The Undead Pool

January 6, 2014
Harrison’s slow but steady 12th and penultimate Hollows novel (following 2012’s Ever After) puts even more pressure on Rachel Morgan, a witch and bounty hunter turned day-walking demon. A series of magical accidents endangers Cincinnati and its undead community. On the personal front Rachel must balance her bodyguard duties for elf drug lord Trent Kalamack, who was once her sworn enemy, with her growing forbidden attraction to him. When Rachel becomes host to the Goddess’s sentient thought-entities, she holds the futures of elves and demons alike in her hands, but at a terrible risk to sanity and existence. The long-running romantic subplot makes substantial progress, with several cinematic action sequences and major world-building revelations interspersed among more intimate scenes. There’s a general sensation of closure and imminent climax as Harrison maneuvers toward the end, and patient readers are promised a substantial payoff. Agent: Richard Curtis, Richard Curtis Associates.

February 15, 2014

Day-walking demon Rachel Morgan has been through a lot in this series set in a Cincinnati where humans and various varieties of inhuman species coexist. In 2013's Ever After, Rachel learned more about the demon realm and got closer to Elf Trent Kalamack. This follow-up delves even deeper into the troubled history of elves and demons. Wild elven magic is loose in Cincinnati, and if Rachel can't find a way to contain it, the resulting chaos will destroy the city. VERDICT Readers who have followed this series will be overjoyed to have Trent and Rachel finally deal with their complicated history and chemistry, but there is a lot of backstory for a new reader to follow. Loose threads are gathered as Harrison prepares to end this series with one final volume, expected in 2015.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2013

Our heroine, witch and day-walking demon Rachel Morgan, has kept the demonic ever after from shrinking to puddle size, but can she stop the civil war that's looming? You bet she can. With a 250,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 15, 2013
Love and doom are in the air in this penultimate volume of a popular urban fantasy series (Ever After, 2013, etc.). After so many series installments infused with daywalking demon Rachel Morgan's self-doubt, neuroses and rash behavior, it's nice to see her finally achieve some emotional maturity, expand her circle of trust and seize some happiness for a change. If this novel had a theme song, it would be the Etta James version of "At Last." Readers have been waiting quite a while for Rachel and elf Trent Kalamack to finally admit their feelings for each other and act on them, despite the hereditary enmity of their races and the fact that Trent is engaged to someone else. Fans will relish the moment and will also dig into the rest of the plot, which features Harrison's usual (and usually enjoyable) Evil Conspiracy and labyrinthine plot twists, Rachel rushing to save the day. In this latest crisis, waves of wild magic are flowing from Rachel's ley-line, causing charms to misfire, often with devastating results. The waves are also putting all of Cincinnati's undead vampire masters to sleep, leaving the living vampires to rampage through the city. How have vampires gained control over wild magic, which is the province of the elves? Is Rachel somehow responsible for these incidents, and if not, why do the waves seem to be tracking her? A great ride in and of itself, rather than simply a buildup to the finale, which is sure to be whiz-bang.

COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.