Dragon's Teeth by James A. Hetley

4 STARS

Stonefort - Book 2

Sometimes a book is so good that you zip along, turning page after page, quickly, afraid that you'll miss something if you don't read it RIGHT NOW! Other books are so good because it just feels so good to read them. You take them slow, savouring the flavour of the words, the turns of phrase, the distinctive voice of the author. I love both kinds of books.

Dragon's Teeth is the latter type. It has an easy cadence to it that made me want to read it slowly, the way I'd drink a tumbler of fine single malt scotch. You know, it reads like one would expect life in small town Maine to feel, if that makes any sense.

The second Stonefort book brings us back to the wonderful characters we met in Dragon's Eye. Alice and Kate. The Morgan brothers, Daniel and Ben. Young Gary and his half-sister, Caroline. And a new character as complex and out-of-the-ordinary as the others, Jane White. It's truly like rejoining old friends.

We pick up shortly after the events of Dragon's Eye and I found that I missed the two girls, Daniel's daughters, who had been sent off for a week in the wilderness with the Naskeag Indian side of the family. I liked the youthful perspective on things. But some books can only hold so many characters before the narrative becomes scattered and disjointed, so I can deal with them not being there.

While the story in Dragon's Eye had come to a close, there were still threads dangling and if not exactly dangling, they needed to be completely woven back into the fabric of Stonefort. Dragon's Teeth does this. We see how Gary and Caroline continue the family traditions whilst doing things their way at times. The new generation bringing their special talents to the game. Kate and Alice suffer more heartbreak and sadness, but they also get on with their lives. And Ben and Daniel? Well, a few surprises for them too and I have to say, I'd be really happy to read a book of their adventures. And the new kid on the block, Jane. I liked her. My God, she was odd and different and just this side of scary, but... BUT... there was something about her that made me admire her at the same time as wanting to protect her. Brave, brave girl.

I honestly loved this book. I think James Hetley is an author that should be more known than he is. His voice is different from the majority of what I call contemporary fantasy out there in all the good ways. I highly recommend him and the Stonefort series. :)

Dragon's Eye by James A. Hetley

3.5 STARS

Stonefort Series - Book 1

What a pleasant surprise! A good friend of mine, with whom I don't share many reading preferences, mentioned that this author was one of her favourite fantasy authors. Now, as far as I know, fantasy isn't her usual thing, so curious me, I took a look at the link. I liked the sound of it and asked her if this was a good place to start with this author and she said yes and admitted that he was a friend of hers. So, all that being said, I cracked open the book - virtually, on my new Kobo H2O. *LOL*

Hetley has a definite authorial voice. It took me a few chapters to get used to his way of writing. It's by no means bad, or off-putting, or anything negative, it's just different. If I had to describe it, he sounds very Canadian. *LOL* Even though he's not. He comes from Maine apparently, where the book is set. Maybe that's close enough. :)

So we're not talking fantasy made up of elves and dwarves and wizards and mystical realms here. This is modern fantasy with nature witches, Native American traditions and mythologies, a little Welsh water magic thrown in along with a dash of dragon and some ... South American magic? It all works. :)

And the characters! OMG, I really came to love them. They're so far from perfect that at times I really disliked each and every one of them but that just made them all the more real. I quite enjoyed the emphasis on the women's perspective. It came across as very real, very sensible and not ... how can I say it... not Mary Sue-ish perfect?

If you're looking for a new contemporary fantasy author to try, I would easily recommend James Hetley. I don't know how well he's known, all I know is that I'd never heard of him before my buddy mentioned him. And you know what? I could see this being made into a TV series along the lines of True Blood or Charmed or The Witches of East End.

And yes, while this is the first book in a series, it definitely does stand alone, no cliffhangers here. The only reason you'll need to get the next book is because you want to read it!