The Turn: The Hollows Begins with Death

The blatant sexism and calling the main character a whore because she was doing her job kinda pissed me off. I know this was set in the 60's but it was just really offensive in a way that her writing has never been. It was hard to read.

The Turn, The Hollows Begins with Death,  Kim Harrison

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  Sci-fi and fantasy

I’d just been thinking it was maybe time for a reread of Kim’s Hollows, a fab series, one of the first I bought when I got Kindle number 1.
Its not a light, fluffy, romance + alpha hero tale, but one with some dark moments, demons that aren’t all romantic underneath, vampires who’re out only for themselves, and will kill without a second thought if they think they need to, werewolves, witches, pixies and fairies, and ley line magic, lots of that. And yet wrapped up in that IS a romance, the story isn’t some dark, macabre horror as it sounds, and there’s so much fun, so much mystery as to what can and will happen. Great characters and it’s a series you can read over and over.

So seeing a prequel I was excited, its several years since I first read it but I can remember feeling confused about parts of The Turn, what exactly happened, and how and why, so this is just perfect for both folk new to the Hollows, and for those of us who’ve read it but got questions.
We meet mainly Trent's parents, see how they got together and I’m ashamed to say I can barely remember anything of them from the main series. They’re both clever scientists, leaders in their field and have a fierce rivalry.
Trent's dad Kal is a total jerk, viciously cruel, totally amoral, made me see a bit where Trent got his initial prejudice from. He’s always done his best to knock down Trisk from when they were kids, his jealousy knowing no bounds. I did feel for him a bit when we read about how much of his childhood was spent in pain, knew about the constant surgeries and tweaks to his genetic code he’d had. That’s tough on any child.
Doesn’t excuse the way he was so cruel to Trisk though, always reminding her she was an upstart Dark Elf, not like the Kalamacks with their long heritage keeping them pure. Trouble is though those Pure Elves, the bloodlines they were so proud of, was what was helping them die out, they were having huge issues reproducing.
Poor Trisk is hampered too by the 60’s view of females, little women that should be chained to the kitchen popping out babies, certainly not leading scientific advancements, that should be left to the men. If by chance they did make a break through, well they should be pleased a man would take over and get it published and maybe let their name be credited as one of many helpers....Gah! that was so spot on, I was just a kid then but is so how life was! I love Trisk, one of the good people, who wants to do what’s right, regardless of personal cost.
Her human colleague Daniel is another like her, and he was a terrific addition. Made it easy to see how the whole coming out to humans part was decided. There were people for and against, but with Daniel in front of them, the way he’d dealt with such a lot in a short time and still helped those not human as well as the humans helped sway the decision.
Along with Orchid of course, who was a great character and help fill the missing shoes of Jenks. I can’t write his name without thinking “Tink’s little red panties” – he had a phrase for every occasion, and Orchid has a similar curse ridden mouth!
We meet Quen too, a young Quen and maybe an explanation for why he’s always been so loyal to Trent. I love Quen, always the man in the background, always there protecting, overseeing and yet unseen much of the time.
Alongside that there’s Al the demon of course, Piscary, Rhynn, and a few others from the main series.
Another reviewer mentioned Rachel’s dad, and I can’t recall much about him, and missed that – I need to go back and look...I’m sure there’s other nods to the main series I’ve missed.

Stars: Five, a fabulous story, well worth reading before or after the main series.  

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

The Turn by Kim Harrison is meant to be the prequel to the Hollows series. It is showing us just how the world came to acknowledge the vampires, pixies, elves and all the non-humans living amongst them.

The Turn has scientists Trisk and Kalamack trying to discover ways to keep their species from extinction. They are enemies right from school and their advancements and discoveries turn into a dangerous competition. We spend a <em>great</em> deal of time going through the jealousies surrounding Kalamack and Trisk. I would say too much time. By the time the big virus hits, we've spent <em>way</em> too much of the book going through relationships and setups. Wheeling and dealing. I got to a point I was bored and ready for the adventure to move on. Another point that kind of spoiled The Turn for me was knowing what was going to happen. I knew that going in. It's a prequel and if you've read the series, you know what happens to the human race and the coming out of Inderlanders. It still kind of made all of the action that did happen after the virus is loosed, kind of feel pointless.

I think there are two big points in The Turn. One, we know exactly how that virus gets into the world and we also know how certain people come into the powerful positions they are in when the rest of the Hollows series starts.

I thought through the book I was seeing a certain person and qualities about this person that I didn't like. The surprise at the end about that person sort of took me back. I can't give you spoilers, but it really made the whole story I'd just read, feel different.

Some of our characters are seen throughout this book, and yes, we even get to see a demon. If you have read the Hollows, you know the demons play a part in the problem with the elves. They also play a part in the Turn (the actual event, not the book) as well.

The story was somewhat disappointing for me. It is possible I went in with too many expectations, hoping to see more of characters that I could relate to from the series. The Turn was also very drawn out. I felt there could of been a lot trimmed or shortened down. A lot of the extra material I think was meant for us to <em>feel</em> how the Turn affected the Inderlanders and the humans, but after awhile, you pretty much already know and are just ready to move on.

In all the disappointment of the Hollows ending, I think the author wanted to give the fans one more look into the series and this was a way we could go back without having to change anything that happened in the series itself. Also, it is very possible there are links with certain characters that I should have related to events or other parts of the series, but I may have missed some. A few stuck out though, and they were interesting to know. The links I did see I thought were awesome the way Kim was able to tie a little piece of that event or person back to something that happened. It challenged my brain to look to the series to pinpoint when that person or event was addressed.

Overall, it was interesting to see just how the Turn happened, and the reactions from the Inderlanders coming out. The book just seemed overly long with a lot of detail I felt like I could have skipped. For Hollows fans, you would definitely be interested in some of the aspects of the book that directly relate to characters in the series, but be prepared to invest a good amount of time getting to those parts.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I would have enjoyed this book more if the story had come with a unique set of characters.

I found the constant character-name-dropping to be a minor irritation; especially since - even though I have read all the other Hollows books, and the last one pretty recently - I couldn't figure out who a number of the cameos were supposed to be. (That, or they weren't cameos and there was just an odd amount of attention applied to a bunch of random characters.)

A much bigger problem, for me at least, is that this story had to end in such a way as to fit within a pre-established narrative. It wasn't just that we know going in roughly what happened during the Turn, but that the only way for these characters to be who and where they need to be by the later stories, this story has to end in a certain place. It's like a sitcom that has to cycle back to steady-state in order to be syndicated, except in this case the story had to end in a state that ... well, kinda sucks. The good guys do not triumph. Justice is not served. And that would be fine, if this story had been written that way, but it wasn't. Most of it reads as an urban-fantasy-adventure-cum-paranormal-romance, except that romance never materializes and in the end, the kick-ass heroine just ... gives up.

That's the worst part: we have a protagonist who has been presented to us as a smart, resourceful, kick-ass urban fantasy heroine ... who just gives up in the end, even though it violates what we thought we knew of her character, because that's what the pre-written future demands. But it doesn't make a great story.

(And I'm not going to go into the very strange faux-60s sometime-sexism.)

4.5 stars “The Turn: The Hollows Begins With Death” by Kim Harrison relays the story of events that led up to the shift in power between humans and the Inderlanders. The longstanding competition between dark elf Felecia Eloytrisk (Trisk) Cambri and last of his line, elf Trenton Lee Kalamack (Kal) escalates when she is part of a major scientific breakthrough that will change the world. This urban fantasy is a delightful introduction to the world of the Hollows, delineating the events that are alluded to throughout the fantastic ‘Hollows’ series. There are intriguing introductions to beings who figure prominently in subsequent stories and finally, a detailed explanation for the significance of tomatoes in this version of the world (although I am still a bit disconcerted by the mechanism of conferring drought resistance, lol). I think that it is possible to read this story without being familiar with the series, but one would certainly appreciate many of the elements in this tale much more. The gradual unfolding of the vicious struggle between Trisk and Kal and the slippery slope that leads to becoming indebted to that cunning demon Aligarept is skillfully intertwined with scientific and paranormal elements. The eerie balance between vampires, weres, elves, and other Inderlanders is gradually depicted, with mysterious elements of their respective lives being tantalizingly eked out. I loved meeting Orchid, the lonely pixie, and watching her various relationships unfold. As usual, this author has penned compelling characters engaged in a world that COULD exist, with twists that make one almost want to know these folks but fearful of the consequences. There is some resolution by the end of the story but plenty of dangling threads to make me anxious to read the next installment, which is even more remarkable when one remembers this is a prequel to an already very nicely detailed series.

A copy of this title was provided to me for review

The Turn: The Hollows Begins with Death Kindle Edition
by Kim Harrison 
She shoots! She scores! From the Three-point line of a prequel.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Prequels are difficult – just ask George Lucas. Particularly when dealing with a fully formed mythology and characters that appear in the future and their parents and previous incarnations! But of course the mighty Kim Harrison handles it with ease!
The Turn is both a fantastic mystery and a apocalyptic thriller with an urban fantasy flavor.
Kal is a perfect foil for Trisk. He is both a man of his time – the 1960's – in which women are just winning the proper place in the workforce and man of his people – prejudice against any form of dark magic. He is also borderline sociopathic, the only other creature he cares about is his pixie companion Orchid. He cares more about his theories than about the protection of his people and certainly more than that of humans. As such he plays with Trisk's work as a geneticist who has used a virus to alter DNA. As he does this, he creates a worldwide plague.
The authorities of the Hollows force Trisk and Kal to work together in a cross country race to stop the plague before it can wipe out humanity, removing a food source for the vampires.
Trisk is a excellent 'predecessor' for Rachel Morgan. She is feisty, sure of herself and willing to do what is called for in the situation, even if it means harming her own soul.
The truly wonderful part are the Easter eggs and the 'old' friends we meet along the way.
It was also nice to see what the Turn was all about. To see how quickly the devastation happened, so that acceptance of the Others is understood
As usual, Kim hits it to the stands and beyond with her plotting and her characterizations. The way she slips in so much so deftly is amazing, she could teach many Hollywood screen writers how to handle both sequels and prequels. Kim is truly the master of the genre of Urban Fantasy.
5 out of 5 – a perfect novel in all ways!

https://www.the store.com/Turn-Hollows-Begins-Death-ebook/dp/B01INMZKKG/

The date is 1963 and two elves compete for prestige and honor at a job fair after college graduation. Felecia Eloytrisk Cambri (Trisk) and Trenton Kalamack (Kal), have despised one another for years. An argument at the job fair ends up with both of them chastised and no longer top recruiting prospectives. Trisk is offered a job with Global Industries, a human laboratory. Her job is to monitor the lab tests the humans are running, reporting anything of interest back to the elven conclave. When a fellow human scientist, Daniel Plank, develops a biological virus to be used in war, Trisk uses her skills to tweak it so it doesn’t affect any Interlanders (supernaturals). At the same time, she herself creates a strain of almost indestructible tomatoes to try and help end hunger. When Kal is brought in by the conclave to “check” over Trisk’s work, his ego gets the best of him and we are left with a killer tomato that systemically begins to wipe out the human race.

