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12th out of 15 books
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The Hob's Bargain
Her gift of sight has shown her visions of mayhem and murder. So, to save her village from ruthless raiders, Aren of Fallbrook strikes a bargain with the magical Hob, who will exact a heavy price to defend the village a price Aren herself must pay.
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
March 1st 2001
by Ace
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This was a lovely book. Although short, it was a full meal, rich with humor, magic, the struggle between good and evil, and a nice little romance.
Aren was a great heroine. You see her go from meek and frightened to powerful and independent in her own right. Ms. Briggs excels at writing loveable characters who I care about, cheering along as they grow, and as they fight the good fight. She did a great job of showing Aren come into knowledge of her gifts, and I admired her ability t...more
Aren was a great heroine. You see her go from meek and frightened to powerful and independent in her own right. Ms. Briggs excels at writing loveable characters who I care about, cheering along as they grow, and as they fight the good fight. She did a great job of showing Aren come into knowledge of her gifts, and I admired her ability t...more
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An unexceptional little standalone fantasy story. Briggs is a good writer, but this is just not the kind of story I enjoy, particularly since it includes lots of fey-like creatures.
I couldn't put it down! Loved the new creatures I've never encountered in a fantasy novel before. The main characters were well done, easy to relate to, and the entire plot was well done without very many predictable items. I really liked how the perspective could suddenly shift to another character through the telling. Just the right bit of emotion and humor thrown in with the fantasy action and drama.
In Aren's country you've got two choices if you have magical abilities: Either you become a blood mage - evil and mad sorcerers that draw on pain and misery - or you're used as fodder and die hideously. If you're a woman, the choice is made for you. That's why Aren guards the secret of her unreliable magical sight closely and lives as unobtrusively as possible.
When a fight between blood mages wipes out whole provinces and destroys any semblance of order, the once dormant supernatura...more
When a fight between blood mages wipes out whole provinces and destroys any semblance of order, the once dormant supernatura...more
I spent the vast majority of this book being displeased. Because... well, it's just really predictable. It's clear that Briggs was a very, very young writer when she wrote this, because her breadcrumbs are the size of sandwiches and her storytelling is clunky. But, despite all that, I was still interested in seeing the thing through. And boy, am I ever glad I did. Because the last eighth of the book totally made up for the rest.
The ending was fast paced and unpredictable in a ...more
The ending was fast paced and unpredictable in a ...more
Samantha
rated it
Contrary to what I've heard and what the back cover says at the top of this book, I didn't find this story all that much beauty and the beast. Yes, the love interest is "different" looking while Aren is a pretty female but other than that it lacked the other elements to make me consider this a beauty and the beast story.
But that didn't lower my enjoyment of this book at all. In fact, I rather adored this book. The world Briggs built is amazing and left me wanting to know more...more
But that didn't lower my enjoyment of this book at all. In fact, I rather adored this book. The world Briggs built is amazing and left me wanting to know more...more
I bought this ebook just before Christmas and I was going to read it over Christmas, but I forgot about it. This past weekend was sick, so I finished reading this book.
I have read some of the Mercy Thomson series, but this is my first fantasy book by Patricia Briggs. I have to say I really enjoyed this book. Even though this book is not very long, it was full of good story telling, magic, and some humour.
Aren is a great female protagonist, I really liked her. I like...more
I have read some of the Mercy Thomson series, but this is my first fantasy book by Patricia Briggs. I have to say I really enjoyed this book. Even though this book is not very long, it was full of good story telling, magic, and some humour.
Aren is a great female protagonist, I really liked her. I like...more
One of my favorite books by Patricia Briggs, and indeed, one of my favorite books, period. Here is a brief synopsis of the story.
Aren of Fallbrook, recently married, loses her husband to raiders--just before she 'sees' bits of what might happen--too late to help. The raiders are a huge problem for her small village--but the bloodmages are also a big danger, as they take away likely children as their apprentices--who, like the bloodmages, gradually sink into madness caused by t...more
Aren of Fallbrook, recently married, loses her husband to raiders--just before she 'sees' bits of what might happen--too late to help. The raiders are a huge problem for her small village--but the bloodmages are also a big danger, as they take away likely children as their apprentices--who, like the bloodmages, gradually sink into madness caused by t...more
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 ...more
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This was a pretty easy read, but no where near as suspenseful, grabbing, and interesting as Brigg's other books. Sadly, it was pretty disappointing, but them again it is also one of her earlier works.
I found the characters to be drab, their relationships rushed, and the way to much time devoted to descriptions of the lands, which I know is important in fantasy books but was still overdone.
I found the characters to be drab, their relationships rushed, and the way to much time devoted to descriptions of the lands, which I know is important in fantasy books but was still overdone.
