Ever After: A Dark Urban Fantasy Adventure in Cincinnati Filled with Vampires and Witches (Hollows, 11) Mass Market Paperback – October 29, 2013

After waiting a year with bated breath, revving myself up with tidbits, hints, early cover releases (and debates because of the "blonde hair"), early chapters (of which I only read one to prevent further torture since the release was imminent), and even getting the little collectable coat tag hanger from the author as part of it's promotion, I must say it was worth the wait, every second of it, and is likely the best yet of the bunch.We get a slew of returning and main characters and ample time to soak in most of the goodies - Trent is present for nearly the entire book, so Trent fans should be more than happy with events. Al, my personal favorite, was heavily present in the first part of the book, then appears again later, but sadly was not present for the middle and bulk of the story. Ivy makes an entrance and that's about it, as her story - as Kim Harrison has stated - is leading her off on her own paths. The vampires were thrown in almost as an afterthought, maybe a prequel of things to later come.Ever After is a double whammy, double tragedy. I won't spoil it, of course, but as was warned by the author herself, this is a sad one. Those on the top of my suspect list to bite the big one did not necessarily do so, and instead I was surprised as to who really permanently falls.Kim Harrison has a knack for writing grief and making it convincing without muddling the waters with melodrama, cliches, and unrealistic responses. She did an excellent job having Rachel and others grieve for the loss of another major character earlier in the series. Instead of writing it in one book and then basically moving on, the character was grieved for with several books and is still brought up (as they should be, this is more realistic.) Not all authors embrace this realism but I'm happy Harrison does. This book follows those lines with convincing shock, surprise, anguish, and after effects.The beginning is not a heady rush into action, but more of a slower buildup into a giant, rolling boil. When the action does ignite, it is nonstop from there, with small pauses for breathing, reflections, and regrouping. The ending was incredibly brilliant, especially with the trio team, and the battle was likely the best of the series thus far. The ending wasn't an abrupt wrap up - Thank God! - and was an appropriate aftereffect and promises of more to come.The villain - Ku'Sox (yuck) - is truly dark, demented, and hated for ample reasons. He steers the story with his deviousness, but the main act behind everything is always and should always be Rachel. She is growing into her own, not fretting as much about who and what she really is and what she can accomplish, but also still staying true to her main character and the morals which makes her the splendid "itchy witch" she is.While a clear five writing for pacing, action, characterization, events, dialogue and enjoyment level (let me just say clearly, WOW), there are minor flaws. These don't derive from the star, the goodies make up for these.1) One is a small bit of inconsistency from earlier books that don't add up. There are also questions in my mind such as when she lists the group of people who have her summoning name (one shouldn't be on the list as far as I can see.) Also, Trent tries to question her on what she would have done with something he did in the first book which she greatly disapproved of, putting a spin on it that wasn't really there. I have re-read the first book recently, and it wasn't exactly greed why the guy was running, he was concerned and disturbed about Rachel's predicament. This new twist to try and making Trent's action seems a bit nobler now rings a little false.2) This book was focused on the Ever After big time, but Rachel really doesn't spend that much time there besides a few key parts. I was expecting from the title, description, and buildup, for that to be a little more sketched out.3) A small thing, but it kept standing out to me, and became a bit unrealistic, that Rachel kept shouting so much. Strange as this sounds, she seems to shout A LOT in this book. At the trial, at the enemy, on the brink of a whim she seems to respond by shouting randomly without hesitation and at the drop of a hat, when no one else is shouting, making her look a little unwise with how she handles things.These issues are miniscule compared to the mountains of goodies in this book. It's dark, it's demented, and it's a tragedy. But it's true to the series, an important turning point, and this series really does get better with age. The longer it's written, the deeper the world evolves, but the characters all stay true to themselves even as more is revealed as further layers of them peel away before our eyes. Outstanding stuff, I can't wait for the next one, and sadly there are only two more. With the talented pen of Harrison, this series is a long-running one that deserves to be the length it is, not losing any of it's steam as it soars, not chugs, along.

