The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison

I loved this series by Kim Harrison and I fully plan to finish it someday. I have read more books than I have reviewed here. The last few book I read were right in a row and I couldn't remember where one ended and the other began.

I am going to be honest with you though while I enjoyed the first book I did not like Rachel Morgan the main character at all. What drew me into the series was how Rachel grows into a better decision maker and learns to control here crazy impulses without sacrificing her sassy, confident attitude. I had three books when I started the series and I figured I had to finish them so I started the second book and just couldn't put it down. With each book I began to love many of the side characters and love to hate some of the others. I also developed a fondness for Rachel and the predicaments she gets herself into.

With all the fantasy in these books you get a up close an personal look inside the lives of these characters. Kim Harrison does an amazing job creating real world problems related to living in a magical environment. You can't  beat a story with a witch, a pixie, and a vampire in a world where tomatoes brought on a sickness that nearly wiped out the human race revealing the existence  of supernatural beings who were not affectd by the disease.

Check out my review for the first book here.
The rest of the completed book reviews can be found here but you will have to scroll down they are in the order of last read so you will want to read the bottom post first and be careful not to learn too much about books you have not read.

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For A Few More Demons by Kim Harrison

For a Few More Demons is the fifth book in the Hollows series by Kim Harrison. I have reviews for the 4 previous books under the Kim Harrison tab in the side bar.

Now you are going to have to bear with me I have had some trouble remembering where books started and stopped since I read books 5-7 one right after another.

If you have not read the previous 4 books and don't want any spoilers stop reading now and start with the first book Dead Witch Walking. This is not a series that you can start in the middle without tons and tons of confusion.

The Focus an ancient werewolf artifact is now in Rachel and David's possession. Unfortunately it has some pretty bad side effects on the people surrounding them. Weres are being murdered and Rachel takes a run from the FIB to try and find out who is killing the weres and trying to make it look like suicides. She suspects they are being murdered in efforts to locate the Focus.

If that is not enough for Rachel to deal with Trent has asked her to work security at his wedding where Al shows up possessing a familiar body. Al the big bad demon is out to get Rachel and goes on a rampage in the streets of Cincinnati. They let Piscari out of prison to deal with Al and all hell breaks loose. The story isn't complete of you don't mention the crazy demon Newt who manages to escape the ever after and come after Rachel for something, but what even Newt cannot remember. Newt even has Ceri shaking in her boots the demon is powerful and insane.

There are some crazy plot twists in this book and a lot of people die including a few characters that have been around for awhile. This book is full of strong emotion and seems to be a turning point for Rachel. I loved this book I am giving it 5 stars out of 5. Kim Harrison is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors as I am loving the way she develops her characters.

I still have to mention I just love Jenks the absolutely hilarious pixie and as you learned in the last book he only has a life span of 20 years so I don't know that he will last till the end of the series and it makes me sad every-time Rachel thinks about it.

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A Fistful of Charms Book Review

A Fistful of Charms is the 4th book in the Hollows series by Kim Harrison. This is the last book I have and I am disappointed that I need to quit here for now. I don't have any book money in the budget just yet. I can't justify spending more money until I finish some of the books I already bought.

I really enjoyed every minute of this book. In the last book Rachel manages to out wit big Al the demon who want to make her his familiar. She looses one demon mark but gains a new one. So now she owes two demons a favor. She also saves her enemy Trent from the only other witch who can use demon magic like Rachel.

David, the werewolf Rachel met in the last book, needs a pack but he doesn't really want to deal with pack relationships so he asks Rachel to be his alpha female. Rachel agrees to the platonic relationship and gets discounted insurance.This book starts with a pack of wolves confronting Rachel's status as an alpha female. They want her wolf to prove she can be an alpha female with no magic. After this encounter she asks Ceri the elf she saved from big Al if there is anything that can make her were.

There are a few little side stories in this book but most of it is a rescue mission for a huge mess Nick, Rachel X looser boyfriend got himself and Jax into. I wasn't sure Nick was going to stay the X but after the stupid stuff he pulls in this book I don't think we will see him as a romantic interest for Rachel ever again. So if you didn't already hate Nick be prepared for wanting to take him out yourself.

First he takes Jenks son to Michigan to steal an artifact that is very important to all werewolves and vampires alike. Then when he finds it he double-crosses the werewolves he was supposed to sell it to and finds himself a prisoner. Jax escapes but it is still cold in Michigan and pixies can die from the cold. Jax contacts his family and Rachel and Jenk's come to a truce so they can find his son.