What it's about...
This is a stand alone book and true fantasy, not the urban fantasy that Briggs has taught me to appreciate with her Mercy Thompson series, and the Alpha and Omega series (both of which I gobbled up). I wanted to read an earlier work of Briggs' and this one did not disappoint me. A great tale filled with magic, suspense, romance and the lovely unfolding of the plot which Briggs does so well.
YA: Is it suitable for young readers:
There was violence and de...more
This is a stand alone book and true fantasy, not the urban fantasy that Briggs has taught me to appreciate with her Mercy Thompson series, and the Alpha and Omega series (both of which I gobbled up). I wanted to read an earlier work of Briggs' and this one did not disappoint me. A great tale filled with magic, suspense, romance and the lovely unfolding of the plot which Briggs does so well.
YA: Is it suitable for young readers:
There was violence and de...more
Genre: Fantasy
I thought the basic concept of this world was interesting: long in the past humans and magic creatures were at war. Humanity was loosing so they took a drastic action – they cast a spell binding all the magic in the land, which means that people only have minor magical gifts. The only people who can do big magic are the blood mages who gain power by torturing people. People with minor magic gifts are a prosecuted group – the rule of the land is become a blood-mage or di...more
I thought the basic concept of this world was interesting: long in the past humans and magic creatures were at war. Humanity was loosing so they took a drastic action – they cast a spell binding all the magic in the land, which means that people only have minor magical gifts. The only people who can do big magic are the blood mages who gain power by torturing people. People with minor magic gifts are a prosecuted group – the rule of the land is become a blood-mage or di...more
One of my book buddies got me to read this book. It was in a stack of books that she let me borrow. It was the last book I read in the group; admittedly I was a little scared to read it and almost didn't. Why? Looked to Sci-Fi for me -too other for my reading tastes. Boy was I wrong!!! When I finished the book, I went looking to see if there was a second...I'm still shocked there is not a second book. There was closure at the end of the book, but it still left it open. I could hardly put this bo...more
A good read if quite short. It only took me a couple hours to finish this sucker off.
A change from Brigg's usual urban fantasy, this takes place in the medieval era. It is fast paced and about a villages attempt to survive the return of magic and brigands. The village has been brainwashed into fearing and hating magic, and so they hate the main character, but the same main character's magical Sight is all that is saving them. The village is dying and only a returned Magical creature c...more
A change from Brigg's usual urban fantasy, this takes place in the medieval era. It is fast paced and about a villages attempt to survive the return of magic and brigands. The village has been brainwashed into fearing and hating magic, and so they hate the main character, but the same main character's magical Sight is all that is saving them. The village is dying and only a returned Magical creature c...more
Feels like an early work of the author because it's a rather traditional fantasy and doesn't explore as much as her newer books are doing. It's still fun and well written but nothing in the story to make it stand out particularly from the crowd of other books about young women facing trouble in the world and finding strength/magic inside themselves they didn't know existed. I'm loving Patricia Briggs lately, and while this is a solid book, it isn't my favorite of hers (Blood Bound currently hold...more
This is almost a 4 for me...so 3.75 if we are being specific. :-) I like when P.B writes series because she can take us deeper into her worlds because her characters are so well developed. This book; however, is a stand alone. It is a fun and creative read. I gave this a 3.75 because I felt like some of her characters were 2D in stead of developed into 3D characters. That being said- I enjoyed this book, and appreciate her well thought out worlds with logical rules and regulations. If you l...more
It's surprising that this is the same author that wrote the Moon Called Series (the one with the racey covers). This book is well-written, though a little confusing at the beginning. It's not high fantasy, but pretty close. The main character, Aren, is a bloodmage. She struggles against her powers, because she knows that to embrace them means madness. But when her village is threatened by raiders and other wildlings that have awaken, she makes a bargain with the powerful Hob. Hob looks lik...more
My second reading of this book. I enjoyed it as much as I did the first time. This is a stand alone fantasy. So if you need a little fantasy fix and don't want to get into something epic this is a great read. One of the things that I appreciate about this story is that it is not, in fact, epic. I get tired of every character being the "one" destined to "save the world." I like to read small stories about not so important people. This one has a little romance in it. The...more
I absolutely love Briggs' Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega books, but those are all Urban Fantasy, so I decided to give one of her Fantasy novels a try.
The Hob's Bargain is very different from Briggs' UF books, but I totally fell in love with it.
Aren is a wonderful and strong heroine. She is shunned by most people in her village because of her magical gift and some even would want to see her dead. Still she doesn't feel hate and isn't looking for revenge. Instead she us...more
The Hob's Bargain is very different from Briggs' UF books, but I totally fell in love with it.
