kim harrison | The Obsessive Bookseller

Title: Dead Witch Walking

Author: Kim Harrison

Series: Rachel Morgan #1

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Creatures of the night gather in the Hollows of Cincinnati, to hide, to prowl, to party, and to feed. Vampires rule. Bounty hunter and witch, Rachel Morgan keeps that world civilized. With serious sex appeal and an attitude, she’ll bring ’em back alive, dead, or undead.

The Review:

You might have noticed that I include five recommends with each of my reviews. When I’m considering which ones to choose, “Dead Witch Walking” somehow always comes to mind. It has long been a series that I pick up when I’m in the mood for a “solid” read. Not only is it one of the best urban fantasies on the market, it is also an exception example of many of the things I value in a book: fantastic character development, great world-building, an element of cleverness or humor, a love interest, and an engaging storyline. Harrison has become the ultimate go-to author for great urban fantasies.

Since books of this genre are often set in familiar cities during the present day era, you would think world-building aspects would be simple. Well, Harrison doesn’t do anything halfway. She gives us an urban fantasy set in the future where half of humanity has been decimated by a genetically engineered virus. Rachel Morgan, a feisty redheaded witch, is just trying to make a living in this alternate society of interlanders (the supernatural beings). Forever a magnet for trouble, she gets herself into one mess after another that requires a lot of wit and charm to get back out.

Although this series is not particularly fast moving, it is so character-driven that I was completely absorbed nonetheless. Totally engaging, there is not a single character that I didn’t like. Harrison is a master at creating dynamic and interesting characters – and for me, they are unforgettable. If that wasn’t good enough, she is also the official queen of sidekicks! I’ve yet to read a series in any genre that had such great companions for the protagonist. They really added a lot of fun to the story!

I have no complaints – I absolutely loved this series!

by Niki Hawkes

Other books you might like:

“Moon Called” by Patricia Briggs
“Full Moon Rising” by Keri Arthur
“The Legend of Eli Monpress” by Rachel Aaron
“Grimspace” by Ann Aguirre
“Magic to the Bone” by Devon Monk

Title: First Truth

Author: Dawn Cook

Series: Truth #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Overview: Alissa doesn’t believe in magic. Her father’s stories about the Hold, a legendary fortress where human Keepers learn magic from the enigmatic Maters, are just that―stories. But her mother insists that Alissa has inherited her father’s magical ability, and so she must go to the Hold―the only place her talents can be trained.

On her way, she crosses paths with Strell, a wandering musician from the plains. And though Alissa is not sure she can trust a plainsman, Strell has something she needs―one of her father’s old maps. Travelling together, they can reach the Hold before the snow sets in. But they don’t know that the Hold is nearly empty. Something is very wrong and someone believes that Alissa and Strell knows about a book called First Truth.

The Review:

As a whole, this series is one of my absolute favorites, despite the fact that nothing particularly “epic” happens throughout. Although the pacing of the story can sometimes be rather slow, I was so smitten with the characters that it didn’t bother me. While most fantasy novels tend to be more event or world-building driven, this book was all about highlighting the characters. For any of you who have read Kim Harrison’s (Dawn Cook’s alias) Rachel Morgan series, you know that she is exceptionally talented at creating characters we care about. On top of that, she really knows how to tell a compelling love story, which was actually my favorite element to this series. There’s just something magical about it that keeps me coming back to reread it over and over again. What’s more, the plot gets increasingly more interesting as the series progresses, creating a great momentum for the end of the story – so much so that I was up all night the first time I read it.

Overall, its incredibly charming. If you’re in the mood for a character-based, magic-filled, sweet love story, this is the book for you!

Recommendations: The cover I’ve featured is from the original publication. The covers they’re marketing the series with now are incredibly cheesy and do nothing to represent the story… don’t let them deter you from giving it a try!

by Niki Hawkes

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