Hounds of the Underworld (Path of Ra)

Something of the description of this from the Early reviewer list got my attention, but I don't remember what, which is odd for me - I thought something about Lovecraftian meets Holmes. The genre is not one I frequent so I have a short measuring stick with which to compare it.

For me, it was slow to get into...the scene shifts with teaser hints may have been designed to engage and drawn in, but I found the abrupt transitions to be off-putting - and the development slow and disconcerting. Again, no comparator, so that may be the norm. (This review is my impression, and I always allow that others may like something more than I...) The pace did pick up in the last third, racing to the end, but leaving me wondering "what did I just read?" The connections to the un/supernatural seemed tenuous for a novel written in that vein, and the detective elements underdeveloped, but I do understand that this is the first in the series and that the authors are trying to set a stage for the follow-ons. But I found the unnatural elements too odd to grab me. (Remember, these are my impressions...your mileage may vary...everyone sees things from their own cultural, experiential perspective!) I had no issue with the Kiwi perspective...that was stimulating.

Now, I did find the main two characters engaging - reasonably defined and at times funny, though the unnatural connector through the brother not quite defined - but the secondary characters (police, parents, perps, ...) interchangeably superfluous, though the brother thread seemed deliberately obscured, teasing references that for some might invoke "tell me more", and for others, "any time now..." And there were oddly melodramatic interjections like "It's heavy, weighted with the sorrows of untold ages past."

Pop culture observation #1: Ms. J. K. Rowling might be flattered at a reference - [something was] "stabbed like a Horcrux"

Great line note #1: "Don't disbelieve everything you can't find on the internet." [Love it!!]

Overall, I'd like to see more depth with the two mains, and this piqued my curiosity. ( )

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, as I had expected a novel that still would need a few more drafts before it would be publish worthy. It's not the case in this one though, as other than a few niggles I highly enjoyed it. The sister and brother duo, who both narrate the story, are from completely opposite spectrum of how they view life. Pandora is clinical, thinking exactly of how science can be applied to anything and is prone to breaking down experiments and situations as such. Her brother (Matiu) on the other hand, delves into the spiritual side with a presence that haunts him and a disruption of a past that keeps on intruding.

Both characters are not only likeable, in their own endearing ways, but I love how they bonce off each other. They enjoy a brother/sister relationship where they tease each other, worry about the other and at the same time appear to do acts that get the other in trouble. And yet at the same time, you can see how this all is down to keep the other safe, especially in the case of Matiu who usually has hidden meaning behind everything they do. The two clearly depend on each other, with their parents playing background characters who rarely feature other than to nag and be an irritating force. It was one of the few problems I had with this book, since I wanted to know more about the mother who was the main force against Pandora over her choices in life. I would have liked a bit more explanation of why she was like this, though I have a feeling it may be paid more attention in later books as this is just the first in a series. The father on the other hand is kept as nothing more than an authoritarian figure, who is mentioned as having two defining features and is not expanded further. He may be fleshed out further, but I felt that he might be able to share the personality of butting heads with Pandora.

There is one last side character that deserves a mention: the lab technician for the company that Pandora has set up. He appears to be more of the slap-stick side-kick than much else but I hope that he has more prominent time to become further involved. It is a very curious part of this novel, since it shows off the relationship between the brother and sister perfectly, but at the same time it makes all the other characters suffer to being only two or one dimensional.

The one last issue I had with this novel is something that slightly kicked me out of the story. It may be mentioned in the blurb on the final product, but when I first read the actual date the story is set on I thought that it was a misprint. It took a little while for my brain to wrap around this, but it was cleverly helped along by the mentions by Pandora mostly, though Matiu does have a few words within his thoughts on the matter since the authors use a growing problem that is occurring now to explain the changes of the future within the realm of possibility. I did have a few questions on certain outcomes, such as did the electric car fail completely? Or the one that had alternative fuel such as vegetables/wastes/etc in order to run it. There are little hints that water is rationed, as is food but electricity doesn't appear to be. it is expensive, but at the same time I could only attribute it to something Pandora said in regards to her company. I could have completely missed it, and it is such a little niggle that it barely takes off one of the points of a star for me.

It's only the combination of these above, as well as that is very difficult for me to give any book five stars, that puts this book down to four stars. I would highly recommend this book, and I will be buying a physical copy of this book when it is published.

Thank you for the copy send to my Kindle and I wish the authors best luck in the future. ( )