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A Perfect Blood (The Hollows #10)

by Kim Harrison (Goodreads Author)

4.34 of 5 stars 4.34 · rating details · 13,938 ratings · 1,382 reviews

New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison returns to the Hollows with the electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed Pale Demon!

A Perfect Blood

Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cincinnati, terrifying amalgams of human and other. Pulled in to help investigate by the I.S. and FIB, former witch turned day-walking demon Rachel Morgan soon realizes a horrifying t...more

ebook, 560 pages

Published February 21st 2012 by HarperCollins

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Best adult urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels of 2012

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Feb 26, 2012 Paula (Romantic Book Affairs Blogspot) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, fantabulous-favorites

Mmm. Love that silly Elf, Trent.

********************

A Perfect Blood was awesome. Rachel has come a long ways since the first book and has finally learned to embrace who she is. Trent and Rachel's relationship has reached a whole new level. I'm anxious to see where it goes. It's interesting how in the beginning that I used to despise Trent and now I wait impatiently for him to walk onto the pages. I'm hoping Trent and Rachel get another coffee and cherry pie date. *wink*

Jenks, who always cracks...more

61 likes · like · see review

Mar 02, 2012 is mee... kissa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Want the extras of the Mass Market Paperback?
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/sample/...
Yeah teasers! =D We have a Trent POV scene here! A Trent POV! Trent! Sorry, very excited.

***

finally! Rachel understands and accepts herself! it only took 10 books is all. the best thing that anyone could have done for that girl is put that silver bracelet on her and it makes me love Trent even more that he knew it was what she needed.
okay, so this wasn't my favourite book in the series, but i definitely loved it...more

27 likes · like · see review

Feb 27, 2012 VampireNovelFan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, elves, demons, paranormal-romance, urban-fantasy, vampires, witches, shifters, arc

A Perfect Blood - A Near Perfect Blend of Old School and New School Hollows

Can this girl ever catch a break? Even cutting herself off from the demon collective and having a new bodyguard can't save our favorite itchy witch from problems. Rachel tries to adjust to being a borderline civilian (as she still works to solve cases after all) but her secret is out and that has made her the perfect target for a pretty serious hate group, HAPA, led by a group of sadistic humans. Their public enemy #1 i...more

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Sep 04, 2011 Sheralyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Love Rachel. Love her team. Love these books. Already counting down to the next.

That said, this isn't my favorite in the series, but that's okay. Harrison creates a high standard for herself. And the very reasons I didn't like this one as much may be the very reason others think it's the BEST.

My bias is this: I love Ivy and Jenks. Any side characters that infringe on their solidarity get the big ol' hairy eyeball from me. I'm also one of those rarer-than-a-dodo-bird readers who has no interest...more Love Rachel. Love her team. Love these books. Already counting down to the next.

That said, this isn't my favorite in the series, but that's okay. Harrison creates a high standard for herself. And the very reasons I didn't like this one as much may be the very reason others think it's the BEST.

My bias is this: I love Ivy and Jenks. Any side characters that infringe on their solidarity get the big ol' hairy eyeball from me. I'm also one of those rarer-than-a-dodo-bird readers who has no interest in seeing Rachel together with Trent. Do I want them to be close? Yes. Do I want them to have an up and down, slightly uncertain relationship? Totally. But the "chemistry" between them just feels so forced.

Is it wrong that I want Trent to stay somewhat shady and mysterious, and not watch him morph into Rachel's lapdog and personal bodyguard? Is it wrong that I want him to be a person who helps Rachel grow by openly using her weakness against her and her strengths for him (to her utter frustration)? That's the Trent I like. For the two of them to become a couple, they both have to give up too much of themselves and become two washed-out hybrids of each other. No thanks.

My secret wish *braces self for incoming projectiles* is that Trent will hook up with another elf have unabashedly elf-alicious kids... I mean, he is basically part of an endangered species, It's like asking a Tazmanian Tiger to mate with a Siberian Tiger just because they have frisky play sessions.

Yes, you may cast stones at me. I understand that Team Trent is large and powerful, but seeing Rachel start to consider him in "that way" makes me panic a bit. I don't see it ending well or being a good roller coaster for either party...

What I can tell you, though, is that the book in this series that will undoubtedly be my favorite and have the biggest sigh of satisfaction from me is not the book where Rachel finds a man to love and the big ol' HEA, but it will be the book where Rachel actually learns how to be a best friend. We know from a banshee what Rachel fears most, and Ivy is the person who can definitively show Rachel that her deepest fear is smoke and mirrors. Instead, the two of them always seem to be trying to prove that they don't need each other, when the fact is that they are a kick butt team. They're both deeply flawed, but when they stand together they can take on anything. I LOVE THIS! And no matter how many men Rachel falls for, Ivy is "her person" (Grey's Anatomy reference). Rachel can marry and love someone else, but that other relationship will be directly impacted by how she deals with Ivy. Rachel needs to get over her excuses for pushing Ivy away until it's a life-or-death situation, and just get right with "her person." As long as Rachel locks Ivy out, Rachel locks the world out and no relationship--with Trent, or otherwise--is ever going to a serious, non-self-sabotaging place.

