Ever After by Kim Harrison [Review]

5 OUT OF 5 ROBOTS!

 

EVER AFTER 
Author: Kim Harrison
Series: The Hollows, #11
Release: January 22, 2013
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Harper Voyager
My Copy: Publisher Provided
Buy this Book: Amazon

Plot Summary: 
The ever after is shrinking. If it disappears completely, so does all magic. It's up to witch-turned-daywalking-demon Rachel Morgan to avert catastrophe and keep life from changing... for the worse.

While saving the world is important, it isn't Rachel's only motivation. There's also the small fact that she caused the ley line to rip in the first place, setting off a chain reaction of unfortunate events. That little mistake has made her life forfeit unless she can fix it. 

But Rachel has more than a few impressive and frightening skills of her own, and she isn't going to hand over her life and soul without one hell of a fight. She's also got a surprise: elven tycoon Trent Kalamack. With this unlikely ally beside her—a prospect both thrilling and unnerving—she's going to return to the ever after, kick some demon butt, rescue her loved ones... and prevent an apocalypse before it's too late. Or, at least that's the plan...

My Thoughts:
EVER AFTER by Kim Harrison is the cat's meow. Gripping, enthralling, nonstop action from beginning to end. It is EVERYTHING I dreamed it would be- I've been anticipating the release of this book for what seems a million years. It lived up to every single one of my expectations- It's fast paced, there is death, delicious kissing, likable characters, fascinating character development... I finished EVER AFTER last Saturday and I'm STILL thinking about it. I honestly did not think Harrison could surpass the previous installment in this series- but once again, I think I have a new favorite in the series. SO MUCH HAPPENS! AHH!!

One of my favorite aspects of Kim Harrison's writing is her ability to catch old readers of the series (and new ones) up to speed with story. Harrison slips just enough in to keep the story going without making you feel bogged down with back story. Her characters are also extremely colorful- with the entire gang making an appearance in this novel- Rachel, Trent, Jenks, Ivy, Al, Nick (ugh!!), Peirce, Ceri, Quen, Ellasbeth (ugh!!). Each character has impeccable character development that you can only truly appreciate if you've read the series from the beginning. It is wonderful that Rachel isn't still making the same dumb mistakes that she was in the beginning. All the characters have grown so much.

Harrison wasn't joking in her interview when she said no one is safe. That's all I'm going to say. It isn't a spoiler if she said it in an interview first, right? Anyway, BAM my heart broke on page 222. I slammed it shut. Then I opened it again, and didn't put the book down until the end. She doesn't leave you or the characters much time to mull the heartbreak until the end of the novel- and then she throws in the most amazing scene ever. I am dieing to discuss this, but I can not, it is a spoiler. But I have to tell you that I was practically touching the book with my nose I was so into it for the last three or so pages. And then it just ends. And I need the next book now. Gosh, she really makes the characters pop out of the book. Everything is so vivid.

If you're already a fan of the Hollows series, do not wait around to read this one! It has everything we love about Rachel Morgan and the Hollows. And if you're an Urban Fantasy fan and you haven't tried this series yet, what are you waiting for!? This is one of my top five favorite series of all time. It just keeps getting better... SO depressed that there are only two installments left. Sigh.

Please read all of these books if you haven't already. Then come back here and talk to me about them. :)

Books in this series in the order that they should be read: 
1. Dead Witch Walking [My Review]
2. The Good, the Bad, and the Undead [My Review]
3. Every Which Way But Dead [My Review]
4. A Fistful of Charms
5. For a Few Demons More
6. The Outlaw Demon Wails
7. White Witch, Black Curse
8. Black Magic Sanction
9. Pale Demon
10. A Perfect Blood
11. Ever After
 Companion Novel: The Hollows Insider [My Review]

The Hollows Insider by Kim Harrison [Review]

  5 out of 5 Robots!

 

The Hollows Insider by Kim Harrison
Series: The Hollows [Companion Novel]
Release: October 25, 2011
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Harper Voyager
My Copy: Publisher
Reviewer: Rex
Buy the Book: Amazon

Book Summary:

Welcome to the Hollows—Kim Harrison’s remarkable shadow world of vampires, pixies, demons…and one unstoppable bounty hunter witch named Rachel Morgan.  

The Hollows Insider is your guide through the dark mysteries of this grimly twisted Cincinnati—featuring maps and illustrations, spells and character profiles, and much more, including an all-new Rachel Morgan short story. Fans of New York Times bestseller Harrison will not want to miss The Hollows Insider, a visitor’s handbook to this creepy capital of the urban fantasy universe.

Quick Thoughts:

The Hollows Insider is an amazing visual depiction of The Hollows series by Kim Harrison. This book is nothing short of spectacular- If you are a fan of The Hollows, I HIGHLY recommend picking up this book. It is very heavy on the graphics, so I didn't even try reading it on my Kindle. It looked brilliant on Adobe Digital Editions on my computer. 

