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2012: #18 – Once Dead, Twice Shy (Kim Harrison)

0 comments By Jaime Filed in audio, featured reviews, paranormal, young adult; Tagged with , ; May 4th, 2012

Title: Once Dead, Twice Shy
Author: Kim Harrison
Series: Madison Avery #01
Format: Audio
Length: 6 hrs 3 min
Release Date: April 19, 2010
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Categories: young adult, paranormal
Source:  personal copy
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Back of the book:

Madison’s prom was killer—literally. For some reason she’s been targeted by a dark reaper—yeah, that kind of reaper—intent on getting rid of her, body and soul. But before the reaper could finish the job, Madison was able to snag his strange, glowing amulet and get away.

Now she’s stuck on Earth—dead but not gone. Somehow the amulet gives her the illusion of a body, allowing her to toe the line between life and death. She still doesn’t know why the dark reaper is after her, but she’s not about to just sit around and let fate take its course.

With a little ingenuity, some light-bending, and the help of a light reaper (one of the good guys! Maybe . . . ), her cute crush, and oh yeah, her guardian angel, Madison’s ready to take control of her own destiny once and for all, before it takes control of her.

Well, if she believed in that stuff.

My thoughts:

This is Kim Harrison’s first series since her Rachel Morgan series, and being such a huge fan of that one I had to give this a shot. This is a young adult series, so I expected the tone and writing style to be different. It was, but the things that make Harrison’s writing so good were still there – color characters, interesting sidekicks, and a compelling new world.

At first glance, Madison’s world is just like ours. Except, she’s dead. Now, she’s trying to keep from the clutches of the dark reaper who didn’t finish his job, all while learning how to become a reaper herself.

In many ways, this reminded me of the (much too short) Showtime series Dead Like Me, about a group of reapers out to save the souls of the recently departed. But not completely. Madison is a softer lead character than the bitter, sarcastic George of the TV series, and there is more of a good vs. evil feel to the book.

Overall, I enjoyed listening to this, but I do have one major complaint. When the book opens, you are thrown into the story without any real explanation of what’s going on. This is something Harrison does very well in the Rachel Morgan series, but in this case I just felt like I was missing something. So much so that I double-checked that I wasn’t listening to the second book by mistake. I really could have used a slower introduction into what was going on.

I’m not sure if this will end up being as fantastic as the Rachel Morgan series, but I will certainly read on!

Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble  | IndieBound | WorldCat

Other reviews:

  • “Absolutely fantastic – Madison Avery just might be my new favorite YA Urban Fantasy heroine. An engaging, original read and easily a notable read of 2009. Highly recommended.” — The Book Smugglers
  • ” If you can make it through the slower first part of the book, I think you’ll really enjoy this read.” — The Sweetie Chronicles
  • “Where is the strongly written, fully fleshed out female heroine I know Harrison is capable of writing?  I can barely believe Kim Harrison wrote this.  I want to make a thousand excuses for her – editing pressures, rushed deadlines, misleading advice?” — The Blog of Litwits

Past reviews:

2011: Rocket Surgery Made Easy (Steve Krug)
2010: Anthem (Ayn Rand)
2009: China Lake (Meg Gardiner)
2008: Triptych (Karin Slaughter)
2007: Fool Moon (Jim Butcher)
2006: Incubus Dreams (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: The Big Bad Wolf (James Patterson)

2012: #1 – A Perfect Blood (Kim Harrison)

2 comments By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, urban fantasy, witches/magic; Tagged with , ; February 13th, 2012

perfectbloodTitle: A Perfect Blood
Author: Kim Harrison
Series: Rachel Morgan (The Hollows) #10
Format: Paperback (ARC)
Pages: 448 (2012 total – 448)
Approx. Word Count: 134,400 (2012 total – 134,400)
Release Date: February 21, 2012
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Categories: urban fantasy, witches/magic
Source: Publisher (via Amazon Vine)
Rating: 5 out of 5

Back of the book:

New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison returns to the Hollows with the electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed Pale Demon!

Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cincinnati, terrifying amalgams of human and other. Pulled in to 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 itself might be her toughest challenge yet.

My thoughts:

New year, new format! I’m trying this on for a while to see how it feels…

I was super excited to get my hands on this advanced copy. This is my absolute favorite paranormal/urban fantasy series, which is why I have a hard time giving it anything other than full marks.

