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Hellhound Kaylie Austen 9781939865304 Books

Download As PDF : Hellhound Kaylie Austen 9781939865304 Books

Hellhound Kaylie Austen 9781939865304 Books

HellHound

This is the story of Selene a girl born into the higher ranks of her society and from birth expected to rise to be part of the ruling body. Selene however wants more and is attracted to a man who can show her life outside of her protected world. Just as Selene is settling into her new role an unexpected tragedy strikes and changes everything she thinks she knows and affects everyone she loves.

I enjoyed this story, you get settled into the fantasy world without to much preamble, whilst it is mainly a fantasy novel it has a strong element of a murder mystery to it that did keep me guessing. Selene is quite likable although you would initially think her to be a bit clueless she ends up being very resourceful and quite ruthless when needed. This book is written to be suitable for young adults however from time to time I found I had trouble keeping track of who was who especially when it came to the transference of powers after death so I'm not sure how a younger person would find it.

Overall I would give this 4 out of 5 stars

Petra
juliesbookreview.blogspot.com


Tags : Hellhound [Kaylie Austen] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Selene is the Hellhound, a powerful and ruthless descendent of the Greek gods. She is bound by tradition and tied by bloodlines to lead her people against the mortals. Although she is arranged to marry Nathanial,Kaylie Austen,Hellhound,World Castle Publishing,1939865301,Fantasy fiction,Love stories,FICTION Fantasy Paranormal,Fantasy - Paranormal,Fiction - Fantasy,Literary

Hellhound Kaylie Austen 9781939865304 Books Reviews

HELLHOUND is the first storyline in Kaylie Austen's new series focusing on the fantasy world of the Mythian. There are shapeshifters, Hellhound, Black Angel and a cerebral chamber where the truth, as seen by the mind's eye, can always be revealed. The political infighting is rife with deceit, betrayal, nepotism and the Council of Elders whose need to rule by power and intimidation are pushing the lower classes towards an uprising of epic proportions.

The world building is intense-so intense that I will try to explain the sociological description and implications.

The story is awash in a hierarchal political system, almost caste like (and Marxist) in structure where those beneath you are considered unworthy or minions. Minions is a term that is used quite frequently (throughout the novel) by those who consider themselves above reproach and in control. The entire societal structure of the Mythian culture reeks of ethnocentrism (whereby one judges all others based on the culture and belief system of one's own) and in this, the Mythian society believes themselves to be better and more powerful than other species, societies and humans.

There is a definitive sociological and power elite premise at work within the story. The class structure is very Marxist and the relationship between the power elite and the lower class workers is definitely a study in class, status and power. There are arranged marriages and a hierarchy of inherited families (castes), class conflict, inequality, division of labor and of course, because of the powerful ruling elite-a revolt on the horizon.

The caste-like society within HELLHOUND is similar to many South Asian cultures and belief systems. The story is a study in discrimination, prejudice and stereotyping of anyone considered not within the same class. Classes are segregated in domiciles and work levels where the physical distance between the groups is to ensure there is no unnecessary contact or interaction. There were also issues of sex and gender. Selene was either objectified as a female of worth and power, or she was considered second class because of her gender and age. And the women within one particular class were considered nothing more than whores or to be objectified as a vessel for sex.

But I digress. Hellhound is a story about Selene-a young woman who is expected to ascribe (by bloodlines) to the position of ruling royalty of which she wants no part. She is also a woman who is expected to marry into an equally powerful family and bring forth an heir to continue the royal bloodline. Two powerful bloodlines insures the continuation of their supernatural powers and position within society, culture and the Council of Elders. But falling in love with Demetrius-a tracker and a man beneath Selene's status- is enough to send the power families to war against one another. All too soon Demetrius is accused of killing Selene's father and her future husband (arranged by the ruling families), and the memories of others could never be wrong. Selene is ordered to hunt for her elusive lover but in doing so she knows, to extract the truth will mean death to Demetrius-one way or another.

The writing is simple. There is no sex (implied only), no graphic or vulgar language but there is some violence and death. Because of the `cerebral chamber' there are many flashbacks from retrieved memories. But I had a few issues of cohesion. Perhaps it was a problem with editing but the story (in several spots) seemed to jump into another scene without a break or build up.