Ceri finds Rachel a spell that will help her were and one that will make Jenks big so he can withstand the cold while saving his son. I have to say one of the reasons I loved this book was that it was fun to have Jenks big for most of the book. Rachel and Jenks find Jax reality quickly but she is too soft and feels she must save Nick. This leads to a lot more trouble than she bargained but she can use her alpha status to help her get out of some of the mess. There was a lot of mystery around the were that Rachel changed into and some real wolves on the island that they were holding Nick. I am hoping to hear more about that in a later book but that might just be my love for wolves speaking.

After they get into more trouble Ivy shows up to help with the situation. Some really interesting stuff happens between Ivy and Rachel in this book but you can read the details for yourself. This book has a lot of focus on the relationships that Rachel has with Ivy and Jenks and it makes for a great book mixed tons of magic and action. I really have to wait to read more but if I could get them for free I would already be in the book store or at audible. This book gets five stars.

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Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison

Every Which Way But Dead is the third installment of The Hollows series. The first two book reviews are:
Dead Which Walking
The Good The Bad And The Undead

This dark novel is set in Cincinnati in the Hollows where few humans dare to live. Rachel a witch, Ivy a living vampire and Jenks a pixie run Vampiric Charms and bring criminals to justice that the human police can't handle.

In the end of the last book you are left with Rachel making a deal with big Al the demon to get Piscary the big bad mean ass dead vampire in prison so she doesn't get killed. Piscary has a lot of control over her best friend Ivy and she wants to save her as well.

So we start the new book with Al trying to claim his prize and make Rachel his familiar but she had bargained for her soul. Something about her DNA and the ability to keep her soul helps her escape the demon for a time and save his old familiar while she is at it. This new character brings a lot of life to the story Ceri is a 1000 year old elf and she knows everything there is to know about demon magic.

In the first half of the book there is a lot of excitement but there seems to be bits and pieces of a story. I didn't mind because it gave you a lot of background info on some of the new and old characters. You meed a werewolf named David who turns out to be a stand up guy and a very enjoyable addition to the cast of characters. My biggest let down was a few chapters in Jenks and Rachel fight and Jenks takes off for the rest of the book. The stubborn pixie  refuses to accept any apologies at all and won't even speak to Rachel.

David is a were insurance agent and apparently weres are know for running run a great deal of insurance agencies. He needs to know what happened to the fish that Rachel stole in the last book and he stops in just as big Al is trying to drag Rachel into the everafter.

On another note it just so happens that Trent Kalamack's right hand man wants to hire Rachel to escort Trent to an important meeting.He was bitten by a vampire in the last book and can't vouch for how safe he can keep his boss. Rachel reluctantly accepts and things turn ugly. Once the book starts to lead to Trent the book takes off and the story unfolds.

I can't help but mention that Rachel looses the looser Nick in this book. She still seems to have mixed feelings but she lets Kisten take her on a date as long as no blood is involved and some sparks begin to fly. Nick left town early in the book and everyone around Rachel told her he wasn't coming back, It took her awhile to realize it but everything they said would happen did. He was no loss in my book I thought he was a liar. Who knows what will happen with Kisten but it was nice to learn more about him.

I am giving this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed every minute of it but I do realize some people don't like the plot to start half way through the novel. I am sure I would feel the same if the characters were not as interesting. Kim Harrison does an amazing job developing her Hollows crew I am very impressed. Here is the real kicker Rachel is still not my favorite character I have grown to like her a lot but Ivy and Jenks above Rachel in my book.

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Upcoming Reviews

I have three reviews to do. Over the last few days I didn't feel so well so I got some reading done. Finished Every Which Way But Dead and A Fistful of Charms books three and four in the Hollows series by Kim Harrison. Click on the titles to see the previous reviews Dead Witch Walking and The Good The Bad and The Undead. These books just keep getting better and as soon as I feel good for more than a few hours I will be posting the reviews plus I still need to get one up for Dead and Gone. I am all out of Hollows books but there are at least three more plus one that can be pre-ordered.

I have to save some money so I will just have to read some of my already purchased books before I continue on in this series. I only have two series that I am dying to read the next one and will stop everything for right now. That would be the Mercy Thompson series and the Kate Daniels series.

