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Haffling #3
Hound
The Book Three
The human and fey worlds plummet toward an ancient war. Enter two unlikely lovers, a myth, and a mad queen hell-bent on conquest and revenge. Fire Marshal Finn Hulain, tormented by the death of his best friend and an unrequited love, is tossed from the world he knows into the upside-down realm of the fey. Dr. Redmond Fall, psychiatrist to the deadliest criminals in the Unsee, awakes to find the brutal Queen May deposited within the walls of his hospital for a bit of therapy. While May would like to get over her daddy issues, it’s sometimes easier to bite off heads.
Hound, the epic finale to the Haffling trilogy, delves into the darkest reaches of the addictions we all carry. To save the worlds and themselves, Finn, Redmond, and even May must confront the ghosts of their past and the demons of their present. The clock is ticking. There are no second chances. Everything is on the line.
- GenresFantasy
200 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 28, 2017
2 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Caleb James
54 books30 followersCaleb James is an author, member of the Yale volunteer faculty, practicing psychiatrist, and clinical trainer. He writes both fiction and nonfiction and has published books in multiple genres and under different names. Writing as Charles Atkins, he has been a Lambda Literary finalist. He lives in Connecticut with his partner and four cats.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 1, 2017
A Joyfully Jay review.
4 stars
I will admit that this novel began a bit slowly—more so than any of the others and it also introduced a series of new characters that left me reeling a bit. I would have liked there to be a bit of a synopsis of the past installments to help clarify exactly were we were in the saga and to jog the memory. Despite that, once I got my footing in this book, it took off and the action never let up. May was incredibly blood thirsty in this one—needing more and more magic to sustain her due to being split in two. As a result, there was a great deal of her eating other magical creatures with a nonchalance that was a trifle disturbing. But this too made great sense for she was truly the pure embodiment of evil and, as such, should and did strike fear in the hearts of nearly everyone.
Finn and Redmond together made for a lovely romantic side story that was way too swift in forming and much too short in detail. While I understood the need to give us just a smattering of the two of them falling for each other due to the impending battle, I felt that the instant love that sprang up between them was give too little page time for it to make sense. I really wanted a few chapters of them both getting to know each other and allowing their love to evolve—unfortunately that wasn’t in the cards. Instead in less than a day the two fell deeply in love and then the crisis erupted and that was that.
Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.
4 stars
I will admit that this novel began a bit slowly—more so than any of the others and it also introduced a series of new characters that left me reeling a bit. I would have liked there to be a bit of a synopsis of the past installments to help clarify exactly were we were in the saga and to jog the memory. Despite that, once I got my footing in this book, it took off and the action never let up. May was incredibly blood thirsty in this one—needing more and more magic to sustain her due to being split in two. As a result, there was a great deal of her eating other magical creatures with a nonchalance that was a trifle disturbing. But this too made great sense for she was truly the pure embodiment of evil and, as such, should and did strike fear in the hearts of nearly everyone.
Finn and Redmond together made for a lovely romantic side story that was way too swift in forming and much too short in detail. While I understood the need to give us just a smattering of the two of them falling for each other due to the impending battle, I felt that the instant love that sprang up between them was give too little page time for it to make sense. I really wanted a few chapters of them both getting to know each other and allowing their love to evolve—unfortunately that wasn’t in the cards. Instead in less than a day the two fell deeply in love and then the crisis erupted and that was that.
Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.
November 28, 2017
Book – Hound (Haffling #3)
Author – Caleb James
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages – 200
Cover – Perfect!
POV – 3rd person, multi, omnipresent POV
Would I read it again – Yes!
Genre – LGBT, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Supernatural, Series
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
I am so sad that this is the last book of the series. I went back, before reading this one, and recapped with a re-read of books 1 and 2, and there really is no better way to read this series than to binge it in one week. It's so intricate, so well crafted and full of all those small details that you don't realise are important until it all begins to make sense. I'm going to miss this series, but I'm eager to read more of this author, who has managed to capture the world of the Fey in such a unique way.
~
So, it's been a month from the end of book 2 to the start of book 3 and a lot has happened and a lot has been done. Once again, the omnipresent – but mostly dual POV – really helps us get all the pieces put together, without anything important going missing. The need for Marilyn and May's full scene POV's is made clear, while sometimes it's a more subtle need of omnipresent awareness within the dual POV chapters that helps us make sense of what's happening.
The story tackles some very deep issues, as did the previous books – 9/11, sacrifice, suicidal thoughts, drug addiction, depression, loss, unrequited love, and betrayal by loved ones – but it does so with sensitivity, honesty and by making the resolutions as realistic as possible. There is no pity, here, no judgement or pressure for the people to “get over it”, but an acceptance of the issue and a hope that things will change.
