This is the seventh book in the Rachel Morgan series, set in the
Hollows, a fictional Cincinnati suburb populated primarily by
witches, vampires, and other supernatural creatures. Harrison once
again works her writing magic, providing plenty of action and a
roller coaster of emotions to sweep readers up for a fast paced
ride.
Rachel, a witch and private investigator has gotten a bad rap.
Despite all the good she has done, she is quickly being labelled as
a black witch because of her dealings with the darker side of
magic, demons. It seems like one thing after another happens, she
just can't catch a break. One of the characters sums it up best
when he gleefully says, "Watching Rachel work is a wonder of one
catastrophe after another."
*********SPOILER ALERT ******************
If you haven't read previous novels, I'm about to comment on
something that has happened to a major character from earlier
books.
In this addition to the series, Rachel can't let go of her search
for Kisten's killer, and she refuses to stop until someone pays.
With the help of Ford, a psychiatrist with the FIB, she's beginning
to unlock her memories and is getting closer to discovering the
shocking truth.
Meanwhile, after FIB agent Glenn Eddings is seriously injured, it
is discovered that there's a banshee and her family causing deadly
trouble around town. Rachel and Ivy are called in to help stop her,
but even Rachel may not have the kind of power it will take to see
that happen. Banshees are apex predators, feeding on emotions they
can kill by a single touch as they suck away the auras of their
victims. When Rachel is almost killed, her aura is left severely
damaged making her dealings with Al difficult and near impossible
for her to pull the ley line magic she needs to defend
herself.
One drawback with this story is that events in this novel tie
directly back to a couple of Harrison's earlier novellas (Undead in
the Garden of Good and Evil in the Dates From Hell anthology and
Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel in the Holidays Are Hell anthology).
Having not read either short story, I felt at a slight
disadvantage. Still, Harrison hasn't assumed that everyone will
have read the novellas and these past events and characters are for
the most part well integrated into the current timeline. Since the
story features a new character from the short stories, some of the
other secondary characters fans know and love don't get as much
'screen time'. Delightfully devilish Al, does make an appearance,
but it is not nearly enough. Ceri is missing in action altogether
and Trent is merely an awkward moment in a elevator.
My other complaint is that Rachel seems to be wallowing just a bit
too much this time out. Rachel is generally a strong, independent
character. Yes, she has some personality flaws, but that only helps
to make her real. Rachel has not had the best of luck in the love
department, and having started a 'friends only' relationship with
Marshall, she is understandably hesitant to take their relationship
to the next level. The main reason for this is because she feels
like she can only bring bad things to the relationship or worse,
endanger Marshall's life. She is continually thinking negatively
about the relationship and it got rather tiresome reading how she
is the 'black plague' or 'an albatross' to the realtionship.
Complaints aside, I still think that Harrison's Hollows novels are
some of the best in the dark urban fantasy genre. The magical
setting and alternate history display a consistency that makes them
believable and enticing. Harrison is adept at weaving a world that
will charm and thrill fantasy fans. Original mythology, passionate
characters and constant action - combined with quality writing and
great dialogue - ensure that they stand out from an increasingly
crowded field. I highly recommend the series and I can't wait for
the next book due out this month (Feb 2010)!
2010-030