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Hellhound Chronicles #1
Black Dog
The first installment in a fabulous dark urban fantasy series—think Kill Bill with demons and gangsters instead of martial arts—from the award-winning author of the Iron Codex trilogy and Vertigo comic Coffin Hill...
Ava has spent the last hundred years as a hellhound, the indentured servant of a reaper who hunts errant souls and sends them to Hell. When a human necromancer convinces her to steal her reaper’s scythe, Ava incurs the wrath of the demon Lilith, her reaper’s boss.
As punishment for her transgression, Lilith orders Ava to track down the last soul in her reaper’s ledger . . . or die trying.
But after a hundred years of servitude, it’s time for payback. And Hell hath no fury like an avenging Ava . .
Ava has spent the last hundred years as a hellhound, the indentured servant of a reaper who hunts errant souls and sends them to Hell. When a human necromancer convinces her to steal her reaper’s scythe, Ava incurs the wrath of the demon Lilith, her reaper’s boss.
As punishment for her transgression, Lilith orders Ava to track down the last soul in her reaper’s ledger . . . or die trying.
But after a hundred years of servitude, it’s time for payback. And Hell hath no fury like an avenging Ava . .
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 28, 2014
63 people are currently reading
1372 people want to read
About the author
Caitlin Kittredge
170 books1,121 followersCaitlin started writing novels at age 13. Her first was a Star Wars tie-in. Fortunately, she branched out from there and after a few years trying to be a screenwriter, a comic book writer and the author of copious amounts of fanfiction, she tried to write a novel again. Her epic dark fantasy (thankfully) never saw the light of day but while she was struggling with elves and sorcerers she got the idea of writing a story about a werewolf who fought crime.
Two years and many, many drafts later, she pitched Night Life to a bevy of agents and one of them, Rachel Vater, sold the series to St. Martin’s.
Caitlin collects comic books, print books, vintage clothes, and bad habits. She loves tea, loud music, the color black (especially mixed with the color pink) and ghost stories. She can drive a stick shift, play the violin and knows more English curses than American ones.
Caitlin lives in Olympia, WA with two pushy cats.
http://us.macmillan.com/bonegods/Cait...
Two years and many, many drafts later, she pitched Night Life to a bevy of agents and one of them, Rachel Vater, sold the series to St. Martin’s.
Caitlin collects comic books, print books, vintage clothes, and bad habits. She loves tea, loud music, the color black (especially mixed with the color pink) and ghost stories. She can drive a stick shift, play the violin and knows more English curses than American ones.
Caitlin lives in Olympia, WA with two pushy cats.
http://us.macmillan.com/bonegods/Cait...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
February 7, 2018
2/7/18 - ON SALE for $3.99:
http://amzn.to/2EpiMNn
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
The first thing I want to say about this book is that my main issue was a matter of personal preference. It's impossible to really like a book when you don't like the heroine, and the heroine . . . I did not like.
Neither am I a huge fan of zombies and voodoo/necromancy or angels as supernatural creatures in urban fantasy (just b/c a book has demons--and weirdly, as much as I typically dislike angels in my UF, I think demons are aces--doesn't mean there will be angels).
This time, however, there were. *shrugs*
BUT if dead things and/or angels are your thing, you might love this book. Moving on . . .
Any Supernatural fans out there?
I'm a few seasons behind, but I think it's pretty great. If you haven't watched SUPERNATURAL, it's about two brothers who hunt/kill/send back to Hell ghosts/monsters/demons. When I checked-out, it had evolved from misc. monster hunting to an approaching Armageddon<------I'm consistent.
BLACK DOG is kind of like SUPERNATURAL from the demon's perspective. If the demon was a hellhound meant to inspire sympathy b/c of her dainty human form and indentured servitude to a big meanie hellspawn.
And that's where things went wrong for me. You see . . . while the slavery aspect of being a hellhound definitely sucks, you cannot become a hellhound without making a deal with the proverbial devil.
Hellhounds aren't the offspring of a group of people who made the deal eons ago and are still paying for their ancestors' mistake. They aren't a strange and new amalgamation, created by the minions of Hell, forced to serve and exist in misery. NOPE. They are NOT. Every, single one of them signs up for the gig. When Ava died, a reaper came to her and offered her a choice.
Ava chose . . . poorly.
"But how did Ava die?" you ask.
Well . . . Ava had a boyfriend who liked to drink when he was feeling sorry for himself, and when he was good and drunk, he'd beat the shit out of her. Poor thing, I know. Except instead of kicking him to the curb, b/c abusive asshole, she started sleeping with his best friend, b/c serves him right.
And that's not all Ava's doing with these guys.
One of Best Friend's ancestors was some kind of voodoo priestess who sacrificed a bunch of children to open a gate to Hell, and the three of them are out in the bayou trying to find where she did it, so that they can call up some ghost to get power (b/c power).
But it all goes sideways for Ava when these two upstanding young men make her the sacrifice.
Huh . . . I guess they left that part out. You can't blame her for being surprised though, b/c the sacrifice was supposed to be a "pure" soul . . .
SO. Ava makes LOTS of bad choices.
She's also supposed to be one tough chick. You can torture her, and she will not flinch. She's used to it. Learned how to swallow the pain years ago. And she will cut you.
One. Tough. Chick.
When she's not on a crying jag:
Or having a panic attack:
Or feeling sorry for herself:
Characters make mistakes. It's inevitable. It's what they do after they make mistakes that counts, and IMO . . . Ava could have handled it better. But that's not the biggest problem for me. *sighs* I can't help it. I just don't like her.
Beyond that, BLACK DOG by Caitlin Kittredge was a pretty good book. The plot was interesting, especially if you're into the whole good vs evil/Heaven and Hell thing, and aside from some lowbrow humor, the writing was excellent. I think a lot of urban fantasy readers will like this book--it really was a case of, "It's not you, it's me."
http://amzn.to/2EpiMNn
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
The first thing I want to say about this book is that my main issue was a matter of personal preference. It's impossible to really like a book when you don't like the heroine, and the heroine . . . I did not like.
Neither am I a huge fan of zombies and voodoo/necromancy or angels as supernatural creatures in urban fantasy (just b/c a book has demons--and weirdly, as much as I typically dislike angels in my UF, I think demons are aces--doesn't mean there will be angels).
This time, however, there were. *shrugs*
BUT if dead things and/or angels are your thing, you might love this book. Moving on . . .
Any Supernatural fans out there?
I'm a few seasons behind, but I think it's pretty great. If you haven't watched SUPERNATURAL, it's about two brothers who hunt/kill/send back to Hell ghosts/monsters/demons. When I checked-out, it had evolved from misc. monster hunting to an approaching Armageddon<------I'm consistent.
BLACK DOG is kind of like SUPERNATURAL from the demon's perspective. If the demon was a hellhound meant to inspire sympathy b/c of her dainty human form and indentured servitude to a big meanie hellspawn.
And that's where things went wrong for me. You see . . . while the slavery aspect of being a hellhound definitely sucks, you cannot become a hellhound without making a deal with the proverbial devil.
Hellhounds aren't the offspring of a group of people who made the deal eons ago and are still paying for their ancestors' mistake. They aren't a strange and new amalgamation, created by the minions of Hell, forced to serve and exist in misery. NOPE. They are NOT. Every, single one of them signs up for the gig. When Ava died, a reaper came to her and offered her a choice.
Ava chose . . . poorly.
"But how did Ava die?" you ask.
Well . . . Ava had a boyfriend who liked to drink when he was feeling sorry for himself, and when he was good and drunk, he'd beat the shit out of her. Poor thing, I know. Except instead of kicking him to the curb, b/c abusive asshole, she started sleeping with his best friend, b/c serves him right.
And that's not all Ava's doing with these guys.
One of Best Friend's ancestors was some kind of voodoo priestess who sacrificed a bunch of children to open a gate to Hell, and the three of them are out in the bayou trying to find where she did it, so that they can call up some ghost to get power (b/c power).
But it all goes sideways for Ava when these two upstanding young men make her the sacrifice.
Huh . . . I guess they left that part out. You can't blame her for being surprised though, b/c the sacrifice was supposed to be a "pure" soul . . .
SO. Ava makes LOTS of bad choices.
She's also supposed to be one tough chick. You can torture her, and she will not flinch. She's used to it. Learned how to swallow the pain years ago. And she will cut you.
One. Tough. Chick.
When she's not on a crying jag:
I slammed the door behind me, threw the bolt, and curled up on the faded bed . . . Pressing the musty feather pillow against my face, I sobbed until I thought my chest would crack open . . . I hadn't realized it until this moment that I was alone, and I'd been stupid to ever think anything else.
Or having a panic attack:
I fell to the ground without realizing it. There was a terrible wheezing sound loud in my ears, and something slamming against my ribs from the inside as the weight got heavier and heavier, choking off my air entirely.
