Ratings: V4, S2-5, H3
Publisher and Titles: Eos
Dead Witch Walking (2008)The Good, the Bad, and the Undead (Eos, 2008)
“Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil” in Dates from Hell (2006)
Every Which Way but Dead (2008)
A Fistful of Charms (2008)
“Dirty Magic” in Hotter Than Hell (2008)
For a Few Demons More (2007)
"The Bridges of Eden Park" (in mass market ed. of For a Few Demons More)
"The Bridges of Eden Park" (in mass market ed. of For a Few Demons More)
“Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel” in the Holidays Are Hell (2007)
The Outlaw Demon Wails (2008)
The Outlaw Demon Wails (2008)
White Witch Black Curse (2009)
“Ley Line Drifter” in Unbound (2009)
Black Magic Sanction (2010)
Pale Demon (2011)
Blood Work (graphic novel by Del Rey, 2011—a prequel story about Ivy and Rachel's early days together at IS)A Perfect Blood (2/2012)
Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows & Beyond (compilation of shorts) (10/2012)
Blood Crime (graphic novel of Rachel & Ivy's early years) (10/2012)
This post was revised and updated on 2/21/13 to include a review of the eleventh book in the series: Ever After. That review comes first, followed by an overview of the world-building and reviews of books 9 and 10:
BOOK 11: Ever After
In this book, Rachel must deal with her old nemesis, Ku'Sox Sha-Ku'ru, the vicious and psychotic demon she first met back in Pale Demon. This time, Ku'Sox has a diabolical scheme to destroy the ever-after and blame it on Rachel. What Ku'Sox has done is damage the ley lines so badly that they are causing the ever-after to begin shrinking away into nothingness. Since the demons know that Rachel damaged the ley lines (in a previous book), they hold a "trial" that ends with their demand that she fix the lines within four days or die. Unfortunately for Rachel, even though both she and the demons know that Ku'Sox is really at fault for this huge magical problem, the demons are terrified of him and besides, Rachel doesn't have solid proof of his guilt. The plot follows Rachel as she attempts to fix the situation and avoid death.If this were Rachel's only problem, the situation would be dire enough, but Rachel's problems always come in multiples, and this is no exception. Early on, she learns that babies with Rosewood syndrome are being kidnapped. Then, Ku'Sox—working through Rachel's villainous ex-boyfriend, Nick Sparagmos—kidnaps Ceri and baby Lucy. In response to the kidnappings, Lucy's mother (and Trent's ex-fiance), Ellasbeth, comes to town. All of these sub-plots feed into the main ley-line plot. As Rachel and Trent work on their strategies, Rachel must decide once and for all whether to trust Trent with her life.
This book differs from previous books in its lack of sardonic, communal dialogue. Rachel works alone through most of the action, although Trent, Quen, Jenks, and Bis step up in a few key scenes. That's what made this a less-than-perfect book for me. I missed Ivy (who doesn't show up until late in the story and then only briefly). I missed Jenks, who spends most of the book spouting pixy profanity and hanging around until Rachel does what she needs to do. He is rarely part of the action. I also missed Al, who is a shadow of the tricky demon he used to be and who appears just a few times. In one rare, humorous scene, Al is up to his usual devilish antics when he makes off with Rachels' coffee pot. One strong point of the plot is that we learn more of the backstory about the war between the demons and the elves and get a description of what demons used to look like. The blue butterflies make another appearance, but we don't yet know what they symbolize.
As for Rachel, she spends an inordinate amount of time apologizing to various characters. At one point, after she says, "Sorry," yet again, she thinks to herself, "I needed to stop saying that." (p. 353), but then, a few paragraphs later she nearly says it again: "Sorry, I thought, then quashed it." (p. 353) The scene I really didn't get was the one in the midst of the drama leading up to the big showdown scene when Rachel worries at length about what to wear to the battle and eventually selects an ivory, 1970s jumpsuit that belonged to her mother (the one pictured on the cover). Dressing up in mom's 35-year-old clothes would never have occurred to me as the best wardrobe choice for a fight-for-your-life battle. (The blood-stain issue alone boggles the mind.)
This book is definitely building towards the coming end to the series as it reviews all of Rachel's ex-boyfriends (and finds most of them wanting) and gets rids of some key characters (disappointingly, off screen and barely mentioned). Here's a sad, but poignant, quotation from Rachel as she muses about her love life: "Everyone I had sex with died. Except Marshal, and that had only been because he left in time." (p. 279) The relationship between Rachel and Trent takes some further strides forward into romance, but there's still the threat of Trent's need for Ellaspeth's Elven heritage hovering over them.
As the series approaches its finale, here are two quotations from Harrison (from the HarperVoyager web site) that give us hints as the the nature of the ending:
Will Rachel find her happy-ever-after? Oh yes, very much so, but I always caution readers that it might not be the traditional happily ever after they expect with the white-picket fence, two kids, and a ring on her finger. Rachel is the girl next door, but she is anything but traditional, and her happy-ever-after will reflect that. My idea of a happy-ever-after has always been when the protagonist comes to understand her flaws and has learned how to work with them, becoming happy with who she is and learning what she needs to go confidently forward. In a way, Rachel has had this for a long time. She simply had to recognize it and accept that she is deserving of happiness.
