The Outlaw Demon Wails

I couldn't get through a full chapter, the writing is so horrendous. I was excited by the title and the idea of the story but how she got published leaves me bewildered. If I could give negative stars I would.

I like this series enormously, because I love the main character and I especially love the demons: no little foot-stamping fire-breathing horned homunculi, these; no, these are immortal, intelligent, horridly efficient beings that have very specific goals and go about trying to accomplish them -- and god help you if you get in their way. The nice thing about this series is that's exactly how Rachel is, and it makes for great conflict whenever she gets into it with the demons -- which is pretty much every book, except the first one and the one with the werewolves (Which are both pretty demony, too, come to think). But the best part about this character and these books is that they focus on the dark part of dark fantasy/paranormal romance, which is often the most interesting part, and yet nowhere in these books does the main character revel in her own angst and Weltschmertz, or demean other people for not understanding the darkness in her soul; she has had to work hard to recognize her dark side as just -- dark. Not evil, necessarily. And as I have watched the character come to terms with this, it has felt like watching an actual person learn to accept themselves for who they are. It has made me sympathetic, and kept me fascinated, through all six books. In this one, Rachel just goes right ahead and becomes a demon. Well, not really, but she realizes that she has more in common with demons, in some ways, than with witches, and the full secret of her parentage and the magical inheritance, and the future consequences of her inheritance and what Trent's father did to her, finally come out. It's a great reveal, made even better by how badly Trent deals with it and with Rachel. I've had trouble with Trent in the past, because I've always felt that Rachel's hatred of him was unreasoning in some way; sure, he is a murderer and a drug dealer -- but come on. She lives with, and is in love with, a living vampire who was scion to the most evil being in these books -- and I include the demons in that statement. Nobody compares to Piscary, and Ivy did horrible things when she was in his thrall; certainly worse than what Trent has done building his criminal empire. And Trent's crimes are offset by the amount of good he does -- Ivy's crimes are only offset by her protection of Rachel. So I can see the personal attachment to the murderer who keeps you alive and loves you, no problem there -- but why so much bile for the murderer who kept you alive in the past? Anyway, in this book, Trent not only acts like a complete doofus, but he pulls an incredibly crappy move, selling Rachel out, only because he's too stupid to recognize the consequences of what he says. And this guy has the gall to shy away from both Rachel and Ceri because of the demon smut on their souls. Bah. Jenks is still the best character, and I love Bis, the new gargoyle, who I hope will play a much bigger role in the next one. This one was great as always -- and a really nice resolut

This is the sixth book in Kim Harrison's Hallows series. It was a great book that kept me turning the pages and it was very hard to put down. I am so relived that Harrison continues to write awesome books. Rachel is prepping for the huge Halloween holiday with her mother when she is assaulted by an unexpected guest; Al is somehow out of demon jail and he is bent on killing Rachel once and for all. Rachel has to figure out what is going on and save her friends and her family. It was wonderful to read more about Rachel's mother and about Al. Trent also goes through a lot of character development in this story. I was happy that Harrison put Rachel on a "relationship hiatus" in this book. After Kisten's death, it was nice to see Rachel do what a real person would do...which is take some time get herself back together. I would have been sorely disappointed if she followed the path of another female character we all know and has Rachel sleep with everything that moved. I was a little surprised that the main plot wasn't tracking down Kisten's murderer but rather dealing with Al. It was great to find out who Rachel's real father was; and it was good to find out about Rachel's true genetic makeup and abilities. Like usual the book was fast-paced, action-packed, and hard to put down. Jenks was his usual self and it was nice to see Rachel and Ivy make some progress in their friendship. I do hope that the blood-balance thing between Rachel and Ivy isn't revived in the next book; enough is enough on that topic. Overall, this was an awesome book. This book ended well leaving me feeling like the next book will be entering a fresh new chapter of Rachel's life. Can't wait for the next book! BTW, I was reading an interview with Kim Harrison where she says that her contract has been extended part 6 books to 9 books. So, it looks like we have at least three more books in the series to go! karissabooks.blogspot.com

Rachel Morgan is one of my all time favorite heroines. I know she does stupid things but strangely enough, I'm always rooting for her to do it because I know that interesting things will come of it. A lot of threads are tied up or at least strengthened in this latest book and I am SOOOO glad since too many series start to lag or fall apart by now. The storytelling was tightly wound and everything happened for a reason. Rachel is still recovering from the death of her vampire boyfriend Kisten and is trying to move on with life, be a better person, stop acting so impulsive and grow up. But it doesn't seem to matter that her intentions are good becuase she's still being targeted by demons and forced into situations that aren't the happiest. Her attempts to have a normal friendship with Ivy may finally be paying off even though it's not anything that they would have foreseen as being possible. She has a possible new love interest in Marshal (who's aloso a witch and seems like strong enough person to handle life with Rachel)even though she's fighting it because she knows its too soon after Kisten. Rachel's mother is a riot and my favorite line from the book may have to be from her...'pee-stained hole' made me laugh out loud. Jenks is awesome as usual and I am loving the mysterious guest in the belfry named Bis and what his arrival portends for Rachel. Al is given some slightly grey shades to his black soul and despite his always frantic attempts to kill Rachel--I kind of like him. He's a great villian and I hope his role continues to grow. Finally this book ends with the tantalizing thought of what Rachel will become now that her past is revealed and she is heading into the the 'ever-after'. I've a feeling that although she's fighting it, deep inside, she's as excited as we are to be going there. And I just know that in the end, it's going to be a happily ever after for our heroine.

