Kim Harrison Has Me Charmed

Wow! Just - Wow! I'm blogging on Dee's Book Blog!!!!!!!! I am so pumped to be here and (I'd be lying if I didn't add) just a tad nervous. After all, Dee does great book reviews and I have a LOT to live up to if I don't want to let ya'll down. Dee is a very busy lady these days and she's invited me to do some reviews for this lovely new blog she has. I do some book reviews on my own blog (yeah, I know, I haven't done any in a while) but I don't get near the hits the fantabulous (can you tell I want to be invited back?) Dee gets so I'm a bit giddy inside with the excitement of reaching a new audience.

Dee and I met through the JCF and have become friends. Cherries are kinda like that. We have much in common - reading being one of those things. And while we have similar tastes in most books, I thought I'd give review a book that's a bit different from the books Dee normally reviews.

If all goes well, I have two other books to review, all of them released in June, so if you haven't had a chance to get them yet - or you were simply unsure whether or not you would like them - maybe my reviews will help you decide.

Okay, I think I've stalled enough. So without further ado - (drum roll please) first book review for Dee's blog!!!!

A FISTFUL OF CHARMS
by Kim Harrison

(Back Cover Copy)

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 or 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 to rule. And suddenly
more than Rachel's soul is at stake.

Let me start by saying that I absolutely adore the books of Kim Harrison. I have been following her books set in the Hollows since her debut DEAD WITCH WALKING . She has created a world so believable that you are not simply reading her books - you are living the lives of her characters as well. Let me also say that I'm as big a fan as the next girl when it comes to snappy, attention getting, suspenseful back cover copy. What I am not a fan of is back copy that misrepresents the actual text in the book it was meant to describe. In fact, that's the reason I tend to not read the back cover copy of most books. I also know that most authors have no say in what is printed on the back of their books, so I will not hold this misleading back cover copy against Harrison. So, I thought I'd explain the book by taking you through the points in the back cover copy.

Point 1: The evil night things that prowl Cincinnati despise witch and bounty hunter Rachel Morgan. - Aside from being a bugger to read - that statement is somewhat true. Most despise her - some want to control her and her powers.

Point 2: Her new reputation for the dark arts is turning human and undead heads alike with the intent to posses, bed, and kill her - not necessarily in that order. -Rachel does use some demon magic in this book. The circumstances she faces require her to. As far as having a "new reputation for the dark arts" - Phooey! She has no new reputation and she is turning no new heads. In fact, the people who know what she has done were already looking her way in the first place. Rachel struggles in the book - she faces challenges that her simple earth and ley line magic can't help her with. So she uses magic that no other witch can, and since it is black and she is a white witch, she has qualms with it. But any new attention she gets is not because of her new "charms".

Point 3: Now a mortal lover who abandoned Rachel has returned, haunted by his secret past. - Um, No. Actually Nick doesn't return - anyway, not the way the cover copy suggests. He has taken Jax (Rachel's pixy partner Jenks' son) and turned him towards a life of crime. When Jenks decides to travel north to find his son, Rachel goes so that she can keep Jenks safe (this is where one of the demon curses comes in). After they find Jax, Rachel and Jenks discover that Nick has been captured by the Weres because he has something they want and he isn't giving it to them. Nick is greedy and the phrase "haunted by his secret past" is just wrong. To say Nick was haunted implies that he has changed and the past is coming back to bite him in the arse. Nick hasn't changed and his greed is what has gotten him in this situation. And although Nick has broken Rachel's heart ten ways to Sunday she still goes on a rescue run to save him. After all, he has saved her life before, or did he really?

Point 4: And there are those who covet what Nick possesses - savage beast willing to destroy the Hollows and everyone in it if necessary. - Kind of. I can agree with the first half of this statement. The Weres want an artifact that they had hired Nick to steal for them. Several packs have joined forces in order to claim this artifact and they are not acting like "normal" Weres. The second half of the statement I take exception to. This line makes it seem as if the action takes place in the Hollows and a huge war is ensuing. The action in the book does not take place in the Hollows. So, while we can assume the Weres are willing to follow them any where to get the artifact, that statement is severely misleading.

Point 5: Forced to keep a low profile or eternally suffer the wrath of a vengeful demon, Rachel must nevertheless act quickly. - HUH? I had to re-read that line a lot for it to make any kind of sense. Also, it doesn't fit. Perhaps it would be better suited on the back of Every Witch Way But Dead but with this book, it just doesn't belong. Aside from the demon curses Rachel twists and the mentioning of her scars - the demons do not appear in this book.

Point 6: For the pack is gathering for the first time in millennia to ravage and to rule. - The packs, plural, are gathering for the first time. To rule - not some much ravage. I wonder if whoever wrote this copy read the book?

Point 7: And suddenly more than Rachel's soul is at stake. - Um, well duh! I just cannot even justify this last statement.

This was a good book. Ivy and Rachel make some HUGE changes in their relationship. Jenks and Rachel make amends and Rachel does a lot of self discovery. If paranormal is your cuppa, I definitely recommend this as a read. I suppose it could be a stand alone without much difficulty but to fully understand some of the references made, it would help to read the other books.

My only real complaint with the book is that the copy editing on this was very poor. A lot of typos and poor punctuation. When I came across these mistakes, it took me a while to get the pace of the book back. Enjoy the book though, I know I did.

I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank Dee for allowing me to post a review. And I would love to do a few more if she'll let me!

Take Care

Note from Dee: Charity did an EXCELLENT job on this review, and I think I'm going to have to change the name of this blog to include her here. Please take the time to tell her that you read this review, ok?