And I will stop my preaching there.

Can you tell I love this series? Love. It.

So when *that* book comes out, that will be my favorite book in the series with a gazillion stars: The book where Rachel decides, "**** it!", becomes a true, fearless friend, and goes out and fulfills her destiny standing back-to-back with her team--not with them scattered and in different spots trying to prove they can stand on their own. Just imagine: Rachel, Jenks, Ivy, Trent, David, and maybe even Ceri, Quen, or the new bodyguard back-to-back in a circle, facing off against the baddies... working together without second-guessing each other.

I get chills just thinking about it. Sooo hope it happens!! *sigh*(less)

21 likes · like · see review

Feb 27, 2012 Donna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Rachel hunts a hate group determined to create its own demon, and she faces changes in both her abilities and her personal life.

The first half of the book gets back into an old-school Hollows investigation, but it also emphasizes Rachel's unfortunate tendency to be miserable about whatever circumstances she's in. We get some much-needed separation from Ivy, but a good bit of that time is devoted to conflict with yet another attractive new guy.

It's not that I'm against the introduction of new ch...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Lynsey (The Demon Librarian) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites, book-boyfriend, beyond-awesome, heroine-i-love, magic-tastic, romantic-elements, rotflmao, squee-worthy, sweet-romance, vampire-ific, werewolf-tastic, kick-ass-chicks, action-filled, audible-or-itunes-book, flawed-character, girl-power, hot-mess-charactcer-s, liberties-with-legends, paranormal-mystery, sexual-tension-torture-device, smack-your-witch-up, there-s-been-a-murrrrrder, urban-fantasy

Wow! What a fantastic read!

A PERFECT BLOOD has absolutely everything you have come to expect from a Hollows novel: humour, mystery, magic, romantic elements, danger, adventure, friendships and so much more.

A lot of series would be losing steam and momentum by their tenth book. Not so for The Hollows. Instead, it feels more like Kim is finally getting to have a bit of fun by letting some of the seeds she's been sewing come into fruition and it marks some exciting changes on the horizon, as well...more Wow! What a fantastic read!

A PERFECT BLOOD has absolutely everything you have come to expect from a Hollows novel: humour, mystery, magic, romantic elements, danger, adventure, friendships and so much more.

A lot of series would be losing steam and momentum by their tenth book. Not so for The Hollows. Instead, it feels more like Kim is finally getting to have a bit of fun by letting some of the seeds she's been sewing come into fruition and it marks some exciting changes on the horizon, as well as some potentially sad and poignant ones.

The characters in this series are some of the most diverse and interesting I have ever come across. And any writer that can make me go from hating a character in one book, to having me jumping up and down in fangirl excitement every time he steps on the page in recent books, has my utmost respect. Yes, of course I am talking about the delectable, incorrigible, part-time businessman, part-time badass, all the time pain in the ass, Trenton Aloysius Kalamack. There is yet more development of his character in this book, as if the huge steps he made in the previous one, Pale Demon, weren't epic enough. This time we get to see Trent when he's relaxed, Trent when he's having fun, Trent when he's furious and many other Trent's that we haven't ever seen before because they were hidden underneath his professional façade of political bullshit. I loved every single one of his scenes in this book and I'm so excited to see what else Ms. Harrison has up her sleeve for the elf you love to hate and hate to love.

The rest of the supporting characters were excellent too, of course. We saw all the usual faces and returned to many familiar settings which was nice after the departure we took in Pale Demon. Rachel is back in her church trying to lay low and take some much needed me time after the hell she went through four months ago. She's also got a new bodyguard- a Were named Wayde, whom I though was an okay addition to the cast, and who now lives in her belfry. We also saw quite a bit from David and, if anything, this is probably the character and relationship I understand the least. I think from what I've read on Kim Harrison's website, the werewolf angle was something she would have liked to have addressed in more detail, but decided against it when she plotted out the Demon/Elf/Witch story arc for the remaining books. So now David feels a bit surplus to requirements within the series. I was glad to see she got her werewolf tattoo sorted out, but it had a definite "tying up loose ends" feel to it.

Jenks has some great moments and one-liners as always. Still worshipping the almighty Tinkerbell in all of her red-thonged glory. There wasn't a great deal of Ivy and it's made clear that Rachel feels they might be drifting apart. I wish I could say that really, really bothers me, but to be brutally honest, their relationship has always seemed to have an unhealthy balance to me, so I'm glad Ivy is moving on a bit and isn't quite so focused on Rachel. That doesn't mean Rachel is happy about it, though. It's more like something that she has accepted as inevitable, but still finds very sad.

There were a few more new characters introduced as well but I shall leave them for you to discover yourself. They were very intriguing, though. As was the mystery plot. There was truly not a dull moment throughout.

There may be a slight upset for Al fans as he has very little screen time in comparison to others, but for me, again, this wasn't so much of a problem because I'm all about the elf.

All together, a wonderful addition to the series. Easily Pale Demon's equal and one I look forward to re-reading again next year while I wait impatiently for "Ever after" to come out in early 2013.