Fans of Kim Harrison’s epic urban fantasy series The Hollows and its itchy witchy heroine, Rachel Morgan, will want to jump on Harrison’s’ newest release, The Turn. This prequel introduces the world, creating a light background bridge of information for first time readers while giving long time fans a chance to see how it all started and get some answers to lingering questions.

Fans will remember that the decline of the human population, the initial reveal of the supernatural community, and the subsequent chaos that followed for YEARS all boiled down to a virus that was blamed on tomatoes. T4-Angel tomatoes to be exact. The Turn explains the hows, the whys, and most importantly, the WHOs that set all this into motion.

Action packed with plenty of intrigue, mystery, a machiavellian like series of plot lines, and Harrison’s winning dialogue keeps pacing smooth and steady. The genre seems to split between UF and mystery/thriller with a strong dose of corporate espionage. Harrison doles out the information is a manner that instantly draws you in and holds you hostage till the end. Strong characterization and dialogue engages as Harrison builds her cast of players-using new and familiar faces. The balance between the story and the characters is well maintained-neither overpowering nor sacrificing for the other. Fans may be disappointed to see that while a romance does slowly develop, it’s awkward and added more for the convenience of the story rather than an organic pairing.

I loved getting to meet the faces behind the events that made up the basis of The Hollow series and also seeing some very familiar faces. Trisk is utterly brilliant in her makeup and showcases the strong and appealing heroines Harrison is famous for. Kal is an egotistical jerk who you will love to hate. Trisk and Kal’s relationship is very similar to that of Rachel and Kal’s son, Trent. Their antagonism is so prevalent in the story it is the fuel that powers everything. It was interesting to see that Trent got his elitist attitude honestly thought there are some things revealed that will cause some to look at the little cookie maker a little differently. Daniel was a delight and I wish we could have gotten to see what became of him. It was great to see Quen, Cormel, and others who held huge roles in Rachel Morgan’s world. Reading this story really made me miss this series.

Though tragic in ways that we know can’t be fixed, Harrison offsets the seriousness with humor, love, and shows us that in times of great need, people will rise to the occasion. She leaves us with a viable ending that leads us into world we came to love and I’m thrilled Harrison choose to revisit it one last time.

Grade: B

As the long time Kim Harrison fan that I am, I was positively elated when I heard she was writing yet another installment in this world, but this time, she would go back to before the beginning! The Turn takes place long before Rachel makes it onto the scene, before she was even born for that matter. As any Hollows fan will tell you, there was a time in this world when the paranormals weren't "out" and that tomatoes, or at least one particular brand of tomato, was deadly. The Turn is that story, that historical moment in Rachel Morgan's world.

Trisk is a dark elf and has been working undercover, so to speak, at a human run engineering lab. She's been working for three years on a tomato that could basically end world hunger and just bring all good things to the world. Then the powers that be seem to want to bring poor Trisk more heartache as Trent Kalamack--no, not that one!--is brought onto the scene to "help" prove Trisk's project is actually as amazing as it sounds. But Kal, as he prefers to go by, has other plans.

Trisk and Kal have always been rivals. Kal had it all backed by money and power while Trisk had to work for everything she wanted. There was no love lost between these two. And it seems each of them decide to play the other in this tangled web they weave.

Then there's Daniel who is Trisk's coworker who is a little sweet on her. He's been developing this virus that the military plans to use to make their enemies sick once ingested, but then heal a few days later, leaving plenty of time for a peaceful conquering. And it's when a certain someone decides to cause a little chaos and combine this life saving tomato with the life altering virus and resulting in a mass murder of humans that things start to get dicey.

Firstly, I want to say again, how amazingly awesome this book was!! It was just delightful in all the right ways! It's been way too long since I last read a Hollows book, so my memory is faulty in some areas, but I have enough memory to know when particular characters walked onto the scene! For a few of our slower aging paranormal peeps are in this book! And even a few other appearances of people we already know but who are younger! I don't want to name names and ruin that delightful joy of seeing a familiar face will do to all you previous fans! That being said, I think a new reader to the Hollows could still pick this one up and follow along just as well. It's just the familiar faces that you see won't have a big impact on you. Nor would a few other things and ways of life mean anything, because previously invested readers will already know the outcome. And so could new readers theoretically by having read the backs of any of the previous books!

I think it's safe to say that this book isn't the start of a new prequel series or anything like that. It reads very standalone like. We watch these characters and can safely realize who they are by the end. We know what course will be taken after the events play out here. So again, safe call in saying this is it. Unless Kim cooks up something else like a YA series featuring Rachel! Who knows! Its not to say that the Hollows is over, because we all thought that back at The Witch with No Name!

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book! It was positively delightful and incredible fun! I especially enjoyed the pun that says something along the lines of "that's as crazy as a man walking on the moon!"! The book tales place roughly 5 years or so before this actually happens in our world! LOL! Thanks to Ren Stevens for having that year cemented in my mind forever! Heehee...he went to the moon...

This is a book meant to delight the previous fans of the series and even hook in new fans who want to read something totally chronologically! It's a beautiful thing my friends!

Overall Rating 5/5 stars

Two elves, a vampire and a human walk into a genetic research facility and...
No wait; I know it sounds like the beginning of a really bad joke, but hear me out:

Thinking back to the very beginning, when I first developed an (almost unhealthy) obsession with the Hollows, I remember thinking that the killer tomato storyline was sightly... ahem ... silly. Like, well... you know:

*Ahem... Clears throat* Guess who got the last laugh?! This is Our beloved Kim Harrison after all, a woman who can turn fuzzy, red killer tomatoes into pure gold... storywise.

The Turn takes us back to the simpler times; when humanity was blissfully unaware of the supernats who shared their world. When men were men and women were women... to be kept barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen... Even if the female in question is in reality an elf, seeking gainful employment in a field normally reserved for men: NASA (Secretly run by Elves, of course;-)

Elyotrisk; a young and brilliant dark elf, is dismissed not ony because of her coloration, but also her gender. She is not, however, content to stay in the shadows and let men hog the glory. Even if that means working under cover in a low tech human run facility while developing her (in)famous fuzzy tomato that's secretly meant to solve the genetic decline of the Elvish race.

Just like Rachel, Trisk, our brilliant dark elf scientist is about to discover that petty minded men named Kalamack are the bane of every self-assured woman's existence.

As a fan of the Hollows, you most likely know what happens next, but this time you will learn exactly why things went so catastropically wrong. Characters you love (and hate!) will make cameo appearances as their younger selves.

Will *he* make an appearance, you ask? *Cough, cough – tries to get rid of the stink of sulphur and brimstone* Well, you will just have to wait and see, won’t you? ;-) *wink, wink*

The Turn was truly a wonderful page-turner. Frankly, I coudn’t care less if humans were dying left and right as long as I got the chance to reaquaint myself with Kim Harrison’s wonderful world full of pixies, vampires, shifters, witches and elves. In fact; seeing how some of the races struggled to survive prior to the outing I almost felt the human carnage was for the best;-) (Sorry, not sorry!)

I’m not going to spoil you any further, but let me just tell you right now that you're in for a February treat. And remember; beware the tomatoes, people!

Actual rating: 4.5 red - completely disease-free and delicious - red tomatoes!

I recieved an ARC from Netgaley, all thoughts and feelings are my own.

An eARC of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve long been a fan of Kim Harrison’s 'Hollows' series and so the opportunity to read the prequel about how the whole Tomato Plague got started, and how the Inderlanders came out into the open was fantastic! I had always wondered how events had happened, and this prequel answered many of my questions. I think a bunch of those questions remain unanswered but the book is a complete story in its own right and there’s no cliffhanger.

I really empathised with Trisk’s character and the frustration of sexism and classism depicted in the story’s 60s timeline. It pings immediately believable as an alternative history timeline, and yet I can also see how things evolved to Rachel’s time and how much and how little changed.

I was especially interested in the story of the pixies and that their struggle against extinction was so fraught! It’s such a change from Rachel’s time! I appreciated all the ways in which the historical story came alive for me and made sense in my understanding of how the series itself unfolds for Rachel, Ivy, Trent and Al.

Al remains one of my favourite characters in that hate to love kind of way, I definitely want to read more of his story. Kal is… wow, at once an interesting protagonist, who isn’t ‘all bad’ but he’s so caught up in himself, his position and privilege that what sympathy I had for him was always fleeting. His ruthlessness was horrifying to me and the only thing that bothers me about the outcome of things was that he actually still ends up coming out of it relatively unscathed, while Trisk loses most everything.

Prequels can often be disappointing, but 'The Turn' manages to be a fully fledged story in its own right, there’s plenty of story to tell and while it ties strongly into the beginning and history behind the series of 'The Hollows' taking place, you can read it as a stand alone fantasy novel just fine I think. That said, I do think those who’ve also read some of the series will love it more.

The Turn is a prequel novel in The Hollows series. I was so sad to see the series end, then super excited when I heard KHarrison was releasing a prequel. While it doesn't have all the characters we've come to love, it does have a few we've met as their younger selves. If you're familiar with the series, we've known a bit about the turn but we've never had a ton of details.

We start off meeting Trisk, an elf at a job fair for graduates when she gets in a spat with Kalamack (aka Kal). After the altercation Kal's dream job removes their offer and Trisk is not left with many choices. She winds up accepting an undercover position at a human company where she'll be able to work as a geneticist and report to the elves if there is anything they need to be aware of. Her project that helped feed the world was engineering a tomato that could thrive in all environments, everyone is going wild for it. She's also helping her colleague by checking over his work and tweaking what needs it on his virus that will assist with war efforts. He's somehow managed to create a virus that will get a focused area of people ill for a day or two then recover. The elves are nervous even with Trisk's tinkering on the virus and decide to send Kal to inspect her work. As you can imagine, things don't go quite as planned and it's quite an adventure.

The Turn gave an already amazing series another book I could love. I've missed The Hollows series so much, I'm glad we get some light shed on The Turn and getting to see younger versions of secondary characters we know and enjoy. I wasn't sure what to expect with Trisk's character, but I came to admire her quite early in the book. She's not had it easy, with the time period being what it is, she's always second best to a man and add on that she's a dark-haired elf she's an outcast. While we've seen The Hollows told in the POV of a witch, it was nice to get more info on the elves this time around. If you enjoy Urban Fantasy with little to no romance, I suggest you grab this series up ASAP.