*ARC Provided by the author (cuz she's amazeballs!)It's my new favorite! I normally worry about using that term too loosely because it could diminish the potential quality of the series as a whole, but I genuinely think it's the best book thus far. Kim Harrison has done it yet again and all signs point to her doing it two more times, and in epic proportions.This time the Ever After, home of the demons, is shrinking at an alarmingly fast rate, placing the existence of magic in a pretty vulnerable position; without one there couldn't be the other. So as if our favorite itchy witch, Rachel Morgan, didn't have enough problems, this just sprang up to #1. If she can't solve this one, she won't have any others. If she can't fix it, the demons want her head as her botched leyline creation caused this mess in the first place. And no one wants to see that happen more than her old buddy, Ku'Sox, the former day walking demon who had the misfortune to cross Rachel and lose. He even resorts to abducting her friend and goddaughter as insurance...and boy is it effective. Thankfully she's got Trent Kalamack and Algaliarept by her side to restore balance and take him down once and for all. But the price may be too high for things to ever be the same again.I know there was criticism about not a lot happening in A Perfect Blood, though I personally enjoyed the old-school Hollows style mystery. But for those of you who didn't, for EVER AFTER I think a better question is what didn't happen! There was so much going on that I genuinely can't recall a dull moment. I think I felt and continue to feel every emotion possible, but I ultimately finished the book in pure euphoria. In case you needed a little reminding, Harrison presents really harsh realities and difficult decisions that prove she's an author with guts. I don't think I've experienced so many pulse pounding moments since For a Few Demons More (book 5). This book left me reeling like no other.The scenes that take place in the Ever-After were some of the best of the series. The race against the clock really made this book so intense. Learning the history of the demons and the elves and the eventual degradation of their relationship was great, though I would have loved even more insight. I just can't get enough of it.And that brings me to Big Al, who was totally amazing. Fans will absolutely adore him in this book as we learn more about his personal back story. He's much more prominent here than in A Perfect Blood and that's fine by me because he literally lights up the pages and keeps things exciting in his own peculiar way.After having read Trent's POV in the bonus chapter of A Perfect Blood, I saw everything he did in a whole new light, and boy was it refreshing. He's got his own personal demons to work through and it really makes you feel for the guy. He is in a rock and a hard place, accepting his actions that have led to certain consequences while still working to find the best solution possible. I loved seeing him use more magic. I feel like elves have a pretty powerful arsenal that deserve more exploration, so it was nice to see Harrison skim the surface here with the insinuation of even greater things. Magic is amped up for the elves, while more human qualities are amped up for the demons, so it was an interesting trade off.His teamwork with Rachel was one of my favorite parts of the book. The tension was insane and placed so well all throughout. It's seriously amazing to go back and read passages from Dead Witch Walking and then look at them now. Their progress is usually one step forward, two steps back, but the slow burn for this ship is probably what will make it my all-time #1 favorite if they end up together *fingers crossed*.This book was just about everything I could ask for, but it wasn't 100% flawless. With so much ever after, elf and demon action, the story manages to throw in a smidgeon of development in vampire politics. Unfortunately it felt very much like an afterthought and briefly broke the overall flow. We know vampires won't get a lot of focus until the final book 13, so 10 or so pages of development came off a random at best and forgettable at worst.All in all, this is an absolute MUST READ for fans of the series. Since Black Magic Sanction and Pale Demon the series has been invigorated and manages to improve as we reach the final stretch. That is a rarity for 95% of series that make it this far. I think it helps a lot that Kim Harrison has an end in sight and continues to write towards that. Many others have jumped-the-shark by this point. The Hollows is absolutely revving up for a grande finale and I cannot wait to be there.

Frustrating, painful, and beautiful. But if you've been reading this series, you already know that, don't you?This one is more so on every mark than most. The writing is tighter, even as the magic seems more random and subject to the needs of the plot more than consistency. The demons are revealed to have a completely different original form from the one that was assumed to be their first form seen in "A Perfect Blood." Also, the relationship between the elves and demons is further explained with stuff that we'd never seen before. Like the nymph, I get the feeling that stuff has been mentioned outside the books that I'm assumed to know.And yet, yeah, it's a near-note-perfect Rachel Morgan book. Ms. Harrison's writing is as silky and seductive as ever, though it feels a little less manipulative because the stakes really are that high and the terrors and shocks are really that horrible. Ms. Morgan's world (or, more accurately, worlds) are as brutal as ever and Rachel's nose is rubbed deep into just how broken its institutions and traditions are.The ending is hard and brutal as well, and very human. If Rachel's back to nabbing banshees and thwarting terrorists next time, I'll be disappointed. She has bigger fish to fry, though the frying of those fish will be the biggest shift in tone and theme and action this amazingly mutable series has yet experienced. I hope fervently that Ms. Harrison embraces that change; it could be the most amazing thing to come out of the urban fantasy genre yet.

Great book for my collection

You do know Rachel, Ivy, Jenks, Ku'Sox, Bis, right? You have read the ten previous books in this series, right? If not, then here is a word of recommendation: do yourself a favour and read the previous books in the series, otherwise there will be a lot of things in this book you do can not understand and appreciate.Ku'Sox, the artificial daemon which can not be bested by any other daemon, understandably is not happy with the spell Rachel put on him. And he is of a mind to do something about it. Not only that, Ku'Sox's plan is much, much bigger. No longer will he have to endure any humiliation, every daemon and non-daemon will pay him homage and his race will become clean, superior. It's not only Rachel which is not so happy about such a plan, but also the daemons themselves. However, they are afraid of Ku'Sox, they dare not stand up against him. So it comes that Rachel, once fighting Daemons, is now trying to protect them. But Ku'Sox is stronger than any daemon, including her. Rachel, on the other hand, has more friends. Friends, though, can also be used against her...As with the previous books in the Hollows series, when Rachel is out on an adventure there is adventure; fast paced, funny and difficult to put the book away for the night.