(less)

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Jan 23, 2013 Hazel G. (I ♥ Mr. Grey) *Craves the Angst Reviews* . rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fantasy, magic, urban fantasy, paranormal readers

Shelves: urban-fantasy, favorites, action-adventure, fantasy, paranormal

UPDATE:: 1/21/2013 - Doing a re-read in prep for tomorrows release of Ever After! YAY! Doing a serious happy dance! I've been waiting all year!

First Time Read Through: February 21-23, 2012:
A Perfect Blood is the tenth book in The Hollows series by Kim Harrison. It's been almost eight hours since I finished reading this one and I’m still reeling from how much I LOVED this book!!! This series just keeps getting better and better!

Warning: This review is full of spoils so read only if you don’t mind...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Naoms rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: best-paranormal-romance-urban-fanta, audiobook, paranormal-urban-fantasy, read-in-2012, witches-magic-users-shamans, demons

Pretty solid book. Entertaining, still funny and I love Rachel's interactions with the other characters.

In, A Perfect Blood, Rachel, Ivy and Jenks must work with the FIB and the I.S to find a human hate group who were conducting magical crimes against witches in order to make Demon blood. This book is filled with interactions and adventures with Trent, which is becoming the cornerstone of the books, replacing Ivy and Jenks as Rachel's main partners, which is interesting.

My only problem with the...more

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Sep 25, 2011 Carly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm so looking forward to reading this book. Most of the characters have really annoyed me in this series but I find myself really caring about the outcome - Trent in particular has been spectacularly douchy but I still kind of want him to end up with Rachel but I just don't think she could ever, EVER trust the self serving, manipulative, pointy eared little fruit. I'm for a Rachel/AL pairing - at least he has redeeming moments that seem genuine rather than planned.

All in all this series is bri...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Lyndz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: witches-wizards, mypod-audiobook, reviewed

I dub thee, Kim Harrison, Queen of Idiom.

I am a sucker for a well-placed idiom. I constantly find myself cracking up when I read this series and this book was no exception.

I really love this series. I feel about the hallows series the same way that I felt about Nancy Drew when I was little. I don’t care if Kim Harrison writes 1000 books, I plan on reading them all.
That being said, this is one of my least favorite books in this series.

I should say right up front that this series is definitely not for everyone. If you don’t like borderline cheesy fantasy characters, or urban fantasy in general you won’t like this book. If you are not a fan of cursing (literal and figurative) you won’t like these books.

So what didn’t I like about this book?
My biggest issue; I wanted more AL!! Yes, I hated the demon in the first couple books, but I kind of like him now, like a lot.

There was a lot of nothingness going on. A lot of running around not actually accomplishing anything. Rachel had a bracelet of charmed silver around her wrist for at least half of the book that prevented her from using magic at all. I don’t know about you guys, but the whole reason I love this series is BECAUSE OF Rachel & her magic. And sadly there is not a whole lot of epic magic in this book. The plot was ok, but it didn’t have that big “ta-daaa!” at the end that I am used to with the other books. I guess I was just kind of left going “oh, that was it?” I think that this book is leading into something though. Hopefully something with lots of demons and smoke and sparkles and magic.

Even though this is one of my least favorite books in the series, I still had a good time reading it. I love the world that Harrison creates that is The Hallows and “post-turn” Cinci, and I can’t wait until another installment is released so that I can go back there. I think the fact that I am in love with this world, coupled with my fondness for the characters is what really saved this particular book for me. In my opinion Harrison could do no wrong with this series (aside from killing off Ivy or Jenks or Rachel).

To sum up, I liked A Perfect Blood, but it wasn’t my favorite. If you are a fan of the series, don’t miss it, but if you have not read any of the other books, definitely don’t start with this one!
3 & ½ Stars(less)

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Sep 26, 2012 ♠ Sharon is an emotional book junkie ♠ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

**4.5 stars**

Rachel's finally owned up to what she is and is going around trying to get her life back on track. In the meantime, a human hate group called HAPA are trying to turn witches into demons with horrific results. The I.S. and FIB are not cooperating with each other and one is coercing Rachel into working for them or they will blame her for HAPA's crimes. Rachel's all too willing to help, the only problem? She put that darn charmed bracelet on. Will she be brave enough to take it off?

For...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Galena rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-paranormal, vampires-and-stuff

Possible spoilers? But not really if you read A Pale Demon because what I'm talking about was totally set up in that book.

Is anyone else kinda weirded out that Harrison is setting up a romance between Rachel and Trent? I swear, this girl makes laughably awful romantic choices. And the trope of "a good woman can change a bad man for the better! Now he loves puppies and sunshine and doesn't murder people anymore! How wonderful!" is kinda really freaking anti-feminist, because this tells women that...more Possible spoilers? But not really if you read A Pale Demon because what I'm talking about was totally set up in that book.

