Book Review: Kim Harrison’s A Fistful of Charms

Posted October 11, 2011 by Kathy Davie in Book Reviews, Writing

I received this book for free from my own shelves in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Source: my own shelves
Book Review: Kim Harrison’s A Fistful of Charms

A Fistful of Charms


by

Kim Harrison


It is part of the The Hollows #4 series and is a paranormal fantasy in Paperback edition that was published by HarperTorch on June 27, 2006 and has 528 pages.

Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon


Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Dates from Hell, Pale Demon, Unbound, Something Deadly This Way Comes, The Good, the Bad, and the Undead, Every Which Way But Dead, For a Few Demons More, The Outlaw Demon Wails, White Witch, Black Curse, Black Magic Sanction, A Perfect Blood, "Pet Shop Boys", "Trouble on Reserve", Into the Woods, Holidays are Hell, Ever After, The Drafter, "Waylaid", The Operator, The Turn: The Hollows Begins with Death, "Sudden Backtrack"

Fourth in The Hollows (a.k.a., Rachel Morgan) paranormal fantasy series revolving around the Vampiric Charms agency of Rachel Morgan, Jenks, and Ivy Tamwood — a witch, a pixy, and a living vampire.

My Take

This installment is absolutely fraught. I hardly know where to start. Rachel gives in to Ivy’s desire for blood; she succumbs to using more black magic — for good reasons, really — after all, someone has to protect the Inderland world from a bloodbath; and, oh yeah, performing a mercy killing.

All this while enjoying the amenities on offer on Mackinaw Island from its fudge to its scuba tours with the very witchy Captain Marshall.

The action will keep you reading deep into the night, so hold on and take a deep breath!

The Story

Frustrated over Jenks’ refusing to accept her apology, Rachel is almost happy when she finds out that Jax is in trouble and that Jenks intends to fly up to Michigan to help him. When Rachel learns the kind of trouble Jax is in along with Nick, she’s determined to help rescue both of them.

The Characters

Rachel Morgan is a bounty hunter and witch in partnership with Ivy Tamwood, a living vampire with emotional issues, and Jenks, a loving father and husband to Matalina and their 54 kids, is a pixy. Kisten is a vampire who used to date Ivy and has his eye on Rachel.

David, an insurance agent, is in trouble with his boss for being an alpha loner.

Nick is a major jerk who always looks out for himself and is an off-again, on-again, betraying boyfriend. Jax is Jenks’ oldest boy who has gone off to make his own way…with Nick.

Captain Marshall owns a dive shop in Mackinac.

Brett is a Were with plans for world domination.

The Cover and Title

The cover with that short black leather mini dress with the cut-out back that looks more Ivy than Rachel shows the woman’s back to us, hands clasped behind her as she looks across the water at a pine-shrouded island rising up through the mist.

A Fistful of Charms should be more like Six Fistfuls for all the trouble Rachel gets into with her soft heart.