Every Which Way But Dead (Hollows, #3)

by Kim Harrison

[Quirky Cat]

Every Which Way But Dead is Kim Harrison’s third novel in The Hollows series. Rachel Morgan (alongside Ivy and Jenks) is back, and this time she’s going to get involved with the underworld war that she might have had a hand in crafting.
Rachel Morgan, bounty hunter, is not your typical witch. There’s something different about her magic, even if she’s not yet at a point where she’s willing to accept that fact. She’s a chaos magnet, and seems to always grab on hardest to the cases most likely to get her killed. But that’s her charm, and we love her for it.

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.

“It made them feel good that the big bad witch who beat up Piscary trusted them.”

Kim Harrison has done it again. Every Which Way But Dead was another thrilling read, with Rachel once again diving headlong into danger for the great good. This is a prime example of Urban Fantasy, one set in a lush and heavily detailed world full of supernaturals and magic.
There is so much to love about Every Which Way But Dead. This plot was very much of Rachel’s own making, in a sense. After all, every action must have an equal and opposite reaction. And that goes doubly so when you’re trying to affect change in a magical underworld.
The highlight of this novel would have to be the character development tucked within the pages. All of the main characters (Rachel, Ivy, and Jenks) got pulled through their paces here. But secondary characters got bigger parts here, getting a chance to grow and develop alongside the main cast. It was exactly what I’ve wanted to see.
This series is steadily building tension, thanks to all of the changes that Rachel has been facing and creating. And it’s only going to keep building from here. Kim Harrison knows how to build off of previous novels, creating an intricate world and plots full of consequences.

As a side note, I mentioned above that I’m currently rereading the whole series. It’s been refreshing to see this world all over again. But it’s also a bit painful. You see, one of my favorite characters got a bigger role in this book (Kisten, in case that wasn’t obvious). But the more I see of him, the more my heart hurts – because I know what lays in store for him. I’m not sure I can handle seeing that all over again. But I’ll manage, I suppose. I’ll just need copious amounts of chocolate.

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