White Witch, Black Curse (The Hollows, #7)

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White Witch, Black Curse (The Hollows #7)

by Kim Harrison (Goodreads Author)

4.31 of 5 stars 4.31 · rating details · 21,482 ratings · 735 reviews

New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison returns to the sinister and seductive Hollows for the newest blockcuster adventure featuring Rachel Morgan, witch and bounty hunter.

White Witch, Black Curse

Some wounds take time to heal...and some scars never fade.

Rachel Morgan, kick-ass witch and bounty hunter, has taken her fair share of hits, and has broken lines she swore...more

Hardcover, 1st Edition, 504 pages

Published February 24th 2009 by Eos

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Feb 28, 2009 Gina rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: urban fantasy-paranormal lovers!

Shelves: own, action, fantasy, mystery, mystery-detective, paranormal-supernatural, suspense, urban-fantasy, up-for-contest

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Fast-paced, plot twists and witty humor, unputdownable from start to finish.

**SPOILER ALERT**THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS**

Rachel can’t take it anymore. She needs to know who killed Kisten. Her determination leads her back to the boat with her psychiatrist, Ford, who is trying to help her remember what happened that day. Ivy’s investigation is going nowhere, and Rachel is determined to get a new lead. She remembers a thing or two and can’t wait to get back to Ivy to tell her what she remembered...more Fast-paced, plot twists and witty humor, unputdownable from start to finish.

**SPOILER ALERT**THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS**

Rachel can’t take it anymore. She needs to know who killed Kisten. Her determination leads her back to the boat with her psychiatrist, Ford, who is trying to help her remember what happened that day. Ivy’s investigation is going nowhere, and Rachel is determined to get a new lead. She remembers a thing or two and can’t wait to get back to Ivy to tell her what she remembered. But as they leave the boat, Ford receives a phone call. While investigating a case on the side, Glenn was badly beaten and left for dead. And his stepfather, Captain Edden of the FIB, is asking for Vampiric Charms for help. And while she’s accused of having no crime scene etiquette, Rachel’s unconventional methods find clues that crime scene techs missed, and blows the case wide open.

For banshees are what Glenn had encountered. A human couldn’t have beaten him so badly without the use of a weapon. And to make matters worse, a banshee child is part of the case. Banshees drain energy and emotions, and if they latch on, can literally kill a person by draining their life source.

Emotions ride high as Rachel’s brother, Robbie, comes to town to visit - and brought news with him: he’s getting married.

And the roller coaster doesn’t stop there. Rachel is nearly killed more than once, a ghost named Pierce is back from her past, Al is up to his usual tricks, Ivy not only blames herself for Kisten’s death but for their new banshee problem, Rachel is being called a Black Witch and is shunned, and now her mother is moving to Portland, then her full memory of what happened on Kisten’s boat comes back. Can things get any worse?

** An emotional roller coaster to say the least.

Rachel is one hell of a character. Strong, she pushes herself to the max to do what is right, what is necessary, regardless of what happens to her. And no matter how she plans it, the repercussions come back to bite her in the ass, leaving her to defend herself, all while no one is listening.

Emotions roll right through the reader. Ms. Harrison writes it in such a way that you feel it, feel everything, that the characters feel, whether it’s guilt, desperation, determination, you feel it all.

Filled with mystery, action, suspense and emotions, White Witch, Black Curse is more than your typical roller coaster ride with characters that you love - and love to hate. Descriptions so clear and concise, you feel everything, see everything. In my opinion, her best book yet!

****And I’m going to make this interesting. Now, everyone who knows me knows I don’t buy hardcover - too expensive, and I’ve already planned on buying the paperback for my collection. However, I got this copy to read and review, along with the T-Shirt and Tomato-seed packet for the contest. I’m upping the contest. Would you like my copy of White Witch, Black Curse? Don’t forget to email me daily at bookaholicsreview@hotmail.com for a chance to win one of the three items up for grabs! The contest runs from now until March 31st.****(less)

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Mar 01, 2009 Schnaucl rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: february, fiction, owned, read_2009, series, urban_fantasy, glbt