The book opens with Rachel and everyone else in her life trying to adjust to the new “normal”. Rachel, now an official demon, is finding that even the most mundane tasks are next to impossible when you aren’t considered to be human anymore. Even worse, she has voluntarily cut herself off from the ley lines in order to hide from the demon collective, leading her to rely on only potions and her wits to get by. And, to make things more complicated, her mother has sent a bodyguard to live in her tower, and Trent is acting strangely… familiar. Jenks is also adjusting to live as a widower and unwilling protector of a wingless fairy, and Ivy continues to try to find balance in her life, this time with FIB agent Glenn.

Rachel is unexpectedly recruited by the IS to find out who is killing witches in rather demonic ways. It’s not long before she discovers that the culprits are a human hate group, twisted enough to use the very things they hate in order to reach their ultimate goal — the destruction of all Inderlanders.

If Rachel is going to survive without her ley lines, it’s going to take every last wit and resource she has, even the ones she wishes she didn’t have to use.

This series could very easily have become stale by now, but Harrison has kept it fresh by giving us fully-realized, complex characters that continue to grow and change throughout each book. No one escapes unscathed, and the possibilities are endless.

A Perfect Blood will be released on February 21, 2012.

Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million |IndieBound | WorldCat

Other reviews:

“It’s good enough to make me want to re-read the series and is a worthy successor to Pale Demon.” – Book Goggles
“A Perfect Blood is romantically charged and brimming with action” – Fiendishly Bookish
“Perfect Blood is exactly what fans want and love about the Hollows” – Diary of a Book Addict

Past reviews:

2011: Senseless (Mary Burton)
2010: The First Rule (Robert Crais)
2009: Eclipse (Richard North Patterson)
2008: Innocent in Death (J.D. Robb)
2007: Acceptable Risk (Robin Cook)
2006: Conspiracy in Death (J.D. Robb)
2005: The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)

2011: #27 – Pale Demon (Kim Harrison)

0 comments By Jaime Filed in audio, featured reviews, paranormal; Tagged with ; April 30th, 2011

paledemonBook #27 was Pale Demon, the 9th book in Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series. The back of the book reads:

Condemned and shunned for black magic, Rachel Morgan has three days to get to the annual witches’ conference and clear her name, or be trapped in the demonic ever-after . . . forever after.

But a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car going across the country? Talk about a recipe for certain disaster, even without being the targets for assassination.

For after centuries of torment, a fearsome demon walks in the sunlight—freed at last to slay the innocent and devour their souls. But his ultimate goal is Rachel Morgan, and in the fight for survival that follows, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.

What do you do when you’re 8 books into a series and you need to shake up the character dynamics a bit?

You take all of your main characters and shove them into a Buick and make them drive cross-country in three days.

Harrison could have written an entire book just about that road trip. Friendships and alliances are tested, and new alliances are formed. Along the way they’re challenged by elves, pixies, and one particularly nasty demon. But some of the most interesting things happen once they reach their destination.

Not only are the interpersonal dynamics in flux, but Rachel also changes a lot. She’s forced to look very hard at herself and make some decisions, once and for all, about what it means to be a white witch or a black witch. And the result of it all could be a sea change for the series

I am still in love with this series. I’ve enjoyed how Rachel has grown and matured, even if she still slips into old behaviors from time to time. Trent is a particularly intriguing character in this book, though I did guess his big secret almost immediately. He could have easily been written off as bit player early in the series, but instead he’s  more important than ever. The one big criticism I do have has to do with his quest. I understand that the point of view the book is written in doesn’t allow us to go on the quest with Trent without Rachel going along, but there were still things about it that bugged me. Like, how in the heck did they get back to San Francisco in that amount of time? Ah well.

Harrison has left us at a very interesting crossroads in The Hollows, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

This book was a review copy.

Other reviews:

The Book Smugglers » Blog Archive » Book Review: Pale Demon by Kim Harrison
Literary Escapism » Pale Demon by K. Harrison
Pale Demon by Kim Harrison : Book Review
ARC Review: Pale Demon – Kim Harrison | Wicked Lil Pixie Reviews
A Book Blogger’s Diary: Review – Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

Audiobook length: 17 hrs 54 min | Approximate word count: 112,000 (’11 total: 2,587,602)

2010: Rest in Pieces (Rita Mae Brown)
2009: Vampire Academy (Richelle Mead)
2008: Ice Trap (Kitty Sewell)
2007: The Time Traveler’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
2006: Betrayal in Death (J.D. Robb)
2005: Open Season (Linda Howard)

Used in these Challenges: Countdown Challenge 2011; 2011 Audiobook Challenge; ARC Reading Challenge 2011; Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2011; Four Month Challenge – Part 6;

2011: #17 – Black Magic Sanction (Kim Harrison)

0 comments By Jaime Filed in audio, featured reviews, paranormal; Tagged with ; March 14th, 2011

blackmagic Book #17 was Black Magic Sanction, the eighth book in Kim Harrison’s wonderful Rachel Morgan series. The back of the book reads:

Rachel Morgan has fought and hunted vampires, werewolves, banshees, demons, and other supernatural dangers as both witch and bounty hunter—and lived to tell the tale. But she’s never faced off against her own kind . . . until now.

