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
For a Few Demons More
by
Kim Harrison
It is part of the The Hollows #5 series and is a paranormal fantasy in Hardcover edition that was published by Eos Press on March 1, 2007 and has 456 pages.
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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, A Fistful of Charms, 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"
Fifth in The Hollows paranormal fantasy series revolving around the Vampiric Charms runner agency with Rachel Morgan, Ivy Tamwood, and Jenks. A witch who dabbles in demon magic, a living vampire, and a dying pixy.
My Take
Oops! The question that started this story isn’t the one Rachel thought. That damned artifact. Everyone wants it. And Rachel will be damned before she lets just anyone have it.
Rachel is pushing it again with Ivy. She just can’t leave well enough alone. She also whines a lot about having a professional image but that seems to be the extent of Rachel attempting one. And, when she knows Piscary is out, why doesn’t she warn Kist? She knows Kisten will be in trouble if Piscary is ever released! And just when you start liking Trent, he manages to shoot us all down. Again.
Well, one thing you can say for Harrison and her characters is that they are never dull and the action never stops. There are more twists and turns…well, just don’t plan on putting the book down until you’ve finished it!
The Story
A very unexpected visit from Newt leaves the Vampiric Charms partners feeling very exposed, although Trent soon provides a good laugh when he insists on Rachel accepting Ellasbeth’s offer for her to be one of her bridesmaids for their wedding.
Torn between wanting to see Trent suffer and feeling bad for his years ahead, he finagles Rachel into accepting for a whole lotta money. Well, hey, that reconsecrating costs big bucks! And knowing that Stanley “Lee” Saladin is coming back from the ever-after to be Trent’s best man…well, that was a definite tipping point.
One plus to Newt’s visit is getting rid of one of her demon marks, but Rachel’s relief doesn’t last long for someone is killing Weres. Unidentified Weres. And the I.S. is doing its best to cover it up, classifying them as suicides. All of which comes out when Detective Glenn hires Rachel to check out the bodies at the morgue where a confrontation with Denon turns up the heat and, heh, Rachel is all about the law-and-order as she channels her inner Clint Eastwood.
Then Big Al shows up destroying Cincinnati, and it appears, that only Piscary is available to shut him down. Naturally, Piscary will only accept on certain conditions. Conditions that do not bode well for Rachel and friends.
The Characters
There are a number of strong characters in The Hollows with Rachel Morgan as the primary protagonist. A witch who keeps resorting to demon magic to help her friends and keep the world from damage. A witch who recently learned that her need for the adrenaline engendered by living on the edge dictates most of her decisions. Ivy Tamwood is her partner. A living vampire with an unwanted and irresistible attraction to Piscary, the Master vampire for Cincinnati. The attraction Rachel has for Ivy is both wanted and slightly resistible. Rachel is interested in exploring this attraction but the conflict is over the sex. Piscary has trained Ivy to require sex as part of the blood exchange. Rachel, well, Rachel just doesn’t swing that way. Jenks is an old man at 18 and an absolute crackup. He feels that he has accomplished a lot in his life. Fifty-four children and a loving wife in Matalina. He loves Rachel and Ivy and is loved in return. Jenks would do anything to protect his family.
Kisten Felps is Rachel’s vampire lover. It took some doing, but Kist finally broke her down, and the two of them enjoy the danger of loving each other. Skimmer is Ivy’s old lover, newly returned to Cincinnati to bust Piscary out of jail; her reward is in being allowed to stay and be with Ivy. Doesn’t take long before we learn how Skimmer really feels about Rachel.
Trenton Kalamack is an elf in hiding and one of Rachel’s main antagonists along with Piscary and Big Al. When his race became too weak as a result of wars with the demons, they went into hiding, and Trent has picked up where his father left off in experimenting on children in attempts to reverse the curse that has threatened his people for so long. In Rachel’s experience, Trent is an evil, murdering, drug-running billionaire that she will do whatever is necessary to stop. His elven henchmen include Jonathan, chief bootlicker, who has no love for Rachel, and Quen Hanson, head of Kalamck’s security, who still has some honor left. Lee Saladin is an old boyhood friend of Trent’s who tried to deliver Rachel to Big Al in the ever-after. Poor Lee. Just didn’t realize who he was dealing with but now he “seems” to be back.
The FIB is the Federal Inderland Bureau…
…a policing agency for humans. Detective Glenn is surprisingly comfortable with Rachel, Ivy, and Jenks. Being human, it’s pretty amazing — heck, they even got Glenn hooked on tomato-anything. His dad, Edden, is a captain and also one of Rachel’s supporters.
The IS, Inderlander Services…
…performs the same function for the supernaturals. Denon, a functionary at the I.B., is a low-blood living vampire who has a major hate on for Rachel and will do anything to destroy her life. Tom Bansen is a witch with the Arcane Division, and it seems he has other allegiances when he proffers an invitation to Rachel — in her demon-summoning guise — to join their little band.
Algaliarept “Big Al” is a demon who has been after Rachel since Dead Witch Walking, 1. Newt is a demon of whom even Big Al is afraid. Well, it makes sense since Newt is insane and has a whole helluva lot more power than Big Al can command while Minias is Newt’s keeper.
Ceri is a 1000s-of-years-old elf whom Rachel rescued from imprisonment as a familiar for Big Al; she helps Rachel with the curses she needs while Keasley is a retired witch in ill-health who lives across the street from the church that houses Vampiric Charms. Ceri is Keasley’s roommate.
David Hue is a local werewolf alpha who asked Rachel to join his Pack so he could escape the hassle of actually having to have a pack. Brett is a militant Were kicked out of his old Pack after Rachel showed him up in A Fistful of Charms, 4. He’s now looking to join David and Rachel’s Pack.
The Cover and Title
Interesting cover with a woman walking away from us wearing a floor-length, tight-fitting, black, shiny gown with a low-cut back and a high slit reaching to just below her ass with long, tight sleeves incorporating zippers and carrying a nasty looking knife. While it’s night outside on a stone-paved square, a flash of light from a passing car illuminates the woman.
Harrison’s titles just crack me up with her plays on Clint Eastwood movies. In this case, Rachel does have encounters For a Few Demons More than those to whom she is accustomed.
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