Is anyone else kinda weirded out that Harrison is setting up a romance between Rachel and Trent? I swear, this girl makes laughably awful romantic choices. And the trope of "a good woman can change a bad man for the better! Now he loves puppies and sunshine and doesn't murder people anymore! How wonderful!" is kinda really freaking anti-feminist, because this tells women that in real life, perhaps this will happen to you too, so you should stick with that abuser because maybe he'll change! And if he doesn't, it's your fault because your love wasn't good/pure enough to cleanse him! I know that's obviously not what Harrison is trying to put forward with this storyline, but it's a pet peeve of mine when I come across it in fiction for the very reason I described - the problematic way it can translate to real-life situations. Like Twilight. A guy who when he met you wanted to kill you is now obsessively in love with you and breaks into your room to watch you sleep at night and "protect" you? NO THANK YOU, STEPHANIE MEYER. IMPRESSIONABLE MINDS ARE READING YOUR NO-SEX-PORNO FANTASY AND THINKING THIS IS OK.
In non galena-is-a-humorless-feminazi-who-can't-enjoy-fiction-without-tearing-it-apart terms, though, I still find the TRachel (teehee) thing a weird way to take the storyline. Though at least Rachel's not suddenly in love with Al, which I could also see happening (eww, eww, a million times eww). My main problem is this: this awesome ethically ambiguous character who isn't straight-up evil because he does have his own ethical/moral code that kinda makes sense, but boy does he have to make hard choices and you can kinda see why he does it even if you don't agree with him ((helloooooo Magneto!), is suddenly tamed by Rachel? Why is this necessary? She was previously dating a living vampire and a black magic witch--not exactly morally sound people here. Why can't she fall in lust with Trent as he is? Is this change caused by Rachel or his new baby? Inquiring minds want to know because they're worried that this new plot is going to make future Hollows books not-so-awesome.(less)

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Feb 21, 2012 Jen (Red Hot Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hollows, arcs, urban-fantasy

Ever since I finished the amazing and phenomenal Pale Demon, I have been counting the days until I could get my hands on this book. Pale Demon was epic: huge action, major personal developments, and a sweeping array of the major characters in the Hollows universe. A Perfect Blood went in a decidedly different direction.

The first half of the book was hard for me to connect with. Rachel is being very introspective about the events of the last book and attempting to live her life without the benefi...more Ever since I finished the amazing and phenomenal Pale Demon, I have been counting the days until I could get my hands on this book. Pale Demon was epic: huge action, major personal developments, and a sweeping array of the major characters in the Hollows universe. A Perfect Blood went in a decidedly different direction.

The first half of the book was hard for me to connect with. Rachel is being very introspective about the events of the last book and attempting to live her life without the benefits of ley line magic. She has been staying away from Trent and trying to find her footing in society now that she is "out" as a demon.

As the story begins, she is called in by the IS to consult on a horrific serial killer case, with overtones of demonic magic. It turns out the bad guys are actually trying to turn witches into demons, hoping to use their blood to twist curses. Rachel jumps into the case with both feet. This is partly to avenge the victims, but also partly because she knows she could be an ultimate target. She already has the perfect blood they need.

In the meantime, Rachel is sporting a new were-bodyguard --and having angst over the fact that Ivy and Jenks seem to be moving on in their lives without her. And all I could think to myself is: this would be so much better if Trent or Al were around. Trent made an innocuous appearance or two early on, but I kept wanting to skip ahead to get to the part where the spark comes back. The book just wasn't doing it for me --until Rachel gets put in big danger around the half-way point. That's when the sun came out from behind the clouds.

And from then on out, the book rocked. I became more invested in the storyline involving the killers. Al finally made an appearance. And we see more of the "real Trent" beyond his businessman facade. Is there romance? Well, it's complicated. And sometimes ambiguous. And riveting and exciting and frustrating. Rachel is at her best when she embraces who she really is and what she really wants. That's true when she's kicking ass and when she's navigating through her personal relationships. It just took her awhile to get to that point in this book. 4 stars.

*ARC Provided by Harper Collins(less)

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May 25, 2012 jD rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1_library-yes, 2012, fantasy_adventure_worldbuilding, fantasy_myths, fantasy_urban

Perfect Blood is more a collage of ‘SITUATIONS’ as opposed to a fresh cohesive UF novel. I won’t say I was disappointed, it was more like resolved. I like this series but I have never really trusted it. What do I mean by trust? I mean that Rachael doesn’t seem to change or grow unless the people around her do so. I am also disenchanted with how Rachael’s love life is portrayed. Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay for a UF hero/heroine to go it alone, example Harry Dresden. It’s also okay to find love...more

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Feb 22, 2012 Yogi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: demons, paranormal, shifters, witches, vampires, urban-fantasy, 4-stars

A Perfect Blood started out slow for me and Rachel was seriously irritating my soul. Talk about being a whiny bitch. Great thing about Kim Harrison...........she doesn't disappoint and writes Rachel exactly as she's supposed to be so Rachel can accept herself.

There's a new/old group in town, Humans Against Paranormal Association (HAPA), and they're out to make sure all paranormal become extinct. It's up to Rachel, Ivy, Jenks, F.I.B, and the I.S to keep these ignorant men and women from obtaining...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Nici rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, kindle, vampires, witches, shifers, elves, demons

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The thing I love about those books is that you can't put them down. I tried hard to read as slow as I can so that this damn feeling of "hey I have to wait another year for the next one" won't come so soon...