I must start with saying I have been a big fan of Ms. Harrison’s The Hollows (Rachel Morgan) series since the very first book came out. When a series ends and then the author decides to write more in the series, I am always really, really reluctant to read the new book. When I saw Ms. Harrison was writing a new book, a prequel, I wasn’t sure I even wanted to read it. Well, as you can plainly see, I did read it and I am glad I did. This book is set far enough in the past, Rachel, Ivy, and Jenks aren’t in the book, which I think makes it even better: I didn’t compare the characters to then and now. What was in the book: the author’s great writing, great characterizations, and a lot of filling-in-the-blanks to questions about how the plague actually came about, and how everything came to be in the earlier books. We did see a few old familiar faces, and they were their same old self which was a nice connection to the other books. Long story short, don’t be afraid to pick up this book if you are a fan of the other books in the series. The only fly in the ointment was that the end was a little rushed, and I feel the romance came on way too suddenly. I might be in the minority, but it just seemed to come on too quickly. Other than that, it is well-worth a read, and I am definitely looking forward to more. I do think you need to have read the previous books to enjoy this book. Not that you wouldn’t enjoy this book, but I think some subtleties would be lost. Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for the e-copy of the book. This same review will be posted on both Goodreads and the store.

Gallery Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Turn. This is my honest opinion of the book.

The Turn is the first prequel to the very successful Hollows series. Trisk Cambri and Trent "Kal" Kalamack want to save their species, the elven community, from extinction. When a genetically modified tomato, created to feed the world, ends up host to a lethal virus, the ensuing plague provides the paranormal among the humans with a choice. Trisk's involvement in the project, as well as Kal's, brings with it serious implications and suspicion. Dabbling in black magic as a way to keep what is hers, will Trisk's association with Algaliarept ultimately help or hurt her? With so many half truths, lies, and insinuations, will Trisk be able to figure out who is on the side of right before it is too late?

Considering that The Turn contains the background of one of my least favorite characters in the Hollows series, Trent Kalamack, I was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying this book. Now that some of Trent's motivations and actions are starting to make sense, The Turn has helped me to see the character in a very different light. As far as Trisk Cambri goes, I am on the fence about her. She is smart and intuitive, but also rash and impulsive, not unlike Rachel. My only criticism is that the book is quite long and got bogged down a bit towards the end. I almost wish that the author had trimmed some of the pages and added them to the next in the series. Regardless, readers who enjoyed The Hollows series will be happy with its continuation, as it will help them to gain perspective.

This is the very extensive prequel to The Hollows series by Harrison. Saying that I would suggest reading it after the rest of the series, as opposed to before or as the start to the series. I believe the author recommends doing exactly the same thing on her website.
Why? Well I think the prequel assumes that the reader will know the characters and where the story will eventually lead. Personally I don’t think it does The Hollow series the justice it deserves.
What the prequel does do is inadvertently shed a light on a can of worms called genetically modified crops. In this case it is woven into the deaths, extinction and survival of certain supernatural species and of course just normal old human beings.
It shows the positive side of being able to feed the world, and yet also the dangers of eating something that has had its basic code changed. Hopefully we won’t find out a century down the line.
I am still shaking my head at the whole Trisk and Kal scenario, especially the ending. If, as a new reader, you don’t know where the series ends up then it all might seem a wee bit exaggerated. If you do then you’ll probably have an aha moment or two during the read.
What Harrison does excel at is the bursts of creativity and plotting that any urban fantasy author needs to keep their audience captivated.
*I received a free copy of this book courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.*

This is one book that I didn't really expect but loved a lot. The prequel to the Hollows series had some big shoes to step into and it filled them well. Besides showing what led up to the turn it includes all the interpersonal stuff that made The Hollows more than just a urban fantasy. You can feel what it is like being a brilliant woman at a time when women were supposed to be housewives, teachers, stewardesses, cooks and cleaners not the boss and most definitely not top in her genetic engineering class. Instead of being placed at NASA she is sent to a small human firm on the west coast. On top of being female she is also viewed as lesser because she is the rare dark elf. Sexism and racism raise their ugly heads but she is determined to overcome them and force the powers that be to acknowledge her.
This prequel makes sense being written last so this was a smart move. It is well written and edited. It pulls the reader in and drags them a long for the ride. I would recommend this to anyone who loves the Hollows series. Though you could start the series here it gives away some of the information that the reader learns towards the end of the series. I received this book free from Netgalley and chose to give my honest review.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Prequel novel that satisfied my curiosity about the T-4 Angel virus and how the paranormal was outed to the human community but I had a hard time really connecting too and liking the main characters.

Opening Sentence: Trisk ran a hand down her Jackie Kennedy dress, not liking how it hampered her motions even if it showed off her curves.

Excerpt: Yes

The Review:

The Hollows series by Kim Harrison is one of my favorite all-time series reads. I have always thought that the basis for the series was very simplistic yet ingenious. How history as we know it changed in the 1960s when a tomato basically wiped out human existence revealing the supernatural living amongst us. I was super excited when I heard Kim was writing The Turn. The novel that would explain in detail how it all happened. This novel wasn’t exactly what I was expecting and I do think it would have been better if I had re-read the entire Hollows series since Kim did drop little hints along the way about the disease and how it relates to Trent’s family. (I still feel like I need to go back and re-read because I don’t remember everything and now I even have some questions that I need answered.)

As I stated earlier, The Turn is set in the 1960s. The story encompasses several years. At the beginning of the story, Trisk and Kal are graduating college and looking for prospective jobs. Just like Rachel and Trent, Trisk and Kal HATE each other. They loathe each other and have pulled nasty tricks on each other since grade school. The job fair ends in another of their nasty spats causing Kal to lose a lucrative job offer, but in effect giving Trisk an opportunity to prove her worth as a geneticist, as a spy at a human run genetic facility.

Trisk and Kal are both elves and the elven race has slowly been dying off hence their need to be geneticists in order to help find a cure to bring back the elven race to what they once were. Trisk has a solution but she can’t work on it until she gets better funding and a better place to work. She hopes to prove herself with her Angel tomato which will help hopefully end world hunger. Trisk is also keeping an eye on the human Daniel whom is working on a military grade bioweapon that will take out your enemies by making them so sick they can’t fight. The supernatural community is worried about his weapon but Trisk made it so that it can’t affect anybody who doesn’t have human blood running through their veins.

The heart of my problem with this novel is that I had a hard time liking either Trisk and Kal. I wasn’t even sure if I was supposed to like either one of them. Although Kim did make it hard with some sympathetic moments. I really waffled with Trisk, I wouldn’t like her and then I would like her but then she’d do something utterly stupid or say something. I ended up feeling sorry for her in the end because her actions led her to her unfortunate situation. But Kal, I couldn’t stand. He is petty and vindictive and has no problem ruining someone else’s life especially if their name is Trisk.

The Turn is a bit slow off the start even with the huge fight between Trisk and Kal. It takes some time to get to that moment when the disease starts impacting the human race. It wasn’t until they were in a race against time that I really was more invested with everything in the story. Orchid and Daniel were the best characters in this story. Orchid the pixie found a friend in the wrong person while trying to find a mate. She was funny and when she finally saw reason she had no problem helping to try to save the world. Daniel is the poor, unfortunate human who gets wrapped up in the paranormal world he shouldn’t know anything about. Trisk realizes through Daniel that humans may actually be able to accept that the paranormal is real without freaking out and declaring war. If you are at all familiar with this series, you know how it basically ends. There are some awesome cameos from characters that we met in The Hollows series. This book is written in the third person which is different from the Hollows series. It follows multiple different people throughout the story.

Overall, I did end up enjoying the book more towards the second half then the first half. I also fell for the momentary confusion of Kal being called Trenton and thinking he was Trent for a bit. There was also something much bigger that I needed clarified but I was able to look that one up, I won’t say it because it is a spoiler. As a fan of this series, I’m still glad I was able to read this prequel.

Notable Scene:

“Daniel, why don’t you sit there,” she said, pointing to a bale of straw, and Daniel’s jaw tightened. He was still wearing his scowl when Trisk turned to him, and he let it linger, angry something was going on, something he’d been kept out of—had been for a long time. He didn’t think she was a spy anymore, but she was up to something. He wasn’t sure if she was courageous or a whore. Maybe men were the bastards for making women have to choose between the two in order to get credit for their own work.

“I wish I could explain,” Trisk said, but her evident guilt only made Daniel angrier.

“What’s to explain?” he said flippantly. “You can do magic and you have to kill me to keep it a secret.”

Beside him, Quen smaked a thick support post in agreement. “See?” he exclaimed. “Even he gets it.”

“You are not going to kill Daniel!” Trisk shouted, then slumped. “I’m so sorry. We’re going to make you forget. You’ll be okay.”

Okay? Trisk had been lying to him since he met her. How was that okay? “I’m not going to forget this,” he said sullenly.

“You do, or I kill you,” Quen said, his cool cracking as he looked at Trisk. “This isn’t going to work,” he said. “I promise I’ll make it painless.”

FTC Advisory: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster provided me with a copy of The Turn. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

For those who need this notice, I may have spoilers in my review.I have been following the tale of the Hollows for a long time, mainly dwelling on Rachel Morgan, witch/demon however you view her but this book answered quite a bit of reasons things why things were in that situation in Rachel's time and explains the prejudice between the Inglanders and humans.
We are introduced to a few new characters in this novel -Trisk, Daniel, and Orchid plus given a fresh look at Trenton Kalchack, Quen, Piscary, and Cormel, this occurs in a time before that problem with tomatoes which is prevalent in Rachel's timeline. Trisk an elf and Daniel a human are geneticists working in a lab creating two different viruses. His is a tactical virus being developed as a bioweapon to incapacitate the enemy, Trisk had developed a tomato that grows well in all environments including dry areas because of the hairy coat on both plant and tomato. Neither one harms anyone by causing death. The tomato is nutritious and the tactical virus only causes mild flu-like symptoms worse being a fever and slight rash.Someone would have ingest a concentrated dosage to die which is not possible in the form designed by Daniel.
Trisk had been assigned to the same lab as Daniel to verify that his virus would not effect Inglanders, period. Being that she was making the tomato at the same time, she used the same gene markers on both to ensure this. Unbeknown to her, Kalchack (Kal) was assigned to verify she did this as the elf enclave couldn't believe a female was capable. Kal and Trisk have been rivals at school for most of their lives (he's a light elf with all the light markings and she is a dark elf). Dark elf were the warrior class and the light elf were the higher ruling class. Kal may be the superior by birth status but Trisk has the superior mind and genes. Kal has always tried to discredit any credit due to Trisk over the years, so when he was removed from his unsuccessful project to monitor Trisk's project, He was determined to undermine it and take over her next project after he ruined her reputation. Problem with Kal's tampering is his complete lack of how to change the virus properly so he creates a plague instead. Hence the problem of the tomato all starts with Kal. But Trisk gets a little help from the demon she has access to --good old Algaliarept--who after frightening everyone just leaves for now. I leave you to figure out how he helped Trisk.
Back to the rest of cast, Orchid is a pixie who was looking for a pixie buck to start a big family with, no fairies in this book. There's a few werewolves and witches. All in all, we get to see a view of this Hollows world prior to Rachel's and an explanation of why Cincinnati is one of the top places in the Hollows story.