I am extremely excited for this book to be released (October 25, 2011) because I'm enamored with The Hollows series. Kim Harrison takes my breath away with each and every book in this series. They get better with each addition. I'm still giddy that I was able to read this early. It is packed full of great maps, character profiles, spell guides, charm recipes and "secret" correspondence. I think that the character profiles may have been my favorite. We also get a brand new short story. I'm not a huge fan of short stories- but I will take ANYTHING from Kim Harrison while I await the next novel- due out February 2012. 

Kim Harrison has easily become an author that is on my must buy list. If you haven't checked out her Hollows series- do it! It is easily one of my top five favorite Urban Fantasy series. It has made me cry, laugh, and want to throw the book against the wall with frustration. I'm going to be devastated when this series finally concludes. Thankfully, Kim wrote The Hollows Insider- which is wonderfully entertaining and will surely keep me entertained while I await A PERFECT BLOOD, book 10 for the Hollows. 

RACHEL MORGAN FANS! BUY this book!

Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison

5 out of 5 Robots!

My Review:

Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison is the third installment of the Rachel Morgan (The Hollows) saga. Let me start off by saying I LOVE THIS BOOK. I love this series. I love this author. Alright, now that I'm done with that- on with my review. 

Rachel Morgan is a sassy, kick-ass witch and she has done something silly to put away one of the biggest, baddest vampires out there- She made a deal with a demon. So you can forget about broomsticks and pull out some lucky charms because she's gonna need them. 

 

Piscary, the big bad vampire that rules The Hollows has finally been convicted of some heinous crimes thanks to Rachel. That's right, Rachel promised to be a demon's familiar if he testified against Piscary. It worked. But now it is Rachel's turn to hold up her end of the bargain. Can she weasel out of being the familiar of a demon, escape the red tinged ever after AND keep her soul intact?

In the process of becoming Algaliarept's familiar she releases the previous familiar, Ceri, from a grim fate. Rachel is now faced with escaping Al's grasp and keeping Ceri from Mr. Kalamack... Ceri is a great character, she's beautiful, smart and learns to stand her own pretty quickly. I found myself craving  to know more about her- I mean, come on, she was a demon's familiar for 1000 years! I hope we get more information on her in the books to come. She is simply fascinating. 

Jenks, my beloved pixie, did not play a big part in this book. I was sad about this- he's an awesome character and integral part to my Hollows experience! I can always use more Jenks and less Ivy. Anyway, he finds out that Rachel knows what type of creature Trent Kalamack is but didn't trust him with the information. His ego and trust in Rachel  is bruised and he takes his family and moves out of the church. This was only okay with me because another fun character was introduced- David Hue. David Hue is a lone werewolf and quickly becomes a close, trusted friend. I'm hoping that he becomes a big part of Rachel's story. I love you, David Hue. I love you, too, Kim Harrison for creating wonderful supporting characters!

Why am I so enamored with the characters in The Hollows!? I either absolutely love them or hate them. (I hate Ivy, Rachel's roommate. She annoys the CRAP out of me. However she was much less annoying in this book than in the previous two.) I'm not saying much about Rachel's man, Nick. He's boring and she has moved on. On to Kisten. Oh, Kisten. For you paranormal romance lovers- Chapter 21 is for you. It's delicious. Steamy and delicious! 

This is one of my favorite series and I've only read 3 of the books so far. I can't wait to keep going. Kick-ass fight scene? Check! Sarcastic banter? Check! If you love action, magic, humor and brilliant creatures- read this book. Kim Harrison brings all that and more to the table in magnificent, magical levels.

Other books in this series in the order they should be read: 

1. Dead Witch Walking

2. The Good, the Bad, and the Undead

3. Every Which Way but Dead

4. A Fistful of Charms

5. For a Few Demons More

6. The Outlaw Demon Wails

7. White Witch, Black Curse

8. Black Magic Sanction (February 23, 2010)

Book Details:

Published: July 1, 2005 by HarperTorch

Mass Market Paperback: 501 pages

Isbn10: 006057299X

Isbn13: 9780060572990

 

The Good, The Bad, and The Undead by Kim Harrison

 4 out of 5 Robots

My Review:
The Good, The Bad, and The Undead is the second installment of The Hollows by Kim Harrison. It is safe to say that I enjoyed myself more reading this book than the first- it was pretty damn entertaining! I should probably be giving it a 4.5 stars... not quite 5 stars for me, but close enough! The storyline was more exciting and totally intense at times.

As the characters are coming together I'm starting to see some awesome development- I find myself enamored with Jenks! A little annoying with his nonstop jibberjabber, but I love that he has a million children and spats sarcastic remarks out all the time. I'm beginning to love Rachel in this book more too, even though I don't understand her relationship with Ivy. (One of my friends told me I'm cold hearted for not getting it, haha! But who wants to live with a friend if you constantly have to walk on eggshells? The perfume thing? Bah!)  Ivy does have a wonderful story developing though... I'm on an emotional roller coaster with her in this book. Up, down.. Up... Down. Now, on with the plot! (I said that like... Off with her head! Yea, I don't know either.)