I will say that Pale Demon will be my favourite Hollows book but this one is close to it.

The interaction between all characters is great especially between Trent and Rachel. (BTW loving the idea of the ring...and the possibilities...) They are still arguing with each other but there are also...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-obsess-over, demons, magic, series-i-can-t-wait-to-continue

Leather before sundown is tacky.

In Kim Harrison's tenth installment of her wildly popular Hollows series, Rachel Morgan is dealing with the consequences of the previous book, Pale Demon. At the end of Pale Demon, Trent gave Rachel a bracelet made of charmed silver to give her a chance to recover without Algaliarept finding her. While the bracelet is able to hide Rachel from Al, it also cuts her off from all of her ley line magic. A good portion of this book is Rachel trying to live her life with...more

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Mar 02, 2012 Cassandra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, fiction, uf

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 25, 2012 Lina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: awesome-female-lead, guilty-pleasure, love-interest-had-a-personality, paranormal-fiction, paranormal-romance, secondary-characters-ftw, sequel-bait-ending, urban-fantasy

My Rachel/Trent lady-boner is raging right now.

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Dec 27, 2012 Kaitlin Bevis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison was a pretty good book. I didn't think it was as good as Pale Demon, but that's going to be hard to top.

I'm really enjoying the Rachel/Trent brewing romance. I've been waiting on it for a long time.

The first chunk of the book was hard to read. Rachel has come so far and to backslide into this "no, I'm just going to hide now" was hard to watch. But as an author, I get it. She had to go there to move past it. A ton of people can't stand Persephone for the same rea...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Mara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

The Hallows #10 seems to get stuck in the past with Rachel's trademarked TSTL attitude. But this time, I'm not going to blame the character, but the author. I honestly think that Rachel has grown with each book, even if of course she is Rachel and can't become something else.

But I fear Ms Harrison has used a heavy-handed approach to make Rachel understands her new status. She hammers the readers and Rachel on the head with her new reality. And it's really too much. Mostly because, yes Rachel is...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Kathy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A Perfect Read!

I strongly suggest you read the previous books in series (Dead Witch Walking, The Good, The Bad And The Undead, Every Witch Way But Dead, A Fistful Of Charms, For a Few Demons More, The Outlaw Demon Wails, White Witch Black Curse, Black Magic Sanction and Pale Demon) prior to reading this installment.

The Itchy-Witch is back on her A-game. Rachel is finally accepting herself as a unique blessing and not a demonic curse. I loved traveling with her through her evolutionary journey an...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kim-harrison, michelle-mcm-s-2012-reading-list, read-march-2012

I love this series, absolutely love it!

Rachel, poor Rachel. The girl just never seems to catch a break. There's always someone after her and they are always a bigger and better baddy than the time before. It does make you wonder how long her luck can last - if you can call it that!

Nice additions in this book, I like the direction it's going in now. Book 10 and I'm finding myself becoming attracted to Trent. If you'd told me that early on I would have laughed at you! I like the way his relations...more

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Dec 26, 2012 forrest rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

two stars is way generous! i will begin by asking if anyone can recommend a series in which the main character can actually kick butt, use magic, and take names? i am so disappointed with this book/series right now. Ive waited around for 10 books now for Rachel to develop into some powerful, butt-kicking, magic wielding, better not mess with me, demon-instead she whines about ivy and jenks moving on with their lives (so are the readers), is turned on by every man who crosses her path, and consta...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Melindeeloo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, demons, arc, witches-wizards-mages-sorcerers

Rachel is out of the closet but finding that having been declared dead and being the only Demon this side of the ley lines has added a whole level of frustrating complications to her life. But life is going to get even tougher - someone is killing witches and the reason is connected to the dirty little secret that Rachel's outing exposed. Having seen the brutal results of those 'someones' handiwork Rachel is determined to be the one to bring them down, even though she is magically hobbled and he...more Rachel is out of the closet but finding that having been declared dead and being the only Demon this side of the ley lines has added a whole level of frustrating complications to her life. But life is going to get even tougher - someone is killing witches and the reason is connected to the dirty little secret that Rachel's outing exposed. Having seen the brutal results of those 'someones' handiwork Rachel is determined to be the one to bring them down, even though she is magically hobbled and her determination not to fall prey to her demon powers may be just the thing that gives those 'someones' what they need to bring about the deadliest change in the Inderlander world since 'the Turn'.

My comments about A Perfect Blood are going to sound an awful lot like my reviews of the previous two Hollow's books. The first half of the story is action packed but look-before-you-leap-way-too-stupid-to-live-at-times Rachel drove me crazy. She is the prize that gives the bad guys the win, but she just can't stand on the sidelines, even though wearing the bracelet that Trent gave her to hide her demon powers makes her magically only half the witch she used to be and forces her to rely on earth magic weapons that she just can't seem to hold onto. It also drives me nuts that she has great resources in her friends but she refuses to use them, and I really hated the way that she treats her bodyguard, who is a decent character.

