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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 sixth offering of outlaw witch turned bounty hunter, Rachel Morgan, offers the typical Harrison yarn filled with some good laughs and the odd thrill to boot. Gigi Birmingham taps into the comedic undertones, be it the sarcasm so common to Morgan's twisted personality or simply the everyday woman aspect of the tale, thereby capturing the character's essence perfectly. As believable as she is as this generally unbelievable character, Birmingham knows exactly when to amp up the tension and captivate the listener. Always entertaining and quite likable in the title role, Birmingham offers a splendid reading of Harrison's eccentric protagonist. Simultaneous release with the Eos hardcover (Reviews, Dec. 3). (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.This sixth entry in Harrison's popular Rachel Morgan series (For a Few Demons More) finds the witch/bounty hunter battling demons both figuratively and literally. Someone's been summoning the demon Algaliarept (you can call him Al) in an attempt to kill Rachel; and Rachel's trying to figure out who murdered her vampire boyfriend, Kisten. As Rachel closes in on a solution, she finds that the situation is more complex than she imagined. She also discovers that she has powers unusual for a witch, which leads her to question how the genetic cure she received as a child has shaped her powers as an adult. Though Harrison focuses more on the inner lives of her series characters here than in earlier books, there's still plenty of action, especially in the novel's last half when Rachel must use her magical skills and her intellect to extricate herself from yet another impossible situation. This is the strongest entry in the series so far, and based on the loose ends left at the book's conclusion, there's more of Rachel's story left to tell. Highly recommended for all libraries where urban fantasy is popular. [See Prepub Alert, LJ11/15/07.]-Nanette Donohue, Champaign P.L., IL
New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison was born and raised in the upper Midwest. Her bestselling Hollows novels include Dead Witch Walking; The Good, the Bad, and the Undead; Every Which Way But Dead; A Fistful of Charms; For a Few Demons More; The Outlaw Demon Wails; White Witch, Black Curse; Black Magic Sanction; Pale Demon; A Perfect Blood; Ever After; and The Undead Pool, plus the short-story collection Into the Woods, The Hollows Insider, and the graphic novels Blood Work and Blood Crime. She also writes the Madison Avery series for young adults.
Harrison's debut novel grew out of frustration with a growing pile of rejection notices. In an attempt to get publishers' attention, she set out to craft something deliberately weird and edgy. She conceived a motley cast of vampires, werewolves, pixies, and witches, including a sexy bounty hunter named Rachel Morgan, and threw them together in a short story. Then, her agent introduced her to editor Diana Gill, and together they refined and expanded Harrison's idea into a full length novel.
Published in 2004, Dead Witch Walking became a bestseller, launched a blockbuster series, and catapulted Harrison into a pantheon of paranormal superstars that includes Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Christine Feehan, and Sherrilyn Kenyon. As if to validate her inclusion in these ranks, Harrison's stories have also been included in several bestselling paranormal collections.
Chapter One
I leaned over the glass counter, squinting at the price of the high-grade redwood rods, safe in their airtight glass coffins like Snow White. The ends of my scarf slipped to block my view, and I tucked them behind my short leather jacket. I had no call to be looking at wands. I didn't have the money, but more important, I wasn't shopping for business today—I was shopping for pleasure.
"Rachel?" my mom said from halfway across the store, smiling as she fingered a display of packaged organic herbs. "How about Dorothy? Make Jenks hairy, and he could be Toto."
"No friggin' way!" Jenks exclaimed, and I started when the pixy took off from my shoulder where he'd been nestled in my scarf 's warmth. Gold dust sifted from him to make a temporary sunbeam on the counter and brighten the drab evening. "I'm not going to spend Halloween handing out candy as a dog! And no Wendy and Tinker Bell either. I'm going as a pirate!" His wings slowed as he settled atop the counter next to the stand of low-grade redwood dowels suitable for amulets. "Coordinating costumes is stupid."
Normally I'd agree, but, silent, I drew back from the counter. I'd never have enough disposable income for a wand. Besides, versatility was key in my profession, and wands were one-spell wonders. "I'm going as the female lead in the latest vampire flick," I said to my mom. "The one where the vampire hunter falls in love with the vamp?"
"You're going as a vampire hunter?" my mother asked.
Warming, I plucked an uninvoked amulet from a vanity rack to size my chest up. I was hippy enough to pass for the actress Iwas trying to mimic, but my excuse of a chest wouldn't match her spell-enhanced bust. And it had to be spell enhanced. Naturally big-chested women don't run like that. "No, the vampire," I said, embarrassed. Ivy, my housemate, was going as the hunter, and despite my agreement that coordinating costumes was stupid, I knew Ivy and I would stop conversation when we walked into the party. And that was the point, wasn't it? Halloween was the only time doppelgänger charms were legal—and Inderland and the braver slice of humanity made the most of it.
My mother's face went serious, then cleared. "Oh! The black-haired one, right? In the slut outfit? Good God, I don't know if my sewing machine can go through leather."