SPOILERS/CAUTION: About the only thing I liked is seeing the history on how some of the characters began. Trisk who tried everything to save the world (and not responsible for their deaths) ends up essentially without her freedom in a loveless marriage as she is pregnant. Sure she makes mistakes, but don't we all? She is female and is trying to get recognition in a world, regardless of species, that does not recognize females. I feel she was punished in this book. Daniel, the human hero, all but forgotten. Kalamack, the one who murdered millions, albeit it accidentally, gets away scott-free. And one huge unanswered question - what about Trisk's baby? We never heard of this baby during the entire Hallows series, if I remember correctly. Disappointed with this book. I loved the Hallows Series....but not this book. Maybe Ms. Harrison will write a follow-up book to explain some of the unresolved issues.

I already dislike tomatoes but after reading this I really don’t want to eat them or anything genetic modified again.

This book is the back story to the “Hollow” series. It gives the story and answers the questions of what lead up to and why the Inderlanders finally came out to the humans. I am kind if nerdy so I really enjoyed getting the whole story behind this series. The little snippets we got during the series itself didn’t do the story justice so it was nice to finally get the whole ugly truth out there.

I wasn’t a fan of Kal’s from the start. He is a spoiled, arrogant, man child that didn’t deserve everything he got. I hope he died a horrible death at the hands of a demon after everything he did to Trisk and everything he did during this story. Trisk on the other hand I liked. While she may have made some mistakes during the story she was still a strong butt kicking heroine. She did the best she could in a male dominated society that basically treated her like second class citizen when she wasn’t in the lab.

Harrison did a wonder job bring the history of the hollow series world to life in this story. The world building was great and getting a look back on the fae’s social and class structure was really interesting and a treat. All the character were fully developed and well thought out. They seemed like they belonged with the rest of the series and enhanced the richness of the series. The flow of the story was great to. I don’t think there was really any down time or places where the story was lagging.

I was surprised at some of the turn of events in the story and found myself frustrated with the injustices that occurred. I am pretty sure I would have just killed Kal and let someone else take over my research while I served my time. Overall I did enjoy this book and thought it was a nice tie in with the series.: )

The first in The Hollows prequel paranormal fantasy series that takes us back in time to 1963 to 1966 and that first tomato.

My Take
Harrison sets us down in the 1960s with its fashions and music, introducing us to those characters who contributed so much to The Hollows we know and love. It was fascinating to meet Trent's parents, Rachel's father, and the vampires of Cincinnati who will play roles in The Hollows.

It's also the time before women's lib began to set women free, and it's a dominant theme in The Turn, for this is a man's world, one in which betrayal, corruption, and sabotage are all business as usual. It's a capsule look at the negatives of downplaying someone for their sex. Assuming they're stupid, emotionally handicapped, incapable of driving (?), good only for fetching and carrying. Of how a group weakens themselves by ignoring half their brainpower.

Side themes that contribute too well to the ending include the sin of pride and all its negatives, bullying, arrogance, and bigotry — all too obvious through Harrison's use of the third-person point-of-view. Kal's behavior certainly shows his insecurity. The same insecurity all bullies have. One they take out on everyone around them. In the real world, we need to find out what's causing that insecurity. Take it away. And that child — and everyone they interact with in future — will be saved forever. Yeah, yeah, it's a hope, anyway.

It's a story of personal and professional regret. With the elven race on the brink of extinction, being able to have children conveys power, status, and a voice. As a dark elf, Trisk needs both. And, Christ, that Kal has some nerve at the end, insisting on there being no betrayal.

Harrison does come up with some terrifying conflicts: the interactions with Algaliarept, Daniel's unfortunate discovery, subtle romantic triangles, the encounters in Chicago, and Trisk's and Daniel's humane naiveté among others. I do love that Trisk is never taken in by Kal, although I don't understand why it takes Orchid so long to figure him out.

I gotta tell you, it took me a long time to read this. I'd read a few pages and put it down. Sometimes for days. Then I'd read a few pages and…yeah… It was so nervewracking. I knew of the plague coming from the original The Hollows series, and I did NOT like the direction The Turn seemed to be going. The lies. The betrayals. Oh, lord, the lies! It took about one-third of the way in before I got brave enough to read through to the end.

In spite of all this, you really must read The Turn if you enjoyed The Hollows.

The Story
Death comes in the guise of hope when a genetically modified tomato created to feed the world combines with the government's new tactical virus, giving it an unexpected host and a mode of transport.

A plague that also threatens the exposure of the paranormal species who have stayed hidden for thousands of years, and now they have the uncomfortable choice to stay hidden and allow humanity to die or to show themselves in a bid to save them.

Then Detroit broke the silence. The city doesn't exist anymore.

The Characters
Dr. Felicia Eloytrisk "Trisk" Cambri is a dark elf, a heritage that when combined with being a woman, dismisses her brilliance as a geneticist. One who has a doctorate in using viruses to introduce undamaged DNA into somatic cells, the hope for the elven race.

Quen Hanson is a friend and fellow student who majored in security. He's taken a job with the Kalamacks, even though he knows "they'll treat their horses better". I wish I knew why he accepted their offer.

Dr. Trenton Lee "Kal" Kalamack is the last of his elven bloodline and a fellow student albeit a lying, sneaking bully. He's also a brilliant geneticist, but not as good as Trisk. Orchid is the pixy who was rescued by Kal. Lilly is Kal's housekeeper in Sacramento.

Global Genetics is…
…a human research lab based in Sacramento, and Rick Rales, a living vampire, is the new CEO, replacing Dr. Hartsford. The drought-resistant T4 Angel tomato is Trisk's breakthrough and downfall. Angie Harms will be Trisk's lab assistant; Andy is her boyfriend. George is a guard. Barbara is the head secretary who looks like an aged stand-in on American Bandstand.

Dr. Daniel Plank is a human physicist who creates a tactical virus, PTV. Larry is his assistant.

Chicago
It's mostly Inderlanders patrolling the streets in Chicago. Captain Pelham is a cop and a Were, along with most of his men, including: Randy, Tex (is a witch), and Smith. Ormand is a master vampire; Jake is one of his children. Thomas, Phil, Betty Smitgard is a makeup artist, and Matthew are human survivors at the Chicago Stadium. Rob and Adric are some of the helpers. Chuck is one of the civilian Weres helping to patrol the streets. They want to prevent another Detroit. Johnny and his parents, Benson and May, help Trisk and Daniel.

Cincinnati
Piscary is its master vampire. Leo is his scion. Sam and Ellen are some of his children. Fordges is an informant. Senator Rynn Cormel. Professor Thole, a witch, is with the university and has connections with the coven of moral and ethical standards.

Inderland is…
…the collective term for all supernaturals. There are four major species and a number of minor ones, including pixies, gargoyles, and more.

The Weres are…
…werewolves. Colonel Jason Wolfe is a werewolf with NASA. Mrs. Ray is an alpha who owns a limousine company in Cincinnati. Casey is a young Were manning a gas station; Officer Bob is one who sends him home. Sid and Luke are Weres along the way.

The Elven Enclave is…
…the governing political organization for the elves while the dewar is their religious council. Sa'han Ulbrine is a two-faced hypocrite who works for the enclave. He got Trisk the job at Global Genetics. Sa'han is an elven honorific.

The Witches' Coven of Moral and Ethical Standards is…
…the witch governing body. Saladan Industries and Farms is the buyer of the Angel tomato patent. Max Saladan owns it and is a ley line practitioner, a witch.

The vampires
A living vampire has the strength and charisma, but none of the liabilities of a vampire. A scion is an undead vampire's aide who does the daylight work. Mr. Niles is the master vampire of Sacramento, and Rick was his scion.

Algaliarept "Gally" is the name of the demon Trisk's grandmother, Felicia Ann Barren, was said to have summoned.

Donald "Takana" is a young bass player; Ripley is the drummer in the band. April is a young girl on the boxcar. Heather hosts a talk show. Tom is one of her cameramen.

The Cover and Title
The cover is a gentle snowstorm in the woods with Trisk, her long dark hair blowing with the wind, her hands cupping a black tomato, oozing a viscous black down the front of her tomato-red square-cut silk gown, the bottom of it billowing up around her in a red cloud. It's Quen's gold helix pendant that's hanging from her neck.

The title is where it all begins, The Turn, with the tale of how The Hollows Begins with Death.

Prequel to Kim Harrison's the Hollow series, I love this series. I found The Hollow series at a time in my life when I had no money and I was practically stuck at home alone with a toddler. Books were my escape and the Hollows series was one of my favorite escapes. (thank you Library) I typically get bored with book series that follow one person throughout the whole series, The Hollows is one of the exceptions. After reading what books there were of the Anita Blake series (I got bored and disappointed in them), The Hollows was a breathe of fresh air. I quickly fell in love with all the characters and have a love/hate relationship with Trent; and as aggravating as the characters get sometimes I keep coming back for more. I am so emotionally invested in the characters and now we have the beginning of it all.

I have seen several reviews complaining that the beginning of the book was slow and so detailed but it needed to be. You can't have a "how it all started" book without going into detail of it got started. You can't just wash over it and get to the action, you need the build up and character development especially since they are new characters; well some of them are new. With the introduction of the two main characters Trisk and Kal and going back to the late 60's as a reader we needed to understand how it was back then for the Inderland community and being a woman. Not to mention the Elf politics that Trisk is having to deal with and the scientific jargon. I personally loved the detail Kim Harrison went into when explaining the tomato and the virus, I would not have been happy if it was just implied and not really explained.

Felecia Eloytrisk Cambri (Trisk) is at the top of her class but she has strikes against her, one she's a woman and the other she's a dark elf. She gets a pity job offer just because the college wants to keep it's 100% placement rating. But it turned out to be the best thing for her she excelled and left her lifelong rival in the dust. But Elf politics, and uber paranoid leaders send Trisk's lifelong rival Trenton Lee Kalamack, Kal (not Trent remember that Trent and Rachel are not that different in age) to go in a check her work with the promise that if he has to fix it it becomes his with only his name on it. Trisk calls upon a demon (yes that demon, I loved seeing him) and makes a deal. But Kal's petty jealousy and desire to be better than everyone else screw everything up.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one it was so nice going back to the beginning and seeing how it all started. Seeing Tanaka as a teenager was fun as well as some other characters in their younger years. I am definitely going to have to go back and reread the series.

In a world that doesn't know about the supernatural beings that live among them, paranormals must keep themselves hidden. Some species, such as trolls, fairies and pixies, are on the edge of extinction because they must live quietly, even isolating themselves from others of their kind, under the human radar.