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I was disappointed with this book. It felt like there were far too many things going on at once and so it lacked a coherent focus. Rachel is trying to find Kistin's murderer, tag a banshee, and deal with Al/save Pierce. It's not unusual for there to be multiple threads in Harrison's books, the problem is that this time Rachel's not focused on what is supposed to be her primary run. She's proactive the first time she gets the call, but after that she doesn't do anything until she's called in and...more I was disappointed with this book. It felt like there were far too many things going on at once and so it lacked a coherent focus. Rachel is trying to find Kistin's murderer, tag a banshee, and deal with Al/save Pierce. It's not unusual for there to be multiple threads in Harrison's books, the problem is that this time Rachel's not focused on what is supposed to be her primary run. She's proactive the first time she gets the call, but after that she doesn't do anything until she's called in and then it's to refuse to help.

Kistin's murder feels like a bookend, it's the focus of the beginning and the end of the book. Rachel is actively pursuing it in the beginning but then it gets pushed to the side and Ivy is the one doing the investigating. I felt like it got shortchanged, which is unfortunate. I think the person who actually did the deed was an interesting choice and that discovery could (should) have been a book of its own.

The shunning seems to come from nowhere. If it was going to happen I'd much rather it happen after Rachel actually did something to cause it. Instead it happens after she she did nothing other than show up. From what I recall, no black magic was actually used at the scene by Rachel or anyone else, the accusation seems completely made up by the press. So I don't understand why Rachel acts as though she's made some kind of mistake that justifies the shunning. There have been plenty of things she's done in the past that might have justified it, at least from an outside point of view, so I really am not sure why Harrison decided to have her shunned for something she didn't really do and why she has Rachel accept it. The shunning is clearly a response to the accumulation of things that Rachel had done in the past, but it's just as clear that the events at the mall were the straw that broke the camel's back. I just wish that straw was real.

The revolving door that is Rachel's love life is starting to get really, really old. The whole thing with Marhsall just seemed unnecessary and her deciding that he was right to leave because she "failed to have everything under control when she promised she did" was really lame because again, she got shunned for basically showing up. I'm not sure how that gets to be her fault.

The thing with Ivy is annoying because I thought it was pretty clear they'd decided they were close friends who loved each other but not in a romantic way and while that wasn't the resolution I'd hoped for, I thought it was reasonable and I was glad it was resolved. Now it's sort of back up in the air again. There was an idea floated to try and make the virus dormant, at least while Ivy is living, basically making her human (or witch?) but I think doing so would radically change who Ivy is. They can't be together and still be who they are unless they can get rid of the dominance part of it.

The thing with Pierce might be the most annoying thing of all. I'm not sure if I'd be less annoyed if I hadn't already read the short story where he's introduced or not. I might buy the whole he's the man she's measured everyone else against deal if he'd ever been mentioned before in the main series. I can't imagine how confusing it would be if I hadn't read the story he's in. I guess the thought is that if he's already dead she can't get him killed? He doesn't do much for me and the nineteenth century speech is going to get old.(less)

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Mar 02, 2009 Lightreads rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, romance, urban-fantasy

Okay, I think we've officially entered the extremely strange realm where a book outstrips its author. I can't count the number of times there was this cool visual image (gargoyle correcting his size by plinking out ice cubes) or interesting emotional moment (Rachel having a flashback) and I nearly missed it because of a clumsy phrase or an anvil to the head. And this book lost major points with me for ham-handed exploitation of terminally ill children for emotional juice that it didn't even need...more

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Oct 23, 2008 Will Byrnes rated it 3 of 5 stars

Rachel Morgan is attempting to recover from the trauma at the end of book 6. Her memory of that event is very fuzzy. She spends about five hundred pages trying to get back her recollection of that night. Along the way she must contend with mischief from her demon pal, Al, a smitten ghost and a banshee, whose child can suck all the life force from whatever it touches. Can she sustain a friends-only relationship with the really nice guy-witch with whom she has been hanging out? Will her mom move o...more

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Mar 04, 2009 This Is Not The Michael You're Looking For rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, vampires, urban-fantasy, low-fantasy, paranormal-romance, dark-fantasy

The seventh book in the series, I found this one dragged a bit more than some of the others, although I think it ended really strong. It also tied up a number of loose ends that had been lying around, and although a few new ones were started, this had the feel of closing a major chapter or arc before beginning a new one.