HELLHOUND is an interesting storyline of murder and mystery; of friendship and love. But the relationship aspect of the story was lacking. Because the author chose not to delve into the romance/sex and love issues, the love story fell flat. I did not feel the connection between Selene and Demetrius. I do not need implicit sex scenes to grasp the love between two people, but there was very little to assure me that Demetrius and Selene were truly in love or had ever been intimate and close.

HELLHOUND is also a study in class distinctions, social structure, power and control. I am not sure if many readers will see the same sociological problems as did I, but the story is a definite study in social relations and class and, the struggle of the working class to gain a foothold in society.

see all of my reviews at thereadingcafe(dot)com
Brought to you by guest reviewer Marie-Reine

*Beware of possible spoilers*

Selene is a powerful descendant of the Greek gods. Along with her kind, she lives in a protected and cloaked mansion, watched over and protected by shape-shifting sentinels and a Council of Elders. Due to her illustrious heritage, she is destined to marry another of her rank, Nathaniel. But Selene rebels against the fate that is pushed upon her by her parents and the ruling Council. Instead, she falls in love for a rough and dark tracker, Demetrius, a man below her in rank. But her love turns to hatred when she finds the bloody corpses of her intended, Nathaniel and her father with all the evidence pointing to her dark lover, Demetrius. She is sent forth to destroy the man she loves, the one who taught her everything about tracking criminals. Selene must try to find out the truth despite being surrounded by a scheming Council and the mysteries of her own powers.

Whereas other fantasy authors seem to be focusing on only certain myths and tropes, this author, Kaylie Austen, takes a less frequented mythology and thrusts it in a modern setting. The Mythians, Selene and her kind, come from the Greek gods of Olympus and have clans spread over many different cities. Some descendants have pure bloodlines, like Selene and her family as well as the Council, but others are less pure and are relegated to work to keep the higher classes safe (much like the sentinels and Demetrius). Their powers, however, are not clearly defined which can lead to some confusion. For example, Selene and the other Mythians have fangs which appear when their powers are called forth. And yet, no explanation for this is given. These fangs seem to have no purpose and no real basis in Greek mythology—the Mythians do not feed on blood.

Other inconsistencies pepper this book, weakening the plot and beleaguering the reader. There are frequent grammatical or syntactical errors, presumably missed during the editing process. At times, it also seems that certain plot points are given little attention or even completely skipped over in the narration. This can be confusing since these are important to the main storyline. Austen also switches between a formal tone in her dialogues and in Selene’s narration to more modern speech patterns and colloquialisms. However, this is not done with any consistency or sense of purpose. In the case of Selene, this is especially exasperating since she is the narrator of this story. Rather than making her seem multi-faceted or complex, this flip-flopping leaves her unbalanced and sloppily presented. Furthermore, the overall tone suffers and seems scattered and unfocused.

Though the fantastical universe this book creates is intriguing, it suffers from many technical mistakes and irregularities in the voice of the characters. In turn, this makes it difficult for the reader to be fully invested in the characters or to care about their fate. No sequel has been announced officially, but the ending leaves some things unresolved and hints at a continuing journey for Selene and Demetrius.

This review and more at openbooksociety dot com
HellHound

This is the story of Selene a girl born into the higher ranks of her society and from birth expected to rise to be part of the ruling body. Selene however wants more and is attracted to a man who can show her life outside of her protected world. Just as Selene is settling into her new role an unexpected tragedy strikes and changes everything she thinks she knows and affects everyone she loves.

I enjoyed this story, you get settled into the fantasy world without to much preamble, whilst it is mainly a fantasy novel it has a strong element of a murder mystery to it that did keep me guessing. Selene is quite likable although you would initially think her to be a bit clueless she ends up being very resourceful and quite ruthless when needed. This book is written to be suitable for young adults however from time to time I found I had trouble keeping track of who was who especially when it came to the transference of powers after death so I'm not sure how a younger person would find it.

Overall I would give this 4 out of 5 stars

Petra
juliesbookreview.blogspot.com