Author: Kim Harrison

Review: The Turn by Kim Harrison

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The Turn by Kim Harrison (UK edition)

Title: The Turn (The Hollows 0.1)
Author: Kim Harrison
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Piatkus (7th February 2017)
Blurb:

Kim Harrison returns to her beloved Hollows series with the official prequel.

Can science save us when all else fails?

Trisk and her hated rival, Kalamack, have the same goal: save their species from extinction.

Death comes in the guise of hope when a genetically modified tomato created to feed the world combines with the government’s new tactical virus, giving it an unexpected host and a mode of transport. Plague takes the world, giving the paranormal species an uncomfortbale choice: stay hidden and allow humanity to die, or show themselves in a bid to save them.

Trisk and Kal flee across a plague-torn United States to convince leaders of the major paranormal species to save their supposedly weaker kin, but not everyone thinks humanity should be saved.

Kal surreptitiously works against her as Trisk fights the prejudices of two societies to prove not only does humanity have something to offer, but that long-accepted beliefs against women, dark magic and humanity itself might be mistaken; and that love can hold the world together as a new balance is found.

An unmissable story – discover Rachel Morgan’s world as you’ve never seen it before . . .

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars)
Review:

THE TURN is the prequel to Kim Harrison’s The Hollows series, which follows the adventures of Rachel Morgan. THE TURN is set several decades before this series, with Inderlanders (that is witches, weres, vampires, elves, and pixies to name a few) still hidden and unknown by humans. THE TURN follows the story of Trisk a geneticist and dark haired elf, who has been sent out to work with humans because she is dark haired and female. Whilst in the lab she creates a genetically modified tomato, and her hated rival Kalamack is sent to check her work. A plague sweeps the world, and Trisk and her tomato seem to be the cause. With humanity dying, Inderlanders have to make a choice.

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Review: Leylined: Rachel Meets Peri by Kim Harrison

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Leylined by Kim Harrison (UK version of Waylaid)

Title: Leylined: Rahcel Meets Peri/Waylaid (The Hollows, The Peri Reed Chronicles)
Author: Kim Harrison
Genre: Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Piatkus (19th April 2016)
Blurb:

Worlds collide when Rachel Morgan of The Hollows meets Peri Reed of The Drafter in this exciting new short story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison.

The paranormal and the futuristic meet in this thrilling novella featuring your favorite badass heroines from two of Kim Harrison’s most beloved series: the Hollows and the Peri Reed Chronicles. The magic of the Hollows runs full force into the technological sophistication of The Drafter when a device pulls Rachel, the bounty hunter witch of the Hollows, between realities, marooning her in a world where the supernatural holds no sway. To get Rachel and Jenks home, Peri, the dangerous renegade of 2030, must decide what will chart her future: her blind trust in those who grant her power, or her intuition telling her to believe.

(from Amazon.co.uk)

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

LEYLINED by Kim Harrison is an e-novella that is a crossover between her The Hollows series and her Peri Reed Chronicles. The novella tells the story of what happens when the two worlds cross by accident, and Rachel gets pulled into Peri’s world.

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Review: The Witch with No Name by Kim Harrison

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The Witch with No Name by Kim Harrison

Title: The Witch with No Name (The Hollows, 13)
Author: Kim Harrison
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Harper Collins (9th September 2014)
Blurb:

In 2004, Kim Harrison made her debut with Dead Witch Walking, an electrifying urban fantasy novel full of action, mystery, romance, and humor, which introduced bounty hunter and witch Rachel Morgan. Over the course of twelve books, Rachel confronted numerous threats, vanquished a range of cunning and powerful enemies, risked her heart, suffered haunting loss, and nearly lost her life. Now, in The Witch with No Name, Kim Harrison brings back her wildly popular heroine for one final, epic battle.

Rachel Morgan’s come a long  way from the klutzy runner fleeing a bad job. She’s faced vampires and werewolves, banshees, witches, and soul-eating demons. She’s crossed worlds, channeled gods, and accepted her place as a day-walking demon. She’s lost friends and lovers and family, and an old enemy has become something more.

