Review - Into the Woods by Kim Harrison (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 528 pages
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: October 9, 201
ISBN: 978-0061974328
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eBook from Publisher
Rating: 4/5 stars


I got an ecopy of this book to review from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This books includes all of the Hallows short stories as well as a couple novellas/short stories from new urban fantasy worlds.

I had read most of the Hallows short stories previously in other anthologies. The Bespelled was one I had missed and was an excellent story about how Al and Ceri meet.

Million Dollar Baby is original to this book and is a story about how Trent rescued his daughter; this was a good read as well. There are four novellas/short stories that are not set in the Hallows world. Of these the one that really stood out for me was Grace; this was a wonderful world were certain types of people can manipulate energy. It had lots of action and some great new characters.

You can read summaries of all of the stories included in this anthology below.

Overall this was a decent read and something you should definitely pick up is you are a fan of the Hallows series.

- The Bespelled
This is story about Al and Ceri and how they originally met. More of a fantasy read, it provides some interesting background information on the two.

-Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel
I had previously read this story. This was a great prequel to the Hallows series. It was fun to read about a younger Rachel who is still struggling to recover from Rosewood syndrome and trying to decide if she should join the IS or not. It was nice to read about a time in her life that helped get her to where she is at the start of the series. This is the story where Rachel and Pierce first meet.

- Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil
I had previously read this story. This story is about Ivy when she was dating Kisten; Mia (the banshee from "White Witch, Black Curse" is involved as well). This story helped explain some of the back story between Ivy and Mia, as well as gave nice insight into Kisten and Ivy's history. It was an engaging story and I enjoyed it; overall

- Dirty Magic
I had previously read this story. This story is about Mia the Banshee and how she ended up in the situation she was in in White Witch, Black Curse. It is well written and engaging.

- The Bridges of Eden Park
Rachel and Kisten rescue Kisten’s sister’s son from an attempted kidnapping. Good story, gives a bit more background on Kisten’s character.

- Ley Line Drifter
I had previously read this story. This is an excellent story about Jenks helping a fellow pixie. You learn more about pixie culture and there is a ton of action.

- Million Dollar Baby
This is a previously unpublished story all about Trent’s journey to save his daughter. Adds a lot to Trent and Jenk’s relationship and let’s you look into Trent’s thoughts and how he feels about fatherhood.

- Pet Shop Boys
Previously unpublished story about a man who encounters a lady and her daughter in the pet shop he works in. He finds out that there are more evil things in the world than he ever dreamed. Okay story, but my least favorite of the bunch.

- Temson Estates
Previously unpublished story about a man who finds out he has inherited a forest full of dryads. This was a fun little story.

- Spider Silk
Previously unpublished story about a grandmother, her daughter and her granddaughters and the danger they face from a forest spirit. The grandmother trapped the evil forest guardian in a tree but when the tree dies he tries to claim one of her granddaughters. The mother does what she must to save her daughter. Full of irony and very well written.

- Grace
This was my favorite story of the bunch. It introduces readers to an excellent new world and characters. Grace has special powers; she can manipulate energy. She has chosen a career where she hunts down other undiscovered energy manipulators like herself before they do serious harm to society. When her current target (a 17 year old boy) hurts her dog and her friend, Grace has no choice to to hunt him down with a vengeance. An interesting new world and wonderfully done characters. I really enjoyed this story a lot. It would be great to see some books to follow-up this novella. The story is part urban fantasy, part science fiction.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Early Review - Pale Demon (The Hollows, Book 9) by Kim Harrison (5/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 448 pages
Publisher: Eos 
Release Date: February 22, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0061138065
Stand Alone or Series: 9th book in the Hollows series
Source:  ARC through Librarything's Early Reviewers and NetGalley.com
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the 9th book in the Hollows series by Harrison.  Last I heard Harrison is contracted for twelve books in this series.  I got an advanced copy of this book both from Librarything's Early Reviewer program and an e-book copy from netgalley(dot)com.  I have to admit I wasn't big on the previous two books in this series so I was a bit worried about where this book would take the series.  Well, I shouldn't have worried!  This was an absolutely excellent book in the series. 