There's no doubt about it. Harrison has done it again and raised the stakes ever higher with her latest and greatest Hallows book. It's hard to believe this is only book six; it feels like Rachel's character has been with us forever and she only gets more "real" as the series continues. As surely as Rachel twists curses to get herself out of yet another sore spot, Harrison is twisting readers into an absolute fit of excitement with her wicked way with words. The Outlaw Demon Wails wastes no time and swings into the demon action with the very first chapter. With a trio of sneezes from Rachel, Al's back in crushed green velvet and as ready to wreak havoc as ever. It's October and as the Hallows and Cincinatti residents prepare for the week-long Halloween festivities, Rachel is once again fending off Al's rigorously murderous attentions. Someone is letting him lose from his ever-after jail cell and Rachel has to find out who has it in for her enough to do so. The list of possibilities is long, to say the least. And suddenly, not only is Rachel in danger, but everyone she loves and cares about are too. With guilt and heartache weighing heavily on her with Kisten's demise, not to mention more than one shocking family secret, Rachel is mentally and physically tired. And when a desperate witch just can't take anymore, she'll do anything to save those she loves. I'd been hearing that at one time this was to be the end of the series, and therefore we'd be seeing a lot of the subplots wrapped up with this installment (even though Harrison's contract has now been extended--which hey, is awesome!). Frankly, I don't agree that that many of them were really wrapped up enough to truly put away. Rather, it read more as if a new chapter had opened in many of them and they'd become even bigger an issue than they were previously. For example, Rachel's lineage has always been of keen interest, what with her surviving a deadly childhood witch illness, one that kills many a witch in infancy. Within this particular subject we have two subplots that intertwine: what Trent's father really did to her in that Make-a-Wish camp and who exactly her father is, a man that had passed on some time ago, a character that we really didn't know much about till this installment. We get oodles `o info on both of these, yet it's such a huge impact that we'll certainly be feeling the effects of them and possibly more info in the books to come. Rachel and Ivy's blood lust marathon...what can I say but that they seem to come to an understanding, finally, of where each stands in this particular relationship. I was especially pleased with Ivy this time, as she finally seems to take a step back and really look at Rachel in regards to the blood lust. I felt she actually listened this time. I do not think it's over, as the new master vamp has made a rather bold claim, but for now, it's come to a much more pleasing, not to mention manageable, point. Ceri's role is as important as ever, and the

Over the course of five Hollows novels, Harrison has teased and alluded to readers about Rachel Morgan's true heritage. Is she really a witch? What did Trent's father exactly do to her DNA? Why does Ceri never let on about what she knows regarding Rachel's unusual talent in kindling demon magic? How is it related to Trent's research for the elf race? Why do demons gravitate towards her as if they have an ulterior motive? Why? Because they do! Finally, Harrison lets the cat out of the bag in a big way...but she doesn't give it to us all in one big enchilada. The entire meat of the book is a lead in to what we have been waiting for but we stop a few times, glean more along the way. Two main aspects to this latest tale that stand out significantly are: 1)there is more of a presence and focus on family ties both from Rachel's true family and her urban Hollows one i.e., Rachel's mom has a very dark secret related to Rachel's father, Keasley is revealed, Quen is in dire trouble, Rynn Cormel, the charismatic new Cincy vampire master makes an appearance, Ivy and Rachel come to an agreement of sorts with their blood balance, David the Were appears more nurturing, the addition of Marshal (the witch from Mackinaw Island) provides a potential new love interest, and Ceri...well she's got a bun in the oven from an unlikely source and 2) Rachel's true heritage. It even gets more complicated and spicier as the search for Kisten's killer ensues, Trent asks Rachel to go on a mission to the Ever-After so that she can retrieve a piece of ancient Elven DNA-that might be able to repair the damage that the demons wrought in the last war. Couple this with Al on a nightly release when some mysterious person keeps summoning him from his jail in the Ever-After-even Minias is hard pressed to catch him. All in all, it's not just a bad day for Rachel but a bad week-Halloween week no less. Readers get the big payoff and a glimpse into one possible direction that Harrison might be taking the series-one that is freaking irresistible! I felt like giggling and skipping around in a circle chanting a mantra: "We're going to the Ever After- We're going to the Ever After" like it's a really neat school field trip. Well hell...it is! My permission slip is signed and I'm ready to go! After staying up nearly all night to finish reading (got the book early), and a triple espresso in the shower to wake me up, it was well worth every minute. Worth savoring and re-reading! Kudos Harrison, did it again!-Laughter in One Word: `mouse burger", and the dialogue between Jenks and Bis was so freaking funny I laffed so hard and loud, that I probably woke my neighbors! (c)Nicola Mattos