This is also the first book that directly incorporates events from the novellas and short stories which have been published in anthologies (specifically Dates From Hell, Holidays ...more

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Mar 05, 2009 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Stayed up to the wee hours last night and it was worth it!

I can't say enough good about this series. I've had the best time getting sucked in and don't think I'll make it till the next one comes out.

Intro a new character Pierce (a ghost) who first met Rachel when she was 18. This guy caused some serious fun at the end of the book and is set to explode on the next. Can't wait to see where she takes him and Rachel.

Finally find out who killed Kisten...wow!

Meet some new 'others' a banshee. Don't...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Theshrewedshrew rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-hollows

One of the last lines of the book defines the entire book for me.

Al says something along the lines of "But he is Rachel candy..." I can't remember now if it was a statement or a question, but assuredly it is hilarious. Its one of the few lines and reason I still read The Hollows...
yeah I know if your 7 books in you should already have a reason, but Rachel is one of the most whiny rhymes with witchy character.

She has this moral code, which makes noooo sense. They are on the boat, people are as...more

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Mar 08, 2009 Lorena rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, alternate-history

I generally like this series, but this book's ratio of ass-kicking to emotional self-indulgence was heavily weighted towards the emotional self-indulgence. I say "self-indulgence" because most of the book seemed to revolve around Rachel feeling sorry for herself and whining about how aloooooone she was because nobody understaaaaands her. The personalities of some other characters seemed to be entirely altered just to advance this agenda. That shift in how certain characters behaved, along with t...more I generally like this series, but this book's ratio of ass-kicking to emotional self-indulgence was heavily weighted towards the emotional self-indulgence. I say "self-indulgence" because most of the book seemed to revolve around Rachel feeling sorry for herself and whining about how aloooooone she was because nobody understaaaaands her. The personalities of some other characters seemed to be entirely altered just to advance this agenda. That shift in how certain characters behaved, along with the fact that the plot of this book depends heavily on events that occurred in two separate short stories in two separate short story collections, plus the sudden introduction of a couple heretofore unheard-of facets of witch culture in The Hollows, made this book seem really disjointed and unconnected to the rest of the series.

I read both of the short stories that form the basis for this book's plot, but I can't say I'm wild about an author suddenly going out and making previously unconnected books part of the "canon" of the series, so that people who were not inclined to go and check out the short stories (or were not aware of them) would find themselves totally lost all of a sudden, even if they had read the whole series in order. Most of the short stories I have read by other series authors are careful to stick to plots that, while they may illuminate a bit more about a certain character, do not impinge on the over-arching story of the series. They take place on the margins of the main story; they don't directly INFLUENCE the main story. At most, you might get a throw-away line in a main book that references the events of a short story, but it's never crucial to the plot. So this move by Kim Harrison to suddenly make her previous short stories part of the main plot of the series as a whole really rubs me the wrong way. It strikes me as more of an attempt to force everyone to go out and buy copies of these two short story collections (which contain stories by other authors Harrison's readers may or may not care about) than an organic development of the series. At best, it is an exceedingly clumsy way to advance the story, and this was a pretty clumsy book. (Not only in terms of plotting, but even to the level of basic editing mistakes, like a person being described as having "thin fingers" on one page and "thick fingers" two pages later.) I only hope the next one is better, now that Harrison has shoe-horned all these new elements into the story and at least gotten that out of the way. (less)

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Mar 08, 2009 Laurena rated it 5 of 5 stars

another amazing book in the hollows series. i cried my eyes out when rahel rememberd kistins killer. she always does the greatest things when shes hurt or mad. the spell she left on the door of the underground room was awsome. i still cant decide what the deal is with her an ivy,but i guess that was the point. now we have peirce, the ghost who is in love with rachel. i love the back stories,that have back stories....this series could go on forever. and i wouldnt mind one bit! i think we needed t...more

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Feb 28, 2009 Tiffany Danner rated it 4 of 5 stars

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

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Mar 16, 2009 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rachel Morgan gets to take on a Banshee while fighting the witches misunderstanding of how she got a smutty aura when she was forced to accept a demon mark to save the life of someone else. During this she has her big brother back in town, telling her she should choose a safer lifestyle. He refuses to believe that trouble finds her regardless and that it truly is not her choices that have caused the most damage.

