Book Review: Ever After by Kim Harrison

Ever After, Kim Harrison’s eleventh installment in the Hollows series, reunites magical bounty hunter Rachel Morgan and elf businessman Trent Kalamack on more equal footing.  To the delight of many Harrison fans, their former enmity continues to evolve into a steady alliance with the promise of more on the horizon.  Having once again unwittingly plunged herself into a world of trouble, this time by causing a tear that begins to deteriorate the demon home world known as the Ever After, Rachel puts on her big girl boots (the finest vampire-made black leather boots, of course) and takes responsibility for fixing the problem and once again saving the world.

During her latest adventures, Rachel manages to serve as the glue that unites multiple factions of sworn enemies – elves and demons, pixies and fairies – into a tenuous cooperation.  It is this underlying theme of Rachel bringing together paranormal species and humans from dramatically disparate cultures and backgrounds, woven throughout the Hollows series, that is one of my favorite aspects of this alternate universe.  Another is that the definitions of good and evil are much more ambiguously grey than simple black-and-white.

Trent gracefully turned to look down the hall as if wanting to leave. He was tired, but it was only because he was letting his guard down that I could tell. “Anyone can piece it together — now that it’s common knowledge what you are.” His gaze came back to me, an empty regret in them. “The sole survivor of Rosewood syndrome happens to be a demon? Perhaps we were lucky it took this long. That an enzyme can keep them alive, though?” His lips pressed together. “A handful know that, and most of them work for me.”

Some Harrison fans might be disappointed that vampire main character Ivy Tamwood is almost nonexistent in this latest story.  While Rachel’s personal story arc evolves, I hope it doesn’t leave her almost family-like bonds with her old friends in the dust.  This particular book did make strides in developing the gargoyle characters and their intriguing history.  Clearly, there are more adventures yet to come in the world of the Hollows, and I, for one, can’t wait for book number twelve.

To learn more about Kim Harrison and the Hollows series, click here to read my interview with this New York Times bestselling author.

New TV Show: The Hollows

I’m so excited about the CW’s upcoming new show, The Hollows, based on Kim Harrison’s bestselling series of urban fantasy novels featuring Rachel Morgan, a smart and sassy private investigator who also just happens to be a very powerful witch.  The show will be written and produced by Jordan Hawley, whose projects also include Smallville, Moonlight, and Wildfire.

I recently received an advance review copy of Harrison’s latest book, The Hollows Insider, which provides an overview of the world of the Hollows.  Check back soon to read my review.  If you’re thinking of purchasing your own copy of this book, I highly recommend doing it soon.  It was just released this week, and first editions have a really cool glow-in-the-dark cover.

Book Review: Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

Kim Harrison’s ninth book in the Hollows series, Pale Demon, revisits the original inspiration behind the series: “What would happen if you placed a witch, a vampire, and a pixie in a bar?”  Only in this case, it’s a cross-country road trip rather than a bar.  In addition, an elf, a Witch Council member, and a demon hunter are thrown in for a little extra spice.  Pale Demon heavily features almost every character in the Hollows series, including the witch bounty hunter Rachel Morgan, vampire Ivy, fearless pixie Jenks, powerful businessman and elf Trent Kalamack, and demon Al, just to name a few.

Packed with action and adventure along the way, Rachel and Trent team up to tackle their respective problems in California.  Rachel must either win over the Witch Council or live with demons in the Ever After.  Although the secret ”surprise” ending of Trent’s elf quest came as no surprise when I read it, the charm of the story was mainly about the ride, the adventure, and the realizations they discovered along the way.  Rachel learned more about her powers and what makes her unique, details that she takes in stride like everything else, despite the fact that what makes her special is not a quality she would have chosen for herself.  Trent exhibits his wild elf magic while simultaneously displaying his more gentle ”human” side.  Rachel bonds with Al and her demon kindred in an entirely new way, which added an intriguing twist I’ve not yet encountered in the fantasy fiction genre.

My trial was Sunday night, and I met Jenk’s and Ivy’s eyes. This had all the earmarks of the tip of an iceberg. Trent was in trouble with the biggest elf family on the West Coast. And though he hadn’t blamed me, I might have had some part in it. Guilt licked at my soul. I had a really bad feeling about this.

Kim Harrison once again shows us that she leads the pack among paranormal fantasy fiction authors for creating a world that is both creative and complex, along with characters that are utterly human despite the depth of their supernatural qualities.

Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

I recently received my advance review copy of Pale Demon, Kim Harrison’s latest book in the Hollows series featuring the bounty hunter witch Rachel Morgan and her entourage of vampires, pixies, demons, elves, and werewolves.  I’ve reviewed several of Kim Harrison’s books and had the pleasure of conducting an interview with this bestselling author.