"Mom!" I protested, though used to her language and lack of tact. If it came into her head, it came out of her mouth. I glanced at the clerk with her, but she clearly knew my mother and wasn't fazed. Seeing a woman in tasteful slacks and an angora sweater swearing like a sailor tended to throw people off. Besides, I already had the outfit in my closet.
Frowning, my mother fingered the charms to change hair color. "Come over here, honey. Let's see if they have anything that will touch your curls. Honestly, Rachel. You pick the hardest costumes. Why can't you ever be anything easy, like a troll or fairy princess?"
Jenks snickered. " 'Cause that's not slutty enough," he said loud enough for me to hear, but not my mother.
I gave him a look, and he simpered as he hovered backward to a rack of seeds. Though only about four inches tall, he cut an attractive figure with his soft-soled boots and the red scarf Matalina, his wife, had knitted him wrapped about his neck. Last spring, I'd used a demon curse to make him human-size, and the memory of his eighteen-year-old, athletic figure, with its trim waist and broad, muscular shoulders made strong from his dragonfly-like wings, was still very much in my memory. He was a very married pixy, but perfection deserved attention.
Jenks made a darting path over my basket, and a package of fern seed for Matalina's wing aches thumped in. Catching sight of the bust enhancer, his expression turned positively devilish. "Speaking of slutty . . ." he started.
"Well-endowed doesn't equal slutty, Jenks," I said. "Grow up. It's for the costume."
"Like that'll do anything?" His grin was infuriating, and his hands were on his hips in his best Peter Pan pose. "You need two or three to even make an impression. Fried eggs."
"Shut up!"
From across the store came my mother's oblivious "Solid black, right?" I turned to see her hair color shifting as she touched the invoked sample amulets. Her hair was exactly like mine. Sort of. I kept mine long, the wild, frizzy red just past my shoulders, instead of in the close cut she used to tame hers. But our eyes were the same green, and I had her same skill in earth magic, fleshed out and given a professional stamp at one of the local colleges. She had more education than I did, actually, but had few opportunities to use it. Halloween had always been a chance for her to show off her considerable earth magic skills to the neighboring moms with a modest vengeance, and I think she appreciated me asking for her help this year. She had been doing great these last few months, and I couldn't help but wonder if she was doing better because I was spending more time with her, or if she simply appeared more stable because I wasn't seeing her just when she was having problems.
Guilt slithered through me, and giving Jenks a glare at his song about big-busted ladies tying their shoes, I wove through the stands of herbs and racks sporting premade charms, each having a distinctive sticker identifying who had made it. Charm crafting was still a cottage industry despite the high level of technology available to smooth out the rough spots, but one tightly regulated and vigorously licensed. The owner of the store probably only crafted a few of the spells she sold.
The Outlaw Demon Wails. Copyright © by Kim Harrison. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.Anonymous
Posted Wed Sep 02 00:00:00 EDT 2009
I Also Recommend:
In The Outlaw Demon wails Rachel Morgan is back again, and this time evil businessman/scientist Trent is asking her to go to the Ever After and grab some thousands of years old DNA that has the potential to save his Elf species from potential extinction. Rachel learns that this could help Ceri too and finds herself considering its cost. Rachel knows she has to find some way to start getting rid of her (multiple) demon marks. In this story, Rachel is mourning Kisten's death and trying to find a way to be with a new male friend without any expectations of something more. She and Ivy come to an agreement of sorts over their blood sharing. Rachel's mom make a bigger than normal appearance and things about Rachel's parentage are revealed for the first time. We also find out a little something about Kinsley! This is definately set up to be an exciting and unmissible installment. Besides the action scene at the beginning of the book, there isn't a lot of adventure in the first 2/3 of the book. The non-action sequences are exciting also because of all the revelations and character interactions. Then the last part of the story...Wham! Bam! The thrills don't stop as Trent and Rachel go on an adventure unlike any before. I won't spoil it for Hollows fans, but this book certainly turns a corner, and I believe the new direction this takes will keep these books from going stale and burning out. Rachel is more likeable here than she has been in awhile, and I adored the new addition to the cast in Bis, the gargoyle who has taken residence in the church. Kim Harrison proves time and again that she is among the most brilliant authors of the urban fantasy genre and I look forward to reading all her new offerings, but it thrills me to no end that she keeps Rachel, Jenks, and the gang feeling so fresh and exciting. It amazes me that witches, pixies, gargoyles, vampires, werewolves and elves can feel so comepletely human and real.
17 out of 17 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.My mom had to talk me into reading the 1st book in the series. And then coaxed me into the 2nd. After that I couldn't stop. I'm hooked and after reading this 1 (6th book in the series) it is so far my favorite. I had been craving for a little more info into Rachel's background and holy moly I got it. As in all the books the action and adventure is imaginative and surreal from beginning to end. After finishing this book I was so greatful that I have a nook so I didn't have to wait until the stores opened in the morning to get the next in the series. Thanks mom for getting me hooked. I guess it's the turn about for getting you hooked on the Stephanie Plum series.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.If you've read any of the other books in this series, this one is sure to not disappoint! If you haven't read any of the others, I highly suggest you do, they are not to be missed!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu Jul 17 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Chatroom
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Posted Tue Feb 11 00:00:00 EST 2014
Every book gets even better than the last!