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Mar 29, 2009 Jennifer rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book was a fun read like all the other hollows books. But it was rather disappointing.

In past books, the series moved onward by slowly revealing new layers and facets of the society and Rachel's situation. This book was sadly lacking in interesting details. They bring out the Banshees (a dull species worthy of Stephanie Meyer.) They solve the mystery of Kisten's death (but it was exactly what they thought it would be in the past books.) Nothing really happens with Al except he decides to le...more

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Mar 08, 2009 Kristy rated it 3 of 5 stars

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

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Mar 03, 2009 Foomy rated it 5 of 5 stars

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

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May 12, 2012 Jim rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book, which is the 7th in the series, is a return to form by Kim Harrison. It, like all the other books, focuses of Rachel Morgan (a headstrong witch with a smart mouth), Ivy Tamwood (a more calculating vampire) and Jenks (a pixie).

Towards the end of book six, Rachel's boyfriend dies, and her memory of the event id wiped clean (so that she doesn't go after the guy without a plan). The result is that she's know idea who killed her love interest. In response, she spends most of the book tryin...more

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Feb 18, 2012 Susie rated it 3 of 5 stars

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

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Aug 24, 2011 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark-fantasy

Tea: I'd like some, but I don't think I want a lot
Overall, not as good or as funny as her previous books.
I found the addition of characters, namely relatives, highly distracting. Added to the fact that I didn't believe the characters themselves, the relatives. I didn't think they needed to be in the book, at all. The series has had six previous books without relatives, and they did fine. Why have them now?
And the new love interest, kinda of, was sort of a dud as well. And the other guy, who Rach...more

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Jun 23, 2011 Marianne rated it 2 of 5 stars

I swear, if the next book is like this book, and has a dozen instances where Rachel's vamp scar leaves her in an erotic puddle, I'm throwing in the towel on this series. Ms. Harrison, PLEASE, for the love of all that is holy, write in a cure for that damn scar! Seven books into the series and you still have Rachel and Ivy in their vamp/shadow limbo. I don't think I've ever been so annoyed by a plot line before The Hollows.

I've continued to read up to this point in the series because of the supp...more

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Mar 01, 2011 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

SPOILERS:
I absolutely loved this book. Every book Ms. Harrison writes just gets better and better. Rachel has so many crazy things happen to her, I was convinced she wouldn't make it to the end of the book. But she did! The girl is a survivor. Is it me, or do Rachel & Trent kind of have this weird chemistry going on? Maybe it's just me. So there is a banshee on the loose with a daughter who does not have control over her banshee powers yet. Rachel & Ivy are called in to help the FIB. Dur...more

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Feb 10, 2011 Jen (Red Hot Books) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: hollows, urban-fantasy

Tell the truth. Did you take the time to read all of those Hollows short stories scattered in anthologies over the past few years? If the answer is yes, you're finally getting your payoff. Just about every short story associated with the series comes into play here. And while you didn't HAVE to read them all to understand, they certainly give the reveals here something-extra for the fans who went beyond the novels.

We pick up with Rachel accepting her deal with the demon, Al, to become his stude...more Tell the truth. Did you take the time to read all of those Hollows short stories scattered in anthologies over the past few years? If the answer is yes, you're finally getting your payoff. Just about every short story associated with the series comes into play here. And while you didn't HAVE to read them all to understand, they certainly give the reveals here something-extra for the fans who went beyond the novels.

We pick up with Rachel accepting her deal with the demon, Al, to become his student. Her friendship with fellow witch, Marshall, is deepening and looks like it may just develop into something more. Things seems to be evening out a bit, until someone attacks Glenn, a human officer and good friend to Rachel. It's quickly revealed that a banshee named Mia and her husband Remus are to blame. We met Mia back in "Undead in the Garden of Good & Evil" (Dates From Hell.) She was the person who convinced Ivy that she could change her life, be more than the monster Piscary crafted her to be. In return, Ivy gave her the wish Rachel granted her in Dead Witch Walking. And Mia used that wish to fashion herself a family.