But power demands responsibility, and world-changers must always pay a price.

That time is now.

To save her best friend Ivy’s soul and the rest of the living vampires, to keep the demonic ever-after and our own world from utter destruction at the hands of fanatics, Rachel Morgan will risk everything.

Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Review:

In THE WITCH WITH NO NAME Kim Harrison brings her epic THE HOLLOWS series to a close. In concluding the story Harrison draws all the threads together from the previous books, and gives fans a final story which might just, possibly, answer the question all fans want to know – does Rachel get a happy-ever-after?

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Review: The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison

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The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison

Title: The Undead Pool (The Hollows #12)
Author: Kim Harrison
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: HarperVoyager (25th February 2014)
Blurb:

Witch and day-walking demon Rachel Morgan knows magic – earth, ley line, even the forbidden demon magic – and the knowledge has saved her life more than once. But now something – or someone – is attacking Cincinnati and the Hollows, causing spells to backfire or go horribly wrong while living vampires attack humans and Inderlanders alike.

The pressures build when the city is quarantined to contain the unreliable magic, and Rachel must stop the attacks before the undead vampire masters who keep the rest of the undead under control are lost and it becomes all out supernatural war.

The only way to do so is through the ancient elven magic, but that carries its own perils – for magic always has a price, and gods do not come lightly when called.

Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Review:

THE UNDEAD POOL is the penultimate book in Kim Harrison’s fantastic THE HOLLOWS series. In THE UNDEAD POOL something is causing magic to go wonky and vampires to attack, Rachel Morgan is worried that somehow she is the cause. Once she establishes she isn’t the cause, she is determined to find out who – or what – is causing the disturbance and putting everyone in danger.

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ICYMI Sunday 6 – Mothering Sunday Edition

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ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) Sunday is a new meme that I am planning to feature on the blog every week. It is based on the Sunday Post  which is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, which was in turn inspired in part by the In My Mailbox meme. Basically, it allows me to let you know what went on the blog this week and anything interesting that is going on. It will also allow me to showcase any books I receive like the Showcase Sunday which is hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits, and Tea.

HAPPY MOTHERING SUNDAY!

Most of us in the UK have combined Mothering Sunday and Mother’s Day – there’s some interesting history to the day. I got my Mum some flowers and a card, we also had lunch out 🙂

This week has been pretty blah. I haven’t felt like reading (boo!) but there has been some gorgeous sunny days in which to bask. On the whole this week has been a good one – I hope yours has been too.

We were back to just one post on the blog this week:

What else is going on? Not as much as last week (phew!) but hopefully there’s something interesting…

  • Last week YA Interrobang created a list of ‘Ten Male Protagonists’ aimed at those who claim there are no male main characters in YA books. See which books they picked here.
  • BookRiot showed off what comes in their Quarterly Box – and it does look gorgeous, but I cannot tell if it ships internationally or not. If you want to look at the pretty, or subscribe and get your own box you can find more here.
  • E. Kristin Anderson talks about ‘The new face (or lackthereof) of YA book covers’. You can find her thoughts here. It’s a really interesting post, and I can’t say I’ve noticed this trend yet – but give it time!
  • Colleen Houck announces the authors taking part in Spring 2014 YA Scavenger Hunt as well as the date it starts and what to do. More info can be found here.
  • The nominations for Alpha Showdown are OPEN and will be until March 31st 2014. Want to nominate someone or find out more, then just follow the link.
  • If you’re a John Green fan then you probably know this already but… Fox 2000 have made a deal for Green’s novel PAPER TOWNS which reunites the FAULT IN OUR STARS team. You can find out more here.
  • According to The Guardian, the previously unpublished Tennessee Williams short story CRAZY NIGHTS is to make an appearance in the US magazine The Strand. You can find out more here.
  • Gail Carriger talks about Twitter Etiquette here & I must confess I am guilty of breaking some of them – oops!
  • Publisher’s Weekly has a preview of the books (picture, middle grade and young adult) that are slated to be published during autumn in the US. If you want to take a peek at what titles we have to look forward to, you can find them here. Titles are split by publisher, just as a heads-up.
  • Del Rey UK have an extract from DARK VISION by Debbie Johnson available here on their website for anyone interested – the link also shows the blurb and cover if you want more info. You can also see some Debbie Johnson’s Q&As here.

