Reviewed by celinenyx on
As urban fantasy series progress, it becomes harder and harder to summarize the plot without giving anything away. Let's just say that someone from Rachel's past needs her help, and of course, Rachel will even though it puts herself and the ones she loves in danger. For the first time in the series, the book is set away from Cincinnati, giving a glimpse of the wider world she lives in.
Nothing really stays the same in these books. From one installment to the other, there is clear development and growth in the characters. In A Fistful of Charms the relationships between the three partners of Vampiric Charms are central to the book. Rachel and Jenks are still on the outs because she withheld important information from him, and the balance between Rachel and Ivy, her vampire roommate, has always been precarious. The friendship between Rachel and the mouthy pixie has always been one of my particular favorites, so seeing them work out their problems was gratifying.
A lot of people don't like Ivy, but I applaud Ms Harrison for writing a complex female friendship. It's not easy to see what Rachel gets out of it - Ivy, being a living vampire and all, has little self-control over her hunger for her blood. They constantly walk a tight-rope, and one misstep could mean Rachel's death. Yet they keep living together, and I think it's slowly becoming clear that it's not just Ivy that's dependent on Rachel - it works the other way around as well. Rachel learns a lot about herself in A Fistful of Charms, finally some new and interesting dynamics are introduced between her and Ivy.
Sadly missing from this book was Trent. I miss his ruthlessly manipulative ass. It was, however, nice to have a bit of a break from most of the demon things. Having werewolves as the bad guys (and occasional good guys) was a necessary change of pace.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 20 May, 2017: Finished reading
- 20 May, 2017: Reviewed