So, there is a string of witches that are turning up dead- we've got a serial killer on our hands. The human cops turn to Rachel and hire her on as a consultant. After all, they've got no one on their team that knows much about Inderlanders and they want to catch the bad guy before the IS. But is Rachel the next witch on our serial killer's list?

Rachel finds life more intriguing and confusing than ever in this book... Ivy begins to drink blood again. Nick, her boring boyfriend, becomes her familiar. We meet Piscary- a 400 year old powerful and dangerous vampire. Her former infamous enemy, Trent Kalamack, becomes her employer. Big Al is back for more fun and she's got that serial killer to stop. Miss Morgan is living in the fast lane, but that's ok, she doesn't like to slow down. ;]

By the end of this book, I was literally DIEING to know more about Trent. IS HE A BIG VILLAIN OR NOT? I have a crush on this man. Ah, I also can't wait to get more information on Kisten Phelps. I already have the rest of this series, what am I waiting for? I need to read them! (And so do you!) 

Book Details:

Published: HarperTorch, February 1, 2005

Mass Market Paperback: 453 Pages

ISBN10: 0060572973

ISBN13: 9780060572976

Other books in this series in the order they should be read:

1. Dead Witch Walking

2. The Good, the Bad, and the Undead

3. Every Which Way but Dead

4. A Fistful of Charms

5. For a Few Demons More

6. The Outlaw Demon Wails

7. White Witch, Black Curse

8. Black Magic Sanction (February 23, 2010)

Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

 4 out of 5 Robots

My Review:

The first book in The Hollows Series, Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison, was packed with action to the max. I love fast paced urban fantasy novels- and this suited my needs in so many ways. I just wish there was a little bit more character development, but I'm sure I will get my wish in the books to follow. I hope no one lets the cover scare them away... does this chick have a rat tail? Haha. I am not a huge fan of the cover, but this book exceeded my expectations. Don't pay too much attention to the back blurb either- I don't think it suits the book well. Luckily, I really enjoyed myself anyway! 

Rachel Morgan lives in a world where all the country's money went into bioengineering... The scientists screwed up in a big way. A virus they were experimenting with got out- in a batch of tomatoes. The virus wiped out lots of humans. Those that were lucky enough to survive the virus are now facing the fact that there is another type of human. One that is no longer a minority... Ah, this is where our Inderlanders come in. Inderlanders are the humans (and nonhumans) with mystical abilities... Weres, Vampires, Witches, Elves, Pixies...  Now that the Inderlanders are no longer a minority, they take control and live amongst humans in the open. There is some segregation and prejudices as all of this is still pretty new.  (The bad tomatoes got out only a generation ago.)

Rachel Morgan is a witch and bounty hunter (they call them Runners). She breaks her contract with the company she was previously working for along with a friend, Ivy- a living vampire. Now she is on the run from her previous employer because of one problem- no one breaks their contract with the IS and lives to tell about it. So all the assassins that wish to collect the reward for Rachel's head are on the prowl. Can Rachel escape the death threats thrown at her by the IS?

The book starts out a little cheesy but quickly grew on me. I love Rachel's attitude and found the book immensely entertaining. Super light read with some good humor. Jenks, a sarcastic pixie that assists Rachel, talks nonstop and makes me smirk relentlessly. There isn't any romance in this book, I don't mind that. I LOVE my smutty romance scenes, but with all the fast paced is-she-going-to-die action I didn't miss it. Besides, our heroine doesn't have time for dating as she spends most of her time as a rodent, in disguises, almost dying and catching criminal Inderlanders.

I have to admit, I was still thinking about what Miss Morgan was up to when I put the book down. I was a bit confused though about how Rachel's actions contradicted her insecurities. Then again, I think it is an inner battle she fights with that doesn't reflect on her work. ;]

I can NOT wait to find out more about the characters. The author did a great job of leaving some things unanswered so that I anticipated the next read. I definitely suggest anyone into Urban Fantasy genre read this... I know the series gets better because I've finished the next book. (I'm slackin' on reviews. What else is new? Haha)

Ohhh... I almost forgot. I want Trenton Kalamack. I don't know why. He is the villain, but I love him. I am enamored with this bad guy! I need to know more about him! He actually irritates me less than the main characters. Wow, how brilliant is Harrison that her main characters irritate me and I'm still hooked on the series? I think that the whole situation and the personalities of the characters are very plausible to me. Read the book! Harrison is an excellent story teller! (4 out of 5 Robots!) 

Book Details:

Published: HarperTorch, July 1, 2004

Mass Market Paperback: 416 Pages

ISBN10: 0060572965

ISBN13: 9780060572969 

Other books in this series in the order they should be read:

1. Dead Witch Walking

2. The Good, the Bad, and the Undead

3. Every Which Way but Dead

4. A Fistful of Charms

5. For a Few Demons More

6. The Outlaw Demon Wails

7. White Witch, Black Curse

8. Black Magic Sanction (February 23, 2010)