Kim Harrison is the pseudonym for Dawn Cook, and she began her career as a fantasy romance author under her real name.  No stranger to living incognito, she managed to keep her success and identity as a bestselling urban fantasy author a secret for years from her neighbors in the conservative South.  She currently lives in the Midwest, and though she no longer hides what she does for a living, she still prefers to don her long red wig over her own short blond hair for book tours in her persona as Kim Harrison.

Keep an eye out for my upcoming review of Pale Demon.

Book Review: Early to Death, Early to Rise by Kim Harrison

Early to Death, Early to Rise is the second installment in Kim Harrison’s young adult series about angels and grim reapers.  The first book in the series, Once Dead, Twice Shy, became an instant New York Times bestseller as the debut young adult fantasy novel for Harrison.  Click here to read my review of the first book in the trilogy.

Grudgingly accepting the role of the Dark Timekeeper in charge of the dark reapers, recently dead teenager Madison Avery bucks the celestial system of fate and free will to do things her own way.  Madison and her team of unlikely heavenly cohorts determinedly bumble their way through reaps, trying to do the right thing, while learning that circumstances in life rarely fall neatly into the categories of black and white.

“I cringed, waiting for Nakita to crouch down, but she just kept walking.  Nakita was my official guardian, assigned to me by the seraphs.

Technically, as the dark timekeeper, I was her boss.  Although in all things earthly I was the smart one, she knew my job and what I was supposed to be doing.   Trouble was, I didn’t want to do it heaven’s way.  I had other ideas.”

As with Kim Harrison’s bestselling Hollows series, the characters in this Madison Avery series are quirky and comedic, balancing a spunky sense of sheer force of will with a seemingly innocent charm, making them both human and likeable, in spite of all the unlikely supernatural phenomenon occurring around them.  The story line of angels and reapers is a welcome fresh breath of air in the fantasy genre.  Being on the forefront of this new type of fantasy character, Harrison makes the rules as she goes along.

While the first book in the series, Once Dead, Twice Shy, read as a little sloppy, introducing and weaving a storyline drawn from a previous short story found in the young adult fantasy compilation Prom Nights From Hell, this second installment in the series, Early to Death, Early to Rise, displays characters who are more purposefully developed and who appear more believable and life-like on the page.  Though the angelic messenger, Grace, reminds me a bit of Jenks from Harrison’s Hollows series, the rest of the characters are both original and entertaining.  I especially appreciate that the main character, Madison, is not your average whiny love-sick teenage girl found in many books in the young adult genre.  Rather, she is just independent and rebellious enough to attempt forging her own path among the timeless heavenly realm.

Note: An originial version of this article was first published as “Book Review: Early to Death, Early to Rise by Kim Harrison” on Blogcritics.org.

New Additions to My Review Pile

Two new books arrived recently that I’m really looking forward to reviewing:

Early To Death, Early to Rise :  This is the second book in Harrison’s young adult series based on grim reapers.  Click here to read my review of the first book in the series, Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison.

 

The Fall:  This is the second book in The Strain trilogy, a vampire series that returns to the more traditional horror theme of vampires as parasitic threats to humanity.  Click here to read my review of the first book, The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan.

Book Review: Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

The latest installment in Kim Harrison’s best-selling Hollows series, Black Magic Sanction, will hit bookstore shelves at the end of February.  I am also giving away two free copies.

Charlaine Harris, author of the Southern Vampire series, said, “I wouldn’t miss a Kim Harrison book for anything.”  Harrison is adept at weaving a believable alternate history world where the characters just happen to be witches, vampires, werewolves, pixies, and elves living amongst us in an ordinary suburb much like any other.

Harrison’s world development and character development continue to impress in Black Magic Sanction.  Harrison explains more of the connection between the real world and the Ever After.  Main character, the bounty hunter witch Rachel Morgan, finds herself coming to terms with her demon mentor, Al.  While she still grieves the loss of her love, the twice-dead vampire Kisten, she evaluates whether or not she is ready or capable of trusting and loving again.

The pace starts off fast and furious and continues straight up through the end.  If you were hoping that Rachel may just finally catch a break, this may not be the book for you.  She finds herself in a showdown with The Coven, the governing body of witches who shunned her for practicing black magic.  Though they are technically committed to practicing only white magic, their means make them no less dangerous.  Because of her abilities and her relationship to demons, The Coven attempt to lock her away in the newly renovated witch prison of Alcatraz, guarded by violent guards who feed the inmates food that is drugged, threatening a lobotomy if she does not get in line.