Denounced and shunned for dealing with demons and black magic, her best hope is life imprisonment—her worst, a forced lobotomy and genetic slavery. Only her enemies are strong enough to help her win her freedom. But trust comes hard when it hinges on the unscrupulous tycoon Trent Kalamack, the demon Algaliarept, and a lowlife ex-boyfriend-turned-thief.

There are few series that have captured me the way this one has. I’ve been thinking about this review for over a week, and I’m afraid the only way I can explain is in fractured points.

I love that Harrison throws us directly into the action.  We’re mere pages into the book when things start to go south for Rachel. This isn’t one of those series you can just jump into at any point and understand.  And that’s perfectly alright.

If you *do* jump in without reading the books before, Harrison is adept at weaving in the relevant back story without it feeling ham-fisted, forced, or completely out of place. It’s also a nice reminder for when there’s a year or more between the reading of volumes.

I love that Rachel is far from perfect.  She repeats her mistakes. She has questionable taste in men (though I happen to like Pierce). She’s protective of others to a fault. She has irrational attachments. She’ll push forward with plans she should know won’t work. She sometimes trusts in the wrong people. And she has an infuriating stubborn streak, not to mention her inability to see in shades of gray instead of black and white. Even though she sees that white magic can be just as dangerous as black, she still treats black magic (and those that practice it) as the scum on the bottom of her shoe. But a lot of the enjoyment of this series is watching what she does and then yelling at her for it. I wouldn’t have her any other way.

I love Trent Kalamack.  Yes, the ruthless, conniving elf is one of my favorite characters, even more than Ivy. His relationship with Rachel has many levels, and I’m not sure either of them really understand it. But he won’t rest easy until she’s under his thumb.

I’ve even developed a certain amount of respect for the demon Al.

Most of all, I love Rachel’s fight. Even when she’s misguided and wrong, tired and hungry, hurt and lost, she never stops fighting.

A bonus is Marguerite Gavin’s incredible narration on the audiobook.  She will always be the voice of Rachel for me.

Other reviews:

Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison : Book Review
Literary Escapism » Black Magic Sanction by K. Harrison
SciFiGuy.ca: Review – "Black Magic Sanction" by Kim Harrison
Black Magic Sanction – The Good, The Bad and The Unread
Bitten by Books » Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

Audiobook length: 19hrs 6min | Approximate word count: 144,000 (’11 total: 1,612,552)

2010: Outrageous (Christina Dodd)
2009: Kiss of the Night (Sherrilyn Kenyon)
2008: Relic (Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child)
2007: At Bertram’s Hotel (Agatha Christie)
2006: Cerulean Sins (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: The Hearing (John Lescroart)

Used in these Challenges: Four Month Challenge – Part 5; 2011 Audiobook Challenge; Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2011; What’s in a Name 4 Challenge;

2010: #31 – White Witch, Black Curse (Kim Harrison)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in bounty hunters, featured reviews, paranormal, vampires, witches/magic; Tagged with ; April 14th, 2010

whitewitch Book #31 was White Witch, Black Curse, the seventh book in Kim Harrison’s fabulous Rachel Morgan series.  The back of the book reads:

Kick-ass bounty hunter and witch Rachel Morgan has crossed forbidden lines, taken demonic hits, and still stands. But the death of her lover struck her harder than she ever thought possible. She won’t rest until his murder is solved . . . and avenged.

But a new predator is moving to the apex of the Inderlander food chain—and now Rachel’s past is coming back to haunt her.

Literally.