Or feeling sorry for herself:
If there was a level ten stories below ground from pathetic, I was probably there.
Characters make mistakes. It's inevitable. It's what they do after they make mistakes that counts, and IMO . . . Ava could have handled it better. But that's not the biggest problem for me. *sighs* I can't help it. I just don't like her.
Beyond that, BLACK DOG by Caitlin Kittredge was a pretty good book. The plot was interesting, especially if you're into the whole good vs evil/Heaven and Hell thing, and aside from some lowbrow humor, the writing was excellent. I think a lot of urban fantasy readers will like this book--it really was a case of, "It's not you, it's me."
October 21, 2014
Ava is a Hellhound in the service of a reaper, a nasty job with an even worse contract. Essentially she’s the earthbound muscle for demon creeps: reapers can’t spend much time on earth, so they need Hounds to do their dirty work and collect the souls of the damned. Collecting these souls is easiest in her human form, when Ava can use a reaper-consecrated object called a Scythe (doesn’t have to be an actual scythe) that sucks the souls right outta those poor fools. Sometimes though, the hunt goes badly and Ava has to run them down in her hound form, ripping their souls out with her canines.
Hounds are super strong and fast, but they’re not exactly known for being intelligent or independent. Although she hates him, Ava depends on her reaper’s orders to keep her moving. Without them, she has nothing. It’s pretty bleak. Gary, Ava’s reaper boss, is a total and complete asshole who lives to see his Hounds suffer and amass as many souls as possible to pass on to the big kahuna.
But when a job goes wrong and Ava’s faced with an impossible mission – collect the soul of a man who’s evaded capture longer than she’s been alive – she realizes that she is smart and that she can be independent. She’s either going to kill Gary, or go back to Hell.
Of course, every loner-rogue-badass needs a sidekick, which is where Leonid Karpov, mob prince and necromancer, comes in. Ava and Leo do not meet under auspicious circumstances: I feel compelled to tell y’all that he actually has her strapped to a chair while he tortures her for information. And guess what? These two are so messed in the head that they just shrug it off and form an uneasy alliance afterwards. At first I was not having it, but the pragmatism of it all really suited them. Broken people finding each other, and all that.
They drive across America searching for the one that got away – from Gary, that is. If Ava can find Clint Hicks and take his soul, then she can keep Gary off her heels long enough to end him. There’s only one problem with Clint Hicks’ soul…he doesn't have one. Turns out he’s not human either – and he’s got a beef with Gary’s boss. Well you know what they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. So off Ava, Leo, and Clint go to track down the next baddie.
I feel like I can’t overstate how dark this UF is. You know when people describe a UF as gritty but they really just mean it's not fluff? Well Black Dog is friggin’ gritty and well-deserving of that little “dark” raincloud. There’s the aforementioned torture, Ava’s grisly takedowns of various marks, a mob-owned brothel, and voodoo. It’s like a UF rule of thumb that voodoo is always gritty.
Gritty UF doesn’t always work for me, but Kittredge’s dark humour and Ava’s lovable screw-up persona had me loving Black Dog from page one. The first 85% of Black Dog (and I mean exactly, by 86% on my Kobo things were taking a turn for the worse) was really good. Not without flaws, but compelling and tightly written. But then the plot started driving past reasonable and took the exit straight into crazy town.
That big boss of Ava’s, the one who rules over Gary? Turns out that boss lady is Lilith - THE Lilith. And of course, she wants to unleash demon spawn on earth and create total chaos. Because that’s what every incarnation of Lilith does. The bizarre hits come quickly after that. We get a not-so schizophrenic woman who actually does see angels and demons, then jump to a very awkward and unnecessary sex scene followed by a super secret genetic lab in Hell. Major characters die and massive secrets about Ava’s special snowflake status (of course) are revealed in a handful of pages.
Thankfully Kittredge saved the ending in the last three pages (cutting it a bit close there, eh?) and prevented Black Dog from ending on a ridiculous note. Although it wasn’t as good as it should have been, Black Dog is still a solid introduction to a dark UF world that I’ll be coming back to in the future. I’ll happily read the sequel, but I remain wary about fallen angels and Lilith(s).
Hounds are super strong and fast, but they’re not exactly known for being intelligent or independent. Although she hates him, Ava depends on her reaper’s orders to keep her moving. Without them, she has nothing. It’s pretty bleak. Gary, Ava’s reaper boss, is a total and complete asshole who lives to see his Hounds suffer and amass as many souls as possible to pass on to the big kahuna.
But when a job goes wrong and Ava’s faced with an impossible mission – collect the soul of a man who’s evaded capture longer than she’s been alive – she realizes that she is smart and that she can be independent. She’s either going to kill Gary, or go back to Hell.
Of course, every loner-rogue-badass needs a sidekick, which is where Leonid Karpov, mob prince and necromancer, comes in. Ava and Leo do not meet under auspicious circumstances: I feel compelled to tell y’all that he actually has her strapped to a chair while he tortures her for information. And guess what? These two are so messed in the head that they just shrug it off and form an uneasy alliance afterwards. At first I was not having it, but the pragmatism of it all really suited them. Broken people finding each other, and all that.
They drive across America searching for the one that got away – from Gary, that is. If Ava can find Clint Hicks and take his soul, then she can keep Gary off her heels long enough to end him. There’s only one problem with Clint Hicks’ soul…he doesn't have one. Turns out he’s not human either – and he’s got a beef with Gary’s boss. Well you know what they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. So off Ava, Leo, and Clint go to track down the next baddie.
I feel like I can’t overstate how dark this UF is. You know when people describe a UF as gritty but they really just mean it's not fluff? Well Black Dog is friggin’ gritty and well-deserving of that little “dark” raincloud. There’s the aforementioned torture, Ava’s grisly takedowns of various marks, a mob-owned brothel, and voodoo. It’s like a UF rule of thumb that voodoo is always gritty.
Gritty UF doesn’t always work for me, but Kittredge’s dark humour and Ava’s lovable screw-up persona had me loving Black Dog from page one. The first 85% of Black Dog (and I mean exactly, by 86% on my Kobo things were taking a turn for the worse) was really good. Not without flaws, but compelling and tightly written. But then the plot started driving past reasonable and took the exit straight into crazy town.
That big boss of Ava’s, the one who rules over Gary? Turns out that boss lady is Lilith - THE Lilith. And of course, she wants to unleash demon spawn on earth and create total chaos. Because that’s what every incarnation of Lilith does. The bizarre hits come quickly after that. We get a not-so schizophrenic woman who actually does see angels and demons, then jump to a very awkward and unnecessary sex scene followed by a super secret genetic lab in Hell. Major characters die and massive secrets about Ava’s special snowflake status (of course) are revealed in a handful of pages.
Thankfully Kittredge saved the ending in the last three pages (cutting it a bit close there, eh?) and prevented Black Dog from ending on a ridiculous note. Although it wasn’t as good as it should have been, Black Dog is still a solid introduction to a dark UF world that I’ll be coming back to in the future. I’ll happily read the sequel, but I remain wary about fallen angels and Lilith(s).
December 14, 2014
Do you enjoy the TV show Supernatural? If the answer to that question is yes (and I can’t fathom a world where the answer is no) then do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy of Black Dog by Caitlin Kittredge. While it doesn’t feature the Winchester boys it does have Hell Hounds, Evil Angels, Demons, Necromancers, and Zombies. It was a veritable Supernatural smorgasbord!
Ava is a Hell Hound tethered to her reaper…Gary. I know the name Gary doesn’t strike fear in to anyone’s heart but Ava’s fear of him is real. When a chance comes to ally herself with Russian mobster Leonid Karpov and kill her reaper she jumps on it. But killing her reaper is only the first of many problems facing Ava and Leonid. The first of which is to find Clint Hicks the man Gary was never able to collect.
Ava at times made herself hard to like. She was either a complete badass or a crying mess. Luckily, the crying mess was far less frequent then the complete badass so overall I liked her. I felt her actions made sense given her past and the un-tethered feeling she was experiencing after severing her connection to her reaper.
Leonid or Leo as I preferred to call him (because Leonid doesn’t sound cute at all) was an intriguing addition to the story. I liked how this human pushed Ava to leave her reaper and to go on a hunt for Clint. I think the two of them balanced each other well.
I also really enjoyed the world building in this novel. Kittredge set up the plot brilliantly for the rest of the series. There is a lot of material in this world and I can foresee any number of outcomes for Ava and Leo.
Overall, Black Dog was the book I wanted to read the instant I started reading it. Much like an episode of Supernatural I was hooked until the credits started rolling and then I immediately wanted more. I will definitely be reading the next book in this new Urban Fantasy series.
