A Fistful of Charms

I love these books! Unfortunately, the copy of this I received, which was listed as good was basically falling out of the cover the binding was completely detached I had to hold the book together while reading it.

Fans of the Hollows will revel in the depth of character development found in this, the fourth volume in Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series. Although it is the best installment to date, the first bit of the book is, I reluctantly write, somewhat tedious. The action scenes, while highly imaginative and inventive, drag on with details more befitting the direction of a screenplay than of a novel's narrative flow. Hang in there gentle reader, because like a vampire seizing its victim's throat the plot suddenly engages around Chapter Nineteen, when it is revealed that Nick, the stereotypically wanker-ish ex-boyfriend has stolen a priceless Were artifact, The Focus: an object which could change the world's balance of power. Rachel, Ivy, Jenks, and Jax must thwart the best efforts of a group of paramilitary Weres ruthlessly intent upon mayhem, murder, and recovery of the icon. Our heros head off in a van, slinking through motels, convenience stores, and middle class America as they seek to destroy the Focus, defeat the Weres, and keep danger away from the Hollows. The swashbuckling action scenes at the beginning of the book are balanced by the deep introspection of the middle. The road trip becomes a metaphor for each of the character's journeys of self discovery. While on the lam, Rachel undergoes a crisis as she reflects upon her dalliance with the black arts - employed by her as a desperate measure to rescue Nick. This angsty self examination gives us such deliciously corny lines as "My soul was black but my body was perfect". As Rachel enters this pre-midlife crisis, we are shown a great deal of her companions as they too, reveal their own life struggles and identity issues. Jenks, accusing Rachel of being an `adrenalin junkie', helps her face the fear of her own true identity and source of power all the while facing his own impending mortality. Ivy presents Rachel with even greater pathos and emotional challenge which I won't spoil except to say that sometimes those you love the dearest are the ones you hurt the most deeply. And the fact that you don't know you do it says everything. Tink's knickers, this is not one to miss. I sense it is the set up to a spectacular fifth story.

My wife and I discovered this series last year, and after reading the first three back-to-back, we agonized for six months waiting for "A Fistful of Charms." It was well worth the wait. Rachel gets into more scary jams, but as always, she manages to escape, although beat-up badly. Jenks is back after his virtual absence in the third book, and he's amazing as a human (note: this isn't much of a spoiler, since it happens very early in the book). Nick is also back, although Rachel should have dumped him a long time ago. He's still bad business, but I have a bad feeling we still haven't seen the last of him. Werewolves are the bad guys in this book, as Rachel rushes off to save Nick from them. They're poretty scary when they join packs for evil purposes. Ivy? Not going there, that would be a real spoiler. Bottom line: If you enjoyed the first three books, don't even think about it, just go ahead and get this one. My prediction: Based on clues in "A Fistful of Charms," I predict that Big Al will be back in a big way in Book 5. I just wish we didn't have to wait.

I love this series. No, I mean I REALLY love this series! A quick rundown of its finer points: It's got action, though not over the top. It has a smidgeon of romance that lends a slight sensitive air to an often dangerous and suspenseful atmosphere. It has amazingly strong characters, from villain to heroine, that make you feel and know who they really are. And finally, though never least, it has a solid plot that advances satisfactorily with each progressive installment. Rachel Morgan has had some tough issues to deal with in less than one year. She's been marked for death by the organization that she once worked for and survived. She's been marked and almost claimed by a rather nasty demon, yet managed to best even that complex being. And so achingly close to home, she's still coming to terms with her scattered love life, confusingly twisted around her roommate Ivy, her lover Kisten and former boyfriend Nick. It's not a love triangle, but it comes durn close! When her estranged partner, Jenks, comes on board for one last run, they're off to Michigan to pull Nick and one of Jenks' sons out of trouble. As always with our dear, flawed Rachel, she gets way more than she bargained for and soon they're fending off the unwanted attentions of some disturbingly unified Were packs. Why are the Weres uniting and what will it bring as the normally submissive species climbs its way towards top of the supernatural food chain? Nothing good for the vamps, which have much to lose if the packs do unite. With ultra aggressive Weres sniping from every direction, and more undead looking on her with not so subtle lust, what's a poor earth witch to do? With Rachel, it's an open book and fans may be surprised at the lengths she's willing to go to in this one. If Harrison's new book is on the shelves, every other book I've got waiting to be read will just have to wait longer. Harrison pulls readers right in once again with this excruciatingly enticing installment, which I am completely convinced is the best of the series to date. Told in the first person, we're allowed a depth of Rachel's character that seems so much more personal than with books told in third person. Readers will feel every punch, every wound and recovery effort Rachel takes on throughout the story, as well as every emotion. This is an emotional wringer, with Rachel, Jenks and Ivy's problems laid barer than they've ever been before. There are two levels of betrayal that raised the bar in this one, one towards Rachel, the other towards Jenks that helped set this one apart from the previous books. And of course, the ever suspenseful situation of Rachel and Ivy... Kim Harrison is an amazing author, one I am so happy to see continuing with this thrilling rollercoaster ride we're on with her. Waiting with not much patience here for the next one!