Felecia Eloytrisk Cambri, or Trisk as she preferred to be called, graduated from college with a Masters in Genetics, even though dark elves are expected to go into Security. She had two strikes against her. One, being a female and two, going against the elf establishment by not going into the security field, but becoming a geneticist. After an unsuccessful job fair, one of the Enclave dignitaries, Sa'han Ulbrine, offered her a job at a human genetic lab, Global Genetics...where she will eventually develop the lowly tomato into a superfood, hopefully feeding the World.

Trenton Kalamack, or Kal, graduated with Trisk and seems the picture of a perfect elf...blonds, almost white, hair and green eyes, and rich. That's where the perfection ends. He has it all, the looks, the light coloring, the wealth and family name that will get him what he wants. He and Trisk are working on the same thing but going there by different routes,

Orchid is a tiny pixie that Kal found in a trash can, alone and starving. She may be small, but she's a fierce warrior, faithful to Kal. When Kal decides to drive to his new job, taking his prize orchids with him, Orchid goes along, on a mission to find a mate. Love this feisty little lady.

Quen, Trisk's best friend, handsome with wavy black hair and dark green eyes, also graduated with Trisk and Kal but has his Masters in Security, as expected of the dark elves. After graduation he accepted a job working for the Kalamacks.

Sa'han Ulbrine offered Trisk the job as a spy for the elves. However, three years later he sends Kal to the same lab to check on Trisk's work and make sure nothing is harmful to the humans or the Inderlanders, the paranormal community.

Dr. Daniel Plank, one of the human geneticists at Global Genetics, has been working closely with Trisk for three years. He respects her work and she respects his. He's been working on a virus for the military, so they can go into a village/town/city with very little, if any, fighting and death. Daniel also has a crush on Trisk.

Of course, Ali makes his usual entrance...still the same snarky rascal.

Love this book and highly recommend The Turn, especially if you have wondered how the tomato became Public Enemy Number One. You'll see a few old friends and meet some new ones...both good and bad. This story will make you want to revisit the Hollows, starting at the beginning and not stopping until the end. Kudos to Kim Harrison for making the story complete.

If you are new to the Hollows, don't worry, you don't need to read any other books in the series first. This is a stand alone story...The Hollows begins here...

Don't shoot me but I haven't read the final book in The Hollows series.

I blame it on two things. The first is I have an irrational fear of reading last books in a series for fear of being disappointed with the very last hurrah. Second, I got a wee bit burned-out on The Hollows. I've read the entire series (save the last book), some books more than once, cried my eyes out for a month after book #5, I've attended 7 book signings and bought many t-shirts to be in the "family" photos. I've got waaaaaay too much swag, too ;) To say I was reluctant to hop back into The Hollows world is an understatement.

I am so dumb...

As soon as I started reading The Turn I was hooked and sunk. I quickly realized how much I missed Kim Harrison's writing, both The Hollows world itself and Ms. Harrison's style.

The Turn takes readers literally back to "The Turn", to the moment in history when some of the paranormal species came out of hiding to save humanity. Ms. Harrison shares the story of how one genetically modified tomato could almost destroy the human population on Earth. As readers of The Hollows series, we always knew it was the T4 Angel tomato, but we never knew who made the tomato or what exactly happened.

I'm so glad I got over my stupidness because learning what I did and how it fit into the rest of the series literally BLEW MY MIND. We were introduced to characters that were only previously referred to and supporting characters we've met before but we didn't know much they played a part in the "history" nor did we know their entire backstory. Seeing characters like Quen and Rynn Cormel early in their careers was mind blowingly exciting. Can you tell I was excited to read this story?!?!

I think the synopsis sets up the story well enough. I will comment and say that it is a little misleading so don't expect the story to go exactly as the synopsis says it does ;) There is a lot of exciting conflict and action that keeps the reader engaged throughout the entire story. There were moments I was on the verge of tears and moments when I needed to smack a certain toe-headed elf upside his head. By the end of the story, if you're a Hollows fan, you'll quickly realize that some of the "facts" you thought were true in "previous" Hollows books may not exactly be true. ∗mind blown∗

IMHO, I suggest that this book should be read AFTER reading the other Hollows books. Oh, you could read this one on it's own. But the reader would miss about 50% of the mind-blowing greatness that makes up this story and the characters that we meet along the way.

Kim Harrison returns to her beloved Hollows series with The Turn, the official prequel to the series that will introduce fans and readers to a whole new side of Rachel Morgan's world as they've never seen it before!

Can science save us when all else fails?

Trisk and her hated rival, Kalamack, have the same goal: save their species from extinction.

Death comes in the guise of hope when a genetically modified tomato created to feed the world combines with the government's new tactical virus, giving it an unexpected host and a mode of transport. Plague takes the world, giving the paranormal species an uncomfortable choice to stay hidden and allow humanity to die, or to show themselves in a bid to save them.

Under accusations of scientific misconduct, Trisk and Kal flee across a plague torn United States to convince leaders of the major paranormal species to save their supposedly weaker kin, but not everyone thinks humanity should be saved.

Kal surreptitiously works against her as Trisk fights the prejudices of two societies to prove that not only does humanity have something to offer, but that long-accepted beliefs against women, dark magic, and humanity itself can turn to understanding; that when people are at their worst that the best show their true strength, and that love can hold the world together as a new balance is found.

Review:

A big Rachel Morgan/Hollows fan, I was soooo excited to see this book coming out and even more excited when I got an advance reader copy.

This really is one of my all time favorite series. This is the prequel to the Rachel Morgan series. In this story we find out the story behind tomatoes and the virus that decreases the human population, which you know about if you have read the other books in the series. Things get really interesting when stuff starts to go bad, that is when I got really engaged in the book. I thought the Author did an excellent job of getting me back in the this world and gave me insight into everything that leads up to the series. The characters are all lovable or you love to hate them. Even though this story happens before Rachel we get some characters that are familiar showing up in this book...read it to find out who. Plus, I don't want to give away too much of the story. Now, that we have one prequel maybe we can have more :) Love and miss my Rachel.

Perfect companion to the Rachel Morgan, Hollow series!

5Stars

*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book provided by the publisher.*

I really liked this book a lot. I have only read a few of the early books in this series but I knew that I had to read this book as soon as I saw it. I always thought that the history of the world we saw in Dead Witch Walking was extremely interesting. I didn't even know half the story. This book really grabbed my interest right away and held it until the end.

How did a simple tomato kill a large percentage of the human population? We finally find out in this book. Trisk and Kal are both elves and are geneticists at the top of their class. Oh yeah, I should mention that they don't like each other...at all. Trisk ends up working at a human lab working to tweak a virus that is going to be used a weapon so that it cannot harm interlanders. She has also engineered a tomato plant that can survive in almost any condition and is hoped to help solve the world's hunger problem. Kal is asked to also take a look at her work to make sure it is safe before it is released on the world. Let's just say that things go horribly wrong.

The events in this book take place in the 1960's so there aren't too many characters that appear in the series. Every time a character I knew showed up in the story, I found it very exciting. Since I haven't read the whole series, there may have been more well known characters from the series that I just didn't recognize.

The main characters in this story were mostly new to me and I really liked most of them. Trisk was pretty awesome. She works hard and does what is right. When things don't go her way, she makes the best of whatever situation she finds herself in. Daniel is a human working closely with Trisk at the lab. He is actually the man who designed the virus. Daniel became more likable for me the more I read. I absolutely loved him by the end of the book. Orchid is a pixie in a world without a lot of her kind. She's not Jenks but she is pretty awesome. Kal was the kind of character that I love to hate. He is really pretty horrible in just about every way imaginable.

This was a book that I found myself liking more and more as I read. The beginning of the story was interesting but I really got hooked once things started going wrong. I had to know how they were going to deal with what was happening. The characters really proved what kind of person they were during the tragedy. The pacing of the story was well done and once I hit the second half of the book, I had a very hard time putting it down.

I would recommend this book to others. I enjoyed it a lot even though I am nowhere near caught up with this series. I think that it could be read as a stand alone although readers of The Hollows will get a little more from the book. I actually think it is possible we may see more books in this time period. Maybe? I hope so. In the meantime, I will continue to work my way through the original series.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books via NetGalley.

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.

THE TURN takes Hollows fans back to where it all began, a world where witches, vampires, and all sorts of magic are hidden away behind the sexism, racism, and revolution of the 60's. Trisk Cambri, a brilliant young geneticist, has to work three times as hard as the slick, spoiled Trent Kalamack, and still racism and sexism slam doors in her face. The Good Girls' Revolt meets Urban Fantasy, THE TURN is an interesting glimpse of where the beloved characters of The Hollows all began.

Seeing all the links between this closed world and Rachel Morgan's Cincinnati was fascinating. An intricate clockwork of pride, circumstance, and folly clicking away towards the apocalypse Hollows fans know is coming. Unfortunately, watching dominoes fall isn't quite as satisfying when you know the characters you're falling in love with don't have much of a future. And while the confusingly named Trent Kalamack (called simply "Kal" to differentiate him from future, redeemed Trent Junior) does have emotional vulnerabilities, his spoiled, self-righteous, "Nice Guy" spite is an added dark spot on an already bleak ending.

Harrison leaves cookie crumbs of happiness for her characters, even those whose stories we eventually see alongside Rachel Morgan, but for the most part, THE TURN focuses on the elegant disaster that will recreate the world into one we know and love.

Sexual Content: Non-explicit sex scenes.

I got an eGalley of this book through NetGalley to review. I was a huge fan of the The Hallows series and was excited to see that a prequel was being released. This was a well done prequel to The Hallows. I enjoyed it but did think that the book wraps up kind of abruptly. I am wondering if we will see additional books in this "prequel" storyline.

I loved seeing how The Turn happened and seeing some of our good ole favorite characters from The Hollows series in their younger years. This book is mainly told from Trent and Trisk’s perspective. Both of them are hellbent on having their genetic research receive recognition.

We also see some characters from the later books in the series. Quen is a main character in this book and some other characters such as Rynn Cormel and Piscary show up towards the end of the book. I am sure there are others that feature from the Hollows series that I am missing.

It was incredibly intriguing to see how the Turn happened and the whole “death to mass humanity” gives this book a very apocalyptic feel.

I did struggle a bit at points with trying to figure out how this story gets Trent to where he is at the beginning of The Hollows series, I couldn’t figure out how Trisk fit in. I am hoping there will be more prequel books to fill this missing portion of the story in.

The characters are not as likable as the characters in the following Hollows books. Both Trisk and Trent come off as selfish and conniving. However, the intense events surrounding them make the book engaging. The writing is well done and easy to read.