Ava is a Hell Hound tethered to her reaper…Gary. I know the name Gary doesn’t strike fear in to anyone’s heart but Ava’s fear of him is real. When a chance comes to ally herself with Russian mobster Leonid Karpov and kill her reaper she jumps on it. But killing her reaper is only the first of many problems facing Ava and Leonid. The first of which is to find Clint Hicks the man Gary was never able to collect.
Ava at times made herself hard to like. She was either a complete badass or a crying mess. Luckily, the crying mess was far less frequent then the complete badass so overall I liked her. I felt her actions made sense given her past and the un-tethered feeling she was experiencing after severing her connection to her reaper.
Leonid or Leo as I preferred to call him (because Leonid doesn’t sound cute at all) was an intriguing addition to the story. I liked how this human pushed Ava to leave her reaper and to go on a hunt for Clint. I think the two of them balanced each other well.
I also really enjoyed the world building in this novel. Kittredge set up the plot brilliantly for the rest of the series. There is a lot of material in this world and I can foresee any number of outcomes for Ava and Leo.
Overall, Black Dog was the book I wanted to read the instant I started reading it. Much like an episode of Supernatural I was hooked until the credits started rolling and then I immediately wanted more. I will definitely be reading the next book in this new Urban Fantasy series.
January 27, 2020
I liked the idea of this story, but there was something about it that didn't grip me all the way. Something was holding me back from loving it. This whole story felt like it was told in fast forward, and I think I would have appreciated it more if it was slowed down. There were times I felt a little lost, questioning how we got to where we were, and where we were going next.
I also thought some characters needed more development. I can't be expected to fall in love or trust someone after just a few pages. I really felt this way about Leo. One minute he's torturing Ava, and the next page she's into him. It just seemed very sudden and abrupt.
Ava was okay. I feel like out of all the characters, she was the one who was the most fleshed out.
I thought this book was all right. I'll continue with the series because I'm curious. It had parts that were cool, it just needed to slow down, relax a little.
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.5/5
Slow Down Dog
December 25, 2014
**I received this book for free from Harper Voyager via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!! This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5
*My Thoughts*
Caitlin Kittredge returns with a new series called Hellhound Chronicles. Kittredge, author of such series as Nocturne City, and Black London, once again creates her own unique world where reapers, hellhounds, demons, necromancers, good and bad angels exist. As a fan of dark urban fantasy novels, Black Dog fits nicely into my expectations.
Black Dog is told in the first person narrative by Ava. Ava has been a hellhound for nearly 100 years after she was given a second chance to live. Her job is to collect/fetch souls for her reaper and return them to hell. She's really good at her job in spite of her arrogant Hellspawn master Gary who lacks any morals. Hounds like Ava are basically slaves who have little if any free will of their own.
*Full Review to be Posted @ Gizmos Reviews 12/26/2014* Link to Follow*
*Recvd 07/09/2014 via Edelweiss* Published: October 28th 2014 by Harper Voyager
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5
*My Thoughts*
Caitlin Kittredge returns with a new series called Hellhound Chronicles. Kittredge, author of such series as Nocturne City, and Black London, once again creates her own unique world where reapers, hellhounds, demons, necromancers, good and bad angels exist. As a fan of dark urban fantasy novels, Black Dog fits nicely into my expectations.
Black Dog is told in the first person narrative by Ava. Ava has been a hellhound for nearly 100 years after she was given a second chance to live. Her job is to collect/fetch souls for her reaper and return them to hell. She's really good at her job in spite of her arrogant Hellspawn master Gary who lacks any morals. Hounds like Ava are basically slaves who have little if any free will of their own.
*Full Review to be Posted @ Gizmos Reviews 12/26/2014* Link to Follow*
*Recvd 07/09/2014 via Edelweiss* Published: October 28th 2014 by Harper Voyager
December 18, 2014
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.
BLACK DOG, book one in the Hellhound Chronicles, had some aspects I definitely was not a fan of. However, for the most part, BLACK DOG is a dark urban fantasy, packed to the brim with characters, plot lines and action, and is a wild ride through a new world Kittredge has created.
I had a few problems with BLACK DOG. First off, and I've mentioned my dislike of scenes like this before, but there was a torture scene. I understand the logic behind it, but it also turns my stomach, and the fact that the characters maintained an association after the scene was bothersome to me. I feel like there should have been some other way of doing it that didn't involve one intentionally harming the other. My other issue was that there was a lot of plot smushed into the novel. There were multiple different story lines, and at times it felt like a bit too much. Ava's interactions with Lillith could have been enough. Instead, we also have Leo (the human necromancer) and his fight with his father, plus Clint's drama...it all got to be somewhat confusing. Any one of those stories alone would have made for a great book, but trying to shove as much as possible made it feel a little all over the place.
That being said, BLACK DOG did a lot well. It was intriguing, and very creative. The glimpses of creatures other than the hellhounds, like the shifters, leads me to believe that there's a lot more Kittredge can do with the world, and there's a lot of room for growth. Ava is a great character. She is both vulnerable and strong, and the fact that she's a hellhound makes her even more interesting. The secondary characters also were all really fun to try to unpack. You could never be sure of motives, and it left this on edge feeling that spilled over from Ava to me as I read. The combination of the world and the action kept me turning pages late into the night with this one.
I am curious to see where Kittredge goes with the Hellhound Chronicles next. While not every storyline was 100% tied up, there was some significant resolution at the end of BLACK DOG that although it opened the way for further adventures of Ava, it seems they'll be taking a totally different direction than the previous book. I, for one, can't wait to see what she comes up with!
Sexual content: Sex scenes
BLACK DOG, book one in the Hellhound Chronicles, had some aspects I definitely was not a fan of. However, for the most part, BLACK DOG is a dark urban fantasy, packed to the brim with characters, plot lines and action, and is a wild ride through a new world Kittredge has created.
I had a few problems with BLACK DOG. First off, and I've mentioned my dislike of scenes like this before, but there was a torture scene. I understand the logic behind it, but it also turns my stomach, and the fact that the characters maintained an association after the scene was bothersome to me. I feel like there should have been some other way of doing it that didn't involve one intentionally harming the other. My other issue was that there was a lot of plot smushed into the novel. There were multiple different story lines, and at times it felt like a bit too much. Ava's interactions with Lillith could have been enough. Instead, we also have Leo (the human necromancer) and his fight with his father, plus Clint's drama...it all got to be somewhat confusing. Any one of those stories alone would have made for a great book, but trying to shove as much as possible made it feel a little all over the place.
That being said, BLACK DOG did a lot well. It was intriguing, and very creative. The glimpses of creatures other than the hellhounds, like the shifters, leads me to believe that there's a lot more Kittredge can do with the world, and there's a lot of room for growth. Ava is a great character. She is both vulnerable and strong, and the fact that she's a hellhound makes her even more interesting. The secondary characters also were all really fun to try to unpack. You could never be sure of motives, and it left this on edge feeling that spilled over from Ava to me as I read. The combination of the world and the action kept me turning pages late into the night with this one.
I am curious to see where Kittredge goes with the Hellhound Chronicles next. While not every storyline was 100% tied up, there was some significant resolution at the end of BLACK DOG that although it opened the way for further adventures of Ava, it seems they'll be taking a totally different direction than the previous book. I, for one, can't wait to see what she comes up with!
Sexual content: Sex scenes
May 4, 2015
(I got an ARC of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.)
Interesting setting, but ultimately the characters didn't keep me invested enough in the story. I wasn't sure at first why; in the end, I think it was because they were presented as badass, did have an etremely badass-y potential, yet didn't make enough use of this potential.
The good thing was that it made them vulnerable, more human, not the kind of characters who win all the time and tear through their enemies like there's no tomorrow. Ava had a painful past, was abused and betrayed, and this makes it quite ironical that she ended up as a hound, expected to show the loyalty that was never really shown to her when she was alive.
On the other hand, there were also several moments when they were too weak, didn't see through their enemies' ploys, ended up in dire situations because they hadn't been careful enough (though they knew they should have been)... Here's a Hellhound and a warlock who keep being on the wrong end of the stick, being the underdogs (pun intended), and it's not something I had expected from them. Obstacles and trials? Sure... Only not with such similar endings (character gets into problems, gets beaten up, blacks out, wakes up in an unknown room with someone who may or may not be an enemy...). This was all the more annoying with Ava, who's supposed to be close to a century old, and not just a budding Hellpuppy. Ava who keeps making wrong decision after wrong decision. You'd think she'd learn. (Also, akward sex scene out of nowhere.)
The setting itself was OK, with elements that could easily be used and developed later again: Leo's father and his thugs; what happened in Hell; whether Ava will be really free or not; the way boundaries aren't so well-defined when it comes to demons and angels, as being a meanie isn't limited to "the bad guys"... There's potential here as well, including vampires and shifters— not the most original I've ever seen, but not the cheesiest either. And necromancers. Shall I state once again how partial I am to necromancy?