In the meantime, Rachel finds out someone is haunting her church. Do you remember any ghosts in her past? Think back to "Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel" (Holidays Are Hell.) Yep, good old Pierce is back. And he is a welcomed sight. Especially as we see Rachel struggle to remember bits and pieces of the night Kisten died. The last book gave me a small break from the heartbreak I felt in For a Few Demons More. But it is back with a vengeance as Rachel finally remembers his sacrifice with heart-breaking clarity. And his killer? Another familiar face with a grudge set up in (you guessed it) another short story.

Rachel suffers even more hard knocks in this book. While nothing will ever touch the loss of Kisten (and believe me, she is still suffering that), the indignities and loss just keep piling on. Thank goodness for Ivy and Jenks. They are her anchors and her true family. Another great Hollows installment. But please, Kim Harrison, do you have to make me cry so much? 5 stars.

P.S. I was surprised at how many poor reviews I read here on Amazon. And I guess I can agree with those who made the point that Pierce, as the great benchmark for Rachel's love life, is a little far fetched. And while he could never replace Kisten in my heart, I did like him quite a bit in the short story. Perhaps without reading that, though, he may not have made me nearly as excited. As for Rachel's impetuousness, it doesn't strike a dark chord in me. That's simply who she is. And while she is trying to grow, she is still acting very much in character with what we've seen in past books.

(less)

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Feb 07, 2011 Sonia rated it 4 of 5 stars

A new predator appears in town and starts to kill people by sucking all their emotions from them - a banshee. When Glenn almost dies by the attack, Rachel is forced to join the hunt after a creature that can´t be defeated. I didn´t particulary like the banshee storyline but there were other things that kept my attention.

Rachel´s "relationship" with the demon Al moves to another level after she was forced to become his student in order to save Trent. Now they start to develop a certain respect f...more

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Jan 11, 2011 Ithlilian rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I think I could continue reading this series forever...and the way things are progressing that might just happen. Outlaw Demon Wails was my favorite book so far, this was a bit of a let down from that. I am torn between 2, 3, and 4 stars here. At times I felt like Rachel complained too much, then again, she may be justified with everything that happens to her in this book. She is constantly struggling to find herself, and to define herself in terms of black or white. She needs to realize she is...more I think I could continue reading this series forever...and the way things are progressing that might just happen. Outlaw Demon Wails was my favorite book so far, this was a bit of a let down from that. I am torn between 2, 3, and 4 stars here. At times I felt like Rachel complained too much, then again, she may be justified with everything that happens to her in this book. She is constantly struggling to find herself, and to define herself in terms of black or white. She needs to realize she is in the gray area, and stop trying to make excuses for herself. Though, all of that is what is great about Rachel, she is realistic. If I were to put myself in her shoes I would have given up long ago. Unfortunately this book did seem to drag on with no apparent plot or point, and was very depressing at times. In addition to that, Ivy and Rachel are at the same place in their relationship, Jenk's wife is dying but is mostly ignored, and the Kisten resolution was disappointing. That would be where I am leaning towards a 2 star.

Then I have to sit back and think that I couldn't put this down. I absolutely love the characters in this series. I love how realistic and believable everyone is. I love how Jenk's tries to protect people but can't. I love his attitude. I love that Rachel never gives up, and Al is just plain awesome! I would have loved this book if there were no banshees really, I can just read about these characters forever. The banshee situation felt strange. For some reason it didn't feel like a real plot, I didn't care either way what happened to any of them. If we were supposed to feel any sort of sympathy towards them it didn't work for me at all.

With all that being said, I absolutely love this series and am deeply invested in all of the characters. I can't wait to learn more about Pierce and Al. Will Ivy be able to keep her soul after she dies? When will Rachel get rid of her marks? Is she to be shunned forever? Will Pierce be able to remove the shunning? Will Ivy ever be able to accept what she is and find a balance with Rachel? Is Jenks going to die soon? How will that affect things? I can't wait for more! (less)

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Dec 30, 2010 Karissa rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is the 7th book in the Hollows series by Kim Harrison. In a series that has consistently blown me away with its great writing quality and fast pace this book was a huge disappointment. I really feel like Kim Harrison was forced to write this book and forced to wrap up the whole Kisten mystery and didn't want to; this book just drags. Quick side note: I listened to this on audio book and the audio book quality was great.

