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Fifth in her urban fantasy series (click the author tag to view them all) featuring Rachel Morgan, witch for hire. Harrison’s books have an awful lot of boom, and this one is no exception between the weres who keep turning up dead, a master vampire about to be released from jail, bloodshed over the ancient artifact Rachel is hiding, oh yeah and the demon crashing Trent’s wedding.
There are a lot of things I could say here. I could say that, while Harrison’s writing gets better and better with every book, she still has no discernible control over thematics. I could say that her worldbuilding ranges from the superb (the pixie culture is hilarious and original) to the mediocre (a demon who hasn’t interacted with humans in five hundred years should not explain an ancient magical communication network as having “registered users.” I mean, really). I could say that the plot, while fast and brilliant, still slips into contrivance sometimes. I could say that there’s a hell of an ending here, but that it could eventually play out as either extremely bold or a simple cop-out.
But the thing is, I could talk about all that, but I don’t really want to. Because these books, they really have something. Something of the compulsive page-turner, yes, but also something which works emotionally both for me and on me. Maybe it’s the power of the dominant female friendship (and the loyalty/sexuality/blood tangle between Ivy and Rachel is handled much more elegantly in this book). Maybe it’s the extent and reach of the community we’ve watched Rachel build. Maybe it’s the mix of high-octane and domesticity – the most intense scenes, physically and emotionally, seem to take place in the kitchen. I don’t really know what it is, but it’s definitely there and I’m all for it. I like these books. I like them a whole lot, and that response should and does trump my complaints. Of all the urban fantasy series I’m following, I’m glad this is the one to take off and do so extraordinarily well commercially. It’s well deserved, because vampire boyfriends aside (and seriously, check that ending) this is really good storytelling and I’m definitely here for the long haul.
There are a lot of things I could say here. I could say that, while Harrison’s writing gets better and better with every book, she still has no discernible control over thematics. I could say that her worldbuilding ranges from the superb (the pixie culture is hilarious and original) to the mediocre (a demon who hasn’t interacted with humans in five hundred years should not explain an ancient magical communication network as having “registered users.” I mean, really). I could say that the plot, while fast and brilliant, still slips into contrivance sometimes. I could say that there’s a hell of an ending here, but that it could eventually play out as either extremely bold or a simple cop-out.
But the thing is, I could talk about all that, but I don’t really want to. Because these books, they really have something. Something of the compulsive page-turner, yes, but also something which works emotionally both for me and on me. Maybe it’s the power of the dominant female friendship (and the loyalty/sexuality/blood tangle between Ivy and Rachel is handled much more elegantly in this book). Maybe it’s the extent and reach of the community we’ve watched Rachel build. Maybe it’s the mix of high-octane and domesticity – the most intense scenes, physically and emotionally, seem to take place in the kitchen. I don’t really know what it is, but it’s definitely there and I’m all for it. I like these books. I like them a whole lot, and that response should and does trump my complaints. Of all the urban fantasy series I’m following, I’m glad this is the one to take off and do so extraordinarily well commercially. It’s well deserved, because vampire boyfriends aside (and seriously, check that ending) this is really good storytelling and I’m definitely here for the long haul.