Hopefully there was something interesting for everyone. I found the list of male protagonists interesting, because although I know there are a lot out there I think I would struggle to name ten off the top of my head – but maybe that’s a gender thing?! Gail Carriger’s Twitter ettiquette was a funny and informative read, at least I think so. And I’m contemplating getting my hands on a copy of DARK VISION.

I would love to hear what you’ve been up to this week and what books, if any, you’ve got so please leave me a link in the comments below.

Thanks for stopping by :D

Review: The Hollows Insider by Kim Harrison

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The Hollows Insider by Kim Harrison

Title: The Hollows Insider (The Hollows #9.5)
Author: Kim Harrison
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Harper Voyager (1st September 2013)
Blurb:

ENTER THE WORLD OF THE HOLLOWS LIKE NEVER BEFORE!

In the Hollows, the supernatural Inderlander rule, and humanity must abide by their conventions, or else.

To survive among vampires, witches, Weres, gargoyles, trolls, fairies, and banshees – to say nothing of demons – humanity needs a guide. And now, written by Kim Harrison herself, here is an insider’s look at the supernatural world of the Hollows, from an overarching new story to character profiles, maps, spell guides, charm recipes, secret correspondence from elusive Trent Kalamack, and much more.

One misfired spell that burned off his hair is all it took to send investigative reporter Devin Crossman on a mission to uncover all the secrets of Rachel Morgan and expose them to the world.

Collected here are all his notebook entries and a treasure trove of evidence, including maps, species profiles, magic spells, documents from Inderland Security, Takata’s song lyrics, Betty Bob’s recipes, Ley Line Charms, entries from the Were Registry, articles from The Hollows Gazette, and many more documents that cast light into regions of the Hollows that have never been revealed.

But Crossman’s one-man war has not gone unnoticed . . .

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

THE HOLLOWS INSIDER by Kim Harrison is a guide-book come side story to her superb Urban Fantasy series THE HOLLOWS, which follows the story of Rachel Morgan. THE HOLLOWS INSIDER tells the story of investigative reporter Devin Crossman, who gets caught in a misfired spell. The book documents his research into the witch who cast the spell (Rachel Morgan) and the conclusions he draws. Unfortunately, Crossman’s research does not go unnoticed.

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ICYMI Sunday – 3

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ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) Sunday is a new meme that I am planning to feature on the blog every week. It is based on the Sunday Post  which is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, which was in turn inspired in part by the In My Mailbox meme. Basically, it allows me to let you know what went on the blog this week and anything interesting that is going on. It will also allow me to showcase any books I receive like the Showcase Sunday which is hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits, and Tea.

The first week of March has been a good week. The book I pre-ordered has arrived, but more of that later, and I seem to be slowly hauling myself out of my reading slump. Yay! 😀

There was just one post on the blog this week:

What else is going on? I’ve collected a lot of “news” this week. I hope some of it is interesting for you.

