White Witch, Black Curse (Hollows, #7)

by Kim Harrison

The 7th stirring instalment of the urban fantasy-thriller series starring Rachel Morgan. A pacey and addictive novel of sexy bounty-hunting witches, cunning demons and vicious vampires.

Rachel Morgan, kick-ass witch and bounty hunter, has taken her fair share of hits, and has broken lines she swore she would never cross. But when her lover was murdered it left a deeper wound than Rachel ever imagined, and now she won't rest until his death is solved... and avenged. Whatever the cost.

Yet the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and when a new predator moves to the apex of the Inderlander food chain, Rachel's past comes back to haunt her. Some wounds take time to heal but some scars never fade.

• ISBN10: 0061853631
• ISBN13: 9780061853630
• Publish Date: 24 February 2009 (first published 21 January 2009)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 576
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

White Witch, Black Curse, is the seventh novel in The Hollows series by Kim Harrison. It's one of my favorite series ever, and I can't recommend it enough. Especially now that it's actively updating again!

The times have been tough for Rachel Morgan. It feels like the last few years have made a point of sending her as many hits as possible, leaving her bruised and broken. Not to mention, just a little bit scarred.

Yet her story is far from over, and that means there will be more pain in her future. Pain, yet love and joy as well. As everything Rachel does is driven by her love and devotion towards the others in her life.

Even if that means stepping in front of the new predator that has entered the scene. A creature that will almost certainly hurt those she cares about, if Rachel doesn't find a way to stop them. And fast.

I should probably mention that I’ve already read The Hollows series (Several times), but I recently noticed that I never actually reviewed them. So in preparation for the next Hollows book (so excited!), I’m going to do a reread and review run. So far I’m thrilled with my decision, because I had forgotten how enthralling this series can be!

“The same people I'd actually once worked for were covering it up, and that pissed me off.”

Man, every time I read through this series, I'm reminded of how much I love it. White Witch, Black Curse is yet another amazing read. One that I would (and will) happily dive back into another dozen times.

I think one of the many things that I love about it is how Rachel is still hurting. It's been two books, and she's still not over the pain of the loss from it all. To be frank, I'm not either. So it's refreshing to see her character still working on coping with it as well. It makes her feel more human, and her series more realistic.

It should probably go without saying that this is anything but a light read. Rachel's pain is real. It hits home, and it hits hard. It's all further proof that Kim Harrison is a brilliant writer, one who can wring out so much emotion from her readers.

The last novel (The Outlaw Demon Wails) felt like a turning point to me. If that is the case, then this is the novel where Rachel – and the series – truly embrace that change. She's beginning to respect her limitations more, while giving in to the emotional demands made by her own inner psyche, as well as those of her friends.

All of this makes for one powerful read, especially that ending. I won't go into details, for obvious reasons. But it is an ending that I can still vividly picture, even without the help of a recent read through.

Really, it's no wonder that I love this series so much. I fully intend to continue my read through (and review run) in the new year. Until then!

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Chelsea]

This was a good book but I’m not really sure what it adds to the series as a whole. I like reading about Rachel and Jenkins and Ivy but it doesn’t feel like a real series to me. There’s no plot line that follows is through all the books and that’s usually my favourite part of a series. Most of the time it ends up being some big battle but I think this series has the potential to be more than that, I just don’t see how it’ll get there. I’ll keep reading for the characters but I’m in now rush because the plot isn’t hooking me.

[littleread1]

Along with some serious things happening there were many laugh out loud moments and some character growth. Gotta keep pulling for my fellow ginger witch!

[Linda]

This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
White Witch Black Curse - the title really does say it all! Rachel is doing all the wrong things for all the right reasons, and I love how she is justifying her actions to herself. I also think that the more she does things she thought she'd never do, the stronger her moral compass gets, and that's part of the awesomeness that is The Hollows!

[tellemonstar]

Cross-posted at Book Review With the Blogmonstar

In White Witch, Black Curse Rachel is still trying to deal with the fact that Kisten’s murderer is an unknown entity. We are also introduced to a completely new antagonist, of the type we have yet to encounter.

Rachel also has to deal with some family drama – specifically her brother Robbie coming back home, and announcing he is getting married. He also tries his hardest to get in the way of Rachel going after the bad guys in this one. He thinks she needs to ‘grow-up and get a real job’. His words. He also told his fiancée all about Rachel and apparently she wants to do her research thesis on Rachel, which as you might imagine, freaks our girl out somewhat.

