This book really rates probably about 3.5 stars. And, it may actually be 4, but for the "expectations" scale. That is, based on the reviews, I expected more from this book than it delivered to me. My mind frequently wandered, and that is never a good thing.The druid based magic system was very intriguing. I really liked the tattoo idea and the relationship to the earth. The logic and reasoning for the final battle also felt very in character and I do not think I would have accepted any other argument. I am still a bit confused as to the gods and goddesses and fae and Tuatha De Dannan and how they relate to each other. (I also appreciated the author's presentation of Irish pronunciations - and his permission to pronounce any which way I chose.)
As a dog lover, I adored Oberon. Was it a little over the top? Maybe. But, I didn't mind. Unfortunately, Atticus' relationship with Oberon is really the only ongoing "relationship" in the story - I really missed an emotional connection to any other character in the book. I strongly suspect this is to be corrected in the next book as some seemed to be being set-up in this novel - obviously the first in a series. That being said, he is very kind to the old widow down the street - and obviously cared - but it is a very peripheral relationship.
And, the contemporariness of Atticus bothered me. Here is this thousands of years old druid - yet he talks and acts as if he really *is* 21. I certainly understand the need for him to blend in with others his apparent age, but I should still think that there should be some age and wisdom visible to the reader - and there really is not. In addition, his reaction to every female in the novel was on a visceral level, as if there were no other reason to relate to a person of the opposite gender.
I did enjoy this book. I certainly did not feel myself immersed in his world. I did feel like it was setting up characters for more novels. As such, I am undecided as to whether or not I actually cared enough to see where they go: part of me thinks there is so much more to Atticus and part of me really wonders.