Rachel Morgan is a witch with a flair for getting into trouble. She is forced to use a demonic curse in order to Were so she can maintain her status as Alpha of David's pack and keep her insurance rates affordable. After crossing this line once, it is an easy slide to continue using demonic curses. Rachel finds out that her former pixy partner, Jenks, has a son, Jax, who is lost somewhere up north. Jax has teamed up with Rachel's ex-boyfriend and ex-familiar, Nick Sparagmos, to steal an artifact that now has the Weres ready to kill him. Rachel once again resorts to a demonic curse and transforms Jenks into a human sized pixy for their rescue of Jax and Nick. The situation quickly gets complicated when it turns out that the stolen artifact is one that could tip the balance of power between the Inderlanders. Rachel, Jenks, and Ivy will have to quickly develop a plan that keeps everyone safe while maintaining the balance of power. A FISTFUL OF CHARMS shows a more introspective side of Rachel. Rachel uses quite a few demonic curses in this novel and the resulting stain on her soul makes her re-examine her entire life. She is also struggling with her relationship with Ivy. Ivy is obviously attracted to Rachel whereas Rachel is only interested in friendship. However, Rachel recognizes that Ivy needs blood as a living vampire and therefore is hoping to find some sort of blood balance with Ivy. This dilemma results in quite a bit of introspection from both Ivy and Rachel. A FISTFUL OF CHARMS can be read as a stand alone novel but will probably rate lower to readers new to the series. Fans of the series will enjoy the new depth of the characters and the twists that are occurring within the various relationships. However, the novel may appear to drag a bit with Rachel's angst if one isn't aware of the undercurrents in Rachel's history with Jenks, Ivy, and Nick. Kim Harrison continues to explore new realms with this fantastic series. Jenks as a human sized pixy is both entertaining and intriguing and it was wonderful to see him working with Rachel again. A FISTFUL OF CHARMS takes the series in a new direction that will only leave readers hungering for more. COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Rachel Morgan is at it again, and it is better than ever! She's still a strong, savy, wonderful character with real depth, and an awesome first person voice. Harrison has built a rich and complex world, in some ways wonderfully familiar, and in other ways entirely new and original, and has managed to flawlessly blend the two in such a way as to make the entirety all the more interesting, all the more easy to become lost in. She has peopled her world with full, rich, fascinating, sometimes funny, sometimes sexy, sometimes highly sympathetic characters, and tells of them in an intelligent, insightful, highly believable first-person voice. Kim Harrison again builds nicely on what's come before, while working in short, pithy, reminders. She does not solve every mystery just yet, maintaining that edge of the seat tension over some details(although you do find out some new and interesting information!) and leaves that delightful trail to follow on to the next story, while still resolving the central issues of the current one. Sexual tension is high where appropriate. Related scenes are exceptionally well written without being smutty, unbelievable, random, or taking the place of actual plot. Romances and romantic issues are nicely blended, and flow well with the rest of the story. There are some very good, solid laughs to be had, and the great, often prankish and exceptionally witty sense of humor from the other books carries over well. Without posting actual spoilers, I will say that Jenks figures prominently in the story line, and that David the werewolf makes a showing, as do Kisten, Ivy, and others. Although not altogether necessary, I would highly recommend reading the first three books if the reader has not yet had the pleasure before experiencing this one. The story here stands alone well, but some of the richness of detail might be lost for not having read the entirety of the series. Too, the other books are massively enjoyable. I would give them ALL five stars. If you liked Laurel Hamilton's earlier works, The Harry Dresden Novels of Jim Butcher, LA Banks, Kelly Armstrong, Charlaine Harris, or even the wit of Mary Janice Davidson's Undead series, you will LOVE these, as they combine elements of all of the best of the others in a fresh, new, wholly unique way. I simply cannot recommend this book highly enough! -Mo-