I've long told readers that my goal is a happy ending for everyone. I probably should have said my goal is a happy ending for everyong who survives. Ever After ups the stakes for the last couple of books. No one is safe. But then again, there are a few characters I would celebrate if they met their end.
Rachel Mariana Morgan is a powerful earth witch in Cincinnati, a city divided into the human side north of the Ohio River and the Hollows (the supernatural, or Inderlander, side) south of the river. Rachel is an urban fantasy heroine, so naturally her childhood had some imperfections—most importantly, a potentially fatal disease and some genetic experimentation, which have had an ever-increasing influence on the rest of her life. Throughout the series, Rachel is constantly torn between her white-witch (good) side and her dark-witch (demonic) side, with the dark side slowly growing in influence no matter how hard she fights it. Each time Rachel uses dark (demon) magic, more smut gets added to her aura.
In this world, a virus spread through biogenetically engineered tomatoes 40 years ago, wiping out a quarter of the world’s human population and leaving the world almost equally divided between humans and supernatural beings. This event is referred to as the Turn, reflecting the supernaturals’ decision to go public and demand equal power. Currently, distrust and animosity run deep between the two groups.
Two agencies police the masses: the Federal Inderland Bureau (FIB), run by the humans, and Inderland Security (I.S.), run by the supernaturals. Rachel starts out as an I.S. bounty hunter, but quits to make it on her own. Throughout the series, the I.S. is constantly on her back, making life difficult for Rachel and her friends.
Rachel’s partners throughout the series include her roommate, Ivy, a bisexual vampire who yearns for Rachel to be her scion (causing a number of sensual blood-lust scenes), and Jenks, a male pixy, who lives in Rachel’s garden with his wife and fifty-four children. When Rachel and Ivy move into a desanctified church, they inherit Bis, a young gargoyle who serves as a sentinel.
Other ongoing characters are Algaliarept (“Al”), the demon who’s out to drag Rachel back to the hellish ever-after as his slave; Trent Kalamack, a dangerous, drug-dealing, elven mobster who has know Rachel since childhood; Quentin, Trent’s bodyguard; and Ceri, Al’s former slave. Supporting characters in the early books include Nick, Rachel’s ne’er-do-well human boyfriend; Kisten, Rachel’s vampire lover; and David, her werewolf friend and pack alpha. A supporting character (and love interest) in the later books is Pierce, a black witch who was buried alive by the Coven and resurrected by Rachel. Among these characters, the one who changes the most during the series is Trent, who begins as Rachel's bitter enemy but eventually becomes her friend...and more.
Plots include near-constant demon, vampire, and werewolf battles as Rachel battles the bad guys and gets closer and closer to losing her soul each time she is tempted to use black (demon) magic. Levels of sensuality vary widely from book to book, depending upon Rachel's current romantic situation.
In terms of read-alikes, the series has some close parallels to Jim Butcher's HARRY DRESDEN FILES. Another series in which a witch battles her dark side is Stacia Kane's DOWNSIDE GHOSTS series.
In terms of read-alikes, the series has some close parallels to Jim Butcher's HARRY DRESDEN FILES. Another series in which a witch battles her dark side is Stacia Kane's DOWNSIDE GHOSTS series.
Here is Harrison’s answer (from her web site) to the FAQ about the reason behind her Clint Eastwood titles: "Why the Clint titles? There is a reason. I've always liked the characters that Clint Eastwood has played, especially the westerns where the guy comes in off the plain, able to solve the town's problems with a bully, but not all that eager to, but after some persuasion, he does. Not only does he take care of business, but he does it in a just, not necessarily legal way. I sort of see Rachel like that, if Clint had a pixy instead of a gun, and a convertible instead of a horse."
Click HERE to go to a page on Harrison's web site that describes The Hollows Insider, a companion book to the series. Click HERE to read my reviews of Blood Work and Blood Crime, the first two HOLLOWS graphic novels.
BOOK 9: Pale Demon
In this terrific story, Rachel goes on a road trip to the West Coast with Ivy, Jenks, and Trent. Can you imagine that unlikely group confined to a car for days on end? It goes just as badly as you can imagine. Rachel is headed to San Francisco for her life-or-death Coven hearing, and Trent is on a mysterious elven quest to Seattle. In St. Louis, the group is attacked by elven assassins in a scene that changes that city’s landscape. Further along, they are attacked by a demon that even other demons fear—the powerful and crazy Ku’sox—who is after Rachel, and not in a good way. Attacks keep coming even after they reach San Francisco, this time by Rachel's fellow witches, who want her dead for practicing black magic and for knowing some dark secrets about the history of witches.