But as much as the first half drove me nuts, the second half as always was really good. This is the perpetual trap that I keep falling into with this series - I keep thinking at the end of each book that *now* Rachel is going to grow up and Harrison is going to take advantage of the really cool stuff that she's set up and it is this hope that always has me champing at the bit for the next book.

Actually, the former 'bad guys' Trent and Al have been the bright spots in the last few books – and there just isn't enough of them here. But even with what little of him that there was here, I loved Trent in this one – there's some real growth for him at last and his relationship with Rachel is finally finally starting to move past junior high (I think they might be sophomores now). As to the rest of the cast, it's fun to see some oldies making cameos and somehow the foul mouthed Jenks hasn't gotten old yet - and the wingless fairy Belle is adding an interesting dynamic to his clan. And while I am still ready for Ivy to move all the way on, she isn't as tiresome as when the blood balance stuff was fully in play but it's still brought up - and with her master off screen in this one, still lurking waiting to rear it's ugly boring head once more and I am so done with hearing about it.

So when all is said and done, despite the frustration that is Rachel – it is something that I wouldn't put up with a UF heroine that I wasn't already so attached to – and I really should drop my rating a star for this, I did end up enjoying A Perfect Blood and I am looking forward to the next book again with foolish hope that the next time will build off of the good things in the second half of the book. But I just have to say that while I am looking forward to the next book, I am also looking forward to the end of the series (Harrison is supposedly winding things up) because I would really like to see Rachel get her act together once and for all.

ARC provided through Amazon Vine(less)

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Feb 27, 2012 Mel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book, urban-fantasy, witches, vampires, demons

A Perfect Blood was incredibly slow at times. What happened to the bad ass witch? Where did she go? Rachel wasn't Rachel in this book. I understand that she's been branded a demon and is dealing with the fallout but she's far from helpless though she certainly seems to think she is. If she feels so helpless why doesn't she ask for help instead of pushing everyone away or running away from them?

A new to the series organization known as HAPA is killing witches and trying to turn them into demons....more A Perfect Blood was incredibly slow at times. What happened to the bad ass witch? Where did she go? Rachel wasn't Rachel in this book. I understand that she's been branded a demon and is dealing with the fallout but she's far from helpless though she certainly seems to think she is. If she feels so helpless why doesn't she ask for help instead of pushing everyone away or running away from them?

A new to the series organization known as HAPA is killing witches and trying to turn them into demons. They are trying to find a way to wipe out all Inderlanders and Rachel has the perfect blood for them to do that. Instead of following her friend's advice, staying out of the way and protecting herself and in turn keeping her blood out of the enemies hands she runs right into the action and ends up suffering the consequences yet again. Been there and done that. How many times is Rachel going to run off half cocked and get herself in trouble?

I liked the addition of Wayde even though Rachel treated him like shit. It would've been nice to know how he was at the end of the book instead of just leaving us guessing he's okay. Though painfully drawn out I like that Trent and Rachel seem to be heading in a new, more trusting direction. Jenks was highly entertaining as always and offered many hilarious moments. He and his potty mouth crack me up.

My thoughts on Ivy... Ivy has always been my favorite character in The Hollows and throughout the series Rachel has fought her attraction to Ivy and chalked it up to being nothing but her response to Ivy's vamp nature. Ivy has always been open about her feelings for Rachel. She wants more but will take what she can get. Ivy has never known true happiness and I want that for her. In Pale Demon my hopes were squashed when Rachel finally realized that she and Ivy will only ever be friends. Then in A Perfect Blood Rachel mentions a few times that Ivy looks sexy but oh we can't be together. Why the hell not? Rachel is jealous of Ivy moving on? WTF? Isn't that what she wanted? She doesn't want Ivy so why all the confusion? I found this irritating. Throughout the series I have wanted them together and now I'm not sure. Rachel is so indecisive and irrational and I think Ivy needs stable. Rachel is far from that.

So how will The Hollows end? Rachel's a demon fighting for rights and she still has her team and other friends supporting her. Will she ever grow up and realize how important those friends are or keep questioning their motives until she loses her shot at happiness? I hope that she gets her happily ever after but at this point I don't feel that she deserves happiness with either Trent or Ivy. She still has a lot of growing up to do. I'm just afraid it can't all be pulled together in one book and am hoping that Kim Harrison proves me wrong.

There were many things that irritated me but A Perfect Blood did have good moments. As far as the series goes it was weak but I still liked it. (less)

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Mar 10, 2012 Tabitha the Pabkins rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, witches-druids-shamans, weres-shapeshifters, vampires, angels-demons, magic, own, urban

I just recently finished an entire re-read of the series in order to have it all fresh in my mind. I have to say - I love the series overall, but I do not really love Rachel right now. I don't hate her mind you - but a reader rather expects a certain amount of character progression and growth over the course of a long series like this one.

I, however, did not feel like she exhibited any during at least a little more than the entire first half of this book (plus a number of previous books) to ref...more I just recently finished an entire re-read of the series in order to have it all fresh in my mind. I have to say - I love the series overall, but I do not really love Rachel right now. I don't hate her mind you - but a reader rather expects a certain amount of character progression and growth over the course of a long series like this one.