Oh, Rachel Morgan series, how I love thee.  Let me count the ways:

  1. You are full of rich, conflicted, and complicated characters.  Your good guys are just a little bad, and your bad guys are just a little good, which makes everyone a lovely shade of grey.  A reader can find themselves wondering if a demon or ruthless business man are really all *that* bad.
  2. You are full of rich, conflicted, and complicated relationships.  In real life, there are layers to relationships, and Harrison knows how to show it in her novels. Rachel and Ivy are more than partners.  They’re best friends, and feel a deep loyalty to each other, often without thinking of the consequences to themselves (or thinking of them, and deciding they don’t matter).  Jenks has grown into much more than the spunky pixie side-kick.  He is a father figure packed into four inches of determination and love. Even Rachel’s relationship with the demon Al has many levels, from resentment to respect.
  3. You take place in an incredibly different yet familiar world. Harrison has managed to build an alternate universe of sorts, one which might have been the same as our real world if not for some diseased tomatoes.
  4. You seamlessly move the major series arc ahead while giving us an interesting immediate concern.
  5. You don’t dilly dally with namby pamby background at the beginning of the story — you jump right in to the action! One thing that Harrison is especially gifted at is working the background information into the course of the story without it being overly intrusive.
  6. You build upon current supernatural mythologies without changing too much and without adding cheesy elements. In Harrison’s books, the supernatural often feel more natural than the human.
  7. You never ignore the past.  Events that happened in the first books in the series still have an impact in the last books.

This series is really one of the best paranormal series out there.  If you’re not reading it, YOU SHOULD BE.

Other reviews:

SciFiGuy.ca: Review – “White Witch, Black Curse” by Kim Harrison
Darque Reviews: Review – White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison
White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison : Book Review
Alpha Heroes: White Witch, Black Curse – Kim Harrison – Review
Beyond Books » Blog Archive » White Witch, Black Curse

Audiobook length: 18 hrs 33 min | Approximate word count: 144,000

2009: Breath of Scandal (Sandra Brown)
2008: Seduction in Death (J.D. Robb)
2007: Exile (Richard North Patterson)
2006: The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog (Elizabeth Peters)
2005: H is for Homicide (Sue Grafton)

Used in these Challenges: Four Month Challenge; 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; Audiobook Challenge;

2009: #130 – The Outlaw Demon Wails (Kim Harrison)

0 comments By Jaime Filed in featured reviews, paranormal, witches/magic; Tagged with ; December 16th, 2009

outlawdemon Book #130 was The Outlaw Demon Wails, the 6th book in Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series.  The back of the book reads:

When you dance with demons, you lay your soul on the line . . .

In the Hollows, where the natural and the supernatural co-exist—not always peacefully—desperate times often call for unorthodox measures. But bounty hunter-witch Rachel Morgan did the absolutely unthinkable to save the lives of her friends: she willingly trafficked in forbidden demon magic. And now her sins have come home to haunt her.

As Rachel hunts for the truth behind a terrifying murder, the discovery of a shocking family secret is about to throw her entire life into question. And the long-lost ancient knowledge she seeks resides in the demonic ever-after.

But there are some lines that should never be crossed—like the one Rachel Morgan’s stepping over . . . again!

This is one of the best series in paranormal fiction. It’s not full of camp or clichés or focused on a forbidden love; it’s just a young witch growing up and finding her way in the world despite some formidable obstacles. There’s depth and complexity here. Rachel doesn’t always make the best decisions, but she often makes them for what she feels are the right reasons. She cares deeply about her family and friends, often to her own detriment. In this book, I finally got a real sense of why she dislikes Trent Kalamack so much — before he seemed more of a nuisance, but here you really saw how cold and one-track-minded he could be. Her family secret was interesting and unexpected, and made a lot of sense.  I think that’s a situation that is going to work out really well in the long run.  Rachel’s maturing, and I love being along for the ride.

Other reviews:

Darque Reviews: The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison
A Gaggle of Book Reviews | The Outlaw Demon Wails
Review: The Outlaw Demon Wails «
The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison

Page count: 544 | Approximate word count: 136,000

2007: Idyll Banter (Chris Bohjalian)

Used in these Challenges: Countdown Challenge 2010;

2009: #32 – For a Few Demons More (Kim Harrison)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in ebook, featured reviews, paranormal, vampires, witches/magic; Tagged with ; March 23rd, 2009

fewdemonsmore Book #32 was For a Few Demons More, the fifth book in Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series. The back of the book reads:

Despite dating one vampire and living with another, Rachel Morgan has always managed to stay just ahead of trouble . . . until now.

A fiendish serial killer stalks the Hollows, and no one living in or around Cincinnati—human, inhuman, or undead—is safe.

An ancient artifact may be the key to stopping the murderer—a mysterious relic that is now in the hands of Rachel Morgan, fearless independent bounty hunter and reckless witch. But revealing it could ignite a battle to the death among the vast and varied local supernatural races.