“I jerked back, but her fingers brushed mine. A twinge of ley-line energy threatened to equalize between us, strong and tingly. Hand pressed to my chest, I stared, shocked. She had a whopping big chunk of ever-after energy in her chi. Tons more than the average person could hold. Who in hell is this woman?“

There are several subplots at play throughout the book.  Politically powerful Trent Kalamack makes his appearance in the book, still resenting his relationship to Rachel as her familiar, regardless of the fact that she has never acted upon the bond.  He is torn between wanting to kill her and wanting to own her servitude.  Former ghost, once Coven member, and current demon familiar Pierce is heavily featured in this book, and her thief ex-boyfriend Nick makes an appearance as well.  As always, her best friends are there for her when she needs them most, and her friendship with her pixie partner Jenks deepens to a new level.  As has become a theme throughout the series, this book signifies one more step along the path of Rachel’s evolution and journey.

For those fans who have followed the first seven books of the series, beginning with Dead Witch Walking, this one is a must-have.  Black Magic Sanction begins a new story ARC for main character Rachel Morgan.  We see her grow a bit and come into her own, accepting that even though she has smut on her aura and can kindle demon magic, she is the one who is control of her own decisions.  She has known love and loss and has escaped death more times than one would have ever thought possible, and yet she is still standing on her own two feet, a little wiser and perhaps stronger because of all that she has been through.

Kim Harrison is also the author of the young adult fantasy, Once Dead, Twice Shy.  She writes two separate fantasy series under her real name, Dawn Cook.

Free Book Giveaway: Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

HarperCollins publisher has offered me copies of Black Magic Sanction to give away to two lucky winners.  Black Magic Sanction is the latest installment in the best selling series by Kim Harrison which features bounty hunter witch Rachel Morgan.  This urban fantasy novel is set in the fictional Cincinnati suburb known as The Hollows — the neighborhood of choice for your average witch housewife, vampire businessman, or werewolf little league coach.

Author of the Sookie Stackhouse series, Charlaine Harris, says, “I wouldn’t miss a Kim Harrison book for anything.”

Black Magic Sanction won’t be available in bookstores until Feb. 23, 2010, but you can enter today for your chance to win a free copy by commenting on this post.

Kim Harrison’s Hollows series is one of the most imaginative and deftly crafted fantasy series I’ve had the pleasure of reading, and I encourage you to enter this contest for your chance to win a free copy of Black Magic Sanction.  Two winners will be chosen at random.  Simply comment on this post for your chance to win.  (This contest is only open to U.S. residents.)  The deadline for comments and entries is Feb. 20, 2010.

Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

About a month ago, I received an advance review copy of Kim Harrison’s upcoming release in the Hollows series, Black Magic Sanction.  This is the eighth installment from one of my favorite urban fantasy series on the market.  The writing is intelligent and well-styled.  The plots feature more paranormal fantasy, action and mystery than gratuitous sex and romance, but the relationship scenarios that are developed are believable and tastefully done.  The characters (which include witches, vampires, pixies, demons, gargoyles, werewolves, and elves) practically burst forth from the page, full of life.

I’ve been deliberately waiting until closer to the February release date to read and review it.  Every time I sit down at my desk though, I see it on top of my priority review pile, and I’m tempted to just grab it and stay up all night reading it straight through.  When my three-year-old daughter noticed it on my desk just now, she picked it up and asked if that was a picture of me on the cover.  (Clearly, she already knows how to flatter.)

It’ll be in bookstores on Feb. 23, 2010.  Keep an eye out for my review within the next few weeks.

Books Read in 2009

A few months ago, I added a Reading List page that lists the books I’ve read over the past couple of years.  (There’s a link at the top of this page.)  The books in the list that are underlined are ones that I reviewed.  If you click on them, you’ll be directed to my review for that particular book.

In 2009, I read 70 books.  My favorite books published in 2009 were Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper, Catching Fire (the second in the Hunger Games series) by Suzanne Collins, and the graphic novel Locke & Key: Head Games by Joe Hill.  Other books published in 2009 that deserve honorable mentions include The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, Wings by Aprilynne Pike, Once Dead, Twice Shy and White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison, The Waters and the Wild by Francesca Lia Block, and The Hidden by Tobias Hill.  I also reviewed Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce, which won’t be released until 2010 (in a couple of weeks, in fact), but that also deserves an honorable mention.

Some of my favorite books that I happened to read in 2009 but that were released in previous years were the graphic novels by Neil Gaiman (the Sandman series, Death: The High Cost of Living, and Murder Mysteries), the Fables series by Bill Willingham (I am addicted!), and the brilliant and darkly intriguing writing of Mike Carey (the Lucifer series and the Felix Castor series).  I also read several books by Christopher Moore (Lamb, The Stupidest Angel, and You Suck, to name a few) that had me embarrassing myself in public with loud outbursts of uncontrollable laughter.

What were some of your favorite books of the past year?