Our new breed of baddie in this one is a Banshee. On top of that there is a baby Banshee as well. White Witch, Black Curse has just about everything you could find in an urban fantasy, or so it seems. The past that is coming back to haunt her is the ghost of a shunned witch named Gordian Pierce, who no-one realises has been haunting the church for a year until Ford (the FBI psychiatrist/empath who we met a few books back) is sitting in the kitchen and realises he is there. Apparently he”s the one who has been changing Rachel’s phone ring-tones. Apparently Rachel tried to summon the ghost of her dad when she was 18, and got him instead. She’s pretty sure it’s where she got her taste in men from.

The whole storyline is a bit wobbly in parts, and some of characters’ decisions don’t make a whole lot of sense. Whilst that is pretty much the norm with Rachel, it’s not so true with many of the others. The whole ‘let’s find Kisten’s murderer and kick his butt’ plot got a bit stepped on by the whole Banshee thing, and the resolution to it seemed more like an afterthought than a true resolution.

All in all the best parts about this one were Jenks and Al, both of whom are very interesting and vivid characters, who always add something to the books. I was glad to pretty much see the back of Rachel’s brother, because he was annoying.

[Berls]

For more reviews, see: Fantasy is More Fun

Kim Harrison's managed to pull me even further into Rachel Morgan's world with this book, if that's even possible. This book incorporates characters and story lines you may have thought were just little side adventures in her short stories, so if you haven't read them, I'd recommend pausing to quickly read the shorts. Their additions make the twists and turns all the more exciting.

The character development in this novel is extensive and exciting to read. Rachel is coming into her own, Ivy is learning to accept herself, and Jenks is amazing as always. We finally learn what happened to Kisten (something that's been hanging on for a while) and we're left with even more questions about Rachel's path with Al and his new familiar. Can't wait to get started on the next one! 

[Hixxup]

I cried when Rachel got her memory back, but it was good that they got to have some closure for Kisten. I'm still sad he's gone and probably always will be, but it's good he is put to rest now. It was upsetting but not shocking when Marshall left. Pierce don't like him, don't trust him. Ivy kind irked me with her "love" of Kisten (I know crazy right, but the whole Ivy/Rachel love thing irks me half the time anyways). I was happy knowing Kisten still loved Rachel after becoming Undead, and his sacrifice will always be remembered. Al he cracks me up and Trent, I would still lobe to see him and Rachel more. I've always like Trent for some reason, and I think he needs to be more involved in the books, I'm just saying.

[kimbacaffeinate]

what can i say, I just love this series!

[celinenyx]

Being the seventh book in a series, there is very little I can say about White Witch, Black Curse without spoiling anything. Therefore I will only say that it made me laugh out loud and cry. Being this engaged in the fictional lives of these characters is the highest praise I can give.

[ibeforem]

Oh, Rachel Morgan series, how I love thee. Let me count the ways:

1. You are full of rich, conflicted, and complicated characters. Your good guys are just a little bad, and your bad guys are just a little good, which makes everyone a lovely shade of grey. A reader can find themselves wondering if a demon or ruthless business man are really all *that* bad.

2. You are full of rich, conflicted, and complicated relationships. In real life, there are layers to relationships, and Harrison knows how to show it in her novels. Rachel and Ivy are more than partners. They’re best friends, and feel a deep loyalty to each other, often without thinking of the consequences to themselves (or thinking of them, and deciding they don’t matter). Jenks has grown into much more than the spunky pixie side-kick. He is a father figure packed into four inches of determination and love. Even Rachel’s relationship with the demon Al has many levels, from resentment to respect.

3. You take place in an incredibly different yet familiar world. Harrison has managed to build an alternate universe of sorts, one which might have been the same as our real world if not for some diseased tomatoes.

4. You seamlessly move the major series arc ahead while giving us an interesting immediate concern.

5. You don’t dilly dally with namby pamby background at the beginning of the story — you jump right in to the action! One thing that Harrison is especially gifted at is working the background information into the course of the story without it being overly intrusive.

6. You build upon current supernatural mythologies without changing too much and without adding cheesy elements. In Harrison’s books, the supernatural often feel more natural than the human.

7. You never ignore the past. Events that happened in the first books in the series still have an impact in the last books.

This series is really one of the best paranormal series out there. If you’re not reading it, YOU SHOULD BE.