White Witch, Black Curse (The Hollows #7)

I have enjoyed reading this series sooooo much! I’ve grown so attached to the characters and have even adopted Jenks’ Tink remarks as my own! My friend Linda recommended the series to me and I will recommend it to my husband. It’s such a wonderful fun, world to be in. Maybe I’m an easy target but many times I don’t see the twists and turns coming. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the mystical world of Witches, Weres, Vampires, Banshees, Elves, Fairies and Pixies! But what a fun series to be introduced to this Genre via the mystery, the drama and puzzles of Cincinnati!

What do you get when an elf, a witch, a ghost , a pixie and a demon get on an elevator together(Harrison)? You get Book 7 in Kim Harrison\’s Hollows series-White Witch, Black Curse. It is another fabulous romp through the magical chaotic life of Rachel Morgan. To quote Jenks \”Tink\’s Panties\” this book is so good. What I loved most about this book is how Rachel is growing up and coming into her own as a witch and a person as the series evolves. Rachel tries to stop and think about her actions and how they may effect others instead of just acting on the thrill now. Don\’t get me wrong trouble still finds Rachel, like a moth to a flame, and in White Witch trouble has found her in the form of a banshee. Mia is a banshee who thinks she is above the law and it is up to Rachel and the gang to show her differently. Meanwhile, a ghost Rachel summoned when she was 18 is haunting the church. Al shows up and claims Pierce the ghost as his new familiar and snatches him down to the Ever After. Now not only does she have the banshee to deal with: now Rachel must find a way to convince Al that taking her friends against their will to the Ever After is not going to fly with her. So I have to say my favorite scene in the book is at the New Year\’s Eve party and most of the men in Rachel\’s life converge into one elevator for one very awkward, very funny ride down. Al and Pierce had me cracking up. On that note I actually love the added element of a new potential love interest for Rachel in the form of \”Rachel Candy\”, Pierce the ghost. But then again I have always had a soft spot for the sexy devil may care types especially ones with an accent. So while I like Pierce, I think I am still holding out for a Rachel and Trent love connection and maybe it will happen at the end of the series. A girl can always hope, right? My only compliant about this book is that at the very end Rachel remembers all the details of Kisten\’s death. For me the wrap up of Kisten\’s death, after waiting one whole book to find out all the gory details, felt anticlimactic. I know some people will disagree but it felt almost like an after thought after spending the whole book on other problems there was only twenty minutes on Kisten\’s murder and figuring out who the murderers where and bam it was over and sealed up. The only thing I can say about the narration is thank god Marguerite Gavin is back. I love how she brings life to my favorite characters, especially Jenks. In conclusion, I give White Witch, Black Curse four solid laser pistols. I highly recommend this series if only to find out what colorful swears will come out of Jenks\’ mouth next.

White Witch Black Curse – the title really does say it all! Rachel is doing all the wrong things for all the right reasons, and I love how she is justifying her actions to herself. I also think that the more she does things she thought she\’d never do, the stronger her moral compass gets, and that\’s part of the awesomeness that is The Hollows! There also is a new supernatural creature in White Witch Black Curse, and the way she is weaved into the story and the plot of this installment is really good! On top of that, she fits into the overall plot as well, and I realized this because of something that happened in Dead Witch Walking. I think this is part of why I love this series so much, it shines true in each book that the author is on top of her story, her plot-lines and her characters, and it\’s always like looking at one of those Salvador Dali paintings, where at first you see one thing, then, when you look a little closer you see something else. So yeah, I hope it\’s OK to compare a book to a painting, because I didn\’t have the exact words I needed to explain this whole immediate, intermediate and long-term plot-lines the way I wanted to. Anyway, back to White Witch Black Curse, Rachel actually has more than the usual drama to deal with, as some family secrets come to light in a pretty bad way, and she is upset with both her mom and her brother because they have both kept her in the dark. As you can imagine, with the loose threads from prior books, a new character, a difficult murder investigation and Rachel\’s shunning, White Witch Black Curse is certainly fast-paced. But never so much that I felt out of breath – even when Rachel was. And I was very happy with the new reveals, as well as the way Rachel handled everything that arrived on her plate, on her doorstep, in her mail-box and everywhere else stuff could just show up like that. The fact that all the characters continue to be well fleshed out, even the secondary and further characters like Glenn, Edden and Marshall makes for excellent reading. And the fact that Rachel always second-guesses things because she wants to make sure she is morally sound is another thing that I admire her for (and yes, I actually do know Rachel is a character in a book… but if she was real, I\’d want to be her friend!) The way both Jenks and Ivy grow, too, and how even Trent is showing some slight kind of change, keeps making me come back for even more. \”Remember that book you gave me for the winter solstice?\” I asked. \”No.\” My eyes came up, but he wouldn\’t meet them. His jaw was clenched, making his long face appear longer. \”The one I used to bring-\” I started. \”No.\” It was forceful, and my lips parted when I realized he meant no as in \”I\’m not telling,\” not \”I don\’t know.\” \”Ceri sent them,\” I said when I saw her absolutely tiny handwriting. \”Trent probably doesn\’t even know she put his name on the card.\” Jenks landed on my knee. \”I bet he does,\” he said with a guffaw […] The girl with the red pajamas smiled like Ceri, wise and fragile. \”You\’re not bad inside,\” she said, petting my wrist. \”Just hurt.\” If you haven\’t started The Hollows series yet, please do yourself a favor and just get it! I am so happy to be obsessed by Rachel, Ivy, Jenks and the rest, and I would love to have even more people to chat about them with;)

\”White Witch, Black Curse,\” which is the 7th in the series, is a return to form by Kim Harrison. It, like all the other books, focuses of Rachel Morgan (a headstrong witch with a smart mouth), Ivy Tamwood (a more calculating vampire) and Jenks (a pixie). Towards the end of book six, Rachel\’s boyfriend dies, and her memory of the event is wiped clean (so that she doesn\’t go after the guy without a plan). The result is that she\’s no idea who killed her love interest. In response, she spends most of the book trying to work out who might do such a thing (and why). At the same time, she\’s asked by the police to help investigate a Banshee (who can kill you by removing your emotions) who they suspect of attempting to kill a copper. The book is a better read than the authors\’ 2 previous outings with Morgan. There are a couple of reasons for this. First there\’s more story to the book (rather than talk and love interest), which is always a good thing. Second there\’s less love interest. Don\’t get me wrong, I understand that women can get as turned on by the physical as guys, but I don\’t think that many guys like to read about another guy\’s glistening pecs or pert butt if I\’m honest (I\’m a bit ho hum about girls being described similarly too before anyone says anything). It\’s part of the reason I walked away from the series a while Incidentally, I wouldn\’t necessarily recommend starting here in the series. If you think the story sounds interesting, I\’d start with book 1.

I know other reviewers have panned it as not her best and not her true style and admittedly, I have only just finished it and therefore not given myself cogitating time for it to settle into my brain, but despite all that, yes I loved it. The ending made me chuckle out loud, and a few loose ends were sorted, a few new strings added, so we can wonder what will happen next. The threads running through these stories, the exact visualisation of this world that I get when I read one, the other worldly hint of danger that keeps me on edge, even though I know that, like the Lone Ranger, our Rache is not going to die before the end of the book, these are the things that keep me coming back for more. Can\’t wait to start the next one, but I must pace myself and read something a little more calming next. Keep them coming, though.

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