Book Jacket:
New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison returns to the Hollows with the electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed Pale Demon!
Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cincinnati, terrifying amalgams of human and other. Pulled in to help investigate by the I.S. and the FIB, former witch turned day-walking demon Rachel Morgan soon realizes a horrifying truth: a human hate group is trying to create its own demons to destroy all Inderlanders, and to do so, it needs her blood.
She’s faced vampires, witches, werewolves, demons, and more, but humanity itself might be her toughest challenge yet.
You can read an excerpt here.
Review:
It’s hard to believe we’ve reached book ten of The Hollows series – and it’s harder still to believe we only have two left to go!
Rachel has always been the heart and soul of this series, but this book in particular is a very personal story for her. The consequences of the last book loom large from the first page, and Rachel starts this book completely off her game. Wracked by indecision, Rachel has to do some serious reflecting on who she really is and what her place is in this world – but of course that doesn’t stop trouble from knocking at her door, as usual. I love how Harrison makes Rachel experience pretty much every kind of helplessness in this story, and how Rachel slowly comes to understand the burden of responsibility she has to bear. Rachel flails and falters, and then finally finds her footing and rises to the challenge – and then she starts kicking ass – and I absolutely loved it. From day one, this series has really been all about Rachel growing up, and in terms of Rachel’s magic, and power, she takes some huge steps forward in this book. By the end, Rachel had some pretty big stuff figured out.
That said, Rachel’s personal life remains a disaster area, and looming large is the impending doom that is Trent as The Love Interest. This book definitely builds on the events of the last in terms of floating the possibility of a romance between the two of them, and as I pretty much want that not to happen with every fiber of my being, I’m afraid it’s time for my impassioned plea as to why I believe they should NOT get together. Bear with me.
First of all, I have to say that I do like the way Harrison is exploring Trent’s character, making him more dimensional, and I like that she’s playing with a new, weird, uncomfortable dynamic between Rachel and Trent, but fundamentally I just am not a fan of the Elf. Trent has proven himself to be utterly relentless in pursuit of his own self interest – he’s high-handed, arrogant, and reckless; he’s used Rachel time and again, and he even freely admits in this book that he’s a bastard. And Rachel once again is drawn like a moth to the Bad Boy flame, and it just makes me want to tear my hair out. Rachel, sweetie, did you learn nothing from Nick? Did you not end things with Pearce because you couldn’t trust him, because he morally went places you couldn’t condone? And now suddenly just because Trent looks good naked in the shower, you’re willing to overlook the fact that he is the epitome of a Machiavellian, and that when push comes to shove, to him you’re an asset more than a person? Why do you trust him, Rachel? Alright, he keeps his word if he gives it, but can you really trust him to do the right thing, to have your back no matter what? Because I surely don’t. And for a she-demon trying to figure out how far she’s willing to go with her curses, and what moral boundaries to set for herself, Trent is the worst possible influence. There’s actually a scene towards the end of the book, where Rachel and Trent essentially are on a run together, and I just did not like what I saw in Rachel the closer she got to Trent – and I think if they do end up together, Rachel’s slowly going to turn into someone I don’t like. And that drives me crazy. Alright, I’m off my soapbox now.
But this all brings me to another issue I have with the larger story of this book, and frankly with the last couple of books in this series (and I see the Trent development as a symptom of this), which is how Harrison keeps throwing Rachel at all these new relationships – Marshall, Pearce, Trent – while largely ignoring the relationships we’ve all become so vested in over the course of the series, namely Ivy and Jenks. Part of why I fell in love with this series was that team dynamic, that precarious balancing act between three prickly personalities, the family. Now don’t get me wrong, I fully understand that this book is largely about dealing with life when it takes you in different directions than the people you love – and Harrison does a wonderful job creating that sadness/grief/distance – but I really just miss Jenks and Ivy, particularly Ivy. And here, even when they’re part of the story, they’re largely off the page, and I just don’t entirely understand why. There’s even a huge Ivy moment, especially given what it says about the importance of Rachel to her life, even now, and it happens off-page and then is only mentioned offhandedly, in an aside. And while Jenks has a quip to throw here and there, he’s not really crucial to the story – it’s like Jenks and Ivy are not even on Rachel’s radar anymore, and instead she keeps running to Trent, which vexed me grievously. I care about Ivy and Jenks about a bazillion times more than I care about Trent, and yet Trent gets the vast majority of page time, while Ivy and Jenks skulk in the background like shadow puppets. Look, I fell in love with this series because of the Rachel-Ivy-Jenks triumverate, and I know things have evolved and changed between them, but I don’t believe that means they should be strangers in their own series. And without all of them, for me, this series just doesn’t live up to its full potential.
