Expected publication: January 4, 2016
Hal Rupert fancies himself the hero of Eugene, Oregon. Too bad he's just works for animal control. However, his fellow townspeople are unaware that he keeps them safe from werewolves and other supernatural creatures running a muck. When hippies and fortune tellers start turning up dead, Hal is convinced its his job to save the day and to protect his true love, Goth goddess, Desdemona from harm. It's just too bad she thinks he is a creepy, loony stalker.
What I liked...
Thinning the Herd is an interesting take on the urban fantasy genre. There are certainly humorous moments which are highlighted by the author's character development. I rather liked the sidekicks, Galahad and Nick, more than the protagonist. Nick--a werewolf obsessed with squeaky toys is a riot. The setting is unique as is the 'magic' surrounding the supernatural groups introduced.
What I didn't like...
I realize that Hal's quirks are meant to be humorous and endearing; however, I just found him irritating and still rather creepy. If a man acted like this toward me in real life, I'd call the police and file a restraining order. It's not cute. It's alarming. Furthermore, I just couldn't take Desdemona's about face toward his behavior and that they end up actually entangled in some sort of romantic relationship.
Plot wise the novel felt all over the place and rather disjointed. While reading, I felt as if I was in the middle of the series, oblivious to important world-building details. This bothered me since Thinning the Herd is the first in a new series. When the 'big bad' is revealed I found myself saying, "Huh?" It all just doesn't seem to fit together. Now, maybe it will since events are probably going to have greater consequences in other books. Either way, I felt like there were too many supernatural elements going on.
Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars (just because of Nick and the hilarious bicyclist)
#netgalley #adrianphoenix #thinningtheherd #urbanfantasy #UF #bookreview #werewolves
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