Good ideas in general. My main beef with the book were the characters, whom I mostly found unremarkable, when they should have been.
Interesting setting, but ultimately the characters didn't keep me invested enough in the story. I wasn't sure at first why; in the end, I think it was because they were presented as badass, did have an etremely badass-y potential, yet didn't make enough use of this potential.
The good thing was that it made them vulnerable, more human, not the kind of characters who win all the time and tear through their enemies like there's no tomorrow. Ava had a painful past, was abused and betrayed, and this makes it quite ironical that she ended up as a hound, expected to show the loyalty that was never really shown to her when she was alive.
On the other hand, there were also several moments when they were too weak, didn't see through their enemies' ploys, ended up in dire situations because they hadn't been careful enough (though they knew they should have been)... Here's a Hellhound and a warlock who keep being on the wrong end of the stick, being the underdogs (pun intended), and it's not something I had expected from them. Obstacles and trials? Sure... Only not with such similar endings (character gets into problems, gets beaten up, blacks out, wakes up in an unknown room with someone who may or may not be an enemy...). This was all the more annoying with Ava, who's supposed to be close to a century old, and not just a budding Hellpuppy. Ava who keeps making wrong decision after wrong decision. You'd think she'd learn. (Also, akward sex scene out of nowhere.)
The setting itself was OK, with elements that could easily be used and developed later again: Leo's father and his thugs; what happened in Hell; whether Ava will be really free or not; the way boundaries aren't so well-defined when it comes to demons and angels, as being a meanie isn't limited to "the bad guys"... There's potential here as well, including vampires and shifters— not the most original I've ever seen, but not the cheesiest either. And necromancers. Shall I state once again how partial I am to necromancy?
Good ideas in general. My main beef with the book were the characters, whom I mostly found unremarkable, when they should have been.
March 7, 2015
Black Dog is the story of a girl named Ava who is a hellhound. She is controlled by a reaper, Gary, and does his bidding for him. She takes the souls of those lesser demons who haven't been up to any good and brings them back to Gary. Until she runs into Leo who changes her whole outlook on her life and makes her realize she doesn't have to take orders from her reaper. Little does she know that Gary's boss, Lilith, is a demon from Hell...literally.
I don't think I have ever loved a book that hasn't been a romance story as much as I loved this book. The back of the book describes it as a version of Kill Bill just with demons, and boy is it the truth! I was enthralled in the story and was always wanting to know more about what was going on. Luckily the story would divulge the information I wanted to know, so there weren't many times where I was left wanting to know or understand a part of the lore that held this story together. While there is a romance story within the overall story it isn't what drives Ava-surprisingly I loved that about this story and about her character. She wasn't dying over not getting the guy, she was actually more angry at herself for having feelings for a guy until she gave in.
Caitlin Kittredge has a way with words, she teleports you to this world she has created and then vibrantly paints it for you. Not many authors can do this, not for me at least. So to be able to envision the story in my head rather than just reading another book helped me to not only fall in love with each character more but it also helped me to connect with the characters and their world that they were living in. There's so much more that I want to tell you, but there's so much that you-as a reader-should experience for yourself, especially while reading this book. Please do yourself a favor and read this book!
I don't think I have ever loved a book that hasn't been a romance story as much as I loved this book. The back of the book describes it as a version of Kill Bill just with demons, and boy is it the truth! I was enthralled in the story and was always wanting to know more about what was going on. Luckily the story would divulge the information I wanted to know, so there weren't many times where I was left wanting to know or understand a part of the lore that held this story together. While there is a romance story within the overall story it isn't what drives Ava-surprisingly I loved that about this story and about her character. She wasn't dying over not getting the guy, she was actually more angry at herself for having feelings for a guy until she gave in.
Caitlin Kittredge has a way with words, she teleports you to this world she has created and then vibrantly paints it for you. Not many authors can do this, not for me at least. So to be able to envision the story in my head rather than just reading another book helped me to not only fall in love with each character more but it also helped me to connect with the characters and their world that they were living in. There's so much more that I want to tell you, but there's so much that you-as a reader-should experience for yourself, especially while reading this book. Please do yourself a favor and read this book!
January 27, 2015
hmmmmm, I have mixed feelings about this one.
I was drawn to the cover (yellow always gets me) And the idea of the story sounded cool but I just had a hard time getting into it. It took me 3 weeks to read, which is a long time for me. I felt that there were some plot holes. I just didn't get sucked in as much as I would have liked too.
:(
I was drawn to the cover (yellow always gets me) And the idea of the story sounded cool but I just had a hard time getting into it. It took me 3 weeks to read, which is a long time for me. I felt that there were some plot holes. I just didn't get sucked in as much as I would have liked too.
:(
July 14, 2020
Wow, that was pretty freaking intense. From the first page, this story never lets up. Ava is either chasing after some one, running from some one, or busy trying to hold herself and/or her companion(s) together and keep from screaming in terror. I'm a little exhausted jut from reading this. Not really a romance, so this really wasn't my typical story -- the things I'll read to meet a challenge for a group! Overall, well written, but I highly doubt I'll be reading the sequel, even if part of me is curious about what happens next to Ava.
January 3, 2016
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: A Hellhound finds herself in deep trouble when she kills her reaper and must make it up to her reaper’s demon boss in this dark and gritty first book in the Hellhound Chronicles series.
Opening Sentence: Knowing that a person is marked for death is a strange feeling, one that crawls inside you and puts down roots.
The Review:
For the past hundred years, Ava has been a Hellhound, retrieving the souls of those her reaper sends her after. It hasn’t been a fun existence, but at least she’s alive. Then one night on a job, she meets Leonid Karpov, a necromancer who captures and tortures her until she agrees to steal her reaper’s Scythe for him. In the aftermath of the battle that follows, Ava’s reaper is dead, Leo’s father has stolen the Scythe, and Ava is in deep trouble with her reaper’s boss, Lilith. Rather than kill Ava outright, Lilith orders her to go after the one person her reaper had never been able to capture. Agreeing to do this will lead Ava to discover things about the supernatural world – and herself – that she never imagined existed. Eventually, Ava will have to decide whose side she’s really on. Will she continue to follow Lilith’s orders, or will Ava find the strength inside herself to refuse?
I’ve only read one other Caitlin Kittredge book before, and while I enjoyed it, I never continued the series. So I was cautiously optimistic about reading this book. For the most part, my optimism proved correct, for this was an entertaining, fast paced read, full of interesting characters. Despite the fast pace though, I still felt a little disconnected from the main characters, which led me to give the book a slightly lower rating than I might otherwise have done.
One of my all-time favorite television shows is Supernatural, and this book often felt like one big Supernatural episode, except it was from the perspective of the monsters. I half expected Sam and Dean to show up at any moment to kick some butt. Just as with that show, the material here gets very dark at times. Readers who aren’t comfortable with their heroines doing questionable things (e.g., killing without remorse) may want to look elsewhere. Those who don’t mind a little darkness in their books though should definitely check this one out.
As I stated previously, I did feel a bit disconnected from the main characters, which is odd, considering the book is told in Ava’s first person perspective, something that usually helps me connect to the main character. I can’t quite put my finger on why I couldn’t connect with her. Figuring out why I didn’t connect to Leo was a little easier. The first time we’re introduced to him, he’s torturing Ava, something that she seems to get over quickly, but I had a harder time doing. In the end, I liked him, but he’s certainly not an easy character to connect to.
All in all, I would say this book is definitely worth checking out if you don’t mind a darker, gritty read. Kittredge has created a very interesting world with very intriguing characters/creatures, and I think it will only get better from here.
Notable Scene:
“Gary’s last outstanding collection is in Wyoming,” she said. “He’s been tracking him since the early seventies at least. I wasn’t too happy that Gary never managed to collect from the prick, but now, if you want a chance in any realm of keeping flesh on that skinny ass of yours, you’ll get him, reap him, and bring him to me.”
She pointed to a legible name surrounded by blacked out collections, the ones Gary had completed. I wondered how many of those names I’d been responsible for. Gary’s obsessive compulsive handwriting spelled out Clint Hicks. I risked making eye contact with Lilith, which was like staring at a well-dressed bird of prey. “What’s his deal?”
“I don’t micromanage my employees,” she snapped. “I don’t know why meat sacks choose to sell any more than I know why Gary decided you were worth making part of his hound pack. Which is probably a good thing, because I would have told him to let you rot.”
“I’ve been getting that a lot,” I muttered.
“The last hound Gary sent got sent back on a ventilator,” the demon said. “I understand this Clint Hicks surrounds himself with shifters, and when Gary came to me to track him personally, I found he had measures in place to keep Hellspawn out of the area.”