Rachel’s been lucky so far. But even she can’t hide from catastrophe forever.

Unfortunately, I ruined part of this for myself by reading about the next book on Amazon.  So if you don’t want to know what happens with Rachel and Kisten, don’t do that! Overall, this was a solid entry in a series I love, though I don’t think it was quite as good as the last one. There are a lot of surprises here, the first one coming immediately when Rachel wakes up in the process of being possessed by a demon… and it isn’t Al for once. The characters continue to show growth, but I have to say that I was really disappointed in Trent.  I was just getting used to thinking about him being a basically decent guy under the whole “running a drug cartel” thing when it turns out he’s much, much worse than we thought. When this book ends, there’s a fair amount of stuff that remains to be explained.  There’s been a big change in Rachel’s world, and I can’t wait to see how things shake out.

Page count: 560 | Approximate word count: 181,328

2008: Exit Music (Ian Rankin)
2007: Dark Angels (Karleen Koen)
2006: Survivor in Death (J.D. Robb)
2005: We’ll Meet Again (Mary Higgins Clark)

Used in these Challenges: 100+ Reading Challenge 2009; 2009 eBook Challenge; The 999 Challenge;

2009: #14 – A Fistful of Charms (Kim Harrison)

3 comments By Jaime Filed in audio, bounty hunters, featured reviews, paranormal, vampires, witches/magic; Tagged with ; February 2nd, 2009

fistfulcharms Book #14 was A Fistful of Charms, the fourth book in Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series.  The back of the book reads:

The evil night things that prowl Cincinnati despise witch and bounty hunter Rachel Morgan. Her new reputation for the dark arts is turning human and undead heads alike with the intent to possess, bed, and kill her—not necessarily in that order.

Now a mortal lover who abandoned Rachel has returned, haunted by his secret past. And there are those who covet what Nick possesses—savage beasts willing to destroy the Hollows and everyone in it if necessary.

Forced to keep a low profile or eternally suffer the wrath of a vengeful demon, Rachel must nevertheless act quickly. For the pack is gathering for the first time in millennia to ravage and rule. And suddenly more than Rachel’s soul is at stake.

I love, love, love this series! It is easily in my top two that I’ve read in the last couple of years.  There’s tons of action, a little bit of romance, and more witches, vamps, weres, and pixies than you can handle. Harrison has created some surprisingly complex characters that grow, change, and adapt in book after book. Especially Rachel, who continues to find out that some people aren’t what they seem, and that it’s hard to live your life in black and white — sometimes those shades of gray are necessary.  Jenks takes a pretty (ahem) big part in this one as he searches for his wayward son, something that could have been really gimmicky but instead worked seamlessly.  There’s so much packed into this book, it’s hard to believe it only takes place over the course of a week.  I have a feeling I’ll be listening to the next book sooner rather than later.

Audiobook length: 17 hrs 5 min | Approximate word count: 170,054

2008: Sick Puppy (Carl Hiaasen)
2007: Judge & Jury (James Patterson)
2006: The Killing Dance (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: Rosemary’s Baby (Ira Levin)

Used in these Challenges: The Countdown Challenge; 100+ Reading Challenge 2009; 2009 Audiobook Challenge; The 999 Challenge;

2008: #85 – Every Which Way But Dead (Kim Harrison)

1 comment By Jaime Filed in bounty hunters, paranormal, vampires; Tagged with ; October 5th, 2008

dead Book #85 was Every Which Way But Dead, the third book in Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series.  The back of the book reads:

There’s no witch in Cincinnati tougher, sexier, or more screwed up than bounty hunter Rachel Morgan, who’s already put her love life and soul in dire jeopardy through her determined efforts to bring criminal night creatures to justice.

Between “runs,” she has her hands full fending off the attentions of her blood-drinking partner, keeping a deadly secret from her backup, and resisting a hot new vamp suitor.

Rachel must also take a stand in the war that’s raging in the city’s underworld, since she helped put away its former vampire kingpin—and made a deal with a powerful demon to do so that could cost her an eternity of pain, torment, and degradation.

And now her dark “master” is coming to collect his due.

I really like this series.  In this entry, there’s a *little* less danger for Rachel and a little more romance. Along the way, there’s a lot she’s learning about herself, even if she sometimes doesn’t like what she learns.  There’s less Ivy and Jenks in this book, and I kinda missed Jenks, but at least Rachel wasn’t fending off Ivy every other chapter. There’s also a new character introduced into Rachel’s life, and I’m curious about what sort of role David the Were will play in the future.