I, however, did not feel like she exhibited any during at least a little more than the entire first half of this book (plus a number of previous books) to reflect any of her experiences through the course of the series. People have flaws, that's to be expected - but jeez sometimes I wonder how she has managed to even live this long - sheer dumb luck and having others pull her fat out of the fire?? I was constantly getting aggravated with her while reading this and wanted to ass punch her.

I'm sure that there has been some actual growth for her as a character/person but I really wasn't feeling it here. That's what left a bad taste in my mouth. If I ever did a reread again I would probably leave this one out of the rotation.

The interactions, oh don't get me started, all of them seemed very 'topical' like a itch cream you put on to get past some poison ivy or something. Overall I felt it lacked depth to the things that took place or the way the characters dealt/interacted with one another like there was no real substance to anything.

Also, I hate repetitive writing, and do I REALLY need to hear about the darn butterfly chrysalis three times in the first half of the book? REALLY?? Really....Really...too blatant if that's supposed to be setup for something later on. Yeah I threw all the Reallys in there just to annoy you...feel my pain people.

There were of course some saving graces to this book otherwise I would have rated it much lower than a 3 - but for the life of me - I really just can't think of many of them right now. So call me a Negative Nancy. I still enjoyed seeing the characters I've come to love. There was some nice emphasis on Jenks and Ivy "moving on" with their lives - though I got tired of hearing about Rachel whine about it. I liked the idea of Jenks and Belle getting friendly - it worked for me. Other than that - nothing is coming to mind.

Ok, so I change my mind - after writing this - I have to give it a 2...or 2.5. And no I'm not PMSing...I just can't justify something higher in my opinion. Though I'm sure many will disagree. haha(less)

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Feb 22, 2012 Heather Book Savvy Babe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, review-on-blog, angels-demons, witches-magic

*3.5 of 5 Stars*

A Perfect Blood is book 10 in the Hollows/Rachel Morgan series, so if you are not familiar with the series, be aware that there will be spoilers from earlier books.

Book 9, Pale Demon was my favorite book in this series so far. I was left very curious about what Rachel would choose to do and how her life would change. I was a bit disappointed, but I can't say that I was very surprised. After the events in book 9, Rachel was charmed to hide her demon magic, and inhibited from even...more *3.5 of 5 Stars*

A Perfect Blood is book 10 in the Hollows/Rachel Morgan series, so if you are not familiar with the series, be aware that there will be spoilers from earlier books.

Book 9, Pale Demon was my favorite book in this series so far. I was left very curious about what Rachel would choose to do and how her life would change. I was a bit disappointed, but I can't say that I was very surprised. After the events in book 9, Rachel was charmed to hide her demon magic, and inhibited from even using ley line magic. She could still use SOME earth magic, but Rachel was at her weakest magically in this book, and that is where most of my disappointment lies. Rachel has been publicly declared a demon, but she holds none of the powers. When a human inderlander hate group begins experimenting with demon magic, Rachel is put on the case, which ends up being a combined effort of both the human police (FIB) and the supernatural police (IS).

There were so many characters involved in this book, aside from Rachel and her usual posse (Ivy and Jenks), Rachel's new bodyguard Wayde is actively in the story, a new, creepy old dead vampire has his eyes on Rachel and Ivy, new villains are out to kill all supernatural species, and a whole new questionable crime fighting team makes an appearance. With so much going on, there is never a dull moment in A Perfect Bllood. I have to hand it to Ms Kim Harrison, she writes compelling books that make me want to keep reading and never put the book down.

A Perfect Blood is a complete change of pace from Pale Demon with the focus switching from angry witches and demons going after Rachel, to angry humans wanting to eradicate all supernatural species. While the case with the human hate group itself is interesting enough, it is a change from Rachel battling demons and traveling back and forth from the ever after to reality. I find that I missed some of the magic and paranormal elements that are usually present in the Hollows books.

Rachel gets her booty kicked throughout all the books, but I felt that in A Perfect Blood she didn't give back more than what she got. On the other hand, Trent really stepped it up. Trent's character is evolving, along with his relationship with Rachel, and I really like the changes. He is learning more about magic, becoming less straight-laced, and (due in part to his daughter) starting to actually act like he cares for others. Another character of note for me in A Perfect Blood was Wayde, the bodyguard. Kim Harrison starts giving hints about the tight-knit relationship between Ivy, Jenks, and Rachel beginning to loosen, which makes me wonder how Wayde fits into the group and with Rachel. I am curious to see if he will be a long-lasting figure in the series, or if he will be moving on.

