Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.42 AVERAGE
4.42 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lots of tension and enemies in this one. While I enjoy these books, she should’ve left the ending of the series many years ago when she originally ended it. There isn’t much progress.
Rachel Morgan is back in the 16th book of Kim Harrison's The Hollow's series. Like usual, Rachel's life is thrown into chaos. As the new subrosa she is trying to maintain the peace among the different paranormal groups. Her friends are along for the ride. Readers are treated to the usual cast of characters as well as a return of Ivy Tamwood. As Rachel tries to navigate her own responsibilities, her friends are experiencing troubles of their own. Off course, these problems are are connected to Rachel in one way or another.
With Vampire Constance somewhat out of the picture, the vampires send a master vampire from DC to investigate if Constance is still in charge of running Cincinnati. This leads to Rachel turning to the demon Hodin for help. As usual, things go totally sideways. Rachel scrambles to figure out where betrayal lies, protect the ones she loves, and ensure peace.
I think Troubled with the Cursed is a great addition to the series. Harrison jumps right into the action with this book and had me questioning who she could trust and who had their own agendas. I loved seeing the return of Ivy as well as the introduction of new characters like the dark pixie, Getty. Readers are treated to a bit more of Al, though there is still a lot of sorting out in that former teacher/student relationship. Rachel is still a bit of a mess, but I love her ingenuity and the support she receives from her friends. I see a bit more growth in Rachel as she comes to terms with her hopes in relation to reality.
Overall, a fun read. Harrison has a great grip on her characters and a wonderful way of connecting them all to each other. It's something that definitely has kept me enamored with the series and looking forward to each new installment.
A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Berkley, for the advanced readers copy as well as the opportunity to read and review Trouble with the Cursed by Kim Harrison.
With Vampire Constance somewhat out of the picture, the vampires send a master vampire from DC to investigate if Constance is still in charge of running Cincinnati. This leads to Rachel turning to the demon Hodin for help. As usual, things go totally sideways. Rachel scrambles to figure out where betrayal lies, protect the ones she loves, and ensure peace.
I think Troubled with the Cursed is a great addition to the series. Harrison jumps right into the action with this book and had me questioning who she could trust and who had their own agendas. I loved seeing the return of Ivy as well as the introduction of new characters like the dark pixie, Getty. Readers are treated to a bit more of Al, though there is still a lot of sorting out in that former teacher/student relationship. Rachel is still a bit of a mess, but I love her ingenuity and the support she receives from her friends. I see a bit more growth in Rachel as she comes to terms with her hopes in relation to reality.
Overall, a fun read. Harrison has a great grip on her characters and a wonderful way of connecting them all to each other. It's something that definitely has kept me enamored with the series and looking forward to each new installment.
A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Berkley, for the advanced readers copy as well as the opportunity to read and review Trouble with the Cursed by Kim Harrison.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
This review was originally posted at Rantings of a Reading Addict
In Trouble with the Cursed, we start out with Ivy coming into town with a long undead who is looking for Cincy's master vampire. He has a suspicion that Rachel has done something to her. Rachel and Pike have been running the city together ever since they took care of Constance. Now they have to come up with a plan to convince Finnis that Constance is still alive and running the city.
Putting together this plan, and other scenes, all seem to revolve around the demons versus the problem of Finnis. In true Rachel fashion, she is betrayed by someone she had put a lot on the line to support. Now she has to gather all her friends and a scarce demon to deal with the problems the demons are causing.
It felt like much of the book ran off into the demon issues versus the problem with Finnis. There were a few times when I would wonder if Rachel would even get back to that storyline. Slowly, pieces come together that weave the two storylines and a plan can come together that will deal with everything.
In the end, I am completely happy with everyone's conclusion. Everyone is where they should be and for the moment happy. I don't know if it is just her frustration, but Rachel really just steps up and takes control of the situation. No wishy-washy, half fast attempts at control, but really digging her feet in and making good decisions that she pushes for. I felt so proud of her because throughout the book I felt like she was kind of flying by the seat of her pants. We know that is typical Rachel, but I was just really proud of the stand she took.
The ending left me with a huge smile on my face and a lump in my throat. If there isn't another book, I would say I'm happy and content with the way everything is at this moment.
In Trouble with the Cursed, we start out with Ivy coming into town with a long undead who is looking for Cincy's master vampire. He has a suspicion that Rachel has done something to her. Rachel and Pike have been running the city together ever since they took care of Constance. Now they have to come up with a plan to convince Finnis that Constance is still alive and running the city.
Putting together this plan, and other scenes, all seem to revolve around the demons versus the problem of Finnis. In true Rachel fashion, she is betrayed by someone she had put a lot on the line to support. Now she has to gather all her friends and a scarce demon to deal with the problems the demons are causing.
It felt like much of the book ran off into the demon issues versus the problem with Finnis. There were a few times when I would wonder if Rachel would even get back to that storyline. Slowly, pieces come together that weave the two storylines and a plan can come together that will deal with everything.
In the end, I am completely happy with everyone's conclusion. Everyone is where they should be and for the moment happy. I don't know if it is just her frustration, but Rachel really just steps up and takes control of the situation. No wishy-washy, half fast attempts at control, but really digging her feet in and making good decisions that she pushes for. I felt so proud of her because throughout the book I felt like she was kind of flying by the seat of her pants. We know that is typical Rachel, but I was just really proud of the stand she took.
The ending left me with a huge smile on my face and a lump in my throat. If there isn't another book, I would say I'm happy and content with the way everything is at this moment.
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Well, it never ceases to amaze me how Kim can keep coming up with such strong storylines for Rachel after so many books but she has done it again. Absolutely brilliant with some happy twists!
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the latest entry in the series! It's like being reunited with old friends. I couldn't put it down. It kept me on the edge of my seat, made me laugh and tugged at my heartstrings. The only bad thing is now I have to wait for the next book.
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
Minor: Sexual content