Et voilà, je m’approche doucement et tristement de la fin de la série avec ce onzième tome. Pourtant comme toujours, j’ai passé un excellent moment avec cette histoire, en suivant une nouvelle aventure de Rachel Morgan.Rachel essaie de reprendre un cours normal pour sa vie, mais rien n’est prêt à être résolu, notamment quand il s’agit du terrible démon Ku’Sox que nous avions découvert précédemment. Oh oui parce qu’il est bien décidé à se venger de notre héroïne quoi qu’il se passe ! Son idée ? La faire passer devant le tribunal des démons et la faire tomber à sa place pour la future destruction de l’Ever After. C’est pourtant sans compter sur le fait que Rachel est une jeune femme déterminée et elle est bien décidée à réparer les torts qu’on lui cause et à prouver son innocence. Sa quête ne sera pas simple car le démon est bien décidé à lui placer de nombreux obstacles sur sa route pour l’empêcher d’atteindre son but et il ne reculera devant rien. Tout ceci signifie le retour de Nick, l’enlèvement de Ceri et Lucy et même la mort d’un personnage important. Oui ! Vraiment ! J’avoue que j’ai été vraiment surprise par ce fait là car je ne m’y attendais pas du tout et le tout fait aussi beaucoup de peine. Heureusement pour elle Rachel ne sera pas seule dans son entreprise, oh non, car Quen, Trent mais aussi Al et certains démons seront là pour l’aider, même si certains de façon plus lointaine que d’autres.Par ses alliances, nous aurons l’occasion d’en apprendre plus sur le passé des démons, ce qu’ils étaient, ce qu’ils ont perdu et pourquoi. C’était vraiment fascinant de découvrir le tout et de comprendre les détails du monde que Kim Harrison a pu créer. Nous en apprendrons d’ailleurs aussi plus par la même occasion sur Trent, ainsi que sur Al. Ce sont deux personnages très intrigants qui en cachent toujours plus que ce que l’on ne croit. C’était touchant de voir une autre facette de ces protagonistes, d’observer une nouvelle alliance naissante pour quelque chose que nous n’aurions jamais pu prévoir. D’autres personnages dont nous en découvrons plus ? Oui ! Il y en a encore ; et cette fois c’est au tour des gargouilles qui sont très présentes et nécessaires à l’histoire, notamment le père de Bis. Par contre j’ai été surprise de découvrir l’absence d’Ivy dans ce tome. Nous avions tellement l’habitude de la voir à chaque fois qu’elle nous manque un peu même si le tout est parfaitement réalisé.Dans tous les cas ce roman est une nouvelle très bonne surprise. Nous en voyons aussi un peu plus sur la relation entre Trent et Rachel et j’avoue que je suis quand même curieuse de voir ce que le tout donnera. Rachel a beaucoup évolué au cours des romans, mais on comprend parfaitement ses doutes, ses colères et ses espoirs et j’ai hâte d’en connaître toujours plus ! Une série à lire.

'Ever After' is the 11th installment of Rachel Morgan, demon witch. I had kind of a mixed reaction to this book, but even so it's still good enough to warrant a 5 star rating. Harrison's world building skills are second to none, her characters are amazing in their different ways and Rachel's story always manages to keep me hooked from beginning to end. I won't say this was the best of the series - I think 'Pale Demon' was - but it was pretty solid stuff.First off, I don't like Trent. Never have and can't really see what Rachel sees in him, aside from his looks which is weird because she's not generally shallow. He comes across manipulative and self-serving and I actually dislike him more than even Nick. So that was my main complaint with this book. There was too much Trent and I don't like him for Rachel.I loved all the parts with the demons in the Ever After, those were the best bits for me. Al is a brilliant character and I was glad he was in this book as much as he was, though even more would have been better. I get the impression that he genuinely cares for Rachel and it makes him all the more likeable. He's also been proving himself more trustworthy than Trent has, I have to say. I kind of like the other demons too, Dali & Newt. They're interesting and all the demon stuff is always entertaining. More of this would be awesome in the next book!The part with Ivy felt strangely out of place. She doesn't show up until later on and honestly I didn't miss her. It feels as though she's no longer needed and the book could have done without her presence. She was essential to the story way back when the series started but she's not now and it's kind of a strange feeling. I think if she moved on now it wouldn't be as powerful as it would have been had it been done sooner. I still love Jenks and his pixy swearing. He goes through some emotional stuff in this one with one of his kids too.As for the plot, it wasn't totally riveting if only because there was a lot more explaining things than there was action sequences. There was however a lot of emotion stirred up over everything that was happening, Rachel certainly gets put through the wringer in this book. The big bad guy wasn't as scary as he probably could have been though he was very powerful. I liked the stuff with the rings and what it all meant. Without giving anything away I liked the ending but cringed at the last few lines.

Amazing read. Couldn't put it down.