“This hound,” I said, feeling sickness that wasn’t caused by Lilith grip my guts. “Was his name Wilson?”
“How the fuck do I know what his name was?” Lilith snapped. “For all I know, Gary calls you Sparky, Rover, and Spot. The countermeasures won’t keep me out for long, but breaking them is more effort than I’m going to put into one damned soul who thinks he’s smart, so go and fetch him.”
There was that word again. Fetch. But since it was coming out of the mouth of a thousand-year-old demon, I pretended it didn’t bother me.
I just nodded. Lilith opened the bathroom door and walked out, turning back only once.
“Ava, if you screw this up, do yourself a favor and walk into traffic before I find you. Because if I do, the Pit is going to be a vacation compared to what I have planned.”
FTC Advisory: HarperCollins/Harper Voyager provided me with a copy of Black Dog. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: A Hellhound finds herself in deep trouble when she kills her reaper and must make it up to her reaper’s demon boss in this dark and gritty first book in the Hellhound Chronicles series.
Opening Sentence: Knowing that a person is marked for death is a strange feeling, one that crawls inside you and puts down roots.
The Review:
For the past hundred years, Ava has been a Hellhound, retrieving the souls of those her reaper sends her after. It hasn’t been a fun existence, but at least she’s alive. Then one night on a job, she meets Leonid Karpov, a necromancer who captures and tortures her until she agrees to steal her reaper’s Scythe for him. In the aftermath of the battle that follows, Ava’s reaper is dead, Leo’s father has stolen the Scythe, and Ava is in deep trouble with her reaper’s boss, Lilith. Rather than kill Ava outright, Lilith orders her to go after the one person her reaper had never been able to capture. Agreeing to do this will lead Ava to discover things about the supernatural world – and herself – that she never imagined existed. Eventually, Ava will have to decide whose side she’s really on. Will she continue to follow Lilith’s orders, or will Ava find the strength inside herself to refuse?
I’ve only read one other Caitlin Kittredge book before, and while I enjoyed it, I never continued the series. So I was cautiously optimistic about reading this book. For the most part, my optimism proved correct, for this was an entertaining, fast paced read, full of interesting characters. Despite the fast pace though, I still felt a little disconnected from the main characters, which led me to give the book a slightly lower rating than I might otherwise have done.
One of my all-time favorite television shows is Supernatural, and this book often felt like one big Supernatural episode, except it was from the perspective of the monsters. I half expected Sam and Dean to show up at any moment to kick some butt. Just as with that show, the material here gets very dark at times. Readers who aren’t comfortable with their heroines doing questionable things (e.g., killing without remorse) may want to look elsewhere. Those who don’t mind a little darkness in their books though should definitely check this one out.
As I stated previously, I did feel a bit disconnected from the main characters, which is odd, considering the book is told in Ava’s first person perspective, something that usually helps me connect to the main character. I can’t quite put my finger on why I couldn’t connect with her. Figuring out why I didn’t connect to Leo was a little easier. The first time we’re introduced to him, he’s torturing Ava, something that she seems to get over quickly, but I had a harder time doing. In the end, I liked him, but he’s certainly not an easy character to connect to.
All in all, I would say this book is definitely worth checking out if you don’t mind a darker, gritty read. Kittredge has created a very interesting world with very intriguing characters/creatures, and I think it will only get better from here.
Notable Scene:
“Gary’s last outstanding collection is in Wyoming,” she said. “He’s been tracking him since the early seventies at least. I wasn’t too happy that Gary never managed to collect from the prick, but now, if you want a chance in any realm of keeping flesh on that skinny ass of yours, you’ll get him, reap him, and bring him to me.”
She pointed to a legible name surrounded by blacked out collections, the ones Gary had completed. I wondered how many of those names I’d been responsible for. Gary’s obsessive compulsive handwriting spelled out Clint Hicks. I risked making eye contact with Lilith, which was like staring at a well-dressed bird of prey. “What’s his deal?”
“I don’t micromanage my employees,” she snapped. “I don’t know why meat sacks choose to sell any more than I know why Gary decided you were worth making part of his hound pack. Which is probably a good thing, because I would have told him to let you rot.”
“I’ve been getting that a lot,” I muttered.
“The last hound Gary sent got sent back on a ventilator,” the demon said. “I understand this Clint Hicks surrounds himself with shifters, and when Gary came to me to track him personally, I found he had measures in place to keep Hellspawn out of the area.”
“This hound,” I said, feeling sickness that wasn’t caused by Lilith grip my guts. “Was his name Wilson?”
“How the fuck do I know what his name was?” Lilith snapped. “For all I know, Gary calls you Sparky, Rover, and Spot. The countermeasures won’t keep me out for long, but breaking them is more effort than I’m going to put into one damned soul who thinks he’s smart, so go and fetch him.”
There was that word again. Fetch. But since it was coming out of the mouth of a thousand-year-old demon, I pretended it didn’t bother me.
I just nodded. Lilith opened the bathroom door and walked out, turning back only once.
“Ava, if you screw this up, do yourself a favor and walk into traffic before I find you. Because if I do, the Pit is going to be a vacation compared to what I have planned.”
FTC Advisory: HarperCollins/Harper Voyager provided me with a copy of Black Dog. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
November 11, 2014
3.5/5
Mon avis en Français
My English review
I really like the Black London series by the same author and I was curious to try a new story by her hand. I must say it had it all, demons, fallen angels, necromancers, reapers and even hellhounds. Oh yes a story full of characters and ideas to discover.
Ava is spending her death serving a man she does not love and she is sent on many dangerous missions to recover the souls of those with whom he has a contract. But then her last mission will change everything. Launched in the footsteps of Leo, a Russian necromancer, she will have to make a decision. Allying with Leo and try to kill Gari, her reaper or fight against her attacker and possibly die at the same time. Giving prominence to her desire for freedom, the young woman will give it all out and kill Gari. Yet freedom is far from there when Lilith, a powerful demon appears before her and leaves her no choice but to go in search of a very important man who seems determined to stay hidden far from the underworld. Their meeting could upset everything in which Ava thought and force her to act for the good of all.
I was very curious to find out what exactly was going on with Ava. I must say that the young woman will have plenty to do between what is happening. Besides, I had a little trouble to really hang up to the whole story as the pace was too fast. We can well understand the desire for freedom of the young woman, her desire for vengeance, her fear of death and her desire to find someone who could love her or at least appreciate her. Her life and death are far from easy but I was fascinated to learn more about her condition as a hellhound. Leo, the necromancer is also quite intriguing. I was curious to understand if we could finally trust him or not. He is a dark and mysterious man who is not necessarily nice and good but who nevertheless will help and support Ava in her efforts. Besides that he has a big problem with his father and we learn more about it all along the chapters. But they are not alone, as we also have the man that Ava is looking for and, it was quite hard to understand exactly what he wanted from the young woman and what he knew about her.
It was a good book though as I said everything is a little fast but it was certainly very interesting to see the characters and their stories. I’m curious to see what the author will present in the next book anyway!
Mon avis en Français
My English review
I really like the Black London series by the same author and I was curious to try a new story by her hand. I must say it had it all, demons, fallen angels, necromancers, reapers and even hellhounds. Oh yes a story full of characters and ideas to discover.
Ava is spending her death serving a man she does not love and she is sent on many dangerous missions to recover the souls of those with whom he has a contract. But then her last mission will change everything. Launched in the footsteps of Leo, a Russian necromancer, she will have to make a decision. Allying with Leo and try to kill Gari, her reaper or fight against her attacker and possibly die at the same time. Giving prominence to her desire for freedom, the young woman will give it all out and kill Gari. Yet freedom is far from there when Lilith, a powerful demon appears before her and leaves her no choice but to go in search of a very important man who seems determined to stay hidden far from the underworld. Their meeting could upset everything in which Ava thought and force her to act for the good of all.
I was very curious to find out what exactly was going on with Ava. I must say that the young woman will have plenty to do between what is happening. Besides, I had a little trouble to really hang up to the whole story as the pace was too fast. We can well understand the desire for freedom of the young woman, her desire for vengeance, her fear of death and her desire to find someone who could love her or at least appreciate her. Her life and death are far from easy but I was fascinated to learn more about her condition as a hellhound. Leo, the necromancer is also quite intriguing. I was curious to understand if we could finally trust him or not. He is a dark and mysterious man who is not necessarily nice and good but who nevertheless will help and support Ava in her efforts. Besides that he has a big problem with his father and we learn more about it all along the chapters. But they are not alone, as we also have the man that Ava is looking for and, it was quite hard to understand exactly what he wanted from the young woman and what he knew about her.
It was a good book though as I said everything is a little fast but it was certainly very interesting to see the characters and their stories. I’m curious to see what the author will present in the next book anyway!