In the final chapters, Rachel’s personal life and her relationships with all of her friends (and enemies) undergo tremendous changes. The story leaves us hanging, holding our breath until the next edition, when Rachel will be forced to make a fateful decision about her future. This book adds greatly to our knowledge about the demons and their life in the ever-after. We also get to see a different side of Trent, as his quest changes his life forever. In one of my favorite scenes, Trent has a bowl of tomato soup in a roadside restaurant—a milestone for Trent because he has always hidden his elven heritage and tried to pass for human—and in this world, only supernaturals can eat tomatoes (for reasons explained below). Pale Demon includes no sensual scenes—just lots of violent action.
As the story opens, Rachel is dealing with the ramifications of the events in Pale Demon when she inadvertently created devastating changes in the ever-after and began her new life as a demon. Currently, Rachel is wearing Trent's magic-dampening bracelet, which hides her from the demon world but which also prevents her from using demon magic. That means—as Trent keeps warning her—that she is essentially living without magical protection in a world full of enemies. At this point in time, Rachel is back in Cincinnati trying to cope with her new life. Here she explains why the coven declared her a demon and took away her identity as a witch: "I'd been born a witch, but my blood kindled demon magic and the way the coven of moral and ethical standards saw it was that if looked like a demon, did magic like a demon, and could be summoned like a demon, it was a demon." (p. 35) Problematically for Rachel, her new demon identity means that she no longer has the rights of a U.S. citizen, so the simplest tasks become a bureaucratic nightmare—like trying to get a driver's license.
In the midst of Rachel's struggle to get her license, she is summoned by an ancient I.S. vampire to a murder scene, where she is shocked to learn that she is the chief suspect. Unbeknownst to the general public, a serial killer has been leaving horrifically mutilated corpses strewn about the city. In each case, the victim was a witch who has been partially morphed into a demon. Soon, Rachel and the I.S. have a new suspect: HAPA, Humans Against Paranormal Association, an organization of fanatics who want all Inderlanders dead. Most people believe that HAPA disbanded years ago, but Rachel discovers that the I.S. knows that HAPA is alive and well and that it has been keeping that knowledge a secret from everyone. When the I.S. threatens to pin the murders on Rachel if she doesn't track down and capture the killer(s), Rachel calls in the FIB.
Two new characters join the series in this book: Wayde, Rachel's new bodyguard (paid for by her birth father), is determined to watch over Rachel even when she doesn't want his protection. Felix is an ancient I.S. vampire who takes over the body of Nina, the head of the motor vehicles office where Rachel has been unsuccessfully trying to get her license. He's the one who threatens Rachel with punishment if she doesn't catch the perpetrator of the murders.
The story follows Rachel as she and her crew attempt to track down the HAPA fanatics who are experimenting with the blood of selected witches in an attempt to manufacture demon blood that they plan to use as a weapon against all Inderlanders. At one point, the HAPA operatives capture Rachel and are thrilled to discover that she has the titular "perfect blood" for their task. By the end of the book, Rachel and Trent have proof that HAPA has infiltrated the FIB, and they have made contact with a mysterious black-ops-type organization that is trying to eliminate all of the HAPA operatives. This will no doubt be the story line for the next book.
The action-filled HAPA scenes are interspersed with scenes in which Rachel watches her friends in their happy relationships and pines for someone to share her life. Ivy has Glenn; Trent and Ceri have their children; and even Jenks has a budding relationship with the fairy, Belle. One important focus in this novel is on Rachel's relationship with Trent, which has taken a dramatic turn in the past two books. The two are learning to trust one another, and Harrison does a great job with showing the hesitancy on both sides as they take baby steps toward a true friendship—one that may well become much deeper. In one dramatic scene, Trent stands unconditionally by Rachel as she removes her magic-suppressing bracelet and deals with the immediate, enraged appearance of Al, who is furious because Rachel left him with a big mess on his hands in the ever-after after she faked her own death. Trent continues to support Rachel throughout this book, even explaining away some of his past dastardly actions as being attempts to help or protect her.
In this book we also see Rachel come to terms with the responsibilities that come with her powers. She realizes, for example, that she must eventually deal with the damage she did to the ever-after. In a powerful sequence, she promises to help a woman who was demonized by HAPA, and even though Rachel is terribly afraid of failure, she stretches her magic to make good on her promise. Here, Rachel muses about the fine line she walks between light and dark magic: "Was it okay to use a demon curse to catch a person committing a horrendous crime? What if the curse looked benign? Was using 'dead-man's toe' morally okay if the man's relatives had knowingly sold him for parts? Was it okay if they hadn't, but using it would keep a sick wacko organization from making more tragedies...? I didn't know, and I was too tired to figure it out.....Finding effective curses that didn't violate my moral code was getting harder, but I wasn't going to succumb to fast, easy, cheap, morally wrong magic. I was a demon, but I was not demonic." (pp. 305-306)
Just as an aside: In one inadvertently humorous scene that occurred after a vampire killed a HAPA operative named Kenny, I was reminded of the final line in a typical South Park episode. One of the other HAPA fanatics exclaims, "That putrid clot in the suit killed Kenny!" Doesn't that sound just like Cartman? (Although Cartman would have would have called him a "putrid clot bas----.")
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