In this book Rachel is trying to remember what happened on the night whe...more This is the 7th book in the Hollows series by Kim Harrison. In a series that has consistently blown me away with its great writing quality and fast pace this book was a huge disappointment. I really feel like Kim Harrison was forced to write this book and forced to wrap up the whole Kisten mystery and didn't want to; this book just drags. Quick side note: I listened to this on audio book and the audio book quality was great.

In this book Rachel is trying to remember what happened on the night when Kisten was murdered. Ford is along to try and help her jog her memories. Ivy is still trying to solve the Kisten murder in her own way. Then they get called on a case that ends up involving a mother Banshee who may be killing to feed her child. Oh and Pierce (you know the guy in the short story done in the anthology "Holidays from Hell") pops into Rachel's life. Also like usual Rachel is having trouble with Al (her demon teacher) and is trying to keep things with Marshall on a "strictly friends" basis.

As you can tell from the above things were kind of jumbled together; Rachel didn't seem to know what she was doing most of the book. There are so many things that bothered me about this book. First and foremost is Rachel's whining. I mean you probably could have cut 50 pages out if you had eliminated some of the whining; I felt like counting the number of times Rachel said "But, I'm a White witch!" with an honest to god foot-stomping whine...the number of times this was said had to be in the double digits at least; were they trying to drive home the book title? Rachel acted pathetic throughout the book and constantly said she would change things while she constantly made the same horrible decisions over and over again. It just wasn't interesting to read about that.

Next issue is the Kisten thing. All this build up over multiple books over who Kisten's killer was...it was very anti-climatic. The conclusion to the Kisten murder was weird too (I won't give anything away) but it was very rushed and very unsatisfying and really felt forced; like someone told Harrison she had to wrap up this plot point so she grudgingly did it. My only positive reaction to this part of the story is that we finally can (hopefully) stop hearing "Who was Kisten's killer?".

Then there is the appearance of Pierce, a minor character in a short story in an anthology half of the readers of this series probably haven't read. Pierce takes a major part in this story and I thought it was odd that he suddenly plays such a big role in Rachel's life. His inclusion felt forced and unnatural. The Banshee character Mia was also unsatisfying; there was so much "we have her, we lost her, we have her, we lost her" that I just got bored with the whole story. Rachel's whole moral struggle with bringing in Mia was odd, it was like Rachel completely lost her sense of right and wrong and wandered around confused for most of the Mia investigations.

Of course, to bring even more pain into the mix Harrison had to (again) bring up Ivy and Rachel's blood balance. I had really, really hoped we were done hearing about this. In fact it seemed pretty tied up in the last book and I was disappointed to see it rear its ugly head again. Bringing this up, yet again, added to my boredom and made me roll my eyes...I mean come on let the characters move on and get on with the story. Same with Marshall, what was up with his relationship with Rachel, is it there just to take up page space?

There were a couple good pieces to the story. Pierce is actually an interesting character and I am eager to see more of him. Eddings and Glenn were great characters and added more to the story than any of the other characters. Al stole the scenes he was in too. Also Bis was awesome and I hope the gargoyle is in the story more in the future. Rynn Cormel is an intriguing master vamp and I am also eager to find out what his future actions are. In fact all of these characters were way more interesting than Rachel and Ivy; maybe Rachel's character is just getting tired. All I know is something has to change or I will be getting rid of all the books in this series and dropping it.

All in all a disappointment. This was a long, long book that felt forced and chased itself in circles a lot. There were a couple bright spots, but overall I just wanted the book to be over. (less)

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Dec 27, 2010 Michelle O'flynn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rachael Morgan has a lot on her hands, fighting Inderlander crime, managing her business and business partners and their relationships, keeping her double dealing demon at bay, and investigating the death of her former vamp boyfriend Kisten. Juggling all that along with her family mystery, her returned brother and his disapproval of her lifestyle, and a potentially romantic relationship with Marshall, hunky witch who helped her out in an earlier were case. Then into the fray comes Pearce, a dead...more

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Dec 22, 2010 Larissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Previously Published on my blog: Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life

SERIES REVIEW:

*contains MINOR series spoilers

I LOVE This series! Kim Harrison has created such an amazing and rich world, that is extremely easy to get lost into. Not to mention the characters that you can’t help but fall in love with.