Redmond was an interesting character, because we'd heard about him before, but only in the most fleeting sense, and where we knew nothing about who he was or what kind of person he might be. Here, I was amazed at the depth of characterisation that was managed to seamlessly. I shouldn't have been surprised. James has this way of writing that sucks me in and makes me feel like I know all the characters personally. Redmond is no exception. His perceptions during his psychiatric meetings with May were astoundingly brilliant. I loved the way that little bits of the puzzle were let slip, just a little at a time, and in a way that let us figure it out as we went along. I loved the way that he exposed May to the hidden secrets in her memories and explains her two failed attempts to rule the three worlds, without making it sound too perfectly planned out.
I loved Finn, too. I really liked him in the previous book, where he was just a side character, but here he really was something magnificent. The man he is and the Hound he could be really blended seamlessly. At first, I was taken aback by the insta-love aspect of his connection with Redmond, but once things began to unravel, it all made sense. There was nothing to say that the Hound of old truly loved either of the Sisters, nor to say that his spirit/essence is strong enough out drown out who Finn is, at the core. I loved that there was no struggle between the two, just acceptance of the weird and wonderful thing that had happened and that gave Finn the ability to find what he'd always wanted.
It was, as always, really great to see all the original cast back again. I love that they all work together, that they need each other, that they all have their parts to play. It's so important to always keep them close, in a series like this. Alice had a bigger part than I'd expected, and Adam less, but it all balanced out and no one attempted to outshine the main cast of Redmond, Finn and May.
It's a little reassuring and very clever to have the Fey just as messed up as humans are. Not only with their addiction to dust, but also the concept of eating disorders, and a hospital/prison for the criminally insane. It perfectly shows that these are two worlds that once functioned as one. And that there's not all that much difference between Fey and Humans, after all.
While I can't say much more about the plot without giving it away, I will say that it was an emotional rollercoaster. Nimby killed me, Gran was hilarious, Katye and Lizbeta are devious witches, and I feel really sorry for Lance. But, I have a sneaking suspicion that the thing that wasn't written on the page – about Lance's fate and the ending – will mean that Alice might actually get her man, after all. One can only hope.
As I said before, I hate that it's over. But, I wouldn't say no to a spin-off or a revival at any point in the future. And I'll be keeping these on my re-read list for a long time.
~
Favourite Quotes
“Finn tried to lighten things. “So, what’s today’s adventure? Vampires, werewolves, that Jewish clay monster that avenges the downtrodden?” It felt forced.
“Finn, we’ve got some shit to tell you, and then we’re heading out of town…. Out of this world, actually, and the punch line is, you need to come with us.””
““I think I broke this time.”
Liam turned and eyed him, from his booted feet to his peach-fuzz shorn head. “You are not broken, Finn Hulain. You are merely more of the creature you were meant to be.”
Aiming the truck through copses of trees and broad flower-filled meadows, Finn smelled and tasted the changing air. “Yes.” He chuckled. “I want to lick Redmond.”
“He will enjoy that,” Liam replied.”
Author – Caleb James
Star rating - ★★★★★
No. of Pages – 200
Cover – Perfect!
POV – 3rd person, multi, omnipresent POV
Would I read it again – Yes!
Genre – LGBT, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Supernatural, Series
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
I am so sad that this is the last book of the series. I went back, before reading this one, and recapped with a re-read of books 1 and 2, and there really is no better way to read this series than to binge it in one week. It's so intricate, so well crafted and full of all those small details that you don't realise are important until it all begins to make sense. I'm going to miss this series, but I'm eager to read more of this author, who has managed to capture the world of the Fey in such a unique way.
~
So, it's been a month from the end of book 2 to the start of book 3 and a lot has happened and a lot has been done. Once again, the omnipresent – but mostly dual POV – really helps us get all the pieces put together, without anything important going missing. The need for Marilyn and May's full scene POV's is made clear, while sometimes it's a more subtle need of omnipresent awareness within the dual POV chapters that helps us make sense of what's happening.
The story tackles some very deep issues, as did the previous books – 9/11, sacrifice, suicidal thoughts, drug addiction, depression, loss, unrequited love, and betrayal by loved ones – but it does so with sensitivity, honesty and by making the resolutions as realistic as possible. There is no pity, here, no judgement or pressure for the people to “get over it”, but an acceptance of the issue and a hope that things will change.
Redmond was an interesting character, because we'd heard about him before, but only in the most fleeting sense, and where we knew nothing about who he was or what kind of person he might be. Here, I was amazed at the depth of characterisation that was managed to seamlessly. I shouldn't have been surprised. James has this way of writing that sucks me in and makes me feel like I know all the characters personally. Redmond is no exception. His perceptions during his psychiatric meetings with May were astoundingly brilliant. I loved the way that little bits of the puzzle were let slip, just a little at a time, and in a way that let us figure it out as we went along. I loved the way that he exposed May to the hidden secrets in her memories and explains her two failed attempts to rule the three worlds, without making it sound too perfectly planned out.
