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Trapped (The Iron Druid Chronicles #5)

by Kevin Hearne (Goodreads Author)

4.23 of 5 stars 4.23 · rating details · 5,769 ratings · 562 reviews

After twelve years of secret training, Atticus O’Sullivan is finally ready to bind his apprentice, Granuaile, to the earth and double the number of Druids in the world. But on the eve of the ritual, the world that thought he was dead abruptly discovers that he’s still alive, and they would much rather he return to the grave.

Having no other choice, Atticus, his trusted Ir...more

Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages

Published November 27th 2012 by Del Rey (first published November 1st 2012)

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Adult Fantasy & Sci-Fi 2012

12th out of 345 books — 593 voters

Most Anticipated Books in a Continuing series June 2012 - March 2013

19th out of 273 books — 411 voters

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Dec 08, 2012 Maja rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-action, arc-2012, are-you-kidding-me, failed-to-impress, huge-disappointment, magic, urban-fantasy, the-fae-are-so-scary, reviewed-in-2012

2.5 stars
Well, look at that! Once again, everyone’s favorite druid Atticus O’Sullivan somehow managed to anger just about every deity from every pantheon worshiped by mankind. (Well, everyone except Perun, but that’s understandable – Perun is Slavic and our gods are all kinds of awesome. Not too bright, but awesome.) This is turning out to be a special talent of Atticus’s, and a good thing too, or we would have nothing to read about.

After twelve (!) years of training, binding Granuaile to earth...more 2.5 stars
Well, look at that! Once again, everyone’s favorite druid Atticus O’Sullivan somehow managed to anger just about every deity from every pantheon worshiped by mankind. (Well, everyone except Perun, but that’s understandable – Perun is Slavic and our gods are all kinds of awesome. Not too bright, but awesome.) This is turning out to be a special talent of Atticus’s, and a good thing too, or we would have nothing to read about.

After twelve (!) years of training, binding Granuaile to earth should be cause for celebration, not yet another problem on Atticus’s list. But with everyone chasing them for some reason or other, finding a quiet place to bind Granuaile and turn her into a full druid is proving to be somewhat... difficult.

Oh, but Hearne loves his lectures! He can’t seem to control himself. With each new book, the stories that slow down… no, make that completely block the plot progression become longer and longer. I appreciate well-built worlds. I even appreciate mythology lessons. But Hearne is taking it all just a bit too far. By the time I reached the last part, I barely even understood what was going on.

The romance we’ve all been waiting for it’s finally here and let’s just say it’s a bit underwhelming. Five books we’ve waited for Atticus to finally find someone worthy of him, someone interesting and competent enough to live and fight by his side, and now that he has, I expected... more! Fireworks, at the very least. I love them both separately, but together, they do nothing for me.

I really thought the previous book, Tricked, was a one-time disaster, but now I’m beginning to think that someone stole Hearne and replaced him with some pod person. There's just no way that the same person could have written those first three books and these last two, it’s just not possible. I’ve rarely seen a series so completely and thoroughly ruined.

When I lose interest in a book, it usually happens around the middle, not during that last, most exciting part. With Trapped, I struggled through the middle, true, but the last part was more than I could handle. Instead of building the tension and ending with a really god action scene, Hearne inexplicably had Atticus and Granuaile sit down and listen to some long, unnecessary and mostly boring story. This has pretty much become his modus operandi: they run, they win a fight against all odds, meet someone willing to tell them a story – twenty pages of pure boredom ensues. Rinse and repeat.

This is where Atticus O’Sullivan and I go our separate ways. However, keep I mind that the series still has many fans and that those first three books make it worth your time. Please don’t hesitate to read them because the fourth and the fifth aren’t as good. You’d be missing out on a lot.

(less)

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Mar 27, 2013 Elspeth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: twenty-twelve, arc, kindle, witty-banter, netgalley, urban-fantasy

When I got the email that I was accepted for a advance copy of Trapped I almost didn’t believe it. I stared at the email for a few minutes then quickly downloaded it to my kindle just in case they changed their minds.

At that point I hadn’t read Tricked yet, I have a very bad habit of hoarding series books that I love. I bounce back and forth from wanting to read it terribly to wanting to wait because as soon as I read it I will have to wait FOREVER for the next installment.

