A good conclusion to an interesting and fun series. ( )

Evie Scelan, the Hound who can find anything by scent, is back. She’s got a steady boyfriend with only a teeny rage problem, a date with the Wild Hunt to pay back the insult she dealt its members, and weird sudden weaknesses dragging her down. When she figures out what it was that she unwittingly gave a guardian spirit to save her now-boyfriend’s life, her troubles should lessen—but there’s kind of a god in town, bringing problems of its own. I think there are no more of these books coming, but this ends in a pretty good place, so I can be satisfied with Evie’s story. ( )

Evie Scelan, aka Hound, has the ability to find things by their magical scent, for reasons that are detailed in book 1 & 2 and that relate to Irish mythology. She makes her living in gritty Boston with this ability and a bike messenger job. In this third novel of the series, Evie's in hot water again as events in the previous book seem to have left her magically disabled and in a very fatigued state. Bad timing, since she's being threatened on various magical fronts. The book is action packed and hits the ground running, Evie and her fellow characters are pretty vividly drawn, the book has an enjoyable sense of place, and the plot moves along nicely. It gets a little amorphous in spots, I started to get a little confused following the various hazardous magical events and plot twists, but I'd certainly recommend the series to urban fantasy fans who enjoy the "tough female lead" type of novel. There's a romantic element too, though it's a fantasy straight up. I read this courtesy of a galley from the publisher via Netgalley. ( )

The premise: ganked from BN.com: The hunter has become the hunted . . .

Without even realizing what she was doing, Genevieve Scelan has made a bad bargain. The Red Sox fanatic and supernatural tracker known as "Hound" for her extraordinary power of scent wishes she could leave magic behind now that she’s eradicated the evil cabal that oppressed Boston’s undercurrent for centuries. But now her talent’s fading, the local adepts’ squabbles are turning ugly, and worse, she’s just discovered that she owes a very large debt to someone . . . or some thing. And in the undercurrent, debts are taken very seriously.

Evie has until midwinter to pay up . . . or else. So when she gets a job that might save her—even if she’s breaking all her own rules to take it—she can’t pass it up. Now, with danger at her back and uncertain allies beside her, she’ll trace the very bones of Boston itself to protect both the city and the people she loves.

My Rating

Must Read: That said, I really need a rating between "Like, Not Love" and "Must Read," because the book falls between the two, but closer to must. Frankly, this whole series is a must read for urban fantasy fans who want more female relationships in their stories and, if there MUST be romance, then said romance must be balanced with the story and not become the story (because then, it's paranormal romance, yo). Ronald knows how to deliver, and this latest installment flows nicely with the previous two books, and I'm liking the heroine more and more. It's not certain if there's going to be a fourth Evie Scelan book or not, but if there is, I'll be happy to read it. If there's not, then I will say that Soul Hunt ends with the kind of resonance that works nicely for the end of a series/trilogy, so it's not like I'm dying over here in terms of lack of resolution. The books read well, the writing is solid (save for my silly nitpicks), and it offers a unique view of the urban fantasy genre, one that doesn't focus on fairies or vampires or werewolves, but just simply magic and all the places magic comes from. Also a plus is that this is truly URBAN fantasy: the city is as important of a character as our heroine is, and often, that necessity of setting is so lacking in most UF today. I think Ronald's doing everything right, and like I said, whether there's a fourth installment or not, I look forward to following her writing career.

Review style: what I liked and what I didn't, with spoilers. I nitpick a bit, but that's okay: that's what happens when I take notes. ;) If you want to avoid spoilers, or are NOT caught up on the series, DO NOT click the link below for the full review in my LJ.

As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)

REVIEW: Margaret Ronald's SOUL HUNT

Happy Reading! ( )

Evie Scelan is in bad shape, graying out and losing her talent. But first she needs to find a way to give back the Horn and free herself of the Ghost Hounds. But that is merely the beginning of her troubles, as strife hits Boston's magical community and she finds herself with a literal deadline. ( )