I loved Finn, too. I really liked him in the previous book, where he was just a side character, but here he really was something magnificent. The man he is and the Hound he could be really blended seamlessly. At first, I was taken aback by the insta-love aspect of his connection with Redmond, but once things began to unravel, it all made sense. There was nothing to say that the Hound of old truly loved either of the Sisters, nor to say that his spirit/essence is strong enough out drown out who Finn is, at the core. I loved that there was no struggle between the two, just acceptance of the weird and wonderful thing that had happened and that gave Finn the ability to find what he'd always wanted.
It was, as always, really great to see all the original cast back again. I love that they all work together, that they need each other, that they all have their parts to play. It's so important to always keep them close, in a series like this. Alice had a bigger part than I'd expected, and Adam less, but it all balanced out and no one attempted to outshine the main cast of Redmond, Finn and May.
It's a little reassuring and very clever to have the Fey just as messed up as humans are. Not only with their addiction to dust, but also the concept of eating disorders, and a hospital/prison for the criminally insane. It perfectly shows that these are two worlds that once functioned as one. And that there's not all that much difference between Fey and Humans, after all.
While I can't say much more about the plot without giving it away, I will say that it was an emotional rollercoaster. Nimby killed me, Gran was hilarious, Katye and Lizbeta are devious witches, and I feel really sorry for Lance. But, I have a sneaking suspicion that the thing that wasn't written on the page – about Lance's fate and the ending – will mean that Alice might actually get her man, after all. One can only hope.
As I said before, I hate that it's over. But, I wouldn't say no to a spin-off or a revival at any point in the future. And I'll be keeping these on my re-read list for a long time.
~
Favourite Quotes
“Finn tried to lighten things. “So, what’s today’s adventure? Vampires, werewolves, that Jewish clay monster that avenges the downtrodden?” It felt forced.
“Finn, we’ve got some shit to tell you, and then we’re heading out of town…. Out of this world, actually, and the punch line is, you need to come with us.””
““I think I broke this time.”
Liam turned and eyed him, from his booted feet to his peach-fuzz shorn head. “You are not broken, Finn Hulain. You are merely more of the creature you were meant to be.”
Aiming the truck through copses of trees and broad flower-filled meadows, Finn smelled and tasted the changing air. “Yes.” He chuckled. “I want to lick Redmond.”
“He will enjoy that,” Liam replied.”
February 4, 2018
** Review for Bookwinked
Way back when I was reviewing for Rarely Dusty Books, I reviewed the first book in the Haffling series. I remembered I really liked it, but the details of the story got lost to me, so I went back to read the first and second books (Exile) in the series.
Hound is the conclusion of the series and what a finale it is! If you read the three books in succession, it’s an epic ride. I never thought I would like these stories as much as I did.
Like with Haffling and Exile, A LOT happens in this book, despite the somewhat slow start. It picks up where the last book left off with not one, but two pieces of Queen May (like one wasn’t bad enough) and there is even more trouble in the air than the last books, so it is up to Finn Hulain, Alex Nevus, Liam, and Charlie, to name a few, to stop her and that is no easy task. Finn plays a very important role and like most unsuspecting heroes, he doesn’t even know the full of it yet.
I liked how the plot was worked out. The third book brings the story arc to a nice conclusion. It does take a while to get going, but it felt like a built up. There is no thread left open and I can appreciate that in a story.
I did have some trouble with the switching POV’s, because there are quite a number of players in Hound, but for the most part, I think that is just me. It has been a while since I read a story where so much is going on.
Hound was well written with an original take on Fairies/Sidhe in the modern world. Like with Rhys Ford’s Kai Gracen series, I can appreciate a fresh take on a often used theme. The characters were well developed with their own parts in the story. There even was a little romance going on between Finn and Redmond. It was a little fast in its development, but I thought it was befitting the story.
Hound was a nice conclusion to the series and wrapped the trilogy up in a deserving and satisfying manner. It’s a trilogy I can definitely recommend.
Way back when I was reviewing for Rarely Dusty Books, I reviewed the first book in the Haffling series. I remembered I really liked it, but the details of the story got lost to me, so I went back to read the first and second books (Exile) in the series.
Hound is the conclusion of the series and what a finale it is! If you read the three books in succession, it’s an epic ride. I never thought I would like these stories as much as I did.