  • The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books announced the names of authors attending the event on April 12-13 at the USC campus. For more info about the authors and ticket prices follow the linkie
  • Word & Film have 7 pre-movie release books you must read in 2014
  • Scholastic UK have announced when they’ll be holding their next warehouse sale. For more details click here
  • The Guardian Books Blog has an article on the recent report that “children aren’t reading challenging enough books.” It’s an interesting article and you can read it here
  • You can find a list of events for Orbit authors in March here
  • Julie Kagawa announced that THE FOREVER SONG will be up on NetGalley for a limited time from March 10th here
  • Foyles is hosting The Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award Readings on 2nd April at 6.00-8.30pm. For more info and to book a ticket click here
  • Simon and Schuster UK Children’s tweeted about having ONE WISH by Michelle Harrison up on NetGalley for UK requests from bloggers, reviewers, and media professionals. If you’re interested you can find out more info here
  • Find out which books made the Top Ten Reads in a World Book Day Poll here
  • If you’ve not seen them yet, then check out the brilliant penguins in jumpers here – I love the one wearing the Penguin livery!
  • World Book Day has created a list of 50 Books That Will Change Your Life here
  • BookLikes have made it possible for its users to synchronise their Kindle with the site. For more info click here
  • Crooked Cat Books announced that they’d signed Emma Mooney. They will be releasing her book THE BEAUTIFUL GAME later in 2014
  • Find out what the Top Ten Most Read Books in the World are according to  Stylist here
  • Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction announce the 2014 Longlist here
  • If you want to find out more about the Quidditch World Cup on Pottermore J. K. Rowling is asking people to retweet this tweet
  • USA Today revels the cover and has an excerpt from MADE FOR YOU by Melissa Marr here
  • Gollancz have announced a special promotion for their 2014 debuts – the ebook editions will be available for £1.99 during the first week of publication. You can find more details here
  • Gail Z. Martin announced on Twitter that she will be doing a signing at Forbidden Planet in London on July 23rd at 6pm

Now we’re all caught up, sorta. As I mentioned earlier, I do have one new book this week which I am very excited to get started reading.

THE UNDEAD POOL (THE HOLLOWS #12) by Kim Harrison *signed*

I would love to hear what you’ve been up to this week and what books, if any, you’ve got so please leave me a link in the comments below.

Thanks for stopping by :D

ICYMI Sunday – The FIRST One

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ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) Sunday is a new meme that I am planning to feature on the blog every week. It is based on the Sunday Post  which is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, which was in turn inspired in part by the In My Mailbox meme. Basically, it allows me to let you know what went on the blog this week and anything interesting that is going on. It will also allow me to showcase any books I receive like the Showcase Sunday which is hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits, and Tea.

So, let’s start the first ICYMI Sunday off simply with a small update from me.

On Saturday February 1st my dog Lucky was put to sleep. It was both unexpected and not. We knew he only had a limited time, but we weren’t sure how long or short that time would be. Lucky dying really threw me, and I’m still not balanced. I also haven’t been well, and am currently fighting off a cold. I have started reading and writing reviews again though. So yeah, for me this February really sucked.

As I haven’t done a catch up on the blog for a while, I’m going to start back in January with stuff that has been on the blog.

Not a lot for almost two months worth of posts, but the blog has been ticking over which is good 🙂

What else is going on?

  • The cover for Amanda Sun‘s new novel RAIN will be revealed on Monday, plus there will be an ARC giveaway – you can find a sneak peek here.
  • World Book Day Fest is holding a 500 word writing contest for entrants 13 years and under in the UK. Stories must be submitted by 7pm on Wednesday 26th February. More details can be found here.
  • Are you in Edinburgh on the 5th of March? Joseph D’Lacey is launching THE BOOK OF THE CROWMAN at Blackwell’s Edinburgh 6.30pm -8pm. The event is free, but you will need a ticket. You can find more info here.
  • Melissa Anelli author of the best-selling HARRY, A HISTORY spoke out about her experience of being stalked here.
  • J. K. Rowling is to release a second book under the nom-de-plume Robert Galbraith. THE SILKWORM is a sequel to THE CUCKOO’S CALLING. You can find more info about the book on The Telegraph newspaper here.
  • John Green made some comments on his Twitter account (which you can read here on a UK Twilight fan site), which he later clarified on his Tumblr account about TWILIGHT and misogyny.
  • Penguin/Pelican are holding a giveaway for 50 copies of GREEK AND ROMAN POLITICAL IDEAS: A PELICAN INTRODUCTION on Goodreads here. Giveaway runs until April 10th.
  • The Red House Children’s Book Awards took place on Saturday 22nd February. You can find the winners and other nominees here.
  • Want to know what to look forward to in autumn/fall 2014? You can find a list of books published in the States then here.

