The Witch With No Name by Kim Harrison

Before I had access to the ARC I literally checked every hour to see if my request was approved. However, once I did a strange reluctance took over. I have been reading this series for the past 6 years. The beginning of each year has been marked by a new Hollows book. Every year in the fall, I harass people at HarperCollins to see if they can get me an ARC or finished copy even a week before the release date. It was almost a tradition at this point. And this was the last time I would read something new. This was the end of it all. I find it hilarious that the books is peppered with Rachel herself feeling this sense of ending. It was heart breaking to finally read it and knowing there would be no more. Thank you for holding back on the epilogue. It gives me something to look forward to in September.  

 

I finished the book an hour ago and I am still slightly devastated at this loss I feel after finishing it. No more Trent?! No more AL?! No more Jenks! NO MORE TINKERBELL JOKES?!! Is life even worth living without reading 'Tink's a Disney whore' ? I don't feel like it is at the moment. I am going to read it again a few more times in the next couple of weeks cause I cant get Rachel and the gang out of my head.

 

If you've read the rest of series then you know where this book is headed. Rachel is pushed by Cormel and others to finally tackle the vampire curse and save Ivy. I love the character development through out the series and so many pieces of the puzzle come together. This is definitely not the Rachel of Dead Witch Walking, I would go as far as to say this is not the Rachel of Pale Demon. This is a stronger, emotionally healthy and ass kicking Rachel that has evolved through 13 books for the tests that she goes through in this one. There are no wasted moments in this book. From the first chapter we are thrust into an action packed plot where friendships and love are tested to their limits. Not every one survives, and it wouldn't have been right if they all had. I loved this book. I have barely slept in the past couple of days but I still managed to read it in between work and school.

 

Rachel and Trent are still one of my favourite part of the series. Their core beliefs that defined them in the first book are completely different from who they are by the end of this book. I loved being taken on a journey with these two amazing characters who have grown and matured so much and it is perfection itself that they find each other in the end.   

 

I was finally able to read the last chapter today. It is exactly what I needed to let go of the series. It was sad and beautiful and with enough of a glimpse into the future to leave me at peace.

Thief's Magic by Trudi Canavan

I am a fan of Trudi Canavan's Black Magician trilogy and was hoping this would be in the same vein. Unfortunately, this one did not grip me the way the books in that trilogy did. I think my disappointed is linked more to the fact that neither character ended where I wanted them to by the end of the book. A book that manages to surprise me is always a welcome change.
It is hard to talk about this book without spoilers so I'll have to be vague. Tyen, a student of magic unearths a magical book - similar to Tom Riddle's diary. His decision to protect the book leads him into more danger and an adventure then he had bargained for. Rielle, beautiful and talented attracts the wrong kind of attention and becomes a victim of the corrupted and powerful religious faction of her society. These two characters are tied together with their discoveries of magic and how it functions in their world.
This is very much a first book of a series, meaning most of the book is dedicated to world building. The first half is quite slow but the pay off at the end is totally worth it. That said, I loved the idea of magic being a by-product of creativity. It is a beautiful way to set up a world. I really enjoyed seeing both Rielle and Tyen grow as characters as they are pushed past their limits. There are some good twists near the end and I can sort of see where Canavan plans to take the next two books in the series. Can't wait!

The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison

There are very few books that I read more than once and almost none that I want to read again as soon as I finish it. The undead pool is the exception to that rule. I read it twice in a two week period and then I read it again a week later. I loved it that much.

Very few authors end up writing stories that can span twelve books and still have a coherent arc that you can reflect back on from book one. In Undead Pool we find Rachel's ley line - that we thought was fixed - causing problems for vampires. Rachel feeling responsible for this delves into the mystery and in doing so we discover more about the history of the elves and demons. Anything to do with elves of course leads to a ton of Trent (thank god for that!) The threesome of Ivy, Jenks and Rachel goes through some major changes and you can see some of how Kim Harrison is planning to bring it to a close. With one more book to go I was very sad to see this one end.

This is a fast paced novel with a lot going on. I do kind of wish she didn't throw so much elf/demon history at us in one book cause it is a lot to take in and anytime Newt is involved there are some annoying magical ambiguities. I am hoping most of them will be resolved in the last one but even if they aren't, I still love this book. It is my new favourite of the series. Trent fans especially, will love this book. I am feeling this urge to read it again for a fourth time just cause...