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Posted Wed Nov 13 00:00:00 EST 2013
This has to be one of my favorites of the "Rachel Morgan" series!
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Posted Sun Oct 27 00:00:00 EDT 2013
This series is a must read! She has a way coming up with more amazing adventures that will keep you on the edge and wanting more!
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Posted Fri Oct 11 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Could not put it down.
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Posted Mon Aug 26 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Rachel Morgan is awesome. Read them in order and you'll know exactly what's going on. Read it out of order, you'll still have fun. This is not a heavy read. This is light and fun reading, excellent character development, believable plots, nice twists, worth the time and effort.
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Posted Thu Aug 22 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Teleports back
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Posted Thu Jun 27 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Great
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Posted Tue Apr 09 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Ive read all of her books up to this one now, and this has to be one of my favorites.
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Posted Sat Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2014
Love Kim own all of her books and live them all!
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Posted Fri Apr 05 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I cant believe i waited so long to start reading this series. Wow! Out if my 42 years on this earth, this is my all time favorite.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.dsaraceni
Posted Tue Mar 19 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Love this series and this was another great book in the series.
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Posted Tue Mar 19 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I highly recommend this series if you like spunky female leads in a paranormal world. Each book gets a little better and better for me.
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Posted Mon Nov 12 00:00:00 EST 2012
This book is toats pirate and stuff will always be one of the best series out there. You cant not love it. It if you dont there is something mentally wrong with you.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
Spoilers Ahead!
This is the sixth book in Kim Harrison’s Hollows series that stars the witch Rachel and her two partners and roommates Ivy and Jenks.
This book picks up about three months after the end of the fifth installment, For a Few Demons More. Rachel is still rocked by the death of her boyfriend, Kisten, and is trying to find a way to move on while still trying to figure out who killed him.
She gets a call from a potential client and goes to meet him, only to discover that it’s Quen! He wants her to go into the Ever-After to retrieve an elf sample, that has been stored there since the beginning of their race. It turns out that Ceri is pregnant and they need it to make sure that her baby will arrive safely and survive.
Unfortunately, she can’t because Al is gunning for her and she fears he will take her if she crosses the lines. He has been in prison there, but someone is summoning him out every night and sending him to kill her. He no longer is sticking to their deal to never hurt her as he feels he has nothing to lose. She decides that the only way to keep him in jail is to take his summoning name, but to do that she must get his DNA sample out of the Ever-After. She doesn’t know how she’s going to get into the Ever-After, but when Trent offers to pay her way as long as she takes him with her, she can’t refuse.
So Trent and Rachel summon Minias to make the arrangements and Jenks stows away in Rachel’s bag. Jenks gets Al’s sample for Rachel and while he’s looking for the elf sample, Rachel twists the curse to switch summoning names with Al. Jenks finds the elf sample and they’re getting ready to leave when Jenks disappears in thin air and Minias captures Rachel and Trent.
They are thrown into a cell next to Al who is anxiously waiting to be summoned out, only to discover that Rachel succeeded in taking his name and she is summoned out instead, even though she was never supposed to be able to be summoned since she isn’t a demon. Trent is left in the Ever-After and Rachel starts to plan a rescue mission to save him. Against everyone’s wishes she decides to make a deal with Al in order to save Trent.
I found the first half of this book to be incredibly excruciating to read. It felt like mostly filler and nothing was really happening. Rachel kept obsessing on missing Kisten (who I miss also) and blaming herself for his death. Then, Rachel and Ivy were trying to find a blood balance, which I always find annoying. I’m just not into this whole bisexual relationship that Harrison always tries to hint at with these two. There was Rachel hanging out with Marshal and then David coming over to discuss getting a pack tattoo that they don’t get in this book and it just felt like a whole lot of nothing going on.
It does start to get interesting when Rachel goes to Trent’s to see Quen and it’s pretty good from then on….if only we didn’t have to read so much blah blah blah to get there!
Rachel learns a lot in this installment. She discovers that the vampire that killed Kisten tried to bind her; she learns that her father isn’t her biological father and when she is summoned with Al’s name she starts to wonder about who she is and what she is.
If I could cut out all the mindless rambling in the first half of this book, I would have enjoyed it, but since I had to muddle through all that, I just didn’t like the book as a whole.
This review and more at openbooks
Katsan
Posted Sat Sep 15 00:00:00 EDT 2012
I really like this series. I think the characters are developing with each book. I enjoy the growth of the relationships and the growth of the individuals. I have recommended the series to several of my friends.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Book #6: Most conclusive story yet. This story finishes up a few long-standing plot-lines, and even showcases a little character development, without drastically changing the characters. Any fan of Kim Harrison's Hollows series will be satisfied after this installment. Rachel is finally coming into her own, accepting what she is and using it, instead of fighting it in that cowardly way she always did. Rachel has less fear of society in this book, which is great, but may come back to bite her in the rear. In this novel, unfortunately, some of your favorite characters are slightly out of character, or sidelined for plot. Also, Rachel's an annoying crybaby sometimes.
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Overview
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 ...