December 13, 2014
Ava has spent the last one hundred years as an indentured servant to a reaper...as his hellhound. Her job is to find all the souls that try and skip out of the deal they've made and bring them back, kicking and screaming, and deliver their souls to her reaper. When she is convinced to steal her reapers scythe and kill him, she never expects it to actually work... and she never expected to earn the personal attention of her bosses boss, the demon Lillith. Lillith has a new soul for her to track down and the consequences of her failure are distinctly hellish.
Black Dog is the start of Caitlin Kittredge's new Hellhound Chronicles, I have been a fan of hers for a while, I love her writing and her worlds which are dark and twisted; you get caught up and tangled in them before you know it. Black Dog I found was no different, it had her distinctive edge and I enjoyed every page of it.
If you want a dark urban fantasy book than this is definitely one that will capture your interest, it deals with heaven and hell, angels and demons all of whom are ruthless and brutal. This all blends into the world that Kittredge has created and has started to build up in this book. Like her Black London series, the world seems to be a dark underbelly of the mundane world where any normal good person would be chewed up and spat out, bloody and broken, if they made it out at all. And Ava the heroine of Black Dog is one of the creatures hunting in the dark.
Ava is the kind of heroine I like, tough with a smart mouth and a born survivor and although she is fully capable of unleashing savage violence, she has a twist of compassion in her that makes her likable. This book isn't devoid of romance either, as long as you like your romance slightly complicated and with a guy with no compunction with torture and death, and luckily I do.
This was an action packed, fast paced ride and I can't wait to read more. Caitlin Kittredge has created a world and characters dark and rich and I can't wait for her to develop it further.
*ARC provided by publisher
December 14, 2014
I guess it's revealing that it took me four days to finish this book. The first time I set it on the nightstand I left it there to sit, not being that captivated by its story. So many things didn't add up that I couldn't muster any interest. Yes, much was explained in the last pages but it was too late to save the book for me. There was no "ah ah" moment, but a rather "uh??" one.
Black Dog is about three trolls who've just arrived to Earth, and they are called Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest, squared. They are big, goofy and have brawn, no brains.
No, as you might have guessed this is not exactly what truly happens. But it was the way I reacted to this book. BD had plenty of potential, a gritty world where grey is the dominant colour, a convoluted plot, a messy heroine. Ms Kittredge has my heart in her pen. But if I loved her other UF series, here I was left in the dust.
The big difference? Characters. It's really difficult to root for dumb. And here there wasn't a single main characters whose IQ could be called anything resembling normal. Moreover, I had the feeling the actions weren't really coherent to the characters portrayed. It was like suffering from motion sickness. One moment bad ass chick, the next crying jags. Same with all the other characters. Marty's actions were totally baffling to me. Leo and Clint were no way better, again moving from cold-hearted assassins to mewling weakling. Meh
A the moment buying book two is not an option. But I guess it'll depends on reviews.
Black Dog is about three trolls who've just arrived to Earth, and they are called Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest, squared. They are big, goofy and have brawn, no brains.
No, as you might have guessed this is not exactly what truly happens. But it was the way I reacted to this book. BD had plenty of potential, a gritty world where grey is the dominant colour, a convoluted plot, a messy heroine. Ms Kittredge has my heart in her pen. But if I loved her other UF series, here I was left in the dust.
The big difference? Characters. It's really difficult to root for dumb. And here there wasn't a single main characters whose IQ could be called anything resembling normal. Moreover, I had the feeling the actions weren't really coherent to the characters portrayed. It was like suffering from motion sickness. One moment bad ass chick, the next crying jags. Same with all the other characters. Marty's actions were totally baffling to me. Leo and Clint were no way better, again moving from cold-hearted assassins to mewling weakling. Meh
A the moment buying book two is not an option. But I guess it'll depends on reviews.
November 7, 2017
Probably more like a 3.5. I thought the world was interesting (normal world but concerned more with heavenly and hell spawn creatures). I couldn't decide if the the inclusion of vampires and shifters and voodoo practitioners muddied the waters or not. They were sort of tossed in there as background, along with what I think were zombies, necromancers and warlocks, a sort of magical world hodge-podge that I wasn't sure I liked or thought worked too well but since it was only on the fringes of the story I could let it pass.
Ava is our main heroine and I mostly liked her, she's sort of this half, normal nice girl, part bad-ass slavering hound from hell. I wasn't too sure about Leo, but I thought he was refreshingly uncomplicated for a main love interest. Sure, he's a necromancer/clean-up guy for a Russian mob but he's got a certain low loyalty and self-interest preservation instinct and his interest in Ava (and her interest in him) didn't seem to fully make sense until the latter half of the book but it works. They're an odd couple and I mean that in every sense, but I guess I was entertained enough by the story and characters to see how far Kittredge can take them from here. I will probably read at least the next book and re-evaluate.
Ava is our main heroine and I mostly liked her, she's sort of this half, normal nice girl, part bad-ass slavering hound from hell. I wasn't too sure about Leo, but I thought he was refreshingly uncomplicated for a main love interest. Sure, he's a necromancer/clean-up guy for a Russian mob but he's got a certain low loyalty and self-interest preservation instinct and his interest in Ava (and her interest in him) didn't seem to fully make sense until the latter half of the book but it works. They're an odd couple and I mean that in every sense, but I guess I was entertained enough by the story and characters to see how far Kittredge can take them from here. I will probably read at least the next book and re-evaluate.
Read
April 4, 2015Probably more of a 3.5 on the strength of the writing. It has a lot of familiar elements and I'm not entirely convinced at the originality of the remix. Certain aspects start to get really familiar when you read a lot of urban fantasy when it comes to books featuring Heaven and Hell and angels and demons. And in the end the book felt like a drawn out prequel for the series more than a book that stands entirely on it's own. I don't know. I liked Ava's mix of tough and vulnerable. Though her mood swings were pretty extreme, this was the first time she'd faced up to a lot of things she'd been suppressing from her past in a long time and opened up to any emotions at all in many years, so it did make sense. I'm wasn't too sure about Leo, but I don't think we were supposed to be too sure about him. I don't mind having characters who are more interesting than they are easy to peg. I think Kittredge captured something quite horrifying in Ava's situation, with the idea of being caught in a situation that you just can't escape in any way, even in death, that concept does frighten me whenever it's explored. Overall the positives definitely outweighed my small hesitations and I'm looking forward to the next book.
November 24, 2014
Anyone who has read Caitlin Kittredge's books knows her worlds are not cheerful, fantastic, magical fairy lands with perfect princesses being saved by handsome brave princes. Black Dog is ugly, dark, gritty, 'celestial' urban fantasy. I am not a big fan of celestial or demon/angel based fantasy, but Black Dog works. Ava is not always likeable but is very distinctive. The story had enough twists to keep me guessing, and the dialogue and relationships were engrossing. Black Dog is not pretty, it will never be on my 'books to read when I feel bad' shelf, but I liked it.
April 23, 2015
what's a reader to do when she finds the badass villainous, lilith, with the crazy eyes, all bluster and no follow through. She was not the vile, dark breed i'm use to from a kittrede book.
I enjoyed the lead characters well enough. They're always painted with a lifelike texture that defys the norm. I am of the breed that doesn't have to like my main characters to get enjoyment out it.
The ending, with a lead in to book two or even four if the author gets adventurous, dropped it from a three star to a two. It had a good direction, then deus ex machina, damn near a happy ending.
I enjoyed the lead characters well enough. They're always painted with a lifelike texture that defys the norm. I am of the breed that doesn't have to like my main characters to get enjoyment out it.
The ending, with a lead in to book two or even four if the author gets adventurous, dropped it from a three star to a two. It had a good direction, then deus ex machina, damn near a happy ending.
June 17, 2024
I couldn't put this book down. I very much liked Ava, Leo, and learned to dislike Clint. I enjoyed how the book just keep me wanting more. It's full of action that doesn't get old or overdone. I read this book in 2 sittings. I look forward to the next one.
June 12, 2015
Good new series by Kittredge. Cool characters, a flawed protagonist, and page-turning story. Looking forward to the next book.
February 6, 2021
I am giving this a solid three stars because I really did enjoy reading it despite the problems I had with it. It was a page-turner that I read in just a couple days. I also intend to read the next one.
That being said, this book suffers from way too many plots. Every character has their own plot that could run deep enough to be it's own book. The biggest problem here is that not all of them get explained or explored as it is only 340 pages long, there is no time for that. This means that there is a lot of questions left, and a lot that you really don't understand. I hope it is explored in the next book, that could be some redemption.