So after finishing Tri...more When I got the email that I was accepted for a advance copy of Trapped I almost didn’t believe it. I stared at the email for a few minutes then quickly downloaded it to my kindle just in case they changed their minds.

At that point I hadn’t read Tricked yet, I have a very bad habit of hoarding series books that I love. I bounce back and forth from wanting to read it terribly to wanting to wait because as soon as I read it I will have to wait FOREVER for the next installment.

So after finishing Tricked, and finding out that there was going to be a time gap I got a little worried. In my memory I cannot think of this working, it’s like putting a baby on a sitcom to save a sinking ship, a really bad idea.

I really didn’t have to worry though, Hearne pulled it off, and in my opinion making this the best book of the series so far.
I LOVED this book so very, very much. It was a chaotic ride of sarcasm, pop culture references, sex, and magic bacon. How can you not love a book with magic bacon in it?
I surely cant, and that wasn’t even the best part for me.

I am a sucker for twists at the end of stories and a good running theme or gag and in this story Herne pwned it!

I was tickled pink, grinning from ear to ear, dancing with joy, happy in the pants, and all that jazz. I mean if there is a euphemism for being in love with the book, I was the embodiment of it.
I loved how Herne made some serious mistakes Atticus has made in the past come and bite him in the ass. Atticus is not perfect, far from it, he still makes mistakes in this book, some fatal ones. I can’t wait for the next book to see how he is going to start his atonement, all he has done cannot be forgiven though, and I want to see how Herne goes with this story arc.

I only had one disappointment with this story, it was a minor thing , but it just felt off to me. The fight at the end went just a bit too smoothly, it was an easy battle when it shouldn’t have been. Maybe it’s just me, but it should have been a bit more difficult and had a higher body count.

Thank you Net Galley and Del Rey for letting me enjoy this book!(less)

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Nov 15, 2012 Christal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: male-lead, shamans-and-druids, urban-fantasy, arcs, fae, gods-and-goddesses, lesser-known-creatures, magic, vampires, war

See this review and others like it at BadassBookReviews.com!

This book was fun “trapped” between a cover! I was skeptical when I saw Trapped would take us twelve years in the future, but I’ve learned not to doubt Kevin Hearne. This book was exciting, sexy, hilarious, tense, and everything in between. It is definitely one of the stronger entries in a consistently strong series.

We find Atticus and Granuaile still in hiding, but Granuaile has completed her druidic training and is ready to be bound t...more See this review and others like it at BadassBookReviews.com!

This book was fun “trapped” between a cover! I was skeptical when I saw Trapped would take us twelve years in the future, but I’ve learned not to doubt Kevin Hearne. This book was exciting, sexy, hilarious, tense, and everything in between. It is definitely one of the stronger entries in a consistently strong series.

We find Atticus and Granuaile still in hiding, but Granuaile has completed her druidic training and is ready to be bound to the earth. When Perun shows up with an enraged Loki on his tail, our crafty druids must flee. They end up in Tír na nÓg and of course the Tuatha Dé Danann have to get involved. They inform Atticus that Granuaile can only be bound in the old country, i.e. Europe. The only problem is all the “doors” to Europe have been closed except one and that one happens to be right near Olympus and a crazy god, Bacchus, who just happens to hold a grudge against Atticus.

Atticus has made a lot of bad choices and quite a few enemies during his time in Arizona. I liked that Mr. Hearne has made Atticus face the consequences and to try to make amends. The conflict with Thor in the previous books shook the entire structure of the Norse pantheon. It was a horrible decision on his part, but I am glad that Atticus is doing what he can to try and mitigate Ragnarok. That Granuaile decides to lend a hand was a no-brainer for me. She has always proven herself to be a caring and fearless woman and that was on even greater display in this novel.

Speaking of Granuaile, I have to say she stole the show entirely in this book. As much as I enjoy Atticus as a character, Granuaile’s growth was the focal point of this story for me. She became an amazingly strong individual and I totally have a girl crush on her now. She is level-headed, witty, decisive, and can defend herself. She doesn’t need Atticus to take care of her… she just wants him. And what Granuaile wants, Granuaile gets! I appreciate the way their relationship developed slowly and I truly feel that they are on equal footing with each other now.