Rachel has cut a deal with the Coven, if she comes before them and apologizes for using black magic then her shunning will be revoked.  Only Trent has other ideas.  Trent is going on an elf quest of sorts and wants Rachel to help get him to the west coast since she is already going there for her trial.  Rachel is reluctant to agree but after the Coven prevents her from flying it looks like a road trip with Trent might be her only option.   So...it's time for a crazy road trip.  What happens when you get Ivy, Jenks, Rachel, and Trent in a car together...well lots of crazy stuff of course! Will Rachel's shunning be revoked?  Exactly what is Trent up to?  Will the fact that all witches are just stunted demons finally be revealed?

This was an absolutely wonderful book.  We finally have our old Rachel back.  I was not impressed with the 7th (White Witch, Black Curse) and 8th (Black Magic Sanction) books in this series and was worried that the series was going to get worse.  Well it didn't it got better.  There was a lot of the things I love about this series in this book and none of the stuff that was annoying me.

Finally we are back to the main plot (no strange side stories about banshees) and Rachel is dealing with her shunning and with the realization that all witches are demons.  We get to learn a lot more about Trent in this book and that is a wonderful thing.  He has always been a mysterious character and you learn more about him and his past than ever before.  You also get to learn a lot more about Rachel's demon tutor Al; some awesome things are revealed about the Everafter and the demons who dwell there.

Gone is the whiny, indecisive Rachel that plagued the previous two books.  The Rachel in this book is the Rachel of old, but smarter.  She can kick-butt (and does quite often in this book), she is focused, smart, and not ashamed of who she is.  It was great to see Rachel finally find her feet in this book and get back to the things that mattered.

I was also relieved that Ivy and Rachel don't dwell on their relationship (I feel like that has been hashed and re-hashed in this series).  They work great as a team and have learned how to keep things in balance.  This book feels like the series is on the edge of some major changes for all of the characters.  Things are changing with how the characters interact and what we know about them.

The ending wraps up the main storyline well, but still leaves you yearning to read more...just like the earlier books did.  This book was full of all of my favorite characters and lots of action; it was very hard to put down and very well written.

Overall an absolutely stellar addition to this series.  If you thought the previous couple books in the series were lackluster, fear not, this book redeems the series.  All of our favorite characters are back, Rachel is ready to deal with her life again like a big girl, and we get to learn a lot more about Trent and Al.  Loved it and cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 100+ Reading Challenge
- E-book Reading Challenge

Review: Black Magic Sanction (The Hollows, Book 8) by Kim Harrison (3.5/5 stars)

This is the eighth book in The Hollows series by Harrison. Last I head she was contracted for twelve books in this series. This book was better than the last book in the series but still a bit scattered, with Rachel making a lot of questionable decisions.

In this book Rachel finds out that the Coven has not only shunned her but is out to incapacitate her for good. Now Rachel has to try and dodge the Coven, while saving her butt she gets increasingly drawn into Black Magic. She has a lot of help; her old flame Nick is back in the picture and the former ghost Pierce is a constant presence. Of course she will have Ivy and Jenks to back her up too. But, the biggest places where she gets help may be the places she least expects it, as her problems become tightly intertwined with two of her biggest enemies, Al (her demon teacher) and Trent (the business-tycoon elf).

This book was better than the last book in the series; I was pretty disappointed in the last book (White Witch, Black Curse). This book is better. Rachel is finally getting herself back together, she doesn't whine as much, she is accepting what she is, and she doesn't make as many really stupid decisions. That being said, she still does quite a few stupid things and she is still a little bit confused about what she wants to do. This is a long book, and if Rachel had had it more together and been more decisive about certain actions it wouldn't have been as long. It also seemed like every single character from the previous books had to at least make a cameo appearance, and I think this was the other thing that drew the book out.

The action scenes were excellent, but the plot was kind of all over the place again. Rachel wasn't really on a mission or trying to solve a mystery in this book. The whole book is dedicated to Rachel trying to escape the Coven. Along the way Rachel does begin to accept that she is not quite a witch and not quite a demon. Mostly to me this felt like another transitional novel; it ties up some loose ends that needed tying (Harrison had too many loose ends to make a coherent story in book 7). I am hoping that Rachel making some decent decisions and some decent life changes will continue in the next book. After White Witch, Black Curse I was seriously considering dropping this series, and while this book is an improvement...it still wasn't a joy to read, things were just too muddled and there is just too much going on.

