and the Hob's Bargain. Hobs are benevolent - but that doesn't necessarily mean that what he wants in exchange for helping them defend themselves will be easy to pay.
I loved this book. It has what is now (though not then) "paranormal romance" stamped all over it, from a not-great cover (which does, however, feature Duck) to the blurb on the back - and that's not fair. It could have been (Patricia Briggs was just cutting her teeth on this one) - but there were none of the trappings such things are saddled with now. For one thing, it gets about a PG rating, and that's for violence.
Characterization is always key for me; if I can't at least like someone the book is toast. Here I love all the main characters - not because they're all nice and sweet and good, but because they're real, they interact, they have histories and depth and their own lives. Aren is wonderful - prickly, smart, determined, strong - and still not a Mary Sue, with all of that. When Aren's friend Kith is "offscreen" I can believe he is off being the star of his own story; he doesn't just begin and end when he's featured in a scene. Caefawn is my hero - what a marvel of a race, and a marvel of a character. And I believe that's the best use of a tail I've ever seen. Even Aren's horse, Duck, is three-dimensional - Patricia Briggs is one of the writers who, as Judith Tarr puts it, Gets It Right when it comes to horses. And the evil necromancer is everything an evil necromancer should be.
It isn't, perhaps, a challenging read - and in fact I picked it up after Shadowfever with the intent of getting away from harrowing world-altering fantasy. There have been an awful lot of books in my currently-reading lists lately that involve entire villages razed and children lying dead in the streets. In point of fact, Hob's Bargain doesn't evade such things; there are some grim moments, as the world is altered here too, and such cataclysms are never gentle. But it was swift and beautifully written, and - in case I didn't mention it - I loved it.
The story centers around Aren, a woman who has lived in a remote farming village all her 29 years, and who had just about resigned herself to being a spinster when her father engineered a match for her. One reason the resignation wasn't as bad as it might have been, and why marriage isn't as simple as it might have been, is that she has a secret: she has a gift. She can see things that will happen (though usually not clearly enough to be very useful), and find lost things. Magic isn't just discouraged in these lands, it's hunted out; necromancers long ago found a way to suppress all natural magic and monopolize power for themselves, through bloodshed. Boys are given a choice of serving the necromancers (which could mean becoming a necromancer - but probably means dying) or ... dying. Girls with gifts have no choice - they are simply killed. Her brother many years ago chose to die under his own power rather than in any way fall under their power; a childhood friend wasn't, in many ways, so lucky.
And then, suddenly, one day everything changes. The necromancers' hold on magic is broken - and so is Aren's life when raiders maraud through her village. And they're not the worst of the dangers her people face, as with the loosing of magic, the wildings are returning - all the creatures of magic who have survived the long drought, most of whom are not fond of humans. Except perhaps as lunch.
In short, the village is besieged, and isolated, and needs help - and Aren gambles on a legend and goes up onto the hill called The Hob, seeking the newly awakened Hob and the Hob's Bargain. Hobs are benevolent - but that doesn't necessarily mean that what he wants in exchange for helping them defend themselves will be easy to pay.
I loved this book. It has what is now (though not then) "paranormal romance" stamped all over it, from a not-great cover (which does, however, feature Duck) to the blurb on the back - and that's not fair. It could have been (Patricia Briggs was just cutting her teeth on this one) - but there were none of the trappings such things are saddled with now. For one thing, it gets about a PG rating, and that's for violence.
Characterization is always key for me; if I can't at least like someone the book is toast. Here I love all the main characters - not because they're all nice and sweet and good, but because they're real, they interact, they have histories and depth and their own lives. Aren is wonderful - prickly, smart, determined, strong - and still not a Mary Sue, with all of that. When Aren's friend Kith is "offscreen" I can believe he is off being the star of his own story; he doesn't just begin and end when he's featured in a scene. Caefawn is my hero - what a marvel of a race, and a marvel of a character. And I believe that's the best use of a tail I've ever seen. Even Aren's horse, Duck, is three-dimensional - Patricia Briggs is one of the writers who, as Judith Tarr puts it, Gets It Right when it comes to horses. And the evil necromancer is everything an evil necromancer should be.
It isn't, perhaps, a challenging read - and in fact I picked it up after Shadowfever with the intent of getting away from harrowing world-altering fantasy. There have been an awful lot of books in my currently-reading lists lately that involve entire villages razed and children lying dead in the streets. In point of fact, Hob's Bargain doesn't evade such things; there are some grim moments, as the world is altered here too, and such cataclysms are never gentle. But it was swift and beautifully written, and - in case I didn't mention it - I loved it.
rebeccazh's review
5.0
This was so good! I actually enjoyed this way more than all the other Patricia Briggs books I've read. I loved the setup of the world; the plot developed naturally and I never felt bored. In fact, I became more invested as I read on, which should always be the case. One of the best parts is the way Aerin grows into her powers and we learn more of her world with her. I've always loved that kind of thing. That introspective bit at the end about morality was also wonderful. Another part that I liked was Aerin's relationship with Caefwan. He was so likeable, and there was little of the usual murky dubcon that comes with the romance genre. So glad the romance was not a main focus. Every time it is, the book becomes ruined. Anyway, great book, really enjoyable.
hgranger's review
4.0
An interesting book...it’s a pretty quick read but still packs in a lot of action and emotion. The main character is likable without being overly perfect, and the magic system is well thought out. I enjoyed the side stories as well; there were some great characters among the many people around Aren. Patricia Briggs is an excellent story teller.