A Perfect Blood, while not my favorite in the series, is another excellent installment in the Hollows series. I am very pleased with how the story ended up, and once again I am looking forward to seeing what Rachel will do next, what will come for Ivy and Jenks, and what will happen with Trent. Rachel learned some valuable lessons in A Perfect Blood and circumstances are changing for all the characters in the Hollows series. I already can't wait for book 11. Urban fantasy readers, you will love this book and this series, I very highly recommend the entire series.(less)

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Feb 23, 2012 Suz rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Ok, so I finally finished it (like, right now). My initial, off the cuff thoughts - I'm tired of watching Rachel get put through the wringer with little to no happy, and lets be honest - Rachel gets a LOT of wringer. We're so close to the end of the series and I'm thinking the HEA we've been promised is going to be a fade-to-black kind of thing with us never getting to see the good bits that make you heave a deep sigh and want to hug the book. I want to have a Hollows book end in which I'm so ha...more Ok, so I finally finished it (like, right now). My initial, off the cuff thoughts - I'm tired of watching Rachel get put through the wringer with little to no happy, and lets be honest - Rachel gets a LOT of wringer. We're so close to the end of the series and I'm thinking the HEA we've been promised is going to be a fade-to-black kind of thing with us never getting to see the good bits that make you heave a deep sigh and want to hug the book. I want to have a Hollows book end in which I'm so happy for Rachel that I want to hug the damned book, not take a breath and feel like I need a vacation - or a therapist. I don't think one book in 10 like that is too much to ask for.

Next, what happened to Rachel while she was wearing that bracelet? Before she put it on she was a bad ass witch that had been studying with a bad ass demon and could sling some bad ass spells and had kind of left the earth magic pea shooter in the dust long ago. Suddenly she's back to relying completely on the pea shooter and she's too unprofessional to test the accuracy of a weapon she's never shot and she pilfered off of a failed assassin before she takes it into a field op? Since when? This is but one of several large holes in this particular book that made getting through it more difficult for me than usual with this series. Rachel is one of the baddest magic users around, she's one of a kind, she sees things nobody else does, and yet she lets anyone and everyone walk all over her and she's too much of a pussy to to hurt people who are trying to kill her. That trope is tired, retire it for god sakes.

A NEW villain? An entire group of well funded villains that are taking people away and we don't get to find out how that ended for Ivy? We spend an entire book watching the Ivy/ Glen romance and then get told instead of shown how it's blowing up as a cluster fuck? Not kewl.

It feels like a "Rachel is going to be alone forever" set up to me. The domestic arrangements with Ceri and Trent confuse me - and when it comes to alternative domestic arrangements I am a VERY difficult woman to confuse!

I'm sick of the dribbles here and there with Trent. Shit or get off the pot already. How many series do we have to watch people dance around each other for a damned decade?

What exactly was the purpose of Wayde and why in the hell did she put up with him for so long? More in the school of "who is this person and what did Kim Harrison do with Rachel Morgan?" And as long as we're on the subject, what happened to him at the end, after he got his head bashed in? Did he just get left in the lobby or did they finally send his stupid ass packing?

The book had all the standards we love. Jenks was foul mouthed, Rachel was hated and blamed by everyone and for everything, Jenks and Ivy jumped to Rachel's defense, Rachel bagged some bad guys, Rachel and Trent had a moment or two but nothing you could honestly make any kind of bank or bet on, or extrapolate anything significant from.

Not my favorite offering in the series. It felt scattered and unfinished to me.(less)

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Dec 29, 2011 Mel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: series-i-love, favorite-author, fantasy-urban-fantasy, vampires, shapeshifters-werewolves, science-fiction, paranormal-romance, magic-witches, demons, arc

Woohoo, lets get out some champagne and celebrate because the girl is finally behaving like she has a head on her shoulders and is actually using it! Yes, I am talking about Rachel. Our girl is finally growing up. The story is every bit as good as Pale Demon. Ivy and Jenks are progressing wonderfully. Al fans will be happy too because he makes several appearances. There are surprises and plot twists to shock, but still no hot and heavy action between Rachel and Trent. I have always been a huge f...more

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Here's an idea, Rachel and Al...	18	125	May 27, 2013 01:16pm
Rachel and trent? frustrating (spoilers)	9	170	Nov 22, 2012 10:31pm
bonus chapter	7	114	Nov 22, 2012 09:49pm
Girls, Guns and G...: A Perfect Blood	41	54	Nov 20, 2012 08:34am
Will Ivy die her first death by book 13, and will Rachel be able to save Ivy's soul?	11	95	Nov 18, 2012 02:34pm
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About Kim Harrison

Kim Harrison, dark urban fantasy author of the New York Times bestselling The Outlaw Demon Wails, was born and raised in the upper Midwest. After gaining her bachelors in the sciences, she moved to South Carolina, where she has remained since. She is currently developing a new young adult series between working on the Hollows books, and is a member of The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Ame...more

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Books by Kim Harrison

Every Which Way But Dead (The Hollows, #3)

The Good, the Bad, and the Undead (The Hollows, #2)

The Outlaw Demon Wails (The Hollows, #6)

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“My mother isn't crazy. She simply has a harder time than most reconciling her reality with everyone else's reality.” — 75 people liked it

“You are pathetic, Rache," Jenks said, and my eyes darted to the top of the rack and I saw him standing there, hands on his hips and frowning at me, his wings a silver blur. "Rachel and Trent, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. No wait, it was a hospital room, and he had his hands on your ass and you had your tongue down his throat. I can see why you might be confused.” — 43 people liked it

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A Perfect Blood (The Hollows #10)

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