Oberon was hilarious as usual. My favorite line from him this time was his Rick James ode to Granuaile, “She’s a very Clever Girl, the kind you don’t take home to Ogma. She will never feed you Brussel Sprouts, when she could feed you steak!”

As for the baddies, Bacchus was annoying and I preferred the storylines with the Norse characters and the Dark Elves. The Dark Elves were pretty creepy and I really don’t think we have seen the last of them! I also have a feeling that Ragnarok is on its way, especially if the next book is truly the last in the series. I am much more invested in the Norse plotline than the Olympus one because the Norse characters truly have a reason to blame Atticus. He went on the attack against them and destroyed much of their world unprovoked. With Bacchus and the Olympians in general, Atticus was on the defensive most of the time and his actions were just to protect himself and those he cared about. If the maenads hadn’t come after him in the first place, there wouldn’t have been an issue.

There are a lot of plotlines left loose at the end of this story: Ragnarok, Bacchus, Leif and the vampires, the traitor in Brighid’s court. Atticus still has a lot on his plate and I am eager to see how he handles it all, now with both Oberon and Granuaile by his side. It also looks like the witches will be back in the next book and I am eager for more adventures with Malina and her coven! I can’t wait for the next fun ride through Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid world.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Del Ray for providing an ARC copy of this book!(less)

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Dec 07, 2012 Lynsey (The Demon Librarian) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: received-for-review, vampire-ific, urban-fantasy, unusual-creatures-beings-species, the-shelf-of-meh, romantic-elements, magic-tastic, hero-i-love, fantasy, edelweiss

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12 years later...

I love the cover for this; it's so nice to see Granuaile on there. And it was great to be back with the trio again (adding in Oberon, of course) but I have to say this was probably my least favourite book in the Iron Druid Chronicles so far.

I don't know if maybe it was me not paying close enough attention or if it was just a bit all over the place, but I spent much of the book a bit lost and confused, if I'm honest. Just sor...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Alana ~ The Book Pimp rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, netgalley, to-review, 2012-reading-challenge, ebooks, owned-books, series-r-us, series-urban-fantasy

Okay... I'm going to try something a little different. One would hope, at this point, that anyone interested in reading the Iron Druid (this installment specifically) would have read the previous books. So instead of telling you what a clever dog Oberon is (he seriously deserves a treat) or mention how funny it is (I SO wish I could hear the story -in person- of "The Purloined Poodle" featuring two dogs and Abe Froman, the Sausage King of Chicago) or how action packed it is (okay, how many Gods...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Brandt rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Someone in the mood for some light and humorous UF..

2,5/5

Butcher keeps raising the bar for Urban Fantasy, and Hearne just provides more of the same..
This series keeps getting more and more uninteresting, 90 % of the characters in the books are gods..
Not humans, but superhumans with awesome powers.. However all the gods seems stupid, immature, and petty (and not at all powerful compared to Atticus..)
It's not that i have a problem with the amount of respect Hearne shows for his subject matter (which is close to non-existing, but what do i care), i...more

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Jan 05, 2013 D.G. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

As usual, this was exciting book, full of interesting action and unexpected twists but I got mad by the way the business with Atticus and Granuaile got resolved. When I read a book in the first person, I expect to know something about that person's emotions but the author spent more time on wisecracks that on really revealing Atticus' feelings.

I don't know why I keep getting disappointed with the continued lack of emotional disclosure by Atticus. It's clear that the author is just not going ther...more As usual, this was exciting book, full of interesting action and unexpected twists but I got mad by the way the business with Atticus and Granuaile got resolved. When I read a book in the first person, I expect to know something about that person's emotions but the author spent more time on wisecracks that on really revealing Atticus' feelings.

I don't know why I keep getting disappointed with the continued lack of emotional disclosure by Atticus. It's clear that the author is just not going there with him. At first I thought the author didn't want to alienate the male audience by getting "mushy" but now I'm starting to believe the author is just not capable to take his characters in that direction. I won't blame this on the author being a guy because men are capable of developing badass male characters with emotional depth (see Barry Eisler and John Rain). Please note I'm not upset because the love scenes were the fade to black type but because there wasn't any discussion about his feelings. If you've loved a woman for a long, long time and you finally get to have her, I expect to hear at least a "Yay!!" to convey how you feel about the situation.

