White Witch, Black Curse

Title: White Witch, Black Curse
Author: Kim Harrison
Series: The Hollows, book 7
Genre: Urban Fantasy, novel
Published: 2009

Recommendation: another excellent installment into The Hollows series that will please the fans.
Rating: 8/10

Summary: Rachel and Ivy are looking for Kisten's murderer whom Rachel still cannot remember. At the same time a banshee stirs up trouble when she puts Glenn in the hospital and FIB starts to investigate.

Reactions: I've been looking forward to reading White Witch, Black Curse and the book doesn't disappoint. I enjoyed it for all the reasons I usually enjoy The Hollows novels: enjoyable cast, fast-paced adventure, and witty dialogue. It's hard to put a finger on one detail and call it exceptional, but the plain notes make a lively tune together.

This book continues the storyline surrounding Kisten's murder. I really like Ford, the FIB psychologist who is trying to help Rachel regain her memory of the night of the incident. He is a human with a unique special power: the ability to feel the emotions of others around him. It makes him particularly perceptive and gives him a unique ability to explain other characters. He reveals a few interesting facts to the readers, but more than that he gets his own role to play in the plot and he's a refreshingly level-headed addition.

The banshee investigation makes for some fun reading too. We get exposed to another race and their unique abilities pose some new challenges for Rachel's grab and tag approach. As in the earlier books, we get to watch Rachel get stuck between a rock and a hard place and wiggle her way around. There's also a romantic plot line and plenty of hormones flying around.

Overall, it's just something fun to read. The message is not deep, the book is written for enjoyment and the best sort of escapism. I found it hard to put the book down while it lasted and disappointed when it ended. Now I am left looking forward to the next book in the series, hope it's coming soon!

First Lines:

The bloody handprint was gone, wiped from Kisten's window but not from my memory, and it ticked me off that someone had cleaned it, as if they were trying to steal what little recollection I retained about the night he'd died. The anger was misplaced fear if I was honest with myself. But I wasn't. Most days it was better that way.