Witch and day-walking demon Rachel Morgan knows magic--earth, ley line, even the forbidden demon magic--and that knowledge has saved her life more than once. But now something--or someone--is attacking Cincinnati and the Hollows, causing spells to backfire or go horribly wrong while living vampires attack humans and Inderlanders alike.
The pressures build when the city is quarantined to contain the unreliable magic, and Rachel must stop the attacks before the undead vampire masters who keep the rest of the undead under control are lost and it becomes all-out supernatural war.
The only way to do so is through the ancient elven magic, but that carries its own perils--for magic always has a price, and gods do not come lightly when called.
Kim Harrison's The Undead Pool is the second to last book in her famous Hollows series! I still remember the time I started reading Kim's books when they were still a paperback release. It's been a loooong time, about when the second book released. And I have to say I loved how this series has progressed.
Think of it, in those first few books, we never saw Rachel's face on the cover! Okay, technically, last year was the year when we got to see her face at an angle. There was also Black Magic Sanction and even The Hollows Insider, but her face was hidden in the fog for that first one and slightly shadowed on the second. And we didn't get to see Kim's face until she went hardcover with For a Few Demons More! So, like I said, it's amazing to see how far this series has come in all shapes and ways!
In this one, Rachel has her hands full with being Trent's security detail, while Quen is out of town--he's with the girls and Ellasbeth as he goes with Ray, being her father and all--and since Trent is still such a public and famous face, he requires security and that job lands in Rachel's lap. Which definitely makes things strenuous, especially after their kiss in A Perfect Blood. It's been about three months since that moment and she's done her best to forget about it, which means not at all!
But lately, spells have been backfiring around the city. And during the chaos, a group called Free Vampires is running rampant and causing mischief. And something is causing the master vampires to fall into a deep sleep. Which then causes the vampires to run amok, since no one's there to keep them in check. But there's something more to all this going on and Rachel is going to figure it out, since the city is in chaos.
I have to say, I really loved this one! I love seeing how much these characters have grown! Heck, I can still remember being leery of Trent back in Dead Witch Walking! And now, he's an ally! Or maybe something more even! Because as the rumor mill has spread, there's definitely something going on between Rachel and Trent after all these years! And I have to say, every moment these two were together, I was loving it! Even though I still miss Kisten!
The series is winding down, but there still things going on in the Hollows. I can't be sure how the events that have occurred here will effect what goes down in our final book next year, but I definitely cannot wait to find out! It seems all our characters are getting into place so that they can start racing towards their HEA ending! At least, I am hoping Kim gives us an HEA ending for all our players and doesn't throw us through another loop like in For a Few Demons More!
The Undead Pool is filled with action, excitement, heart-thrilling moments that will have you eating up the pages! There's romance sprinkled into the pages as well and oh wow!, was that an amazing chapter to read! And of course, what would a Hollows book be without some humor from a smart-mouthed pixy? This series has it all and while I am sad to see it ending next year, I cannot wait to read its grand finale! Kim Harrison was one of my first "adult" authors I found and loved when I had to stray from YA when there was a serious lack of paranormal--yes those days did actually exist--and she will forever remain one of my favorite and auto-buy authors!
Overall Rating 5/5 stars
Yay! Glad you liked it, Jessica :) I can't wait to see how everything turns out next year!
ReplyDeleteJessica @ Rabid Reads