Atticus has tons of potential but I feel as if there's a wall between this inner core and the way he behaves in public that not even the reader can see. At some point, he tells Granuiele that after a person gets to a certain age he starts acting in front of others and it seems this "acting" extends to the reader. Which is weird to me because if you want to keep an important side of your character completely hidden, why write in the first person?

One thing I liked about their relationship was that once he wasn't her instructor, he treated her like an adult and allowed her to make her own decisions. He didn't go all caveman or pretended that he had all the answers. He gave her the lowdown and once she made her choice, there wasn't any boorish behavior (see why I say he has potential?)

Right now I'm feeling like giving up on the series but I know that once it gets closer to the release of the next book, I'll be sure to change my mind.(less)

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Dec 04, 2012 Alex rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: iron-druid-chronicles

These books aren't long enough! Another 8 months until this book is out apparently. Sigh...that's a long time!

I love this series thus far, but if you've read the first chapter of this book which is included at the end of the 4th book, you know this one takes place 12 years later. I am not a big fan of books that time jump like that. Especially one this long.

The last book ends with Granuaile still being an inexperience Druid apprentice and now suddenly this book jumps 12 years and she's about to...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Limbo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Let me start off by saying, by now it's getting pretty boring. It's mostly all the same crap, with none of the fun or interesting elements thrown in.

However, it's better than the last book.

But then, the last book was mostly just a giant cultural insult.

The power ratios are getting fairly stupid. Atticus is constantly cheat coding everything that moves. There're no stakes in any of the fights at all. And even Atticus' fun personality can't do anything to make those action sequences less boring.

Th...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Darnell J. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: series, urban-fantasy, ya, top-notch

I like the new addition to the cover...but where's Oberon?

Plenty of good things are coming in November, and I expect this to be one of them.

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Nov 02, 2012 Nita rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: gods-immortals, fiction, witches-magic-users, urban-fantasy, vampires, weres-shifters, arc, ebook, read-2012

This book jumps a whole decade. It takes 12 years to train a druid apprentice and Granuaile is just about done with her apprenticeship with Atticus. They just have her binding to the earth to do. They've been in hiding; most everyone, including the gods, think Atticus is dead. But just as they start Granuaile's binding, they are discovered. Atticus has many who wish him dead, including a few different gods and the dark elves.

This is my favorite Iron Druid Chronicle so far. What I really enjoyed...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Angela rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, read-in-2012, reviewed-for-fiction-vixen

* ARC provided by Netgalley
Review originally posted at http://fictionvixen.com/review-trappe...

As both a lover of urban fantasy and a cover whore, yes I will admit that sometimes I buy a book just because it has a pretty cover, I initially started reading Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid series because of the combination of interesting blurb and cute redhead. See this man <— , this man is a cutie pie. I’m not normally into the curly-haired, redheaded look, but I will make an exception for him. Afte...more

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Dec 01, 2012 Liz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: para-norm

Trapped had a whole lot of nonstop action which is par for the course in an Iron Druid novel, but *whew* would it have killed Hearne to give us a bit more of Granuaile/Atticus/Oberon without the myriad of bloodthirsty gods chasing after them? I also feel like every novel is an attempt to pack AS MUCH legend and lore into it's pages as possible..I think at this point I should get course credit in Norse/Greek/Roman mythology! Pace yourself, man!

Still at least Atticus has achieved his goal, Gaia ha...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Lindie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This might be less of a coherent review, and more fangirl flailing. Be warned.

Atticus O’Sullivan is the last the last surviving druid. At least, for the time being. He is also completely irreverent and doesn’t know when to shut up. He backchats gods and goddesses left and right, and has only lived as long as he has (2000 years!) due to an agreement with The Morrigan, and generous imbibing of his specially brewed immortalityTEA.

As with all the Iron Druid books, Atticus’ best laid plans go awry. W...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Kristina added it

Review Courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

The Iron Druid Chronicles has been one of the wittiest and clever series to break into the urban fantasy landscape over the past year. The prolific Hearne has released five titles in this series since 2011, helping to keep rabid fans satiated. In TRAPPED, however, he does more than deliver another hilariously smart tale, he lets twelve years pass between TRICKED and TRAPPED.

