
Do you think there's a limit on how many books in a row you can read from a series without getting burned out? I was a little bit let down by this one, and I'm trying to figure out if it's just that I ran out of steam, after reading 5 or 6 of them consecutively, or if maybe this one was a little sloppier than its predecessors. For instance, scent is important in the Hollows universe, and witches have a sharp nose. But she's just now figuring out what a pixie scent is? (p 79 in the hardback edition). That seemed odd to me, since Jenks regularly hangs out on her earring. And, heh-- I remember this from reading Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys-- every book has to detail certain things over and over again just in case readers have skipped the previous books. I guess it can't be helped, but jeez, how much does Rachel love her kitchen? A REAL LOT, that's how much. Because Ivy remodeled it before they moved in and it has a window overlooking the graveyard and an island and separate stoves for cooking and spelling and at this point I could write the scene myself. Ahem. *OK, grip gotten.* Sorry.
Every Hollows book seems to introduce and feature a new paranormal race or two - we get ghosts and banshees in this one, plus some additional insight into the witch's culture. Considering that Rachel IS a witch, this kind of seems long overdue, but it's good, so, OK. Each book introduces new characters, most of whom continue to appear in subsequent books, so by now, it's getting a little more difficult to keep track. I tend to confuse Glenn and David pretty regularly, for example. But that's probably just me.
I recognized Mia the banshee from the Hotter Than Hell anthology, and definitely got a nagging feeling that I was missing something about the new character, Pierce. Can't confirm, but I suspect there's a little backstory on him in 2007 anthology release, Holidays are Hell. It was enough to bug, so I recommend you go find that short before reading WWBC.
One of the things I really like about the Hollows series is the ongoing character arcs with Rachel, Ivy, and the various Powers That Be in Cincinnati. I like the shifting alliances and powerplays, and the friendships and crushes that come and go in Rachel's life. So it's probably more a sign of my own fatigue than a flaw in the series that the ongoing Rachel/Ivy angst started to feel like it was too much. And while Rachel reaches a fairly important decision (either this book or the last one, they blur) about her relationship with Ivy, it still feels unresolved and the ongoing spun-out tension is starting to feel artificial.
Overall, WWBC had more action and several competing plotlines and, IMO, less character development than previous books. I was a little frustrated that there wasn't more to do with Al in this book-- at the moment, he's definitely one of the most interesting characters and with the setup from the last book, I expected to see a lot of him. *sigh* Maybe in the next book.
It's still a good read, and for Hollows fans undoubtedly a must-read. I would not recommend reading this on its own; I think the cast of thousands and their ongoing histories would be pretty confusing.
For me though, I sort of wish I had taken a bit of a break sometime in the last half-dozen books so it would feel a little fresher. Clearly, the rest of Harrison's fans have no problem with this book; it recently hit 3rd on the NYT best seller list, so congrats are in order there.

Edited to add:
What others are saying about White Witch, Black Curse
Sci-Fi Guy - Loved it; includes lots of little quotes
Book Series Review - liked it but with caveats about the anthology stories, like me.
*headdesk* Balanced review but overall liked (great blog name, no?)
1 comment:
Honestly, I shouldn't have read as much as I did since I'm writing my review up for this for the BWC carnival as well, but I really didn't think Pierce's backstory story was all that important to know. I actually forget that he was in the short in Holidays Are Hell and I don't remember him having all that much of a presence. Could just be me though.
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