I wish Patricia Briggs was still writing fantasy, as well as paranormal. Hob's Bargain is mostly a sweet, quick read, but violence and a little philosophy manages to sneak it's way in. As with most of her stories, the main character is incredibly easy to identify with. Her relationships with the other characters are well developed. The romance is lovely and just a little bit kinky. I would love to read a sequel, if she ever has time to write it. ( )

This is the story of Aren, and how she came to make and keep the Hob's Bargain. It happens in a rural area of a land unknown. Big Things happened far away, loosing the bindings that kept magic in check -- probably something in the Great Game of kings and bloodmages. But her corner of the world is affected, too, even if they don't know quite what happened, or why.

Aren lives outside the village of Fallbrook, and in the first few pages, a band of raiders kills her family, her husband of one day, and her brother-in-law. She had seen something, but it was cryptic, and not enough to warn them to get away. From there, she and other survivers try to make contact with the next village over, by crossing the pass over Hob's Mountain, where she catches the eye of the Hob. That village was drowned by a new lake, so the party makes their way back. From then on, they find themselves dealing with the newly awakened magical creatures, raiders, and a blood mage set on murder.

It is a coming-of-age as a magic user sort of story - fast read, page-turner, decent characters. ( )

Aren's life is turned upside down , the day after her wedding, when bandits attack her village and long bound magic is set free.
Having the gift of sight she is determined to save her village and pay the price for it even if it mean sacrificing herself. But...
The hasty ending of the story as well as three blank pages between the last chapter and the epilogue,with the words "AUTUMN HARVEST" printed on the second page, indicates that author had been under immense time pressure, which is rather a pity.
All in all it's an easy read,though due to it's hasty ending , it lacks the class of Patricia Briggs' other works.
Patricia Briggs used the term "Green man" the first time in this book. ( )

Ya know, Briggs just knows how to tell a good story. The Hob's Bargain (as far as I can tell) is standalone fantasy novel that succeeds in that it's a lot more original than a lot of fantasy out there, manages a plot that is not predictable, and entertains. The title character is one of my favorite in recent reads. The only thing I was disappointed in was that I felt the book doesn't feel finished. ( SPOILER: The bargain referred to in the title never comes to its conclusion!) Lately I've read a series of stinkers, so this was a refreshing change of pace! ( )

Hmm, can't believe it took me this long to get around to actually reading this. I already know I’m a fan of Patricia Briggs’s writing, and I already know I’ll enjoy it, but somehow, I just really never thought about reading it. It just never occurred to me, even though I’ve owned the book for a year and something now.

Anyway. The first few chapters go right into the death and despair, although strangely, there wasn't much of the despair. I thought that most of the concentration went into her and her magic, which should be appropriate I guess, but I would've felt it more had it been easier to sympathize? But anyway. I kept waiting for the hob and her to actually meet, but it wasn't until near the middle of the book that it managed to happen, and by the time it did, my reaction was something along the lines of 'about time' rather than excitement. It does get interesting once that gets going though, and the hob is a really appealing character to read about. Having seen the cover though, it's a little bit harder to read about his description being 'beautiful' and believe it. But the hob sounds adorable regardless. I do wonder what his past memories might have been, since he says he remembers having a mischievous mate before.

The book has also been left very open to the possibility of a sequel, and it's a shame there isn't one in the works. Or, who knows? Maybe there is. I just hope one gets published someday, because I would definitely love to revisit this world. Maybe I should make it a personal goal to read all of Patricia Briggs’s previous books.

P.S. - The scene where she finds the ghost of the woman and the baby was the creepiest thing I’ve read yet. I got shivers and more from the way the scene was set up, just because it was so unexpected. I kinda wish I read the copy with this cover, since thanks to the other cover I kept imagining the hob as an oversized ape, but... That's just me, I guess. Will definitely pick up all her others before the week is over. ( )