When a series is as fun as this one, skipping even one year is painful, so I was...more Review Courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

The Iron Druid Chronicles has been one of the wittiest and clever series to break into the urban fantasy landscape over the past year. The prolific Hearne has released five titles in this series since 2011, helping to keep rabid fans satiated. In TRAPPED, however, he does more than deliver another hilariously smart tale, he lets twelve years pass between TRICKED and TRAPPED.

When a series is as fun as this one, skipping even one year is painful, so I was a little miffed at the twelve year time jump in TRAPPED as we missed all of Granuaile’s training, but the thrilling and hilarious journey involved just to get her bound to the earth went a long way towards making up for the missed years. It was nice to see Granuaile be able to fight and defend herself better, and I enjoyed seeing her relationship with Atticus finally move forward past the apprentice/master role…It also helped that Atticus was forced to pull out every trick in his considerable arsenal to stop the numerous attempts on his life since everyone from gods to vampires are after him. One of my favorite out of many exciting fight sequences involved killer clowns in a most unusual setting.

Oberon is once again incredibly sassy and funny. So many of the hilarious comments came from his ramblings, pop culture references, and running commentary on the plot. Another aspect of this book and series that I love is the details we learn about Ragnarok, Greek and Roman Olympians, and the Faerie realm. The mixing of mythologies is awesome here and the glossary that is included helps keep the confusion with so many unfamiliar names to a minimum.

The twelve year jump does sting, as I hate to miss a minute with this series (I need to pick up TWO RAVENS AND ONE CROW, the novella that takes place during the twelve year gap), but TRAPPED is jam packed with petty, cruel gods, and a tough as iron Druid who can more than handle anything they throw at him. Hopefully HUNTED, the sixth and projected final book in the Iron Druid Chronicles, will pick up right after TRAPPED when it comes out in 2013.(less)

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Apr 13, 2013 Jessica Wennberg rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, favorites

Let me start out by saying that I have these books in audio format and to me these are some of the best written books.

From the first book that I got I fell in love with Atticus the Iron Druid. I love how to the point he is and how he normally leaves nothing unsaid.

This book the fifth in the series is just as good as the first and I didnt expect anything less from Kevin Hearne. His writing is something that I wish to achieve. The way he writes and makes everything flow and seemless absolutely dra...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Byron rated it 4 of 5 stars

Trapped is the fifth book in Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid series. I almost gave this book 3 stars because while I enjoyed it, I didn't really find anything new. Readers, at this point, will be familiar with the main characters, their personalities and their motivations. Trapped continues the story arch but fails to develop the characters. Relationships change but I found these changes predictable. My worry is that Hearne will make this series formulaic. Atticus must deal with villains that he anger...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Four Stars: Still an outstanding series but this book takes on a bit too much!

After twelve years of hiding and training while pretending to be dead, Atticus is about to present Granuaile to Gaia for binding. She will be the first new Druid in over a thousand years. Of course, after almost a decade of peace, one can only expect a whole passel of trouble to erupt once the world learns that Atticus is alive. Karma payback can be a bit nasty, and unfortunately for Atticus, he has made plenty of enem...more

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Mar 12, 2013 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

For some reason this one just didn't click with me until about halfway through. I think that the casual way that Atticus treats the gods of his pantheon grated on me a bit this time. Sure, Hearne is trying to make a point that they're not omniscient & they have the same foibles & failings as real humans...but they're also supposed to be pretty powerful. Atticus spent nearly a thousand or more years hiding from ONE god who wanted to kill him & now he's casually pissing off gods left &...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Stacy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'd give this one another 3.5. To some extent, it kinda feels like nothing really happened. I mean yes, obviously stuff happened, but this felt more like a series of small set-up skirmishes rather than a standalone campaign as we got in the other books. That said, I am glad that this one takes up at the end of Granuaile's apprenticeship, rather than dragging it out forever. Since that's a jump of twelve years, that's certainly more of a peaceful span than most characters get. I can't help but ex...more I'd give this one another 3.5. To some extent, it kinda feels like nothing really happened. I mean yes, obviously stuff happened, but this felt more like a series of small set-up skirmishes rather than a standalone campaign as we got in the other books. That said, I am glad that this one takes up at the end of Granuaile's apprenticeship, rather than dragging it out forever. Since that's a jump of twelve years, that's certainly more of a peaceful span than most characters get. I can't help but express a few minor annoyances, however:

- I've had to face this before with other authors, and I'm still torn over my stance on major events happening in novellas. On the one hand, I knew it was there and chose not to read it first, because it wasn't immediately accessible and this book was. On the other, I still strongly feel that major, plot changing events shouldn't take place outside of the main books. My first thought when Loki showed was, "Why not pitch Odin's spear at him?" Then a page later, I discover he returned the spear six years ago and I thought, "Oh, I bet that's the short story." Those events of six years before are then referred to again a minimum of four times, and I got more aggravated each time.

