White Witch, Black Curse

January 12, 2009
Confusion reigns for characters and readers in the complicated seventh urban fantasy outing (after 2008's The Outlaw Demon Wails
) for witch detective Rachel Morgan. Rachel's reputation is in tatters—to save humanity, she used powers that are considered evil—and she's still devastated by the mysterious death of her boyfriend six months earlier. Her attempts to solve his murder bleed into a case involving an emotion-sucking banshee, and soon Rachel has to bring in her PI partners—Ivy, a bisexual vampire, and Jenks, a pixie in existential crisis—along with empathic psychiatrist Ford and the banshee victim's father, Federal Inderland Bureau captain Edden. Harrison's unique vampire mythology unduly complicates world-building, and newcomers will be desperate for a glossary, but the nearly nonstop action nicely plays off the poignancy of Rachel's difficult life.

December 15, 2008
The seventh installment of Harrison's Rachel Morgan series ("The Outlaw Demon Wails") finds Rachel inching closer to the identity of her vampire boyfriend Kisten's murderer. Rachel has no memory of the events leading up to Kisten's death, and she's terrified of facing what happened. Yet she persists in her search for answers. Meanwhile, a banshee and her family are wreaking havoc on the Hollows, causing further tension between the human and Inderland populations. As usual, however, Rachel, with her dealings with demons, is blamed. While not as action-packed as some of the earlier series novels, this outing introduces a more introspective side of these now-familiar characters, including pixy Jenks, whose beloved wife, Matalina, is nearing the end of her all-too-brief life span. The story arc involving Kisten's murder comes to a satisfying conclusion, but ample twists, turns, and loose ends ensure that this isn't the last we'll see of Rachel Morgan. This likely best seller is highly recommended for all fiction collections.Nanette Donohue, Champaign P.L., IL

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2009
In book seven of a near-future urban fantasy series (The Outlaw Demon Wails, 2008, etc.), it's business as usual for Cincinnati witch and bounty hunter Rachel Morgan: Her personal problems are equally as difficult and dangerous as her caseload.

Rachel's sea of troubles include the recovery of disturbing memories about the circumstances of her vampire boyfriend Kisten's murder; a visit by her bossy older brother; confusion about the progression of her relationship with Marshal, the new man in her life; continual aggravation from her demonic instructor in magic; and fears that she might be part demon herself. To top it all off, a murderous banshee family has surfaced, and in the chaos of tracking them down, Rachel gets shunned by the witch community, who (not entirely incorrectly) believes her to be trafficking in black magic. There are certainly pleasures and the occasional giggle to be found here, but Harrison seems to revel in making the life of her protagonist ever more difficult in each successive volume of this series. Implausibly, Rachel keeps bouncing back with a smile.

Some readers will continue to enjoy the series, but if Harrison keeps piling on the agony in future installments, others may eventually find the byzantine predicaments tedious.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

February 1, 2009
Hell hath no fury like witch and bounty hunter Rachel Morgan when it comes to avenging her lovers murder. Her quest for justice holds some significant realizations for her, too, such as the strength in her bond with vamp partner Ivy, who helps her withstand the waves of power coursing through her body in one of the books most emotionally gripping scenes. Through a welter of vampires, demons, pixies, and witches, Harrison conducts readers on a suspenseful, satisfying journey of payback, personal growth, and empowerment while setting the scene for Rachels new romance, which will probably commence in the next of this spellbinding series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)