Now we’re all caught up, sorta. I’m going to do a quick post on the books I have received between December and now…

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  • FALLING FAST by Sophie McKenzie (YA) (thanks Orli – Valentine’s Ninja Book Swap)
  • SOLACE OF THE ROAD by Siobhan Dowd (YA) (thanks Orli – Valentine’s Ninja Book Swap)
  • WITCH SONG by Amber Argyle (YA) (ebook)
  • STOLEN SONGBIRD by Danielle L. Jensen (YA) (ebook via NetGalley – thanks Strange Chemistry)
  • SHUTDOWN by Laurell K. Hamilton (adult) (ebook)
  • THE DARK HEROINE by Abigail Gibbs (YA) (thanks Secret Santa)
  • ANGELFALL by Susan Ee (YA) (thanks Secret Santa)
  • DELIRUM by Lauren Oliver (YA) (thanks Secret Santa)
  • DANCE OF SHADOWS by Yelena Black (YA) (thanks Faye @ A Daydreamer’s Thoughts – I won her blogoversay giveaway back in November)
  • GRETEL AND THE DARK by Eliza Granville (YA) (thanks Catherine and Penguin Ireland)
  • STEELHEART by Brandon Sanderson (YA) (thanks Secret Santa)

So that’s it. The end of this rather epic post. Next weeks won’t be as long. Promise.

I would love to hear what you’ve been up to this week and what books, if any, you’ve got so please leave me a link in the comments below.

Thanks for stopping by 😀

Review: Ever After by Kim Harrison

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Ever After by Kim Harrison (US edition cover)

Title: Ever After (The Hollows #11)
Author: Kim Harrison
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Harper Voyager (22nd January 2013)
Blurb:

The ever-after, the demonic realm that parallels our own, is shrinking, and if it disappears, so does all magic. It’s up to witch-turned-daywalking-demon Rachel Morgan to fix the ever-after before the fragile balance between magic users and humans falls apart.

Of course, there’s also the small fact that Rachel is the one who caused the ley line to rip in the first place, and her life is forfeit unless she can fix it. Not to mention the most powerful demon in the ever-after – the soul-eater Ku’Sox Sha-Ku-ru – has vowed to destroy her, and has kidnapped her friend and her goddaughter as leverage. If Rachel doesn’t give herself up, they will die.

Forced by circumstance, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack – a partnership fraught with dangers of the heart as well as betrayal of the soul – to return to the ever-after and rescue those she loves. One world teeters on the brink of interspecies war, the other on the brink of its very demise – and it’s up to Rachel to keep them both from being destroyed.

Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Review:

EVER AFTER is the eleventh installment of Kim Harrison’s fantastic THE HOLLOWS series. At this point in the series Harrison is starting to wrap things up, and answer some of the threads that have been left dangling in previous books in the series – I believe there will only be thirteen books to the series. In this book Rachel Morgan has to deal with the repercussions of her fight with Ku’Sox and trapping him in the ever-after, as he is not a demon to cross lightly – he threatens to destroy everything with his desire for revenge.

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Review: A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison

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PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE HOLLOWS SERIES AS A PERFECT BLOOD IS THE TENTH BOOK IN THE SERIES.

A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison (UK cover)

Title: A Perfect Blood (The Hollows 10)
Author: Kim Harrison
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: HarperVoyager (31st January 2013)
Blurb:

WELCOME TO THE HOLLOWS . . .

Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cincinnati, terrifying amalgams of human and other. Pulled into help investigate by the I.S. and the FIB, former witch-turned-day-walking-demon Rachel Morgan soon realizes a horrifying truth: a human hate group is trying to create its own demons to destroy all Inderlanders, and to do so, it needs her blood.

She’s faced vampires, witches, werewolves, demons, and more, but humanity might be her toughest challenge yet.

Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Review:

A Perfect Blood is the tenth book in Kim Harrison’s The Hollows series, and it continues the story of Rachel Morgan, a witch who recently discovered that she’s actually a demon. The Hollows is one of my favourite urban fantasy series, and I have been waiting a while to get my hands on a copy of this book.

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