- I'd like to feel Atticus and Granuaile's emotional connection, rather than just being told about it. I'm not questioning that it's there, after twelve years together, and I'm not saying that I need full blown intimate details. I'm just saying it would be nice to actually experience it emotionally rather than just logically, and I don't feel I've been given that. I know it's possible in this type of series...I achingly feel Dresden and Murphy's yearning to be together even when they know they can't. I'm just sorry that this series hasn't been able to give me that deep connection with the characters and has instead left me feeling like I'm watching from the outside. I think the most involved I ever felt was when Oberon was hurt in the last book. So, if I can feel the man-dog love, why can't I feel the man-woman love?(less)

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Feb 20, 2013 Jenn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, gods

Okay, before I start talking about the book, which can be summarized as AMAZEBALLS or SIX KINDS OF AWESOME, I need to send a little love to the talented Gene Mollica, the photo-illustrator who has brilliantly and gorgeously captured Atticus on the covers for the series -- and now Granuaile as well. (He's also done work for authors like Patricia Briggs, C. E. Murphy, Thomas E. Sniegoski, Molly Harper, J. N. Duncan, and L. A. Banks, to name a few, and you can see these, and more, over on his websi...more Okay, before I start talking about the book, which can be summarized as AMAZEBALLS or SIX KINDS OF AWESOME, I need to send a little love to the talented Gene Mollica, the photo-illustrator who has brilliantly and gorgeously captured Atticus on the covers for the series -- and now Granuaile as well. (He's also done work for authors like Patricia Briggs, C. E. Murphy, Thomas E. Sniegoski, Molly Harper, J. N. Duncan, and L. A. Banks, to name a few, and you can see these, and more, over on his website.) Covers like these are why I'm so reluctant to switch over to only e-books (plus the whole licensing vs. owning thing). I love seeing this books on my shelves!! The cover for TRAPPED is by far the elaborate in the series and I'm just so thrilled to see Granuaile portrayed -- and much as I've pictured her in my mind.

Now that I've gotten my artist fangirl squeeing out of the way, brace yourself for some author-related squee. No cover, no matter how gorgeous, is enough to keep me hooked on a series unless the words thrill me, and Kevin Hearne really knows how to deliver the thrill. TRAPPED is one of those books that you'll start, get sucked into, and then wonder where the past three hours of your life went when you finally finish off the epilogue. The author writes engrossing stories filled with ever escalating action, humour, and world building and it takes a stronger person than I am to put one of his books down before the end. And TRAPPED is even more of a mind trap (ha ha!) than the previous Iron Druid Chronicles -- Del Rey really ought to put a warning sticker on the cover!

So why was this book so great? It's a bold step in the right direction for the series. One of the big risks? A twelve-year time jump. Time jumps are dangerous in any series (regardless of medium) and some are better executed than others. I was a little nervous when I first heard that Kevin Hearne was doing this but it ended up giving the series a nice kick that made the book exceptionally exciting. Granuaile has completed her training and she just needs to be bound to the earth to become a full-fledged Druid, which really opens up her role in the series. She's obviously not as experienced as Atticus but she's now better equipped to hold her own against the legion of folks who are trying to track them down. And she does it with flair. As much as I would have liked to see her throughout her training, the Granuaile we get in TRAPPED rocks my socks. And, for the shippers out there, we do get to see Granuaile and Atticus tackle their attraction and feelings for one another (but I'm not going to tell you what happens because that's no fun).

There are other familiar faces who appear in TRAPPED, since most of Atticus' acquaintances, allies, and enemies are long-lived, if not immortal. I'm not going to spoil it for you by saying who but we do see a lot of key characters from previous chapters of the series, some of whom appear in the most unexpected of ways. I love that Kevin Hearne keeps bringing surprises to the table while dealing with the ramifications of all of Atticus' previous actions, which is really the heart of TRAPPED.

