For a Few Demons More

I picked up the first book in the series, "Dead Witch Walking (Rachel Morgan, Book 1)" in my local grocery store on an impulse when it first came out, and have never looked back. Rachel Morgan, while not exactly a completely new kind of heroine (very similar to the early Anita Blake character), lives in a completely unique world. 40 years after the Turn, humans have learned they are not alone in the world - they live side-by-side with witches, Weres, Vampires and so forth. Most of the Inderlanders (as non-Humans call themselves) used to live in the "ever-after" - an alternate dimension still populated by demons (a war between the rest of the Inderlanders and the Demons is what drove them from the ever-after - leaving the Demons behind). "For a Few Demons More" is a fairly dark chapter in Rachel's life - not that previous chapters have been shiny and happy, but they have generally ended fairly well. In this book, Rachel has to learn some harsh life lessons and she loses someone very close to her. The story opens with her in a semi-somnambulant state, confused and apparently looking for something. Realizing that she is, apparently, possessed, she manages to throw out the possessing demon, who turns out to be Newt, an insane Demon to whom Rachel owes a favor after Newt got her out of the ever-after in a former book. This is all kinds of bad because after all, demons aren't supposed to be able to cross over by themselves or possess a someone without being invited in. A similar problem arises later in the story when Rachel's old demon acquaintance Al shows up wearing the body of Lee - a witch that was in competition with Rachel in an earlier volume for a position in Trent Kalamack's service and who eventually ended up becoming Al's familiar through a series of events mostly of his own instigation. Needless to say, I hate to provide much more of the plot in order to avoid spoiling it. This was a tough one, but I love Kim Harrison's unflinching style. Rachel Morgan is a terrific character. A topic came up, almost as an aside, that I would LOVE to see explored in future volumes - that being the areas outside the cities. It is mentioned that the areas outside the cities have become wild. I would be most interested in traveling with Rachel and her friends outside of Cincinnati, just to see what is out there. A definite recommend from me for those who loved Anita Blake in Laurell K Hamilton's earlier books, or otherwise love a good paranormal thriller.

There are already so many reviews on this book and what it's about I thought why put my two cents in? But then I thought, why not? I have read all the books in this series and like so many others, I have wondered about the fate of Rachel, Ivy, Jenks, Trent, David, Kisten, and Cheri. They have become my friends. Now that they are my friends, I was saddenend at the loss of one of them. As many have stated in prior reviews, there is one point where I actually cried, which I seldom do. This is a testimony to the impact good writing has on a reader. I felt as if I had lost a good friend. Nevertheless, isn't that why we read? To be moved or angered or have a good laugh? We would like to throttle Rachel for her spontaneous combustion of a personality. We do or do not want her with Ivy. We worry about Jenks getting older. We love Kisten and so want it to work out for him and Rachel. Those kinds of running plots make for a very interesting read. This book was no exception to that rule. Regardless of how you feel about the turn of events in each book, they still grab you and hold on to you until the very last page. I love these books, I love Kim Harrison's writing and no matter how they turn out, I will be a faithful reader.

For a witch, Rachel Morgan has an amazing string of bad luck. Kicked out of one law enforcement agency and working part time for another, she has managed to alienate just about every big time supernatural on the planes. She has a vampire crime lord waiting to get out of prison to kill her, a demon who is planning to enslave her for a few thousand years, and had discovered that the biggest drug dealer in Cincinnati is an elf. Now a serial killer is stalking the werewolves of the city and Rachel finds out that her own pack leader is a suspect. Her personal life includes an ex-boyfriend who sold souvenirs of her to a demon, a love junky vampire, and her partner, a beautiful bloodsucker whose is all hung up on Rachel's hang-ups. And did I mention Jenks the pixy, her other partner, and his multitude of relatives? One thing Kim Harrison's stories are never short of is characters, most of whom really are characters. Another thing they are never short of is disasters. For a Few Demons More opens with a demon tearing apart the church where Rachel, Ivy, and Jenks have made their home. Before the havoc is over the team will have to come up with the cash to have the building re-sanctified and Rachel is in the uncomfortable position of having a demon owe her a favor. In order to pay for this Rachel agrees to help the FIB with a string of killings and stand guard at Trent Kalimak. Of the two tasks, I believe Rachel would rather hang around the morgue looking at dead werewolves. Things do not get better. Rachel realizes that most of the havoc is because almost everyone in Cincinnati is looking for the wolf focus she acquired in the previous volume. The focus could easily touch off an occult war, and Rachel's efforts to hide or get rid of it would be funny if the death toll wasn't so high. Rachel tends not to think of consequences and there will be more than a few times when you start thinking that it would be best if someone did kill her. Of course, then there would be no more books. To be honest, Kim Harrison has again put together a winning combination of occult suspense and humor. These books have much that the commonplace occult romance lacks. Rachel's aversion to taking advice may be predictable, but the results rarely are and the reader will spend many pleasant hours wondering what kind of mess she is going to get into to get out of the mess she is in.