Overall I would definitely recommend to fans of The Hollows series. I personally would recommend reading the other Hollows books first and then come back to this prequel. Trisk is very different from Rachel and it was interesting to see some of the characters in this series at earlier points in their lives. The book is well written and easy to read and I really enjoyed it.

omatoes and familiar faces. While I don’t necessarily think one needs to read the Hollows first, those who have will certainly enjoy seeing how the world we know in the Hollows began and everyone’s role in it. We get answers and enjoy many ah-ha moments. There were many tidbits that have you craving more.
It’s a full-length novel. Often prequels are novellas, but Harrison treated us to an entirely fleshed out story. The tale takes place in the sixties and long before Rachael comes into the picture, but we do see familiar faces like Quen and Al. The tale begins when Trisk and Kal are at an event hosted by their University. Top graduating students interview with alumni for jobs in their fields. Here we get our first taste of problems Trisk faces as both a female and dark elf. We also see Kal’s hand in Trisk’s woes, and oh man, you will love to hate Kal. We then fast forward and spend time with Trisk as she works on a drought resistant tomato.
Kal and Trisk are both interesting characters. While not without flaws I liked Trisk from her career goal to personality. The elf is a real jerk and had me thinking evil thoughts. I wanted him tarred and feathered. Trust me, when you meet Daddy, you will understand Trent even more.
Secondary characters from humans to pixies add interest and will keep you flipping the pages. Harrison added depth to them giving them a strong presence as events unfold.
The story that unfolds was fast-paced. Kal is asked to double check a project that Trisk’s made safe for Inlanders. Betrayal, summonings, and more await you! Harrison will have you yelling at the characters. I know I found myself muttering aloud and trying to warn Trisk. Of course, there are also moments that will have you bursting with laughter. Al was a hoot, and reading The Turn brought back memories of the series, and it’s characters. Heck, I wanted to reread them all! I will warn you, while the story is complete it did leave me wanted more.

I'll edit this review in a few days, but I really enjoyed this story and did not think that there was too much written about the tomatoes and virus. While it may have slowed the story down for some, it was necessary along with the mentions of species disappearing because of what we are doing to the Earth, but everyone will ignore this because this is only urban fantasy "fiction.
While Trent's father was the main SOB, he wasn't the only one.
I can see future stories from this timeline and hope that Ms Harrison gives us more. I'd like to know more about what Trisk went through to make her marriage work, how her inlaws treated her before and after the birth, why there weren't other children, if the garden was her sanctuaty to hide from everyone but her son, did Orchid find her buck, Trisk's dealings with Al, was she able to maintain a friendship with Daniel, Trent's childhood and their eventual muder; I could continue but you get the idea.
I think that readers who enjoyed The Hollows will enjoy this. I don't think you need to read them beforehand, but new readers that like this should definately start reading the series.
I need to apologize to both the author and publisher for taking so long to read the book then write a review and while I did want to wait until I needed a book that I was pretty certain I'd really enjoy imagination didn't plan on life getting in the way and it being so long.

To Trisk, a dark elf, it seems she's been fighting her whole life for recognition. Her brilliance in the field of genetics goes largely unacknowledged. That's what burns her up. Her elf rival Kal will stop at nothing to interfere with her research.The fact that Kal cannot see beyond his driving ambition and blind jealousy to the damage that he will inflict on all species--human and paranormal plays to Kal's driven obsession. Plague sweeps the planet, and Kal is ensuring that Trisk is blamed.
This is the world before Rachael Morgan. A world where paranormals are hidden, tweaking humanity's developments.
There are some fascinating characters including the human scientist Daniel, Quen her elf friend who's a security wiz, and the pixie warrior Orchid.
I was enthralled, aghast at the darstardly Kal and totally sympathetic towards Trisk.

A NetGalley ARC

I’m really conflicted about reviewing this book. In retrospect, maybe I should have just left the series finished in my mind and never re-entered the world of the Hollows. Sure, this book takes place before the start of that series, but the collection of magical creatures still persists. The characters, however, are so… young!

As someone who rooted for Trent and Al in the later series, this story was so hard. Trent is firmly in his jerk phase, even more spoiled and arrogant than I could even imagine (and I watched him grow through the Hollows series!). It was pretty frustrating to have to deal with him in that timeframe again, but Trisk was a bright light in all that yucky darkness. Trisk was a great addition to the story, and I found myself rooting for her even when I knew where her research had to end up. This book was definitely cringe worthy in that respect. There has to be a trigger for the world of Rachel Morgan, so you know that for every happy moment we get to see, an even bigger sad moment is on its way.

Another highlight was the cameos from characters we know and love. It definitely messed with my timeline when I saw their relative ages and mannerisms, but supernaturals are always tricky that way. I expected this book to end with everyone lined up to take their ultimate places from the start of the Hollows series but that is definitely not the case. Don’t expect this book to answer all your questions or leave you with warm, fuzzy feelings for… anyone. Except maybe Orchid. Like I said, this is a hard book to review because on one hand I want to know what happens so I’ll eagerly devour all the books set in this world. On the other hand, it’s painful knowing everyone’s futures and having to suffer through it all slowly.

This is a great book; this book is the prequel to the Hollows series written by Kim Harrison. If you love the Hallows series, then you need to read this one. It is one of my favorite stories and when I got approved to read an ARC of this book I was so excited, and it didn’t disappoint. Death comes in the guise of hope when a genetically modified tomato created to feed the world combines with the government's new tactical virus, giving it an unexpected host and a mode of transport. Plague takes the world, giving the paranormal species an uncomfortable choice to stay hidden and allow humanity to die, or to show themselves in a bid to save them.Under accusations of scientific misconduct, Trisk and Kal flee across a plague torn United States to convince leaders of the major paranormal species to save their supposedly weaker kin, but not everyone thinks humanity should be saved. Kal surreptitiously works against her as Trisk fights the prejudices of two societies to prove that not only does humanity have something to offer, but that long-accepted beliefs against women, dark magic, and humanity itself can turn to understanding; that when people are at their worst that the best show their true strength, and that love can hold the world together as a new balance is found.This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Oh. My. Goodness. THE TURN was so incredibly good, I'm going to have a very hard time writing this review without overly gushing like an utter fan girl. This book is everything I've been missing without my latest hollows fix. I have to admit I wasn't sure a prequel could live up to the epicness of Rachel, Ivy, Jenks, and Trent, but oh it does. Trisk is fierce and incredibly determined, but an outcast setting her up to be the obvious favorite, and Kal is a privileged slimeball to say the least making me loathe him at times. However, what made this a truly standout read is that neither character fits fully into those good/bad labels. There's just so much more to either of them, but I won't spoil things, just suffice it to say there's MUCH more than first meets the eye with both of them.

Now onto the plot, which while I knew what the outcome of THE TURN would be, the journey was a pleasant surprise every step of the way. I really enjoyed seeing how everything unfolded and honestly now I want to go back and re-read the entire series to see if some of the details in this book were hinted at in the original books. It definitely won't be a hardship. :)

I have searched everywhere to see if this prequel is a standalone, or the start of a new early Hollow series, but I can't find any info. I truly hope it's the latter because this book was utterly fantastic and I want so much more. Simply put, THE TURN was everything I had hoped for, just an utter treat. Fans of the Hollows should have this on their auto buy list pronto!

I so very nearly gave this book 5 stars, and the only reason I didn't was because there was one element of the story that I couldn't get past, but believe me when I say that this was a great book. The story was investing and compelling with lots of twists and back stabs, and, of course, fantastic world-building made famous from Kim Harrison's HOLLOWS series. I loved that while this was a prequel, it introduced a lot of familiar heroes (Quen!!!) and villains that reminded me of everything I loved about the classic urban fantasy series. Trisk is a fantastic character who I instantly loved. She's a strong heroine who constantly stands up for her beliefs and against men who try to put her in her place. While I questioned a couple of her choices, I was always on her side, along with her companion Daniel, who she protected fiercely. Then there was Kal, aka Trent from the HOLLOWS books. While he grew on my (slowly) in the HOLLOWS books, I absolutely loathed him in this book. Oh, he wasn't badly written or inherently evil, but his actions were absolutely selfish and he didn't care who he hurt. Someone had something he wanted, and he just wanted to take it because he thought he was entitled. He was awful, and I actually couldn't stand him every time he talked. Again, all that said, he was a well-written character who I just happened to hate. The book itself is actually fantastic and was a lot of fun to read. I highly recommend it to urban fantasy fans and those who loved the HOLLOWS books. Lots of fun!

I have missed the Hollows world so it was great to dive back into it, even if it was before some of my favorite urban fantasy characters make their appearance. THE TURN introduces us to the story of how his parents came to be his parents and throws in some other character backstories into the mix as a bonus.

Trisk is a spitfire destined for great things and Kalamack is a douche that will do anything to be on top. Their rivalry was pretty epic, but in the end, they end up together. I honestly don't have the words to describe how crazy the events in THE TURN were. Just when I thought things were calming down—or a specific male elf would feel remorse or shame—some other WTFery would come up and smack me upside the head. What a fantastic ride!

Not only do we meet Trent's parents, but we are introduced to a few of our favorite and not so favorite characters before the time of Rachel, Trent, Jenks, Ivy and the rest of the gang. I won't get into all the details, but Al was just as crazy in the past as he was in the future.

THE TURN might be a prequel to The Hollows series, but it's a full-size novel with a lot of action, drama and backstory that I'm so glad I was able to read. Whether you're new to The Hollows or an old fan that has read until the last sentence, you will want to see how it all starts with THE TURN.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was both the first (definitely) and last (probably) book by this author I'll read. The protagonist is one of those intellectual but idiots the world is so full of. The book would have been 10% shorter at least if she carried a coin and flipped it whenever a decision needed to be made. Instead she gazes long and lovingly at her navel, equivocates and then makes the wrong decision. Afterwards she spends an interminable amount of time wallowing in anguish and guilt in preparation for her next really stupid decision. Just awful but I did get through it so not one star but maybe 1.5 as it isn't good enough to be a two. Trisk is one of the most poorly put together protagonists I've ever fun across. I suspect that in writing a prequel the author knew where the book needed to end so she just threw things together until she had the ending she wanted and the rest was just a way to earn some money.

Being a huge Hollows fan I was very eager to get the story behind the turn which is why I didn't even hesitate to pick The Turn up.

With it's familiar world and characters, it wasn't hard to jump right in. And while it did take me a moment or two to adjust to the different characters and the point of view not being Rach's, it really was fun seeing some familiar faces and some familiar places.

I absolutely loved seeing where is all began and how exactly it all began and of course seeing some familiar faces (Al!) was just so much fun.

It was so interesting to see the rivalries and the relationships that came about and of course where the Hollows was (or wasn't yet as this case may be) in the 60's versus when the first book takes place. Trent's parents were...well interesting and while I can't say I ever liked his dad, I will say that I liked Quin and his mom more so than ever and of course Al! So good to see that he was the demon we've all come to know and even love from the very beginning.

This was a fun addition to the series and I'm so glad we got this glimpse into it. It really does make me want to go back and read them all over again, or at the very least, to finally finish the series.

