White
Witch, Black Curse
The Hollows Series #7
by Kim Harrison
Kim Harrison’s seventh entry in the Hollows series is non-stop
action and heart-pounding mystery. But the book is not for those
who haven’t been keeping up with the series, for much of Harrison’s
personalized terminology, and the workings of her fantasy's characters,
will confuse new readers.
Overall, the book was a little bit below par, compared
to others in the series. One reason seems to be that storylines
begun in other books were not really continued with any satisfaction,
and bounty hunter/witch Rachel Hunter has a LOT of work to do to
make up for past decisions. However, Kim Harrison’s writing is tightly
controlled, and filled with taut plotting and dynamic characterizations.
The story sweeps the reader into Rachel’s thrall, and the personalities
involved are realistic (for a fantasy!) and multi-dimensional.
Ongoing action involves the mystery of Rachel’s
lover’s death, and her intense relationship with business partner
Ivy. In many ways, the novel seems like something of a treading
water/transitional book, meant to fill some gaps (but not all!)
in the story and take Rachel, Ivy and their business to a new level,
away from the on-again-off-again sexual tension, and more into a
solid companionship and work collaboration. This part is good, but
it is hard to read, since you want more action and a quicker pace,
as is more typical of Harrison’s previous Hollows books.
The banshees come more into the limelight here,
and that is fun, but a bit scary, since they are depicted as apex
predators. Those in the know on Harrison’s series will agree that
if banshees replace vampires at the top of the "food chain" the
series will take a completely new mood. It can be hard to write
a good review without spoilers in series such as this, but I will
tempt you by saying that there are interesting revelations about
Rachel’s mother, and about Kisten. In addition, there are some fun
"guest appearances" by characters from the short stories in the
Hell anthologies. However, pivotal characters, such as Al and Trent
only have walk-on roles in White Witch, Black Curse.
One thing that is tough, (Charlaine Harris of Sookie
fame does the same thing) is that new characters from short stories
and novellas appear and unless you have read Harrison’s entire body
of work, you won’t have a clue as to where some characters came
from, what their relationship to Rachel is, or how the portrayals
will flow in the future. Something to look forward to? Absolutely.
But frustrating if you just want to focus on the Hollows series!
Vampiric Charms (Rachel and Ivy’s business) gets
a good workout in this novel, and although the bridging aspect of
the book is tough, it is pleasant to see some of the inner workings
of Vampiric Charms, and the new texture of Rachel and Ivy’s personal
feelings for each other.
Last, but definitely
not least, the introduction of a new love interest sparks some serious
interest in book eight, Black Magic Sanction, due out in
March 2010. I loved Bis, the gargoyle of the church that Ivy and
Rachel call home and business, and the clever touches of humor,
however dark. If you picked up this book having not read the others
in the series, I strongly recommend you start with book one, Dead
Witch Walking, and bring a entirely new vampiric fantasy series
into your life.
Enjoy!
Reviews of other titles in this series
For
a Few Demons More #5
The
Outlaw Demon Wails # 6
White
Witch, Black Curse #7
Black
Magic Sanction #8
Pale
Demon # 9
A
Perfect Blood #10
Into
The Woods (Hallows & Beyond)
|
The
Book |
EOS
/ HarperCollins |
December
2009 |
Mass
Market Paperback |
978-0-06-113802-7 |
Urban
Fantasy |
Amazon |
The
Reviewer |
Laura
Strathman Hulka |
eviewed
2010 |
|