Page count: 501 | Word count: 162,224

2007: Raise the Titanic! (Clive Cussler)
2006: Glory in Death (J.D. Robb)

2008: #69 – The Good, the Bad, and the Undead (Kim Harrison)

0 comments By Jaime Filed in audio, paranormal, private investigator, vampires, witches/magic; Tagged with ; August 7th, 2008

26609916 Book #69 was The Good, the Bad, and the Undead, the second book in Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series.  The back of the book reads:

It’s a tough life for witch Rachel Morgan, sexy, independent bounty hunter, prowling the darkest shadows of downtown Cincinnati for criminal creatures of the night.

She can handle the leather-clad vamps and even tangle with a cunning demon or two. But a serial killer who feeds on the experts in the most dangerous kind of black magic is definitely pressing the limits.

Confronting an ancient, implacable evil is more than just child’s play — and this time, Rachel will be lucky to escape with her very soul.

Man oh man, I like this series.  I really hated for this one to end!  I like Rachel, even if she tends to be bull-headed and downright stupid sometimes.  I can relate to some of her indecision and refusal to see what’s right in front of her. The supporting cast of Ivy, Jenks, Nick, and even Trent Kalamack are back in this one, and this is one of the only series I’ve read lately that really has a continuing storyline through the books. There’s a lot of danger and mayhem, and a little more sex in this one than in the last.  I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Rachel in the next books.  The return of Detective Glenn, perhaps? This may not be high quality literature, but it’s fast and furious and fun, and a lot of the time that’s all I need.

Page count: 453 | Word count: 145,818

2007: Death on the Nile (Agatha Christie)
2006: The Deep (Peter Benchley)
2005: Charleston (John Jakes)

2008: #39 – Envy (Kathryn Harrison)

0 comments By Jaime Filed in family drama, general fiction; Tagged with ; May 7th, 2008

17057668 Book #39 was Envy by Kathryn Harrison.  The back of the book reads:

Will has a good sex life–with the woman he married. So why then is he increasingly plagued by violent erotic fantasies that, were they to break out of his imagination and into the real world, have the power to destroy not only his family but his career? He’s about to lose his grip when he attends a college reunion and there discovers evidence of a past sexual betrayal, one serious enough that it threatens to overpower the present, even as it offers a key to Will’s dangerous obsessions.

Hypnotic, beautifully written, this mesmerizing novel by “an extremely gifted writer” (San Francisco Chronicle) explores the corrosive effect of evil–and how painful psychological truths long buried within a family can corrupt the present and, through courage and understanding, lead to healing and renewal. “Like Scheherezade in the grip of a fever dream, Kathryn Harrison . . . has written one of those rare books, in language of unparalleled beauty, that affirm the holiness of life,” said Shirley Ann Grau, about Poison. And the same can be said about Envy.

The back of the book strongly pushes the sex aspect of the story, but I think really the story is about grief. It explores different types, degrees, and methods of grieving, along with different losses — children, siblings, intimacy, innocence and purity. Will is self-analytical to an annoying degree, and there were several times when I just wanted him to shut up already. If you don’t mind that, this is a pretty good story. I do wish you got to spend some more time with Carole. She and Will don’t really come alive until the end of the story.

Page count: 301 | Approximate word count: 75,250

2007: Wish You Well (David Baldacci)
2006: The Lost German Slave Girl (John Bailey)
2005: On the Street Where You Live (Mary Higgins Clark)

2008: #6 – Dead Witch Walking (Kim Harrison)

0 comments By Jaime Filed in audio, paranormal, private investigator, witches/magic; Tagged with ; January 19th, 2008

13696407 Book #6 was Dead Witch Walking, the first book in Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series.  The back of the book reads:

All the creatures of the night gather in "the Hollows" of Cincinnati, to hide, to prowl, to party … and to feed.

Vampires rule the darkness in a predator-eat-predator world rife with dangers beyond imagining — and it’s Rachel Morgan’s job to keep that world civilized.

A bounty hunter and witch with serious sex appeal and an attitude, she’ll bring ‘em back alive, dead … or undead.

Now this, I liked. Fun, suspenseful, dangerous, but not vulgar like a lot of books with vampires in them (not that I have an issue with sex and bad language, but it’s nice to have a break from it). The characters are colorful and interesting. I really look forward to continuing this series!

Page count: 432 | Word count: 135,043

2007 – Between Friends (Debbie Macomber)
2006 – The Rule of Four (Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason)
2005 – D is for Deadbeat (Sue Grafton)

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