Like with Haffling and Exile, A LOT happens in this book, despite the somewhat slow start. It picks up where the last book left off with not one, but two pieces of Queen May (like one wasn’t bad enough) and there is even more trouble in the air than the last books, so it is up to Finn Hulain, Alex Nevus, Liam, and Charlie, to name a few, to stop her and that is no easy task. Finn plays a very important role and like most unsuspecting heroes, he doesn’t even know the full of it yet.
I liked how the plot was worked out. The third book brings the story arc to a nice conclusion. It does take a while to get going, but it felt like a built up. There is no thread left open and I can appreciate that in a story.
I did have some trouble with the switching POV’s, because there are quite a number of players in Hound, but for the most part, I think that is just me. It has been a while since I read a story where so much is going on.
Hound was well written with an original take on Fairies/Sidhe in the modern world. Like with Rhys Ford’s Kai Gracen series, I can appreciate a fresh take on a often used theme. The characters were well developed with their own parts in the story. There even was a little romance going on between Finn and Redmond. It was a little fast in its development, but I thought it was befitting the story.
Hound was a nice conclusion to the series and wrapped the trilogy up in a deserving and satisfying manner. It’s a trilogy I can definitely recommend.
June 8, 2018
Somehow, I believe this book glamoured me. I was thisclose to DNF it, left it for a day and picked it up again and miracle of miracles, I even enjoyed it. Forget the romance (which sucked, this was insta-lovey and not the good kind as in the previous book), the Fey brought all the sass to the yard and I was there for it. I was there for good people not being entirely good. I was there for bad people not being entirely bad. I did feel sorry for Queen May and I did blame her sisters.
This book almost lost me with the Fey psychiatrist, the brownie eating disorders and the trolls having body image issues, but when the Hound started pissing all over the place, quite literally, I threw caution to the wind and went with it.
If you are here for the romance, you might be disappointed but if you like fantasy, bake some cookies and get cozy.
This book almost lost me with the Fey psychiatrist, the brownie eating disorders and the trolls having body image issues, but when the Hound started pissing all over the place, quite literally, I threw caution to the wind and went with it.
If you are here for the romance, you might be disappointed but if you like fantasy, bake some cookies and get cozy.
November 30, 2017
2.75 stars rounded up
Hound is – I think – the last book of The Haffling series that starts in 2013 with Haffling. After the previous book, Queen May splits in two, one as salamander in the See (or human world) and the other form is in the Unsee. She is determined to get her stolen heart back, so she can rule all three worlds (See, Unsee, and The Mist). It’s up to our characters including Fire Marshall Finn Hulain, Unsee’s psychiatrist Dr. Redmond Fall, Alex Nevus, Liam, and Charlie – among others – to stop her.
I admit that I have a hard time enjoying this in its entirety. First, there are TOO many characters’ points of view. I think everybody that is important has their own chapter to tell, and for me that’s distracting. I have never been a fan of that kind of storytelling. I prefer the story to focus on one or two main characters.
Also, there’s a ‘slight’ injection of romance between Finn and Redmond – but the timeline of them acknowledging their love towards one another is so fast, it feels ridiculous to me. It’s like instant love on caffeine.
BUT it gives a pretty good closure to the series. I enjoyed reading about what drives Queen May’s anger, the whole ‘myth’ about the Hound, and the ending is quite impactful. So I might not have been completely entertained but it was not a failed read either.
A Guest Review for The Blogger Girls
The ARC is provided by the publisher for an exchange of fair and honest review. No high rating is required for any ARC received.
Hound is – I think – the last book of The Haffling series that starts in 2013 with Haffling. After the previous book, Queen May splits in two, one as salamander in the See (or human world) and the other form is in the Unsee. She is determined to get her stolen heart back, so she can rule all three worlds (See, Unsee, and The Mist). It’s up to our characters including Fire Marshall Finn Hulain, Unsee’s psychiatrist Dr. Redmond Fall, Alex Nevus, Liam, and Charlie – among others – to stop her.
I admit that I have a hard time enjoying this in its entirety. First, there are TOO many characters’ points of view. I think everybody that is important has their own chapter to tell, and for me that’s distracting. I have never been a fan of that kind of storytelling. I prefer the story to focus on one or two main characters.
Also, there’s a ‘slight’ injection of romance between Finn and Redmond – but the timeline of them acknowledging their love towards one another is so fast, it feels ridiculous to me. It’s like instant love on caffeine.
BUT it gives a pretty good closure to the series. I enjoyed reading about what drives Queen May’s anger, the whole ‘myth’ about the Hound, and the ending is quite impactful. So I might not have been completely entertained but it was not a failed read either.
A Guest Review for The Blogger Girls
The ARC is provided by the publisher for an exchange of fair and honest review. No high rating is required for any ARC received.
December 7, 2017
The end of a brilliant trilogy. Caleb James has a quiet writing style and tells a powerful story but still manages to inject humor. I loved this and I want another book about anything yesterday.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews