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Book Review: "The Wild Ways" by Tanya Huff
Feb. 9th, 2012 04:28 pmI have to say that I enjoyed The Wild Ways more than I enjoyed the first book in this series, The Enchantment Emporium, and that one was pretty damn good.
The basic premise for this second book in the series focuses on Charlie, one of the Wilds in the family of Gales, Auntie Catherine (another Wild), an oil company, and Selkies. Auntie Catherine appears to be helping the oil company thwart the attempts of the Selkies to keep them from drilling for oil near their own waters by stealing the Selkies' skins. When Charlie arrives on the scene, the Selkies ask for her help, and since it appears her family is involved, she agrees. What she doesn't understand is why her Auntie Catherine would want to help the oil company. Money? Auntie Catherine is Wild, like her, but . . .
In any case, that question is eventually resolved and along the way Charlie learns more about herself and being Wild than she ever thought possible. I think one of the reasons this book is better, in my opinion, than the first is that this book was . . . cleaner. The plot flowed much more smoothly and the character felt much more grounded than in the first book. It wasn't as confusing (trying to figure out who everyone was, what was happening, etc), and so I was able to simply settle back and enjoy the read. What appeals to me about the books aren't the plots necessarily, but the family of Gales themselves. I enjoy their characters, their interactions, and their foibles. I like Allie, the main character in book one, and I like Charlie, the main character here. I'm glad that this book focused almost exclusively on her. I also like Jack, the Dragon Prince from the first book, who's also featured prominently in this book, trying to fit into our world and the Gale family at the same time.
Some people have said that they didn't like the ending, the way it seemed rushed or perhaps too convenient. I've also heard that some people didn't like how the head of the oil company was dealt with, that it was to harsh. I would say that I agree with these misgivings--I did think the ending was rushed, and the final solution to the bigger problem was convenient, and I can see why some would say the head of the oil company didn't deserve what she got--but I'd also say that it didn't bother me that much. The story wasn't about that "bigger problem," it was about Charlie, about her realizations about herself and her Wild powers. That "bigger problem" was the motivation behind Auntie Catherine, not Charlie; Charlie simply cleaned things up. As for what happens to the head of the oil company . . . well, Charlie is a Wild power, which seems to me to mean that she isn't always going to do the "right" thing and be the "good" person in any situation. Her handling of the head of the oil company WAS harsh, but I think that was completely in character.
My main misgiving about the book doesn't really have anything to do with THIS book, but might be a problem in future novels: Charlie at the end seems WAY too powerful. I'd be concerned that future problems will be resolved by simply turning to Charlie and saying, "Fix it." This is, perhaps, why she's a Wild power. She won't necessarily be "good," so there's some uncertainty about whether she'd help or not. But it could present a problem.
My guess, though, is that future books will revolve around different characters. I, for one, am hoping that the next book in the series focuses on Jack. I think it's been set up for that, although I have no idea what Tanya Huff plans.
In any case, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to future novels in this series and/or setting. I love reading about the Gales and strongly suggest that if you haven't tried these books that you do so immediately. They're urban fantasy books, yes, but with a completely different feel than most of the UF books out there. Humorous and quirky, with a cast of characters that I think everyone will love.
The basic premise for this second book in the series focuses on Charlie, one of the Wilds in the family of Gales, Auntie Catherine (another Wild), an oil company, and Selkies. Auntie Catherine appears to be helping the oil company thwart the attempts of the Selkies to keep them from drilling for oil near their own waters by stealing the Selkies' skins. When Charlie arrives on the scene, the Selkies ask for her help, and since it appears her family is involved, she agrees. What she doesn't understand is why her Auntie Catherine would want to help the oil company. Money? Auntie Catherine is Wild, like her, but . . .
In any case, that question is eventually resolved and along the way Charlie learns more about herself and being Wild than she ever thought possible. I think one of the reasons this book is better, in my opinion, than the first is that this book was . . . cleaner. The plot flowed much more smoothly and the character felt much more grounded than in the first book. It wasn't as confusing (trying to figure out who everyone was, what was happening, etc), and so I was able to simply settle back and enjoy the read. What appeals to me about the books aren't the plots necessarily, but the family of Gales themselves. I enjoy their characters, their interactions, and their foibles. I like Allie, the main character in book one, and I like Charlie, the main character here. I'm glad that this book focused almost exclusively on her. I also like Jack, the Dragon Prince from the first book, who's also featured prominently in this book, trying to fit into our world and the Gale family at the same time.
Some people have said that they didn't like the ending, the way it seemed rushed or perhaps too convenient. I've also heard that some people didn't like how the head of the oil company was dealt with, that it was to harsh. I would say that I agree with these misgivings--I did think the ending was rushed, and the final solution to the bigger problem was convenient, and I can see why some would say the head of the oil company didn't deserve what she got--but I'd also say that it didn't bother me that much. The story wasn't about that "bigger problem," it was about Charlie, about her realizations about herself and her Wild powers. That "bigger problem" was the motivation behind Auntie Catherine, not Charlie; Charlie simply cleaned things up. As for what happens to the head of the oil company . . . well, Charlie is a Wild power, which seems to me to mean that she isn't always going to do the "right" thing and be the "good" person in any situation. Her handling of the head of the oil company WAS harsh, but I think that was completely in character.
My main misgiving about the book doesn't really have anything to do with THIS book, but might be a problem in future novels: Charlie at the end seems WAY too powerful. I'd be concerned that future problems will be resolved by simply turning to Charlie and saying, "Fix it." This is, perhaps, why she's a Wild power. She won't necessarily be "good," so there's some uncertainty about whether she'd help or not. But it could present a problem.
My guess, though, is that future books will revolve around different characters. I, for one, am hoping that the next book in the series focuses on Jack. I think it's been set up for that, although I have no idea what Tanya Huff plans.
In any case, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to future novels in this series and/or setting. I love reading about the Gales and strongly suggest that if you haven't tried these books that you do so immediately. They're urban fantasy books, yes, but with a completely different feel than most of the UF books out there. Humorous and quirky, with a cast of characters that I think everyone will love.
