Reviewed by: Rabid Reads3.5 starsWhere to begin . . .I've come to expect a certain kind of action-fueled, intricate, and well-crafted plot from Kim Harrison, and in A Fistful of Charms, the fourth installment of her The Hollows series, the breakneck pace and interconnectedness upheld all of my expectations.But . . . yes, there's a but . . . the Rachel and Ivy nonsense came to a head, and as we all know, things that come to a head are wont to EXPLODE.And explode it did. But I'll get to that later.At the end of book 3, Rachel signs on as David (the lone Were)'s female alpha for insurance purposes (b/c as an independent runner, Rachel is practically uninsurable), and as a quick fix for David who is getting hassled at work for being a lone wolf, and not contributing to the Were population.SO. He forms a pack with Rachel, who won't hold him to the standard expectations that another Were would---relationships, babies, etc.---and problem solved. Right? Right.WRONG.The local alphas don't think much of David's loophole maneuver and decide to make an example of him. And by "him" I mean Rachel, b/c she's the one who gets challenged by the alpha leader-backed female who wants to be David's alpha in truth *waggles eyebrows* (as opposed to on paper, like Rachel). These early shenanigans with the Weres lay the groundwork for the upcoming interactions (shenanigans) with the Weres, who play a HUGE role in this book.There's also a lot of Nick. I don't like Nick.Nick aside, the premise for this book was awesome---an artifact that can unite the Weres and return them to a position of power among the Inderlanders has been "discovered" (*cough* stolen *cough*), and Rachel and Co. must find it, hide it, and prevent an Inderlander war.If this idea sounds familiar, and you happened to have read the first book from Jess Haines' H&W Investigations series, let me assure you that Harrison's book predates Haines' by four years, and if there was any theft of ideas, it wasn't on Harrison's part. That's all I'm going to say about that.So yeah, very cool, very easily identified plot. More character development across the board---for the first time, I actually like Ivy instead of merely acknowledging her presence. Aaaannndddddd . . . Jenks gets BIG.Seriously, what could be cooler than BIG Jenks? Not much.So why did I only rate this 3.5 stars when up to this point the other books have been a solid 4 stars?Well . . . there's a thing that Rachel likes to do that really bugs me (No, not the tomatoes thing *snickers* but good guess), and I haven't mentioned it before now b/c up to this point it's been a minor thing, and I ultimately love her, BUT Rachel likes to take responsibility for things that aren't her fault. And the way she does this rationalizes other problems (or other people's responsibility in the problems) until she is solely to blame.I hate it.I'm all for taking ownership of your actions. In fact, I probably hate blame-shifting more than Rachel's convoluted rationalizations that manage to hold her accountable for things that are only marginally her fault (if at all). But what Rachel does is so far beyond ownership . . . it's almost like when a leader sacrifices herself for the safety of her people. It's this big, dramatic sense of responsibility, and by usurping that responsibility, she also belittles the choices of others.I. Hate. It.So what is this big, awful thing that Rachel tries to take responsibility for? Well, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. If you've read the book, then you know. If you haven't read the book, READ THE BOOK.<------if you haven't figured it out yet, all roads lead to the same place. *orbit gum smile*I also don't like the suggestion that Rachel had been harboring a secret desire for the Awful Thing to happen all along. I'll buy that she needs to be in a relationship that's dangerous and/or risky to stay interested, but the other thing . . . NOPE. Sorry, don't buy it.So again, GREAT premise, action-packed plot, BIG Jenks (*swoons* *drools*), lots-o-good stuff here, but also again, REALLY over the Rachel and Ivy drama. HOWEVER, I happen to know for a FACT, that it does end. So keep on swimmin', little fishes . . . keep on swimmin'.My other reviews for this series: Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows #1) The Good, the Bad, and the Undead (The Hollows #2) Every Which Way But Dead (The Hollows #3) For a Few Demons More (The Hollows #5) The Outlaw Demon Wails (The Hollows #6) White Witch, Black Curse (The Hollows #7) Black Magic Sanction (The Hollows #8) Pale Demon (The Hollows #9) The Undead Pool (The Hollows #12) Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond
Relief & Irritation. That is what I am feeling right now. I just now finished book 4 in the Hollows series and I am relieved the book is finished I can now return it to the library! I am glad I didn't buy this or swap this. It was the weakest book in the series so far. And though I may continue on with the series, I will have to give it some time to let the irritation pass. The whole Ivy/Rachel thing is on my nerves. I like Rachel with Kisten, at least I did until the end of this book. What the hell? Kisten sticks up for Ivy ? Umm i don't think so... that just didn't feel right, even if they are friends and have a history. I am tired of Ivy being portrayed as this bad-ass yet she is so totally in love with Rachel that Rachel is dominant... crap. Come on. There was a good thing going here before it got all muttled up with that storyline. Creepers, and come on PLEASE tell me why the author is portraying Rachel like a dog in heat over Jenks... her married pixy partner... Umm that just totally irritated me how every OTHER sentence Rachel was drooling over his tight butt. Umm Hello ? Are you that desperate Rachel? It just takes away from her character... Matalina is her friend and Jenks, and Jenks supposedly is dying soon... so you are going to mess with that. Total crap. The reader is suppposed to LIKE the main character the author is not supposed make the reader HATE & despise the main character for being trashy & dumb. I thought Rachel thought Kisten was her 'man'...So he gets out of sight and all of a sudden she is in heat over Jenks? That totally did NOT do the book any good. It pissed me off, between that and her stupid boots clicking on the floor, Thank god she got sneakers for the run or every other page she wasn't LUSTING after Jenks would have been the clicking of her boots... oh i forgot she got flip flops for Jenks so he flip flopped flip flopped rather than boot click clacking... come on did you get a bonus for extra words in this book ? Oh and bare feet he turned and walked soundlessly into the church ? I mean i can understand describing the scene ... but i don't care about what shoes the character has on in EVERY SCENE. Irritating .... just irritating, so yeah... now that i have vented why would I read on in this series ? Well, the first three books were entertaining and funny, and i have read other reviews that say the next book goes back to being good, so i am just going to give it a shot and press on... after i let some time pass. If the next book doesn't pick up, then i will be done. There are too many other books that are out there that are 'entertaining'.And yeah, if the books are so popular then you would think that decent proof readers would be on the job... there were so may typos in this book is was sad... just sad. I apologize for being sooo critical of this book but it really ticks me off when i see a series nose dive into fillers proof reading errors and trashy storylines. Entertain the reader don't try to run them off, for pete sake, have some integrity for your lead characters. Make them likable, sure they can be flawed, but at least make them likeable and stop with the boots clacking for crying out loud. Phew (sigh) I feel better.
What do You think about A Fistful Of Charms (2006)?
I found this book really hard to read compared to the previous three. Whilst there was all the usual excitement and twists and turns i was starting to feel like i had read this all before. Rachel is starting to get on my nerves a bit, i really can't understand how one person can keep making such bad mistakes and never learning from them, and she seems to have the biggest libido in the world. Can she survive five minutes without falling in love with someone? And is she ever going to stop toying with Ivy's emotions.Whilst everyone else's characters seem to be developing, Rachel, the main character doesn't seem to be. This book has left me feeling that i'm not sure if i want to read any more of the series.
—Dannii (lilbob1980)
Damn, how can I say this? This is a too good to be true series. I love it. I know it had a slow beginning with the first 2 books, but terrific from then on.This book was amazing. I had never seen so much action and events going on in a same book. Really. So many things happened in this book that I felt like I was reading more than one book in a same series. And I mean this in a good way. Everything just developed smoothly. UF lovers, you'll love this series, it is so different from all the ones that are out there. Maybe that's what I liked the most about it. I have read a lot of series but not ever one like this and as good. It's still not my top fave, the fever series is still better, of course, and maybe some others like the night huntress series. But don't have any doubt that it is as good as the shifters series and the Georgina Kincaid series. And it really is UF to the core. Believe me you won't disappoint with this series, just have in mind that it takes a couple of books to get to like it this much, at least it did for me.And everything about this series is amazing. I adore all the characters, really, they are unique and really interesting in their own way.**For the ones that have already read 'till book 4**I must say that I missed Al and Kalamack, the series isn't the same without them, it's hard to understand how the book was this good without them, but I hope we'll get a lot more of them in the next.
—valee
Yes, I am very much looking forward to continuing the series. It will have to wait though. It's Christmas time so it's time for my annual reading of The Lord of The Rings.
—Crazy Uncle Ryan