In many ways, Rachel Morgan's problems come full circle in this fifth installment of the Hallows series. With enemies drawing closer than they ever have before, her palette of choices is fast becoming slim to none. In one power play after the next, Rachel's about to fall behind enemy lines, instead of the one step ahead we've been seeing. It's back to Cincinnati after her desperate attempt to save her pixie partner's son and her ex-boyfriend, Nick. Rachel harbors a rather nasty curse trapped in a bone prison, the focus, which threatens to twist the realities of Weres and vampires alike, both of whom squabble over it like children. With Trent vying for it, someone killing for it and our favorite demon Al lusting after it, Rachel once again has to find a way to undo another problem forced upon her. As the delicate balance between her and Ivy begins to come to a roiling boil, it's all the earth witch can do to stay this side of good, acceptable magic. With her special blood and desire to help others though, it's near impossible for her to deflect the trouble that comes looking for her with a vengeance. Unable to unload the focus on just anyone, she'll have to decide who's the best choice...and none of them are looking particularly stellar. The first of Harrison's series to be offered in hardback, it's a worthy installment for it, tipping the scales even further towards excellent. For a Few Demons More wraps up some of the problems that Rachel has been having over the course of the other books while of course unraveling others even further. Trent comes back into play and it's a totally different side of him than readers have read before. Ceri, the powerful ex-demon familiar, shows Rachel just how much she respects her and Rachel's pack mate David takes on a major role. The demon Newt is back and we get some interesting information and insights into that character too, though whether they help or hinder the outlook on Newt is the reader's choice. Ivy's dilemma with Piscary is excruciatingly dealt with and it was a struggle at certain points to get past the powerful emotions Harrison has written surrounding Ivy and Rachel. As always, Harrison manages to insert a shocking twist, one I never saw coming, involving Rachel and another of her closest friends. For a Few Demons More is inundated with its fair share of pain, angst and utter despair and readers most certainly may feel closer to Rachel than ever before because of it. It's not without it's glimmer of hope though and some very interesting new characters are introduced that I hope will continue to make appearances in the next book, most notably a mysterious organization of demon practitioners and Dr. Ford Miller, a psychiatrist for the FIB (Federal Inderlander Bureau, the human division to deal with Inderlanders). In the end, as much as Rachel has had to deal with, she's never appeared stronger to me. As always, the once-a-year release of Harrison's Hallows series just can't come fast enough and I

Rachel Morgan is a red-haired witch, bounty hunter, and talented street-fighter. Rachel owes favors to several demons--the resulting demon marker she wears on her wrist make other witches flinch. Fortunately she has earned the respect of the FIB, the local police force, which assists her to earn some money as a preternatural consultant. This installment starts in the middle of the action when Rachel is dealing with an unexpected visit from Newt, one of the demons to whom she owes a favor. Rachel's unwilling dealings with demons and her employment as sometime body guard for local business man/drug lord Trent Kalamack, cause her to spend more time with Ceri, an elf who used to be the slave of a demon and therefore has the inside scoop. We see more sides of Ceri in this book which enhances the story. Rachel's business partner Jenks continues to harass Rachel about her slutty clothes but always has her back in a pinch. Her other business partner, Ivy, has earned Rachel's friendship and perhaps bi-curious love. The sexy vampire boyfriend, Kisten, plays a small but hot part in this installment. Ultimately this book is a continuation of the former book, as the plot revolves around how to dispose of the Focus, a magical artifact that could cause warfare between vampires and demons. Reading the previous books is a must due to the complexity of the characters and the world they inhabit. Harrison remains true to form, with a believable fun hero and sidekicks, a fascinating mystery to solve, plenty of romantic angst and risky negotiations with demons to avoid being dragged off into demon slavery. Keep them coming Kim!