The beginning has arrived! Most longtime fans of The Hollows have been dying to discover the full story behind the tomato that rocked the world. The big question of how and why the common tomato became the source of such destruction has been answered! It is both fascinating and frustrating to see how the manipulation of those tomatoes, and the machinations of characters that we have long known, changed the course of the world. New readers will be enthralled by Kim Harrison's amazing twists and turns and will love, and hate, the characters involved. The Turn fits perfectly with other books of the series. I hope Ms. Harrison will break tradition and create more than one book in the time of The Turn.
Unless you are already a fan of the series, you cannot imagine my excitement when my NetGalley request to read an advanced reader's copy of Kim Harrison's The Turn, prequel to her amazing series, The Hollows, was approved. The book was as good as any in the awesome series. The review is of course completely voluntary; I always review books that I love.
Reading the Turn has made me want to begin The Hollow for the third time, and it is sure to lead new readers to want to read the whole series.

4 stars. The Turn is the prequel to The Hollows series. If you have read The Hollows series it helps you understand the setting and the main characters. But this book can be read as a standalone and lead in to that series. I loved The Hollows series and was glad to finally get a chance to read this prequel. There is violence and sex so 18+.

The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat that info here. Kim Harrison does a good job of describing the characters and setting and I was reminded of why I liked the series so much. You easily get caught up in the emotions of the characters and story. And while there are some new characters, many of the old favorites show up as well. There is plenty of action as well as twists and turns in the book. I really enjoyed this book. Now I want to re-read the entire series again.

I have missed The Hollows series so much since it ended. Reading this prequel makes me want to reread the series. We now have background stories for some of the older characters who appeared in the series, as we meet their younger versions. We now know how the Turn came to be and how tomatoes were involved. (I love the cover!).

We have a strong female lead, but it isn't Rachel; it's a young college graduate named Trisk. She is a geneticist in the 1960s, dealing with racism and sexism. By the way, she is also an elf!

Fans of The Hollows series may recall that in this alternate reality, we never went to the moon. Instead, genetics are more advanced, as is genetic engineering. We already know that a GMO tomato somehow killed large portions of the human population, allowing the Interludes - vampires, weres, witches, elves, gargoyles, pixies, fairies, etc.- to come out of the closet. Now, we learn how that happened and the roles that elves played. (I love the cover!)

This story is a prequel of the Hollow series set in the 1960's. The story features Felecia Eloytrisk (Trisk) Cambri and Trenton Kalamack (Kal) and their rivalry in school and professionally. Trisk is a dark elf which Kal makes sure to put her down every chance he gets. He is actually jealous of her achievements. When he decides to sabotage her he doesn't think it through and causes an apocalyptic event that they have to work together to fix. I really dislike the Kal character but love his fairy companion Orchid. It was a little slow going at first but there was a lot of world building being done so it was necessary. Especially showing how being a woman in the '60s can be limiting. I really enjoyed the ending and I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

I regret spending a dime on this book. I had high hopes that I'd found a new paranormal romance series. Especially one written in third person. I looked at the other is in the series and they are first person. That was a huge disappointment at first. Once I realized that I hated this book, it didn't bother me. The story was a good one. I did enjoy the story line, but for this book can't be described as a romance by any stretch of the imagination. The male lead was despicable. There was nothing redeeming about him and he hated the lead female from beginning to end. I felt so sorry for her. No happy ending for her. I understand this is a prequel. Unfortunately, I won't be reading anymore and haven't found a new paranormal romance series.

Dr. Eloytrisk (Trisk) Cambri has modified a T4 Angel tomato to help feed the world hunger after the Plague nearly wiped out humans. The Enclave has sent Dr. Kalamack to assist in the patent of the T4 Angel tomato. Trisk knew Kallamack was coming to steal her work, not to check it. One morning al the tomatoes have turned into a black goo and are emitting toxic levels. Humans are dying and the hidden species are scared of being noticed and becoming sick. Trisk and Daniel must let humans know not to eat the tomatoes and to find a cure before there are no humans left. Orchid is a tiny pixie who helps Trisk out of some pretty horrid places. Orchid was Kallamack's pixie and she has valuable information to help Trisk and Dr. Daniel. You will truly love this book and you may even like a certain Demon-Algaliarept.

Obviously, this will connect to the Hollows series. I feel the connection will be your next story. Remembering back to the Hollows bk1, began after a mass destruction of humans--then the series show how life continued down a new path.

The Elves, Picksy, Vampires and Demons are back in "The Turn"--I've listened to it twice. I love how you give hints from the start as to what will happen--but they aren't put together until the end of the novel--well done. Love the characters--very different personalities that play off one another to cause a strong interaction which makes us all take a side--including our lonely picksy. Great ride, and I want more. This has to lead to Rachel (of the Hollows series), but how and where. We need more! We need to see how Trisk and Kal continue.

Very well told prequel to the super fun Hollows series. Actually, this is much ~better~ than the last two books in the original series . I loved it and I loved seeing the younger versions of characters bring the coming stories into focus. For me, the big drawback was the belief-stretching conceit that a virus could retro actively infected last year's crop of previously canned tomatoes and ketsup and that ~everyone~ in a small town would have eaten tomatoes in the prior 24-hours. Surely there was a more plausible scenario? Jeepers, I kept falling right out of the story at that implausible technical scenario. But, I would suspend credulity for the sake of more well-told Hollows prequels

This is a wonderful beginning to The Hollows series. We get to see how the fear of tomatoes came to be, what happened to the world and how Trent's father Kal was the cause. It shows how the elves as a whole are only out for themselves and could care less about the world in which they live. I loved seeing characters in their younger years and some of their backgrounds. I so loved Orchid and felt so bad that she couldn't find a mate and she was Kal's only redeeming quality, how much he cared for her. I'm hoping Ms. Harrison continues on because I really missed The Hollows, the people especially Jenks, Ivy, Quen, Trent(son), Al and of course our itchy witch Rachel!!

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

In this prequel to The Hollows Series, we get to see Trent's parents and how they met and what went down between them and the rest of the world. Rachel isn't born yet and as much of an ass as Trent is, his daddy is way worse!
I loved this book. But then I haven't missed any of Kim's books. Especially the Hollow series. It was great to see how the characters we now either love or hate got to be the way they are. And now I get the tomato thing!
I really don't want to give anything away here. Especially because my fellow readers over here aren't quite done with the book.

Yes, I loved it and yes, I would buy it again. Can we just talk about how beautiful the cover is? Thank you Ms. Harrison for this peek into the past!

Followers of Kim Harrison’s Urban Fantasy series, The Hollows, will be interested to read this new story, THE TURN, which is actually a prequel and explains how the tomato plague happened, and who was responsible. The focus is on Trent Kalamack’s parents; his father, also named Trent but going by Kal, and his mother, Trisk, who have grown up together and are now Elf scientists working in the field of genetics. Trisk is a dark elf who has dealt with prejudice her whole life. And as a working woman in the 1960’s, she is trying to succeed in a field controlled by men whether they are the dominate golden elves like Kal, other Inderlanders, or humans. She developed a tomato that will help save the world from hunger because of its resistance to drought and disease which has been hugely successful. She also works for a research company that developed a virus for the military to help subdue populations during wartime. Her hated lifelong rival, Kal, is sent to verify and inspect her work by the Elven Enclave and through his jealously and greed, he interferes to the extent that a worldwide catastrophe is set in motion.

At this time, the human race does not know about the other races of supernatural Inderlanders and keeping their existence a secret is one of the prime directives. But now, with the whole world in crisis, that may change as Trisk works with the with Daniel, a human scientist, who created the virus which became deadly, to help find a solution before all of humanity and even Inderlanders who are mostly immune but dependent on humans, is destroyed. Trisk has some untenable choices to make both personally and professionally that make this book quite a thought-provoking read. I came away with some very mixed feelings about the main characters, especially Kal, and I suspect others will too.

Readers of this series will enjoy seeing many of the characters from Rachel Morgan’s world and get a glimpse into why the elf, Trent the younger, whom she knew as a child had some morally questionable issues of his own. This book really sets the stage for the way Rachel’s world functions and answers many questions about how and why the turn happened. It always seemed odd to me why anyone would be scared of a tomato, but this story fully invests the reader in the horror of what those living in that time period endured giving depth and providing a framework for the Hollows series. Fans of Kim Harrison who have been missing this world will be quite happy to be back there. This prequel is a good kick-off to reading the series again with a new lens through which to view it as well as some interesting background on several of the well-known characters. It is a must read for Hollows fans and a great way for new readers to start the series although you will know things about Trent that were not revealed until later on.

Ok if you are already a fan of the Hollows series than this prequel is a must read as so much is revealed. If you are new to these books than shout hip hop hooray because it's a fabulous introduction to a world that is frankly addictive. Like many I'd always wondered just how the humble tomato could cause so much damage and be vilified until the pretty ordinary fruit became public enemy number one! Open this book and get pulled into a story of pride and vanity that leads to catastrophe but with a hint of greater things to come as there's always hope.
Briefly this book tells of the rivalry between two elves Trisk, a dark elf and Kal, the supposed golden elf. It's set in the sixties but the sexism and belittling of females in general in the elven society means Trisk is never given the acclaim her work deserves. Trisk is sent to work undercover with humans enabling her to make huge scientific strides. Unfortunately Kal is sent to make sure the projects Trisk has worked on are safe but sadly his blinkered ideas and selfish attitude sets in motion something that will necessitate those who are paranormal stepping out of their hidden world before everything is lost.
I was hooked from the first page but it's not exactly black and white and frankly the end left a nasty taste in my mouth. Trisk is truly gifted with a strong backbone but her choices at times just amazed me but then I live in 2017 with all its freedoms so perhaps shouldn't judge too harshly. Kal is very hard to like admittedly but he does have one or two things that help save his character. One he really wants to help his fellow elves although I couldn't help but think he wanted all the credit and two he clearly has an emotional tie to someone who perhaps lacks physical stature but not courage. I've no wish to spoil this book but will state that I so enjoyed spotting characters who I'm used to reading about in later years. With its elves, witches, vampires, shifters, pixies and even demons this turned out to be a fabulous book. Perhaps though it was the willingness of so many to sacrifice that made it a standout story for me but alas to say more would ruin the fun.
A copy of this was provided with no requirement for a review and I voluntarily read it which means my comments are my honest opinion

While in many respects The Turn was a return to former glory, I can't help but worry Kim Harrison has lost it. Whatever it was. The it that made me wait with baited breath for each new novel, in hardback, I might add. That I purchased with such enthusasim. This book began with huge pormise, and then just, faded. I found myself wanting it desperately to end so I could move on - the trite "oh look it's someone from Rachel's world!" excitment overused and overplayed. I unfortuantely have stopped buying the novels, and now only read them through the library, so I was pleased I did not spend money on this story and probably will continue holding off on buying her novels for now.

