As a (new) reviewer, I can occasionally—ha, yeah, occasionally—hit a brick wall when it
comes to writing on a book I’ve enjoyed. Why? A good question I don’t quite
have the answer for. It probably comes down to being reluctant to deconstruct
the weaknesses as well as the strengths of a work when you have less tangible
reasons for liking it. How does The Hob’s
Bargain stand apart from other fantasy books? How is it similar? Is the
devil in the details rather than the, let’s face it, tried and true formulas of
stories in general? Finding the answers is a large part of why I started
reviewing fantasy books.
As a fan of both Rumpelstiltskin- and Beauty and the
Beast-inspired stories, the back cover of Hob’s
Bargain promised a mix of both. Aren, our hero, is a peasant woman with the
power of foresight, though it’s a fickle power she doesn’t have much control
over. Only when the raw magic of the world is released, previously bound by
human mages, does she begin to understand her gift. But with this
self-discovery come the dangers of untamed magic resurrecting supernatural
creatures of myth, including the Hob, a powerful being who is known for its
deals. To better understand her magic and guarantee the safety of her village,
which is filled with people who distrust her now that they know about her magic,
Aren strikes a bargain with the Hob.