Rachel Morgan is a witch working as a runner, bounty hunter, for the I.S. {Inderland Services} in a world after the turn. The turn was when a breakout killed 2 thirds of the human race, all because...more Previously Published on my blog: Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life

SERIES REVIEW:

*contains MINOR series spoilers

I LOVE This series! Kim Harrison has created such an amazing and rich world, that is extremely easy to get lost into. Not to mention the characters that you can’t help but fall in love with.

Rachel Morgan is a witch working as a runner, bounty hunter, for the I.S. {Inderland Services} in a world after the turn. The turn was when a breakout killed 2 thirds of the human race, all because of tomatoes. The Inderlanders, supernatural races, were imune and after the breakout they were also the majority. That’s when they decided to come out of the closet.

Rachel is tired of doing menial jobs for the I.S., so along with her back up, the Pixie Jenks and the living Vamp Ivy, she quits her job and starts a private runner business. The thing is that the I.S. is not taking Rachel’s quitting lightly, specially since she has taken one of their best runners with her, and now they are trying to get to permanently retire, into the grave.

Rachel Morgan is a kick-ass heroine, one of the best out there and her adventures are so much fun! Throughout the novels we get to meet an awesome cast of secondary characters that you can’t help but love… Kisten, Matalina, Pierce, Trent, Quen, Ceri and so many more… Each book in the series is full of all-out action balanced out with a great sense of humor that has me laughing out loud many times.

Rachel is one of my favorite heroines ever and amongst the reasons I love her so much is that she is willing to over look the lines drawn by human and supernatural society and do what has to be done to keep her loved ones and herself alive, without ever crossing the lines of the own morals and without hurting anyone on purpose.

I think my biggest biff with the series however, was the death of one of my favorite characters ever about halfway through the series and I am still trying to cope with it. I do enjoy Rachel and Ivy’s sexual tension, which is something I had never seen in an Urban Fantasy novel before and it does bring something new to the table, despite the fact that their “will they – won’t they” tension can get on your nerves sometimes.

All in all, The Hollows is Urban Fantasy at its best and is a must read to any one that consider him/herself a fan of genre. If you haven’t read it yet, get to it! If you have, you know what I’m talking about =D(less)

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Oct 29, 2010 Chibineko rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Since the last book closed with the death of a major character, I really couldn't wait for this book. I will admit that I had a lot of high expectations for it that were maybe too high. The book is great, but it just doesn't seem to hit the same highs that the previous books did. Much of the book surrounds Rachel whining about this or that, as well as retreads of the same drama we've had in the past. As far as finding out who the killer is, that's actually not the main storyline at all.

The plot...more Since the last book closed with the death of a major character, I really couldn't wait for this book. I will admit that I had a lot of high expectations for it that were maybe too high. The book is great, but it just doesn't seem to hit the same highs that the previous books did. Much of the book surrounds Rachel whining about this or that, as well as retreads of the same drama we've had in the past. As far as finding out who the killer is, that's actually not the main storyline at all.

The plotline surrounds Rachel trying to uncover what Edden's son Glenn uncovered that was worth putting him in a coma for. He was investigating a suburban family, only to then be violently attacked & left for dead. Rachel's only clue is a banshee's tear & the dissapearance of the banshee who made it. Meanwhile the rest of Rachel's life is falling apart as Ivy is barely holding it together after Kisten's death, Marshall wants to step up their friendly relationship & Al insists on Rachel keeping their Saturday night agreement.

This story was nice, but it really relied on people having read the side stories that Harrison has put out in the past. She does try to incorperate explanations of where people come from, but not enough to where those of us who haven't read anything beyond the main series will catch on quickly. We also get a good look at Robbie, Rachel's brother for the first time... only to have him showcased as a rather unlikable person. Ivy seems to be little more than a thin shadow of her usual self & usually only appears whenever she's required to move the plot along. When one reviewer said that this book felt like filler, they weren't kidding. The book felt like it was more of a vehicle to tie up loose ends that were hanging around than anything else. I'm hopeful that this means that the next book will get around to resolving a few of the other long hanging threads or at least making some serious headway on them. (Especially the Ivy/Rachel tension & the whole pixy mortality storylines. Either poop or get off the pot!)

