3 posts tagged “kim harrison”
i decided to start reading this because.. well, why else? because it's kim harrison. and the short story was one i'd never read before, despite my being a huge fan. so the order and the method in my reading this was basically that i went back and dug out the short story, read it, then jumped straight into this book for the sense of continuity. it also made me feel good that it worked out perfectly, because there was no sense of disjointedness at all; the short story literally flows right into the beginning of this book. so, here goes.
i must admit, i had no idea what to admit, and so when i was introduced to madison initially, the thing i was most hung up on was her constant immaturity; there are bigger things at work than she knows, and she is innocent enough to simply whine about the mundane things. i think we know automatically from the get-go who the villains and heroes are, but can't be sure until the big blowup near the end; regardless, it does make for a somewhat predictable read, but i am not complaining overly much. there is still something good in simplicity, i think. for a while there, when grace was introduced, i seriously thought ms. harrison just has a big thing with little people--there has to be a small chibi figure in there somewhere, being cute and annoying. but it turns out she doesn't play such a big part after all, which i guess i'm glad for, otherwise this is just a twin series to her usual, and i'll be getting all her characters mixed up. as it turns out though, nakita bears a striking resemblance to ivy, except without the primal needs part. so i hope there will be no weird chemistry going on between madison and nakita, because that would be sort of disturbing.
strangely, i don't think i feel all that fond toward josh, the human. it certainly looks like that's the direction it's gonna boil up to for a while, but i really think what's-his-name--barnabas?--and madison would make a likely pair. i'm not even really sure why. he seems a bit more sensitive around her, albeit only slightly. maybe. it seems sweet to me, and i'm not sure if i'm just imagining it. josh just seems like an average joe, and so basically anyone else would have been fine for him too, and it doesn't make madison special. i guess i'm sort of a believer of fate myself ;)
let's see, what else.. the twist about 3/4 of the way in caught me off guard, despite my statement that it was fairly predictable. i thought the villain was just gonna turn out to be a corrupted wheel in the system, but it gets slightly more complicated than that--not too much, but just enough to make it a worthwhile and interesting read. i got over madison's annoying quirks halfway through, and sometimes even found it a bit endearing. it was exciting to read about her photography, because it was such a distinct connection for me, as i'm personally really into it. anyway, who knows. i can only hope that these books can come regularly enough to satisfy the publishing company, and yet not ruin the consistency of the quality of her works so far. if the rachel series suffers because of this new series, that would be a huge shame, as i would have no idea where else to turn to, and this series, despite being a decent starter, is not the beloved rachel morgan series i drool for every year.
AGGHHHH!!
god i love rachel so much. it's been a long time since a book made me cry, and though the book may have been a bit slow going from the beginning to the middle, the conclusion made things quite worth it. trent doesn't show up for as long as i would've hoped, and neither does al, but al does play quite a big part when everything does go down. i found it extremely entertaining that trent, this big elf badass, was still afraid of al. i remember and loved pierce from the short story in a separate anthology about rachel, and i absolutely can't wait for the next volume now that he's back.
and yes, rachel does still seem to be addicted to danger. edden annoyed the crap out of me. he was just completely out of his element the entire time, and acted like he knew more than rachel what was best for a situation. ignorance? hell yeah. he seemed cool in prior books, but i'm not so sure now.
and did i say that i love pierce? i'm full of swooning right now just thinking about the character. and of course, moms know all.
robbie also annoyed the crap out of me. it didn't seem half fair that rachel had to sacrifice everything in order to protect herself and those she loves, and her brother not only gets everything he wants, but he doesn't appreciate the sacrifice she has to make. i'm almost proud of her mom for being so understanding, but am also sad that the character won't be showing up much anymore. i guess this will mean that in future volumes other characters will play bigger roles, or the demons will step up to the plate full time. she's shunned, what else can she do?
something that confuses me: why was trent willing to take a pic with a shunned witch? i have a feeling the next book will involve trent somehow, and demons. i'm craving for a fix of minias, and i'm really annoyed with rynn cormel. what else? the writing at times seemed paced weirdly, but it doesn't bother me as much as it would in other books, simply because soon enough i live and breathe rachel morgans. she brings to the table a sense of realism i don't find much in other books, and there's a little hint of desperation behind her heels at every corner. i love seeing a character react, it says more about their personalities than anything else. priorities, maybe? i can't wait now, and i'm giddy with excitement over finishing it, which is why i'm making next to no sense.
but there's nothing i can do, because the next volume won't be out until a year from now. i'm not sure what i'll do with myself in this time in between, but i've waited two years in a row now, so i know i'll survive it.
le sigh.
okay, i'm gonna go back and reread that elevator scene a million times now. and did anyone else totally love that rachel stands in front of the fountain in this cover with her splat gun? because i sure did :)
wow, i'd forgotten how much kim harrison could totally blow my brains out with her writing. i had been expecting anything but this, and i was actually beginning to think that trent and rachel might actually have a chance together when ceri confirmed who the baby belongs to. plus, i have a feeling minias will survive and become a love interest. there's been too much built up about him for him to just disappear like that, and maybe minias will seek rachel's protection now that newt is openly gunning.
i also have a niggling suspicion about who killed kisten, but i can't be sure yet on that either. my suspect DID say that he would do anything to come closer to ivy and rachel.. i still feel uncomfortable about the sexual tension (or is that what it is?) between rachel and ivy, and i hope rachel finds someone soon. not that she needs to be defined by a male protagonist, but i think it will solve some of her problems (among new ones, i'm sure). and she did say she wanted to have children.. but i was fully satisfied with the ending being what it is, because it may just be the only way to save both ivy and jenks. and in bargaining for information she can also learn about the kisten issue. there's so much to come that i absolutely can't wait for the next book. so many turns i didn't expect in here, and i'm glad she got rid of marshal. dude was really pissing me off. i'm still crossing my fingers on a chance of rachel x trent or rachel x minias though. trent because he simply seems so lonely all the time, and it's obvious he admires her (though by the end of this i don't know if that still applies). minias because he seems to conveniently come to her aid one too many times. he does show his demonic side in this book, but i think it's out of a vested interest in survival rather than outwardly wanting to harm.
anyway, i can still see minias coming to rachel as an alternative to newt. but then this would turn into a whole LKH episode, huh? i guess not overly much, then, but kim harrison has such a way of making everything believable. i think she might even manage the love entourage crap if she put her hand to it. the woman weaves magic. i have no doubt that the next book is gonna be even better.