By far the most interesting characters in this book are Trent, Pierce, and Al. You learn a lot more about all of them and a lot more about what made Rachel's world the way it is. Jenks, Ivy, and Rachel aren't as tired and irritating as in the last book, but they still aren't all that interesting to read about in this book either. I am really hoping book 9 will have a more cohesive plot and show Ivy and Rachel *finally* settling their relationship. Yep, Ivy and Rachel still don't figure anything out in this book and, even though their blood-balance isn't visited as much in this book as it was in book 7, the issue still rears its head more than once.

Overall, the book is okay. It is better than book 7, but the plot is still fragmented and nothing much is addressed outside of Rachel's issues with the Coven. It feels a bit like another transitional novel. Hopefully book 9 will get us back to the wonderful writing I am used to from Harrison. I have to say though this book didn't make me super excited to read the next one in the series.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge
- Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge

White Witch, Black Curse (The Hollows, Book 7) by Kim Harrison (2/5 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 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.

Holidays are Hell edited by Kim Harrison (5/5 stars)

This was a compilation of four novellas edited by Kim Harrison. Overall I thought it was a great set of stories. I zipped through this book so fast. My favorite story was the Kim Harrison one; my least favorite Six by Liu.

Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel is by Kim Harrison
This was a great prequel to the Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison. It was a lovely stand alone story, but had more impact if you have read that series. It was fun to read about a younger Rachel who is still struggling to recover from Rosewood syndrome and trying to decide if she should join the IS or not. It was nice to read about a time in her life that helped get her to where she is at the start of the series. Great quality of writing, excellent, just like all of Kim Harrison's stories.

Run, Run Rudolph by Lynsay Sands
This story was a surprise for me. It was funny, light-hearted, and I really liked it. I have never read anything by Lynsay Sands before. I liked her light writing style. There is nothing heavy or cotemplative here, but it was a fun read all the same. I might check out more of her writing based on this story. Basically it tells about a woman who gets zapped by a molecular experimental machine and can change shape. She ends up being hunted from someone from her brother's past and what ensues is pretty funny.

Six by Marjorie M. Liu
This was my least favorite story. I have never read anything by Liu before. This story was about a Chinese agent, your basic trained from birth assasin, and how she ends up getting involved in the paranormal community. Liu did a good job of switching writing style when she switched character perspective. Still, I didn't care for the writing style and I though the heroine was a bit boring.

The Harvest by Vicki Pettersson
This was a prequel to the Signs of the Zodiac by Vicki Pettersson. The story is told from Zoe Archer's (Joann's mom) point of view. It tells us more about what happened to Joann's daughter and give interesting insight into both Zoe's relationship with the Tulpa and her relationship with Warren (the leader of the Light Zodiac). I am not sure how good of a stand-alone story this is; but if you have read some of Pettersson's books you will absolutely love this story. It explains so much about why Zoe did what she did and sheds a lot of Light on why Warren and Joann interact the way they do.

All in all a great combination of stories. I plan on ordering some of the other Hell compilations that have been edited by Harrison. Hopefully those will be as high of quality as this book was.

The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison (5/5 stars)

This is the sixth book in Kim Harrison's Hallows series. It was a great book that kept me turning the pages and it was very hard to put down. I am so relived that Harrison continues to write awesome books.

Rachel is prepping for the huge Halloween holiday with her mother when she is assaulted by an unexpected guest; Al is somehow out of demon jail and he is bent on killing Rachel once and for all. Rachel has to figure out what is going on and save her friends and her family.

It was wonderful to read more about Rachel's mother and about Al. Trent also goes through a lot of character development in this story. I was happy that Harrison put Rachel on a "relationship hiatus" in this book. After Kisten's death, it was nice to see Rachel do what a real person would do...which is take some time get herself back together. I would have been sorely disappointed if she followed the path of another female character we all know and has Rachel sleep with everything that moved.

I was a little surprised that the main plot wasn't tracking down Kisten's murderer but rather dealing with Al. It was great to find out who Rachel's real father was; and it was good to find out about Rachel's true genetic makeup and abilities.

Like usual the book was fast-paced, action-packed, and hard to put down. Jenks was his usual self and it was nice to see Rachel and Ivy make some progress in their friendship. I do hope that the blood-balance thing between Rachel and Ivy isn't revived in the next book; enough is enough on that topic.

Overall, this was an awesome book. This book ended well leaving me feeling like the next book will be entering a fresh new chapter of Rachel's life. Can't wait for the next book!

BTW, I was reading an interview with Kim Harrison where she says that her contract has been extended part 6 books to 9 books. So, it looks like we have at least three more books in the series to go!