It gets a little repetitive because our leading lady Ava doesn't learn. How can you be a hell hound for 90 years and still be this stupid. Seriously, how do you not see some of this stuff coming, it is obvious and not at all subtle. She claims through the whole book how she has brought down some of the baddest warlocks and evil doers over the past century, and all the things they have done to try to escape her, yet she falls for the ole drugs in your drink from a guy you shouldn't trust ploy. What the deuce woman? If he is offering you a drink and he doesn't drink it, then neither should you. Also how many times was she knocked out and waking up somewhere else? This felt very convenient to the plot, it gets her where she needs to be and no explanation needed. GAH!
It was annoying how they kept calling her a "puppy" because she is a hell hound. First few times, I get but being used as the only way to insult and address the main character gets a little tiring.
And lastly, what is with that really awkward sex scene out of nowhere. With 50 pages left in the book, it feels really weird to suddenly be reading such a graphic sexual encounter. After 300 pages of no sex and suddenly there it is in all its glory is rather jarring. It felt as if it was there not because it was natural, but because it was the only way the author could think of to up the emotional stakes before the climax of the book. I didn't need to read that to know that they were loyal to each other. I really didn't. Sex isn't the only way to show a couple has a bond. Good grief.
That being said, this book suffers from way too many plots. Every character has their own plot that could run deep enough to be it's own book. The biggest problem here is that not all of them get explained or explored as it is only 340 pages long, there is no time for that. This means that there is a lot of questions left, and a lot that you really don't understand. I hope it is explored in the next book, that could be some redemption.
It gets a little repetitive because our leading lady Ava doesn't learn. How can you be a hell hound for 90 years and still be this stupid. Seriously, how do you not see some of this stuff coming, it is obvious and not at all subtle. She claims through the whole book how she has brought down some of the baddest warlocks and evil doers over the past century, and all the things they have done to try to escape her, yet she falls for the ole drugs in your drink from a guy you shouldn't trust ploy. What the deuce woman? If he is offering you a drink and he doesn't drink it, then neither should you. Also how many times was she knocked out and waking up somewhere else? This felt very convenient to the plot, it gets her where she needs to be and no explanation needed. GAH!
It was annoying how they kept calling her a "puppy" because she is a hell hound. First few times, I get but being used as the only way to insult and address the main character gets a little tiring.
And lastly, what is with that really awkward sex scene out of nowhere. With 50 pages left in the book, it feels really weird to suddenly be reading such a graphic sexual encounter. After 300 pages of no sex and suddenly there it is in all its glory is rather jarring. It felt as if it was there not because it was natural, but because it was the only way the author could think of to up the emotional stakes before the climax of the book. I didn't need to read that to know that they were loyal to each other. I really didn't. Sex isn't the only way to show a couple has a bond. Good grief.
March 8, 2017
Usually I like to write a review as soon as I can after I finish a books so that my thoughts are still fresh. I found that I was having trouble doing that with this one so I took some time to think on it and here's what I ended up coming up with.
*potential small spoilers ahead*
First and foremost, I loved the idea of the book. It was so Winchesterian in spirit and was literally everything I love about the later season of Supernatural. I really loved the style of writing, it was wry with just enough bits of humor here and there that you don't get bogged down by the enormity of the story (more on that later). And Ava as a person (or hound, rather) was lovable, hate-able, wonderfully snarky, exhausting, and somehow just the right amount of fucked up. Most of the time I couldn't decide if I wanted to cheer her on or punch her in the face. Sometimes both urges came on at the same time.
But here's why it wasn't a 5-star read for me.
Ava herself talks about what a badass she is but you never actually see it. Is she wily as hell? Absolutely. If I had to sneak into bar full of shifters and drug addicts you can bet your ass I'd want her on my side. In a fight though? She's about 50/50. I feel like she ends up spending about the same amount of time blacking out and getting rescued as she does actually beating any ass. When she does put the beat down on someone, it's bad as hell. Absolutely magnificent but those bits are few and far between. Yes, she's dealing with the reality of a new life with essentially no purpose and being hunted for the rest of her existence. And yes, she's unable to heal from a cut sustained by the scythe and she's cut off from her reaper's black magic but come-the-fuck-on. You can't talk about what a badass you are and then proceed to get walked on by anything that isn't a unarmed mortal man.
Despite the fact that I rambled on forever about how badass Ava maybe is, that really wasn't a huge concern for me. I got most of that.
What really got me was how complicated the story became all of a sudden. Sure, it was plenty convoluted at the beginning but then toward the end it just got out of control. Like, each of the characters had their own story that we only got to see part of (and Leo's whole thing with his father basically went nowhere) but then a chapter later, the story wasn't what we thought it was and somehow all these seemingly unrelated things managed to come together to be an entirely different beast that was nothing like we were originally lead to believe. And everything at the end just kind of seemed to happen. You're in the last 50 pages and suddenly there's new characters being introduced that you're led to believe are important but really they aren't and then the big thing that you've been waiting for through an entire book is over in just a few pages and even that isn't what you think it is. There's plot twists and then there's fucking with the reader just because you can.
Despite my harping on the negatives, I really did like the book. Which made the ending that much more disappointing for me. The other small things that bothered me I could overlook but the ending just didn't tie up the way I would have hoped which made the small things stand out that much more.
I assume I will pick up Grim Tidings as it is presently sitting on my bookshelf and staring at me accusingly for trashing its predecessor. I suppose that means I should go in with good intentions to make up for my lackluster review.
*potential small spoilers ahead*
First and foremost, I loved the idea of the book. It was so Winchesterian in spirit and was literally everything I love about the later season of Supernatural. I really loved the style of writing, it was wry with just enough bits of humor here and there that you don't get bogged down by the enormity of the story (more on that later). And Ava as a person (or hound, rather) was lovable, hate-able, wonderfully snarky, exhausting, and somehow just the right amount of fucked up. Most of the time I couldn't decide if I wanted to cheer her on or punch her in the face. Sometimes both urges came on at the same time.
But here's why it wasn't a 5-star read for me.
Ava herself talks about what a badass she is but you never actually see it. Is she wily as hell? Absolutely. If I had to sneak into bar full of shifters and drug addicts you can bet your ass I'd want her on my side. In a fight though? She's about 50/50. I feel like she ends up spending about the same amount of time blacking out and getting rescued as she does actually beating any ass. When she does put the beat down on someone, it's bad as hell. Absolutely magnificent but those bits are few and far between. Yes, she's dealing with the reality of a new life with essentially no purpose and being hunted for the rest of her existence. And yes, she's unable to heal from a cut sustained by the scythe and she's cut off from her reaper's black magic but come-the-fuck-on. You can't talk about what a badass you are and then proceed to get walked on by anything that isn't a unarmed mortal man.
Despite the fact that I rambled on forever about how badass Ava maybe is, that really wasn't a huge concern for me. I got most of that.
What really got me was how complicated the story became all of a sudden. Sure, it was plenty convoluted at the beginning but then toward the end it just got out of control. Like, each of the characters had their own story that we only got to see part of (and Leo's whole thing with his father basically went nowhere) but then a chapter later, the story wasn't what we thought it was and somehow all these seemingly unrelated things managed to come together to be an entirely different beast that was nothing like we were originally lead to believe. And everything at the end just kind of seemed to happen. You're in the last 50 pages and suddenly there's new characters being introduced that you're led to believe are important but really they aren't and then the big thing that you've been waiting for through an entire book is over in just a few pages and even that isn't what you think it is. There's plot twists and then there's fucking with the reader just because you can.
Despite my harping on the negatives, I really did like the book. Which made the ending that much more disappointing for me. The other small things that bothered me I could overlook but the ending just didn't tie up the way I would have hoped which made the small things stand out that much more.
I assume I will pick up Grim Tidings as it is presently sitting on my bookshelf and staring at me accusingly for trashing its predecessor. I suppose that means I should go in with good intentions to make up for my lackluster review.
August 16, 2017
Spoilers in here, just FYI.
This was all a little odd for me and not for the reasons one might suspect. The plot was ok, most of the characters felt generally fleshed out, etc. There was more "grittiness" than I liked, but these aren't nice squeaky clean people/creatures so I wasn't surprised.
The part that really weirded me out was apparently one of those coincidences happened that authors put in their title pages. See, I've dabbled with writing and still hope to be published someday. And I have a Hell Hound character. Named Ava. Who had a guy named Jasper in her past. Beyond that, there are definite differences between my unpublished work and this book. And I did enter an online contest to have an unpublished book edited, but I rather doubt the author would steal the barest bones of my story to use in creating this series.
It didn't distract me once I'd gotten into the story, but reading the summary made me do a double take more than a few times.
Her Ava would flip flop emotionally, but they were in extremely stressful situations for 90% of the story. Even so, it felt like trying for too much melodrama a few times. I don't think Ava should have no emotions, but her melodramatic moments felt like my toddler's tantrums with more grown up flavor. Perhaps too much tell and not enough show? It's a difficult balancing act.