Fans of the one and only Mr. Hearne are sure to be thrilled with TRAPPED as it contains all of the wit, action, and pizzazz of previous novels, and more. Oberon continues to be one of the best animal sidekicks in the genre and you'll be on the edge of your seat waiting to see how Atticus will extricate himself from the situation that's built up around him. If you haven't preordered your copy, you best run to the bookstore or click on the links above so that you can see all this for yourself.

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Feb 04, 2013 Adam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Okay, so I'll make this one short and sweet. You don't read a Keven Hearne book like this for the riveting, suspenseful in-depth plot. You'd read it for the witty, tongue-and-cheek banter and whimsical quips that are being thrown back and forth between the main characters in play. In this case, those characters - Adacus, Oberon and Gronuale - are not brought to life and lavishly rendered with subtle dialogue and nuances. They are brought to life and made believable through the one-liners and sat...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

Jumping 12 years forward from the end of the previous novel (though apparently 6 years from a novella I will need to track down), this installment of the Iron Druid finds Atticus ready to tattoo his apprentice. But, being him, all is not well in the supernatural world, with various pantheons eager for his death, and looming issues with both vampires and the dark elves

Things I liked about this book:
- Narration. As usual, I will put up with a lot of insanity for good banter.

Things I did not like a...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Sam rated it 5 of 5 stars

So first off Trapped is amazing. Actually let me rephrase, the entire Iron Druid series is amazing, but Trapped is especially awesome.

The first thing I have to say about Trapped is how impressed I was with Kevin Hearne’s decision to jump ahead the 12 year training period for Granuaile, and instead address bits and pieces of this period in novellas that he can release at his leisure, such as he did in Two Ravens and One Crow. Not only does this jump in time move the story forward to much more exc...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Bookmom rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have very mixed feelings about this 5th book in the Iron Druids series.

It’s now 12 years later and Granuaile has completed her training. She still needs to be bound to the Earth before she can do any shifting, be able to mind speak with Oberon and perform different types of magic. The process requires 3 months of being tattooed and a quiet, safe place to do it that has an elemental willing to help. The problem is that Atticus has a lot of enemies that have recently learned he is still alive an...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Daniel Shellenbarger rated it 3 of 5 stars

On the plus side, plenty of the great Oberon-Atticus dialogue that makes these books such a riot and after being a sometimes slightly-more-than-secondary character for four books, druid-apprentice Granuaile gets elevated to regular character. On the other hand, this book is all over the place, it feels like Mr. Hearne could never settle down to what exactly he wanted to focus on in this story. This isn't exactly unusual for him, in that previous books have juggled between numerous unrelated emer...more On the plus side, plenty of the great Oberon-Atticus dialogue that makes these books such a riot and after being a sometimes slightly-more-than-secondary character for four books, druid-apprentice Granuaile gets elevated to regular character. On the other hand, this book is all over the place, it feels like Mr. Hearne could never settle down to what exactly he wanted to focus on in this story. This isn't exactly unusual for him, in that previous books have juggled between numerous unrelated emergencies and looming apocalypses, but this time it just doesn't seem to be balanced very well. The main story, ostensibly, is finishing Granuaile's training and getting her fully druidized, but at the same time, Atticus is dealing with the unwanted attentions of Loki, Dark Elves, Vampires, Bacchus (and company), and one (or more) of the Tuatha. The book jumps from one confrontation to the next and doesn't get down to fleshing out the whys and wherefores, either relying on previous books' events, assigning shockingly over-simplistic motives to the antagonists, or simply glossing over what's going on. I wouldn't mind this so much if it wasn't for the fact that there's just so much of it and almost none of it gets resolved (unlike previous books which were fairly self-contained). Worse than this surfeit of confusion and villainy is the abrupt side-trip to Hel to fight Fenris near the end of the book. I don't know if this was meant to be a way of showing off Granuaile's prowess as a druid or if it was just meant to tie off a plot loose-end, but it happens so fast and concludes with such surprising efficiency that it seems out of place, like an entire book was put through a juicer and the remains were melted down and forged into a 50 page sequence. Ultimately, this is obviously just the first part of a story arc and as its own book it just doesn't stand on its own like the previous Iron Druid books. Still, if you enjoyed those, it's worth reading for Oberon's snarky comments alone.(less)