Aren is a wonderful and strong heroine. She is shunned by most people in her village because of her magical gift and some even would want to see her dead. Still she doesn't feel hate and isn't looking for revenge. Instead she us...more
Anita
rated it
For the first chapter of this book, I wasn't sure I was going to finish it because of the brutal, heartbreaking violence. I am very glad I continued. By the middle of this book, I could not put it down. It's a stand alone novel, and makes sense that way, which leaves me feeling bitter-sweet. I really enjoyed the hob character and would have loved to see more of him. The heroine, a witch, was very well developed. I loved her conscious. She struggled to make the right decisions in an enlightening ...more
Unfulfilled Fantasy Potential
Aren has been married to Daryn all of one day when raiders appear, killing her entire family. She feels guilty, knowing she had the sight, and might have been able to save them had she not been so busy hiding her ability from those that would kill her. Now, she must find a way to get rid of the raiders and the magical creatures that have suddenly appeared.
I adore Patricia Briggs. The first book of hers I read, “Steal the Dragon”, completely...more
Aren has been married to Daryn all of one day when raiders appear, killing her entire family. She feels guilty, knowing she had the sight, and might have been able to save them had she not been so busy hiding her ability from those that would kill her. Now, she must find a way to get rid of the raiders and the magical creatures that have suddenly appeared.
I adore Patricia Briggs. The first book of hers I read, “Steal the Dragon”, completely...more
Aren is lives in a world where those with magic are given a choice: either they can agree to become a bloodmage, a dark magician, or they can die. As a result, Aren keeps her gift of the sight a secret from even those closest to her. Then her village is attacked by raiders, leaving her husband and family murdered. When old magic is released upon the land, Aren will have to step up and make her abilities known. To help bring her village back together, she strikes a deal with the mysterious Hob, b...more
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 ...more
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 ...more
Hob’s Bargain is a great story. Aren, the main character – grows a lot throughout the book starting out a a scared girl that was unwilling to accept herself and her magic. However, she learns to accept herself and the powers she has and makes a new friend along the way. Some of my favorite scenes in the book were when Aren and Caefawn spent time in their lessons. I wish there was more time devoted to her time spent with Caefawn but I understand it’s hard to include EVERYTHING in one book.
...more
Magic in Aren’s world is generally mistrusted. It doesn’t help that the bloodmages go a little crazy in the process of using their magic, nor that they take gifted children from among the population to train in their questionable practices. Many years ago the bloodmages bound the land’s natural magics to control it, because they and the rulers feared it; what good is it to have a populace with as much magic as those in charge? But in the process they banished all magical creatures—ghosts, goblin...more
This is one of Patricia Brigg's earlier works (I think her 4th book possibly), and it is stand alone. It centers around a woman - Aren, with slight magepowers - the power of Sight specifically. In her world, women with such power are killed and men with it are forced to choose between becoming a bloodmage (an evil, much feared mage) or death. When her brother's power was discovered, he choose death while Aren continued to hide her ability. One day she has a vision but again suppresses it at a ve...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Stand-alone fantasy novel featuring a young woman, Aren of Fallbrook, who hides in a crawl space under her home as her husband of one night and her entire family are killed by roving bandits. She is besieged with guilt as she had a vision of something horrible but didn't say anything to warn them--she has magic that has long been kept secret and not many in their small village know about it.
Now it seems magic is awakening again and Aren's visions become stronger and more frequent--a...more
Now it seems magic is awakening again and Aren's visions become stronger and more frequent--a...more
Cute and engaging, but storyline-wise not too original-- I think I've read this protagonist and this character development in about a hundred other books. The Hob was a fun male lead, though, and definitely out of the ordinary. This is one of Briggs' earliest fantasy novels, and it's great to see how much her style has evolved since it was published. Definitely worth a read if you're into the magical-girl-gains-confidence-in-self/unlikely-couple-vanquish-evil-and-find-lurve genre of fantasy.
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Patricia Briggs was born in Butte, Montana to a children’s librarian who passed on to her kids a love of reading and books. Patricia grew up reading fairy tales and books about horses, and later developed an interest in folklore and history. When she decided to write a book of her own, a fantasy book...more
More about Patricia Briggs...
Patricia Briggs was born in Butte, Montana to a children’s librarian who passed on to her kids a love of reading and books. Patricia grew up reading fairy tales and books about horses, and later developed an interest in folklore and history. When she decided to write a book of her own, a fantasy book...more
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“It is hard to accept being different, hard to have people avoid looking at you, and still believe in yourself.”
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86 people liked it
“Women are sneaky.”
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66 people liked it
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