Two thousand year old Iron Druid, Atticus, his wolfhound Oberon, and apprentice Druid, Granuaile are on the run from the gods of several pantheons, in particular the Norse lot whom Atticus severely upset a couple of books ago, and now the Greek gods as well. All Atticus wants to do is bind Granuaile to the earth to finish her training and make her into a full Druid. On top of that he has several enemies in Tir Na N'Og. Over the past few books he's amassed an enormous body count and it seems as though it's payback time. Twelve years ago he faked his and Granuaile's death so he could finish her Druid training in peace, but now the gods have realised he's still alive and several of them have scores to settle. Things go from bad to worse, but there are a few bright spots and they meet a few friends on the way.

I had initially marked this book as I will not give feedback, as I requested/DLs in 2012 and upon a review of my netgalley titles I was no longer interested in this title as my reading tastes have changed since then. In trying to improve my netgalley ratio I have learned that titles marked as not giving feedback do not count as a review. So writing this to thank you for the approval but I will not be reading or reviewing at this time. If that changes in the future I will leave a review on instagram, goodreads, storygraph, and amazon.

Have lost access to this book due to kindle that it was on and I can’t review. I apologise for not being able to do this.

The Iron Druid Chronicles is a favourite urban fantasy series of mine. Debuting in 2011, Books 1 through to 4 were published in quick succession so it feels like it has been a long wait for Trapped, the fifth installment, featuring Atticus, Oberon, Granuaile and a host of mythical figures.

Trapped begins twelve years after the events of Tricked (the gap broken by Hearne’s short story ( click for my review of Two Ravens and One Crow), just as Atticus is ready to complete Granuaile’s binding. Before it can begin, they are interrupted by a Slavic thunder god fleeing a freed Loki whose release from captivity is said to herald the start of Ragnarok – the burning of the earth. Atticus’s adventure into the realm of the Norse Gods (in Hammered) and making an enemy of Hel – the Goddess of the Dead (in Tricked), as well as various Roman and Greek Olympian gods, seems to have brought forward the prophesied apocalypse and he is ordered to fix it by Odin and Frigg. What follows is a frantic game of hide and seek as Atticus tries to avoid being sucked dry by vampires, assassinated by dark elves, torn apart by vengeful Gods and revealing his true feelings for Granuaile so he can finish initiating the first new Druid bound to Gaia in more than a thousand years.

Action packed and fast paced, I still adore Hearne’s twists on mythology and the manner in which he involves them all in the series from North American Indian skinwalkers to the fae of celtic lore and and introduces yet more – in this case the Svartalfar, or dark elves. The plot of Trapped is fairly complex as Atticus and Granuaile are the targets of many, all with differing agenda’s and not able to trust anyone fully, except each other.

Atticus is a fantastic yet flawed character. Often arrogant and sometimes selfish his actions come back to haunt him in this installment and he is has some serious penance to do. To his credit, Atticus takes responsibility for his poor choices and does what he can to make amends, even at the risk of his own life. The romance that sparks to life with Granuaile is not unexpected and I’m glad it has finally blossomed though I am not sure The Morrigan is going to be too impressed when she figures it out. It was great to witness Granuaile finally come into her own in Trapped – she surpasses her master in may ways and proves to be formidable partner in battle. Oberon is, of course, his usual lovable self, often more quick-witted than both of his human companions (and always craving bacon).

Originally, Hearne planned The Iron Druid Chronicles as a six book series, I sincerely hope he has changed his mind because I couldn’t bear to think that the next book will be the last for Atticus, Granuaile and Oberon. If you enjoy urban fantasy I highly recommend this series though it’s not one you can join midstream so start with Hounded, you won’t be sorry.

The fifth book in Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Series begins twelve years after the events of Tricked with a short novella (Two Ravens and One Crow) in between. Atticus, with most of the Gods of the world angry at him faked his death with the help of Coyote in order do the required twelve years of Granuaile's Druidic training. She is now ready for the final stage, binding to Gaia. Trapped begins with a literal bang when first Perun, the Russian Thunder God, crash lands and brings tidings of the destruction of the Slavic plane of existence. Perun is followed closely by Loki, the mad Norse God of Mischief who has escaped his imprisonment, heralding the beginning of Ragnarok or the end of the world. The fact that Atticus is alive is known and the Olympians, especially Bacchus, and the gods of the other pantheons are out to get him. Even the Dark Elves are gunning for him. Worse, Granuaile is not yet fully bound and can't defend herself without a full connection to Gaia. And even worse- Atticus fears that he is to blame for the triggering of Ragnarok. What follows is another bang- up adventure of mythical proportions leading to what I believe will be the final book in the series.

Atticus has made a lot of mistakes that are coming home to roost, mainly due to to his habit of being a smart-mouth and using expediency rather than wisdom. Sometimes it is hard to believe that a two thousand year old Druid could be so thoughtless, but I guess a life so long is all about living in the moment and above all, survival. Atticus is one of the good guys though in spite of everything.The Iron Druid Chronicles are an extremely entertaining mash-up of mythology, humor, adventure and this time, a little romance. I read a lot of mythology at one time and enjoy trying to remember what I read about the various pantheons. I never could get my head around the Norse pantheon but none of that really detracts from the enjoyment of this series. It's all about fun, not being learned.

A review of the Iron Druid Chronicles is not complete without a mention of Oberon, Atticus's faithful wolfhound. The mind connection and byplay between Atticus and Oberon are by far the most laugh-out-loud parts of all the books. May I say that I am in complete accord with Oberon on the subject of sausage ( and almost everything else)!

Trapped is another highly recommended entry in the Iron Druid Chronicles, but start with the first book, Hounded. Thanks to Del Rey and netgalley.com for an advance copy.

Rating- 4 Stars