The Outlaw Demon Wails (The Hollows, Book 6)
by Kim Harrison
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Book Reviews of The Outlaw Demon Wails (The Hollows, Book 6)
Book Review: Rachel's life gets even stranger -- a great reason to read the book!
Summary: 4 Stars
Ordinarily, I don't read vampire novels, or gothics, or any of that stuff -- but I make a major exception for this series, of which this is the sixth outrageously-titled volume. Rachel Morgan, a very talented earth witch, is a sort-of private eye in an alternate Cincinnati in which witches, vampire, were-folk, elves, and other non-humans make up half the population. Blame it on the bioengineered tomato plague of 1966. The story is set at Halloween, a very important week-long holiday in the Inderland, and Rachel is having a helluva time dealing with Al-the-demon, whom one of her enemies keeps summoning up and turning loose in the hopes he'll take Rachel down. Perhaps if Rachel herself took over Al's summoning name? But her aura is already becoming depressingly smut-laden, and she still has those two (or maybe three) unclaimed demon-marks. And Trent Kalamack, one of the last remaining elves and also wealthy supporter of illegal bioresearch, is getting underfoot. And Rachel is feeling guilty over the death of her vampire boyfriend, who died trying to protect her. And her closest friend and partner, Ivy Tamwood, a living vamp, has been trying hard to separate love and sex in her hungry pursuit of Rachel, who's trying to be accommodating without entirely giving in to her urges. If all this sounds complicated, that's because it is. And while much of the book seems to be marking time in developing the long-term plots, the last quarter of the story, in which Rachel and Trent find it necessary to journey into the ever-after, is a humdinger. And at the very end of things, it appears Rachel and Al are going to be embarking on an interesting new relationship. On the other hand -- and I've commented on this in every one of my five previous reviews of Harrison's work -- she suffers from present-participle-itis and her word choices are frequently awkward, even wince-producing. Still, I will be waiting avidly for the next installment.Book Review: Best of the series so far!
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't usually take the time to write a lot of book reviews, but I was VERY excited about this latest offering from Kim Harrison! While I loved "For a Few Demons More", I found "The Outlaw Demon Wails" is even BETTER -the best of the bunch thus far!
At first, I thought the book was going to be devoted mostly to Rachel fighting Al and trying to figure out who else wants her dead, but that was only a portion of the overall plot. I was pleasantly SHOCKED by the outcome - but I don't want to get into details and ruin it for those who have yet to read! TRUST ME, the ending to this one will definately make you wish you had immediate access to the next installment! lol
What I loved about this story was the interactions between the characters, and the way Ms. Harrison fleshed out more details about them overall. We finally get to meet Rachel's mom and learn some HUGE secrets about the Morgan family!! We get some pretty funny moments when Rachel annoys Trent (IE-the Halloween costume store and the skating rink! Hilarious!) and some equally serious ones involving Quen that I didn't expect.
What is best about these interactions is that the blood-sharing problem between Ivy and Rachel seems like it won't be a problem in future books. Truthfully, I don't really like Ivy very much, and Rachel has FINALLY said NO to the whole thing. I'm hoping this is the final time that kind of interaction happens between these two. Instead of having to waste time in any of the books trying to answer the question "will they or won't they", more time can be devoted to the main plot instead.
Overall, I VERY HIGHLY recommend this book. As I said before, I rarely take the time to write reviews, but I felt I had to with Ms. Harrison's latest offering! :)
Book Review: Different Title Same Guts!!! Not Good Enough!
Summary: 1 Stars
THE OUTLAW DEMON WAILS vs. WHERE DEMONS DARE
I think I waited approx 7 months for this new novel to be released, so you can imagine my excitement when I got the call to collect the brand new release of yet another fun filled episode of Rachael Morgan and her butt kicking team in the hollows in the new title "The Outlaw Demon Wails" only to have a wave of disappointment crash around me when I realised I had already read this book.
"Cant be "I told myself, but after looking I found that "Where Demons Dare" is word for word the same as my brand new package of disappointment.
Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, Book 1)
Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, Book 4)
Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, Book 3)
Frostbite (Vampire Academy, Book 2)
Bitten (Women of the Otherworld, Book 1)
Stolen: A Novel
Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1)
One Foot in the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 2)
Book Review: Rachel Morgan series just keeps getting better
Summary: 5 Stars
I found this book wonderfully entertaining and over too soon. Rachel learns some eye opening revelations that solve some mysteries and set the stage for new ones in the future. There was a lot going on in this installment of the series. I will briefly mention a few of the developments.
Rachel is still mourning and feeling guilty about Kisten but trying to get on with the business of living and ease her loneliness. Her nerve shattering problems with Al ("I can't believe you call him Al"----Trent) has taken an unexpected and drastic turn which will figure prominently in the next book. Trent needs Rachel for a couple of very important problems and her natural reaction is no way. Their adversarial relationship is fun to read. I hope it doesn't get resolved until the end of the series, which hopefully is not any time soon.
Rachel's mom rocks. You see another side of her that shocks the reader and Rachel. Jenks is still going strong, he gets to me every book with his smart mouth, sharp observations and utter devotion as a husband and father. He also makes me laugh out loud. Ms. Harrison has demonstrated she is not afraid to kill a character but she has just got to find a way to save him. Ivy and Rachel seem to have come to some sort of understanding in their relationship but only time will tell ultimately.
There are a couple of new characters, which I am certain will have important roles in future books. There is much more concerning Ceri, Quen and Keasley to name a few. Ms. Harrison has a wonderful imagination and she put it in overdrive this time. I consider her and Jim Butcher my favorite writers of this genre.
Book Review: Trick and Treat, an Enlightening Halloween in the Hollows for Rachel
Summary: 5 Stars
Great book! Harrison closes the door on some of the issues hanging over Rachel's head, while answering some questions that throw the door open for so many interesting possibilities for future books.
Thankfully, one of the issues that seemed to have come to some resolution was the whole blood balance thing with Ivy. I was really getting tired of that whole thread, mainly because it had morphed Rachel's relationship with Ivy into the least interesting one in the books and turned Ivy into a flat character with only two notes to her song -- her violent blood lust and her extreme jealously of any of Rachel's new friends or relationships. It had gotten to the point where I had a hard time remembering what Rachel and Ivy's friendship was like before all the vampiness. Which is a shame since it's Rachel's relationships with Jenks, Ceri, Quen, David and even Trent and Al that have made the books so good.
But this time the background story along with revelations and the trickery that Rachel uses to turn a death sentence into an life-altering opportunity are really what made this book so great. If you are at all a fan of this series, you absolutely have to read it. For me it was worth every penny of the hardback price, and I rarely buy a hardback new. If you are new to the series, this is not the book to start with. It just won't have the impact without knowing all the events that have brought Rachel to this place, go back and start at the beginning with Dead Witch Walking (Rachel Morgan, Book 1) and enjoy the journey!