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Charliane Harris and Kim Harrison Book Reviews Comming Soon

I finished two more books and I just don't want to wait until May for the next Sookie Stackhouse book. I read A Touch of Dead and Dead and Gone over the last few days. I then spent some time looking up when the next book is going to be released and I was tempted to throw a three year old type fit.


I have really enjoyed this series but that is besides the point that they left you with the big question at the end that just begs to be answered. I also can't quite figure out what to call this series because when I read the first one it was called The Southern Vampire Mysteries and now it is the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Not that that is a big deal but it is rather confusing.



I am going to knock out a few more of the Hallows books by Kim Harrison by the end of this week as well. Then the reviews will start rolling in regularly for about a month or two until I go back to work in March. I work full time for about 6-8 weeks then probably part time.

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Book Review The Good the Bad and the Undead by Kim Harrison

I am going to start with the rating because I really enjoyed this book. I give this book FIVE big stars. I am sure it helped that I enjoyed it so much more than the first book and that I got a great idea for a sign on my door. My dear husband sleeps during the day because of the shift he works. There was a sign posted in the Hallows that said "day-sleeper solicitors will be eaten". I am so stealing this and using it for myself but I am going to include religious zealots as well. I might even include a picture of my dog!

Anyway the book starts with an job Rachel and Jenks have accepted for a Hallows baseball team. And there is not a slow moment from that point on. It is really hard to review this book without giving things away. I have to say that I liked the book largely because I saw Rachel grow as a person. She is starting to learn from her mistakes and many times she even listens to the wise counsil of Ivy and Jenks.

We also get to know a little more about Ivy in this book and the dynamics of her living vampire state. Here characters really stands out in this book, as she struggles not to feed from Rachel and still live in such close proximity to her.

You will learn more about Rachel's' boyfriend too but I don't find him very memorable as I can't even remember is name. I found him to be a little to apt to deal with demons and he plays a little too much with the dark-side.

So for the plot there are dead witches turning up everywhere and the human police call Rachel in to help find out what is going on. They know they are in way over their heads. All paths seem to lead to Trent her arch enemy from the first book, but again there is no proof. Rachel has to go back to witch school and work undercover. In her search for this killer she has to take on a summon a few demons, take on a bad ass vampire or two, mingle with some werewolves and she even finds out what Trent really is.

I just don't want to give too much away. This was a great book, do not miss this one!

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Book Review -- Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

Dead Witch Walking is an interesting look at the supernatural world. Kim Harrison takes us into a world that was nearly wiped out by a virus in tomatoes. Well at least the normal humans were. Vampires, werewolves, witches and other supernatural beings were immune to the disease.

I had a little trouble getting into the book, it was slow at first. Rachel Morgan the main character is rather sarcastic and I had some trouble with her attitude. There was also a lot of explaining to set up the story. A few chapters into the book it really picked up and I really started to enjoy the book.

The book starts with Rachel, a witch, and Jenks, a pixie, working to pick up a rouge magic user. They run into Ivy a living vampire who used to be Rachel’s partner. Ivy has her own job picking up some bad vampires. Both women catch their targets and share a cab back to the Inderland Security to deposit the bad guys.On the ride there Rachel starts thinking about quitting the company because she has been getting crappy jobs.

This is when all hell breaks loose as Ivy the number one agent for the I.S. decides to quit too. The head of the company puts a huge bounty on Rachel and she can’t return home.
Rachel, Ivy and Jenks and his family move into a church in The Hollows. The Hollows is where most Inderlandes live, segregated from the normal humans.
They originally wanted to start a business as bounty hunters. With the looming death threat on Rachel they have to focus on a way to keep her out of harms way.

Rachel is her own worst enemy, she never thinks things through. She decides she is going find proof to bring down a criminal and buy her way out of her I.S. contract. She does this despite the fact that no one has been able to prove he is anything but respectable.

I really had a lot of issues with Rachel, I kept thinking to myself that she was stupid. She rushed into everything without a solid plan. She got caught almost every time. She began to sprout some brains near the end of the book and took Ivy’s advice on making a good plan. There were a lot of hints the Rachel is a powerful witch but it doesn’t materialize much in this book.

I think this series has a lot of promise. I really liked Ivy and the living verses dead vampire story line. I also loved Jenks and his cute pixie family. I think I will like Rachel better in the next book.
This dark novel gets 3.5 stars out of five.

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