Still, I enjoyed this book. I did feel like the revelation of Kisten's killer was a little anti-climatic, but I can understand why it was done that way. (semi-spoiler) Sometimes there isn't a big scene where the bad guy gets killed & the heroes get the satisfaction of wiping them out themselves. Just like IRL, sometimes the bad guy gets it before the hero(ine) gives it to them. (less)

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Jul 16, 2010 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bought-copy, series, urban-fantasy

The seventh instalment in the Hollows series about witch Rachel Morgan and her companions Ivy (vampire) and Jenks (pixy).

I enjoyed this book, but felt that there were certain elements of the plot that dragged on a little bit. The whole banshee story felt tacked on. I thought they were a cool addition to the Inderlanders that inhabit the series, but, since there has been no mention of banshees in any of the other books, this was definitely something that Harrison decided on only recently. I did f...more The seventh instalment in the Hollows series about witch Rachel Morgan and her companions Ivy (vampire) and Jenks (pixy).

I enjoyed this book, but felt that there were certain elements of the plot that dragged on a little bit. The whole banshee story felt tacked on. I thought they were a cool addition to the Inderlanders that inhabit the series, but, since there has been no mention of banshees in any of the other books, this was definitely something that Harrison decided on only recently. I did find as well that the sucking of emotion was much like the sucking of blood from vampires, which means having two such predators in the books. I'm not sure how much mileage Harrison will get out of banshees in future books, but I'm sure we'll be seeing characters such as Holly and the Walker again.

I also didn't like the resolution of the Marshall character. Sure, Rachel is shunned but this guy is talked up as being Rachel's white knight and wanting to save her, so why does he bail? Probably because Pierce is now on the scene... Harrison does like to tidy up the previous chap before Rachel moves onto someone new.

Despite this, there were some lovely moments. Everything to do with the demon Al fascinates me and he is fast becoming one of my favourite literary bad guys. He has a fabulously childish, arrogant, mischievous character that lends itself to some brilliant dialogue and action scenes between him and Rachel. There was also a really spine-tingling moment where Rachel catches sight of him in the back of her car, and remembers that he IS a demon, no matter how he plays up his laissez faire English gentleman.

Jenks is another highlight. I just adore the way that Harrison has continued to bring him on as a character - bolshy, quick-witted, so fiercely loyal, and with such a smutty mouth! All of the Tinkerbell curses are both adorable and a mite disgusting!

Harrison has built the world of the Hollows extremely strongly, so that the reader now knows what the scent of burnt amber means, and understands the signals that can turn a vampire on.

I missed the Weres in this book and hope we will see them again in the next book to some extent - after all, Rachel still has a tattoo that needs doing!

Thumbs up from me overall, though - another solid addition to Harrison's now-long-running series. (less)

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Jun 30, 2010 Angela (Reading Angels) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is definitely my favorite book of the series so far! Full of emotion, heart-ache, action, and adventure. Poor Rachel never seems to get a break. She flies by the seat of her pants from one disaster to another.

Still trying to remember who killed her love, she is working with human psychologist, Ford, to try to unlock her lost memories. In the meantime, she gets a call that Glenn is in the hospital, beaten and left for dead. Soon, Rachel is facing down a banshee and a homicidial maniac. Tryi...more

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Apr 14, 2010 Jaime rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, bounty_hunters, paranormal, vampires, witches_andor_magic

Oh, Rachel Morgan series, how I love thee. Let me count the ways:

1. You are full of rich, conflicted, and complicated characters. Your good guys are just a little bad, and your bad guys are just a little good, which makes everyone a lovely shade of grey. A reader can find themselves wondering if a demon or ruthless business man are really all *that* bad.

2. You are full of rich, conflicted, and complicated relationships. In real life, there are layers to relationships, and Harrison knows how to s...more

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Nov 26, 2009 Katy-Del rated it 3 of 5 stars

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

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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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“I only snatched him to get your attention,” I said. “Now that I’ve got it, this is what I want.”
“Damn my dame!” Al shouted, hands raised to the ceiling. “I knew it! Not another list!” — 81 people liked it

“But he's Rachel Candy!"
-Both Jenks and Al” — 60 people liked it

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