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Dec 17, 2012 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, sci-fi-fantasy

I continue to enjoy Kevin Hearne's books, and am immensely curious about the next one. At the same time, reading this just after the most recent Dresden files book, and after the election, made me realize what I missed in this book that was present in the first one. Many action-oriented books put the protagonist in the path of One Damn Thing After Another (ODTAA), but there's a trick to doing it well. Politicians know this trick, and use it in debates: answer the question that you want to answer...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Aurian Booklover rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow, where to start with this review? From the first page, this book is packed full of action, and I loved every page of it. After twelve years of training, Granuaile is ready to become a Druid. And for that, Atticus will need to bound her to the Earth, to Gaia. He will have to use living thorns to make her magical tattoos, and that will take about three months start to finish. But when that is finished, Granuaile will be able to use magic, to heal herself, to talk with Oberon, shifting plains a...more Wow, where to start with this review? From the first page, this book is packed full of action, and I loved every page of it. After twelve years of training, Granuaile is ready to become a Druid. And for that, Atticus will need to bound her to the Earth, to Gaia. He will have to use living thorns to make her magical tattoos, and that will take about three months start to finish. But when that is finished, Granuaile will be able to use magic, to heal herself, to talk with Oberon, shifting plains and all kinds of Druid magic. She has worked hard for it and is totally ready. But the gods have other plans.
Loki has escaped his prison, and has destroyed the realm of Perun, a god of Thunder we met before. Loki wanted to kill Thor himself, and how he has sworn revenge on the party that was responsible. Is Ragnarok finally coming? Even when so many participants are truly dead?

Then Brighid, the Queen of the Tuathe Dé Danann in Tír Na nÓg summons Atticus. She wants to know why he faked his own death and did not tell her. And tells him the Roman god Bacchus is looking for him. But Atticus doesn’t want her or the other Fae to tell Bacchus where he is, as Bacchus has sworn to kill him. And as Olympian Gods are truly immortal, Atticus has no reason to enter into a fight he cannot win.
They leave Perun in Tír Na nÓg, as he and Flidais have taken an instant liking to each other, and after visiting with Manannan Mac Lir for a while, Atticus and Granuaile leave for Olympus, the only place left they can reach by shifting plains in Europe, to start the binding rituals. Unfortunately, they are being hunted and have to stop to save themselves, or to help others. Like the Norse gods, who want Atticus to come and help with fighting Loki and his daughter Hel, but Atticus wants to finish Granuaile’ binding first, she is still mostly human and vulnerable at the moment.

Enemies galore, from vampires to the Dark Elves of legend, but luckily Granuaile has become a kick ass fighter during her years of training, and is able to save Atticus.

As said, another book chockfull of action, of mythology of all worlds, and humor. I so loved Oberon, Atticus’ hound and their interaction. It was fun and fascinating to read about the binding of Granuaile to the earth as well, and of course all great gifts come at a price.

I just have one advice for you: go read this series if you haven’t started it yet, and please do read it in order!

9 stars

Full review on my blog, www.boeklogboek.blogspot.com
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Dec 04, 2012 Nick Brett rated it 3 of 5 stars

Twelve years on from the previous book, Iron Druid Atticus is ready to bind his apprentice to the Earth and create a new druid. While he has been training Granuaile everyone has considered him dead, but now his secret is out and everyone is after him, from Roman Gods to vampires and Dark Elves. Can he find the time to bind his apprentice? At when will he go on the offensive?
These books are great fun, well researched and clever in the approach and humour, but this was probably the weakest of the...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Burgoo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

Trapped is the fifth book of Hearne’s Iron Druid series. Twelve years have passed since the events of Tricked. Atticus is close to completing the training and initiation of Granuaile when their plans are interrupted by debts and vendettas. I won’t go into specifics in order to avoid spoilers, but they travel to various gods’ realms and have to overcome a wide variety of enemies.

If you’ve been keeping up with the series, you’ll find all your favorite elements here: a fast moving plot, with plenty...more

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“When in doubt, blame the dark elves.” — 17 people liked it

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Trapped (The Iron Druid Chronicles #5)

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