Though I will admit I’m biased – when it comes to Rachel’s happily ever after, I definitely am still rooting for Ivy. I just love how they compliment each other, and care for each other, and make each other better people. Team Ivy, all the way.
As for the other characters who make an appearance in this book, it was lovely to see Ceri again, but I have to say Al really just once again lights up every scene he’s in. I downright love that shifty demon, with his urbane menace and droll humor, and the way he flips with lightning speed between affectionate and homicidal. He’s just such a character.
As to the larger mythology of this series, there is definitely still plenty left to be addressed, particularly when it comes to saving Ivy’s soul. The issue was mentioned briefly in this book – and I felt like a pointer hound on the scent – which makes me think Harrison is setting the stage to tackle it in the next two books (which makes me happy). There’s also that little problem of the Ever After leaking, not to mention big question marks across the board as to just how Harrison is going to deliver on her promised Happily Ever Afters. It feels like they’re going to be hard-won, whatever they are – but as for what they’re going to be, aside from Jenks, I really don’t know which way Harrison is going to go. And I like that feeling.
In the end, I enjoyed this book immensely – this series has endured for good reason – and I am going to miss the heck out of it when it goes. It’s really starting to feel like the end now…
Byrt Grade: A
As Levar Burton used to say – you don’t have to take my word for it…
A Perfect Blood is a solid and welcome entry in the The Hollows mythology. It doesn’t resolve any of the really big overreaching story arc questions and that may disappoint some fans, but ultimately Rachel is the heart of the series and deservedly so. She shines in A Perfect Blood, easily carrying the mystery thriller on her shoulders.
As per usual, Rachel’s struggle with self-acceptance, her good heart, her rejection of everyone’s advice, her impulsiveness and recklessness and her all-around gift for causing chaos get her into trouble…Still fun, but could reach farther.
Rachel is at her best when she embraces who she really is and what she really wants. That’s true when she’s kicking ass and when she’s navigating through her personal relationships. It just took her awhile to get to that point in this book.
Overall I felt like this was a good, but not a great one. The first half was somewhat slow and Rachel was more irritating than usual. I also agree that more Jenks, Ivy, and Al was needed. Especially Ivy, we hear of all of this personal growth that happen off screen is irritating.
Yeah! Finally someone that agrees with me in regards to Trent. I don’t have a problem with fans forgetting or down playing a number of Trent’s crimes, because that their right to do so. But when Rachel start to do that, especially when its been established that Rachel has such rigid morals it upsets.
Kim Harrison’s impetuous hot mess heroine Rachel Morgan has never been less likeable than in A Perfect Blood, but I liked that I didn’t like her as much. Rachel spends most of the novel in what she calls a pity party – and what seemed to me like a believable mix of depression, anxiety, guilt, and fear making her overreact and be hard on herself. It was easy to get annoyed at Rachel’s petulant mood swings and poor decisions. I found myself shaking the book fairly often, yelling “Grow up, Rachel!” In particular, Rachel’s sniffing about Ivy and Jenks “moving on without her” drove me crazy. They’re not moving out or leaving Vampiric Charms. As friends they’re just as much there for her as ever. Ivy’s life just isn’t orbiting as tightly around Rachel anymore, and since Rachel’s used to being object of obsession, she feels bereft without it (not one of Rachel’s most endearing qualities-but to be fair she hasn’t had many experiences of healthy love in her life).
Also contributing to Rachel’s rudderlessness is the loss of her simplistic moral framework that she had as a witch: white magic is fine, black magic is evil, and demon curses put smut on the soul. Figuring out how to deal with being a demon in this framework is rough. Disappointingly, Rachel’s self-awareness is still fairly superficial, without much real introspection or insight. She doesn’t really deal with the new knowledge that witches and demons are evolutionarily related, or think about the consequences of her choices to embrace or reject her demon abilities. She grows a bit over the course of the novel, but in my opinion she doesn’t get any deeper than a G.I.Joe cartoon slogan, even by the end.
In earlier installments of The Hollows, Rachel careens through obstacles to saving the day at the end, which readers can root for. Interestingly, in A Perfect Blood it’s not really clear if Rachel’s involvement helped more than it hurt. I really appreciate how Harrison moved Rachel’s actions into a murkier context, where her choices don’t always turn out for the best. Overall I think the shades of grey make it a better story.