Felt confused by some of the end and the convenient black out moments that transitioned between some of the latter scenes felt irritating to me. Angels getting involved can do that, I suppose.
Mostly read it to see if it was more similar to my story than I would have liked, glad it seems to be a passing resemblance only.
This was all a little odd for me and not for the reasons one might suspect. The plot was ok, most of the characters felt generally fleshed out, etc. There was more "grittiness" than I liked, but these aren't nice squeaky clean people/creatures so I wasn't surprised.
The part that really weirded me out was apparently one of those coincidences happened that authors put in their title pages. See, I've dabbled with writing and still hope to be published someday. And I have a Hell Hound character. Named Ava. Who had a guy named Jasper in her past. Beyond that, there are definite differences between my unpublished work and this book. And I did enter an online contest to have an unpublished book edited, but I rather doubt the author would steal the barest bones of my story to use in creating this series.
It didn't distract me once I'd gotten into the story, but reading the summary made me do a double take more than a few times.
Her Ava would flip flop emotionally, but they were in extremely stressful situations for 90% of the story. Even so, it felt like trying for too much melodrama a few times. I don't think Ava should have no emotions, but her melodramatic moments felt like my toddler's tantrums with more grown up flavor. Perhaps too much tell and not enough show? It's a difficult balancing act.
Felt confused by some of the end and the convenient black out moments that transitioned between some of the latter scenes felt irritating to me. Angels getting involved can do that, I suppose.
Mostly read it to see if it was more similar to my story than I would have liked, glad it seems to be a passing resemblance only.
February 25, 2020
This is a dark and violent urban fantasy, similar in tone to Richard Kadrey and Caitlin Kiernan. I found the world immersive and well-drawn, with characters who seemed initially simple but who had depths to be revealed.
Heroine Ava is a hellhound, sent to hunt down hellbound souls. She rebels against the Reaper who 'owns' her, and then is forced to track down one more soul to avoid Hell's wrath. Along the way, she teams up with a Russian mob necromancer, and discovers that her past may play a significant role in her future.
Pretty much every character in the book is some sort of monster or supernatural entity, and their world is a dark one. No one is innocent, so don't be surprised when people are tortured, and then go on road trips with their torturers, or when they get betrayed, then get rescued by their betrayers. This world never gets brighter than gray, which makes the eventual friendships that form all the sweeter.
The book is fast-paced and was a very quick read. I read fairly fast anyway, and finished this in a day. in a way, I think the pace was both a plus and a minus with the book. It was a bit like a whirlwind and, while enjoyable, left me a bit exhausted. I will probably read more in the series, but need a rest first.
Heroine Ava is a hellhound, sent to hunt down hellbound souls. She rebels against the Reaper who 'owns' her, and then is forced to track down one more soul to avoid Hell's wrath. Along the way, she teams up with a Russian mob necromancer, and discovers that her past may play a significant role in her future.
Pretty much every character in the book is some sort of monster or supernatural entity, and their world is a dark one. No one is innocent, so don't be surprised when people are tortured, and then go on road trips with their torturers, or when they get betrayed, then get rescued by their betrayers. This world never gets brighter than gray, which makes the eventual friendships that form all the sweeter.
The book is fast-paced and was a very quick read. I read fairly fast anyway, and finished this in a day. in a way, I think the pace was both a plus and a minus with the book. It was a bit like a whirlwind and, while enjoyable, left me a bit exhausted. I will probably read more in the series, but need a rest first.
April 3, 2020
This book started really well. The main character, Ava, is a human/hell-hound who died badly and signed on to be a hellhound for a reaper. Throw in some warlocks and shape-changers, murder and mayhem and the story rocked along. Ava has supernatural abilities, but an interesting vulnerability in that other supernaturals can use her dreams and nightmares to reach her. Things went downhill fast for me starting with the steamy sex scene on page 296. If you're going to write a sex scene, think about it. There's a reason people move to the back seat of a car, and I don't think you can actually tear off someone's underwear unless the panties are twenty years old and the elastic has dry rotted. So from there to page 344, Ava finds love, saves the world, becomes a hellhound for an not-fallen angel and rides off in the sunset to murder escaped souls from Hell.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2024
This was a fantastic and unforgettable dark urban fantasy with a strong and kick ass female lead. I’ve read two short stories attached to Black Dog and the Hellhound Chronicles, but this is the first time I’ve read the actual novel that tells the start of Ava’s story. In fact, it’s the first full-length novel that I’ve read by Caitlin Kittredge, even though I’ve had a number on my shelves for a while and always love her short stories. Honestly, I couldn’t put this novel down and I am so glad that I finally got to reading it!
I love that although Ava is obviously a major instrument of change, she spends this whole story just trying to survive and get out of the mayhem she has found herself in. I mean, honestly, that’s what most people are trying to do – just survive the mayhem and nonsense they find themselves in. the fact that Ava also starts to find herself and discover just who she is makes it all that much better. I loved all of the chaotic moments throughout this story and her own internal struggles as well. Probably why I connected so completely so quickly to her character.
Although Leo is obviously going to be Ava’s big love interest, and the two have an instant connection, I love that she doesn’t go gaga over him immediately. They are weirdly drawn to one another and definitely succumb to that attraction. But, it isn’t that whole love at first sight, meant to be together vibe. Rather, they are attached a little, and thrown together by circumstance again and again. Sometimes it’s those that we are just thrown with repeatedly that can end up giving us our happily ever after vibes. Plus, even if their fates are intertwined, they still end up finishing out this series of battles with a tentative truce, rather than an unforgettable love story (and I read romances for that, not urban fantasies).
Honestly, this whole novel is just one chaotic moment after the other. Every time I though I’d be able to pause in reading it to you know… join the real world, some other piece of intense chaos occurred. I mean, it was annoying because I just didn’t want to put Black Dog down, and wanted to dive straight into Grim Tidings (I didn’t, but still). Yet, that’s exactly what I want in a good fantasy novel – a story that is just one chaotic moment after another, barrelling towards a great finish and battle at the end. There are hints of what is going to happen next in their lives in Ladies’ Fight, but now I need to know more!
I love that although Ava is obviously a major instrument of change, she spends this whole story just trying to survive and get out of the mayhem she has found herself in. I mean, honestly, that’s what most people are trying to do – just survive the mayhem and nonsense they find themselves in. the fact that Ava also starts to find herself and discover just who she is makes it all that much better. I loved all of the chaotic moments throughout this story and her own internal struggles as well. Probably why I connected so completely so quickly to her character.
Although Leo is obviously going to be Ava’s big love interest, and the two have an instant connection, I love that she doesn’t go gaga over him immediately. They are weirdly drawn to one another and definitely succumb to that attraction. But, it isn’t that whole love at first sight, meant to be together vibe. Rather, they are attached a little, and thrown together by circumstance again and again. Sometimes it’s those that we are just thrown with repeatedly that can end up giving us our happily ever after vibes. Plus, even if their fates are intertwined, they still end up finishing out this series of battles with a tentative truce, rather than an unforgettable love story (and I read romances for that, not urban fantasies).
Honestly, this whole novel is just one chaotic moment after the other. Every time I though I’d be able to pause in reading it to you know… join the real world, some other piece of intense chaos occurred. I mean, it was annoying because I just didn’t want to put Black Dog down, and wanted to dive straight into Grim Tidings (I didn’t, but still). Yet, that’s exactly what I want in a good fantasy novel – a story that is just one chaotic moment after another, barrelling towards a great finish and battle at the end. There are hints of what is going to happen next in their lives in Ladies’ Fight, but now I need to know more!
September 27, 2017
It wasn't bad but I lost interest. And maybe suspension of disbelief? Honestly; if they've skinned you, even in part, the last thing on the list of 'bad stuff they've done to me' probably shouldn't be shaving your head and kicking you out into a winter.
Unless there's some sort of wry commentary about the fact that your hair matters to you a very great deal.
Unless there's some sort of wry commentary about the fact that your hair matters to you a very great deal.
June 22, 2017
It's a 1000 pages book condensed into 350 pages. That's how it feels like to read it. It has a lot of interesting parts but it mostly doesn't evolve in anything deep. It's an entertaining read but it could have been much more.
December 1, 2017
I loved it. It wasn't perfect, but it was really well written and right up my alley. Halfway through I went out and bought the second one--I didn't even care if Kittredge flubbed the ending (she didn't).
November 18, 2017
Outrageous
I have this rating because I simply could not out this book down. Usually I read Jack Reacher type books, so this was a delightful departure. I would expect anyone with a yen for demons, hellspawn, warlocks and traveling to be mad for this book.
I have this rating because I simply could not out this book down. Usually I read Jack Reacher type books, so this was a delightful departure. I would expect anyone with a yen for demons, hellspawn, warlocks and traveling to be mad for this book.
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