I loved this audiobook; it took the reader back to the true beginning of the Hollows, with the story of Trent's parents and the creation of the Angel tomato. Even though Gally is the only character in this story that frequents the other Hollows books, it still has the feel of them. As with the other books, the narration was once again excellent, she captured the characters well, giving them individual voices and personalities and bringing the story to life. This story definitely held a few surprises and added even more depth to an already great world.

I've loved Rachel and Jenks and Trent. I wasn't sure about this book. I devoured it. I loved it. It is a bit tricky trying to get to know the characters, but that's expected since they are totally new, but it does make a new 'feel' for the reading of it verses her other books, which might be something people don't like.

I'm excited to see more of this story line, though right now I hate one of the characters so thoroughly, way more than Trent in the beginning of the series. I don't want to give anything away, but it is completely worth reading.

This seemed like a trailer filled with cameos of characters we are already familiar with popping in. There isn't really a story here especially since we ultimately know how the turn started from the beginning. The relationships are cringy though I guess they may be attempting to reflect a historical aspect where the womans options are limited and men think of them more as objects than colleagues. A heartwarming ending, but 90% of the book was slugging through nothing really happening.

The Turn by Kim Harrison is a wonderful prequel to The Hollows Series, and I loved getting to revisit that world.

Getting to see a young Trent Kalamack, and getting some insight into how he became who is was in the series was a wild ride across the country. You get to learn all about the T4 Angel tomato, and how the Inderland species decided to come out to the world.

Whether you are a longtime fan, or a first time reader of the series, The Turn is an absolute must read!

I . . . am a fickle broad.

I spent the majority of the last two days complaining about this book. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, I hated THE TURN right up until the very end.

Literally. The very end.

The last four pages are what kept me from one-starring this book.

You: Whoa, one star, that's really bad.

Me: Yes. It is.

You: Why were you going to one star THE TURN?

Me: So. Many. Reasons.

1. The first 40% could've been condensed into, oh, around 5 - 10%, leaving us with a surplus of I'm-a-female-scientist-in-the-1960s-hear-me-RAWRRRR stuff and nonsense that was ultimately pointless given the outcome of the book.

You: What does that mean?

Me: If you want to know, you're going to have to suffer through it, same as me. #notevenalittlebitsorry

2. Drama Queen, thy name is H A R R I S O N.

Harrison's prolific use of cliché phrases and sentiments was a great source of amusement/disdain. There were peaks and valleys, but I never made it more than a few chapters without some variation of this happening:

"And then her ears exploded as the hand of God reached down and slapped her."

Or, you know, there was an explosion. *shrugs awkwardly* Certainly not an everyday occurrence, but "the hand of God"?

Pfffffffffft.

3. I hate this story.

Harrison could have written a book about a tragic accident, the perpetrators rife with the guilt of what their tampering with nature had wrought. She could have revealed to us how a small-minded man sought the ruination of a competitor and unwittingly unleashed a plague on humanity, his avarice equaling his DOOM.

She could have told told us any number of tales with any number of satisfactory outcomes.

Instead, she gave of a story of the hapless and the narcissistic and zero accountability.

Booooooooo.

BUT.

Those last four pages. *gnashes teeth*

I hated Kal.

Hated.

Hated, loathed, despised, and abominated.

Justifiably too. The man was a stubborn stupid blind megalomaniac who, albeit accidentally, (view spoiler)

*throws head back and shrieks with rage*

Then with a glance and few well-chosen words, Harrison had me wanting to believe he could be a better man.

Whiskey . . . Tango . . . Foxtrot . . .?

No matter how messed my reaction, Harrison was the one who elicited it, and that was nothing short of miraculous.

Also, the additional background on dark elves (of the brunet Quen variety) vs. light elves (blond-haired, green-eyed Trent Kalamack of HOLLOWS fame) was interesting.

Maybe the distinction was made in THE HOLLOWS, but if it was, I don't remember it.

Also, also, there were those periodic moments of brilliance that kept me reading THE HOLLOWS loooooong after I'd lost patience with Rachel Morgan:

“His horse’s nostrils flared when he was angry, and his ears? His ears showed his mood, which was mostly bad, so they lay flat against his head.”
April clutched her glass unicorn to her. “Did he hurt April’s horse?” she asked.
Trisk shook her head, and even the boys at the fire relaxed. “No. Princess April wouldn’t let him, but the prince wanted her to come with him. He gave her presents, and food, and kittens."

And so . . . I am a fickle broad.

Not really recommended, but I won't blame you if morbid curiosity draws you down this infuriating path.

SPOILERS

I love the world of The Hollows, and this book brought that world to life again for me. I loved the book and I'm really sad that I'm done reading it. I hope Kim Harrison writes more from this part of The Hollows' history. This book also helped me understand some things about Trent (from Rachel's era). And the cameo with Takata was brilliant and hilarious in the middle of all of the tragedy. It was oddly satisfying to see Piscary again, meet Ivy's mother, and see an Inderland police captain. I'm really rooting for Orchid. I really really hope there is a next book.

People are SO confused...

- Trenton Aloysius Kalamack in the Rachel Morgan books is Kal's son, but Kal is a nickname. Kal's full name is Trenton Lee Kalamack, so he is also sometimes also called Trent. -

So, essentially this is a story of how Trent's dad (Rachel's Trent) and his mom were involved in the Turn, and the culling of mankind.... and explains why Trent had issues that required medical intervention at an early age, similar to Rachel...

Excellent read!

I was so sad when Kim Harrison ended her Rachel series. The Turn is a welcome, well written prequel. Rich, exciting, and well thought out. I loved learning the history that built the world Rachel lived in. Harrison leaves a wide door open at the end for so much more. Can't cheer loud enough!

Great paranormal with a kick-ass heroine! This is a wonderful prequel to The Hollows series. Trisk proves you can't keep a good girl down no matter what life throws at her. One of the things I like about her is that she is tough but also kind, and is still cautious about trusting others. Ms. Harrison does a great job of giving her fans the beginning of it all to their favorite series.

I have loved the Rachel Morgan series and I'd thought this would answer questions about how certain characters ended up where they did and it did to some extent. This story took me longer to get through than Kim Harrison's other books as I just did really like any of the characters at this point.

Loved The Hollows, loved this book. It's actually inspired me to reread the series. The only piece I disliked the was the confusion about Trent. This book has the father of the Trent that is part of the Hollows. They have different middle names. I didn't pick up on that until I read some reviews - then it all clicked and the book made MUCH more sense. I just wish it had been more clear while I was reading.

Wow!Wow!Wow! I loved every minute of this book and found I couldn't put it down! I hadn't realized how much I had missed The Hollows until I read this. This book is an essential part of the series whole and gives you insight into the characters you already know and love. I do hope there are more prequels in the works!

Buy this book!

For those of you who have read "The Hollows" Series by Kim Harrison, all of your burning questions about "the Turn" will hopefully be answered (I don't know what kind of obscure questions may be out there). I loved the fact that this particular novel featured a lot of the origin of the relationship between Al and the elves. Definitely worth the read, I read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down!

I loved this book and hope this author continues to write about the Hollows. Kim Harrison has always been one of my go to authors for urban fantasy and I was not disappointed. The Turn was a wonderful book that really illustrated how the events transpired leading into the rest of the series. More please.

I'm glad this book came AFTER the Hollows series ended. At the beginning of the Hollows, I hated Kal, then as the series went on I came to adore him. Had I read this book first, I would've never come to even like him. What an azz. What a great story. I'd give it five thumbs up if I could.

Wonderful book! This is about how Trent's mom and dad got together and everything that happened because of their relationship. All I could think of was poor Trent. Also, I wonder what happens with Orchid. Hopefully there is a second prequel book in this series.

A big thank-you to Kim Harrison for taking us to the beginning of the Hollows. As with all Hollows fans, I've missed Rachel, Ivy, Jenks, etc.. Even though this book takes place well before their time, it still felt like coming home.
p.s.
Beautiful cover.

Interesting and entertaining to see a bit of the history of the Hollows. Especially fun to glimpse a teen Tekada. Kalamack, however, was especially disturbing in his arrogant ego and pride without care of others. eLibrary book

I absolutely loved and enjoyed reading the outstanding paranormal story by the phenomenally talented Kim Harrison. Read the highly recommended, exciting and intriguing story line with captivating characters, and a must read story.

Don't listen to the fan girls out there giving this book 5 stars. This is not a 5 stars kind of book. There are a lot of problems with this book, some of it having to do with rewriting a history that was quite clearly marked such as elves being a part of main interlander society (while for the first few books Rachel didn't even know Elves were still alive at all). Also, none of the characters are engaging. Kal is obviously a slimy jacka$$, Tricks is an underhanded woman ready to do anything including whore herself out to reach her unimaginative goals let's not talk about Quen. Overall, a giant disappointment for something that could have been a welcome return to a beloved universe.

I, too, was a fan of The Hollows series, but gave up The Turn at about 26%. At that point, it was more a workplace sabotage drama (oppressed female/work credit stolen, etc.) than the action packed story lines I was used to. It was set in the 60's and while there is some reference to the clothes and some expressions used then, it could really have taken place at any time.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I love reading Kim's books. Her story line is well thought out and put together, her editing is almost always perfect, and it amazes me how she weaves her own world. The Turn is another great novel and explains how the Turn happened and more about the Kalamack family.

Trisk sat at her booth hoping to find an employer. She was a geneticists. It had been four months since Trisk had graduated. It was like a reverse job fair post graduates came from all over the country to see if there was a place in their company for the graduates. There wasn’t that many of Trisk’s people left- elves. The population would drop a lot more if they couldn’t halt the ongoing genetic degradation caused by an ancient war. Trisk and her dad had only entertained three employers at their table and they were only interested in her minor in security rather than her major in genetic research. After the fair was over a man from the Conclave told Trisk to put her application in for Global Genetics which was a human ran lab. Trisk would make enough to be free and afford to live and not have to marry. At least she could do what she loved doing at Global Genetics. It had been three years Trisk still yawned at noon but no longer fell asleep during lunch as elves were most alert at sunrise and sunset. But Trisk had to follow a human schedule now instead of then naps her body wanted at noon and midnight. Angie was Trisk’s lab assistant. Trisk was helping design tactical biological weapons. Trisk had let Sa’han know of Daniel's research almost eighteen months ago. Trisk had tweaked it and Daniels work could not hurt any paranormals. Then Trisk ran into the new CEO at Global Genetics and he was a vampire but he was not undead but a living vampire. Rick- the CEO told her he was making sure the tweaks she had made on Daniel’s virus wouldn’t hurt vampires. He knew she was an elf and that she worked for Sa’Han and rick told her that was why she and Dr. Pluck were still alive. There was a man who was a witch from the military another who was a vampire with Sa’Han and the were talking to Trisk’s nemesis Kal. Kal was to go to Global genetics and check Trisk’s work. Kal wants to take Trisk’s research and use it as his own as well as get rid of her.
I couldn’t get into this in any way I tried a couple times and it just bored me .