Review: A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison

A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The evil night things that prowl Cincinnati despise witch and bounty hunter Rachel Morgan. Her new reputation for the dark arts is turning human and undead heads alike with the intent to possess, bed, and kill her — not necessarily in that order.

Now a mortal lover who abandoned Rachel has returned, haunted by his secret past. And there are those who covet what Nick possesses — savage beasts willing to destroy the Hollows and everyone in it if necessary.

Forced to keep a low profile or eternally suffer the wrath of a vengeful demon, Rachel must nevertheless act quickly. For the pack is gathering for the first time in millennia to ravage and to rule. And suddenly more than Rachel’s soul is at stake.

Warnings: physical violence, mention of torture

Note: not a YA book!

A Fistful of Charms has Rachel involved in werewolf politics, as she sets out to help Jenks save his son, as well as save Nick from his own stupidity. Now being part of (and basically) David’s pack as his alpha, her role in their society is called into question. Both circumstances demand that Rachel once again use a demon curse for her purposes, one to make Jenks big to survive colder temperatures in Michigan, and one to allow her to ‘shift’ into a wolf form for when someone inevitably challenges her for dominance.

Ceri helping her with her ley line magic, as well as how to twist demon curses continues to be a argumentative point for both women, because Rachel is still wary of the smut she accumulates on her aura, which is like a neon sign to others with the second sight that she uses black magic. Still, it isn’t the first time that Rachel has had to do things she didn’t like to save her skin, so she grudgingly does it. Jenks being big has its advantages and disadvantages – she loses her pixy backup, but gets a partner who can survive cold temperatures; Jenks is enjoying his ‘big’ size and the opportunity, the pixy trailblazer that he is!

While the book was entirely about the run that Rachel and Jenks are on, it is also a nice introduction to werewolf politics, and the beginning of a shift in the power dynamics among Inderlanders. Rachel getting slightly more comfortable with using demon magic and more importantly, recognizing that just because something causes an imbalance doesn’t mean it is inherently evil is a first step towards her adjusting to the grey morality of the circumstances in this world.

Previous books in The Hollows series

Every Which Way But Dead (The Hollows, #3)