Book 4), A Fistful of Charms (The Hollows

The style of this book was a departure from the pattern of the first three, which was refreshing at first, but then dragged a bit toward the end. Instead of Rachel's hometown Cincinnati, this book takes place in Mackinaw, Michigan, which I loved! Michigan is my home state and I have to admit that I have not read too many books that take place there, especially in Mackinaw, where I went at least once every summer growing up! I did also love the deeper investigations into the characters such as Jenks who Rachel spelled to life-size and Nick, who it turns out is a creep and a lying thief. I'm not sure if this book was as spectacular as Every Which Way but Dead but I have high hopes for the rest of the series and can't wait to keep reading

All right, Vampiric Charms is once again whole! After the loss of the pixie Jenks in Every Which Way But Dead due to issues of trust, he is lured back into the fold when his eldest son Jax partners with Rachel's old boyfriend Nick to steal a werewolf artifact. Although springtime is in full swing in Cincinatti, Jax is in Michigan where winter is still fighting with spring for supremacy, and cold weather can kill pixies. This launches Rachel and Jenks on a rescue mission outside of their normal territory of Cincinatti and The Hollows. Eventually Ivy will also follow them as they take on a super were pack.

Ok where does this book rate in the series? Well I think it is as good as any of the others, and this is my favorite Modern Supernatural series. It doesn't have the multiple story lines of the others, but that has more to do with location than anything else. We do learn alot more about werewolf rules and customs which is fun, the alpha of the pack is female, and Rachel must learn how to fight these fights since she has become David's pack Alpha. The relationship with Ivy becomes more complicated, and Jenks must teach one of his children how to read, because his days are now numbered and he knows that Rachel and Ivy need a pixie backup for the future.

Kim Harrison is the author that introduced me to this new genre and so far nobody does a better job of plot writing, character development, or filling in the blanks on the variuos supernatural cultures; although Charlaine Harris comes close. Rachel Caines Weather Warden series is very well written, and Harris's Sookie Stackhouse is my favorite individual character, but the team of Vampiric Charms is still the once and future champ. I hear that we can expect a new book next March and I can't wait.

I'm liking this series more and more with each book, but unlike the previous books so far, this put me in a very melancholy mood. It had an underline sadness as they talked about Jenks' life expectancy. I really enjoy this character and I hope to see him in plenty of books.

The story was a good one. I really didn't like Nick after the last book and it turned to hate after this one. But it will be interesting to see what happens with him, if he shows up, in the next books. I thought it was interesting about how different packs were after Rachel to challenge her to get David to play nice with his own kind. I think this should get very interesting later on.

I really am enjoying these books. They are some of the best ones I have read. I think Harrison has created such a great cast of characters that really help bring the story to life instead of words just written on paper.

This series is a wonderful surprise. I read this in one gulp of fresh air - it's humorous, very real and the characters are so detailed that you actually feel that you know them in your real life!
So many reviews here compare it to Anita Blake, but I read the first few books in that series - and NOTHING compares to Rachel Morgan.
First off, Rachel Morgan is a much more complex individual, and Harrison creates a world of characters that you actually care for. In Anita Blake, I didn't feel any sympany for her or anything bad that happened to her . Moreover, the story is so stupidly plain and simple that leaves no room for imagination.
I also tried to read the Dresden files (read 2 books) - AWEFUL!!!!!!
The closest I could find to the style of writing and the intricate little things that happen all around in the book is the Sookie Stackhouse series which I also am thorouly enjoying right now. Can't wait for the next book in the Rachel Morgan series!!!

Before buying a book, I go to the library and borrow it. In this case, with Harrison's series "Dead Witch Walking", "The Good, The Bad and the Undead" and "A Fistful of Charms" (very cute puns on Clint Eastwood films) I'd feel my money would be better spent elsewhere.

I *enjoyed* parts of the books, when there was plot evident, but I did not enjoy the constant emo-ing and angsting. Although the plague that wiped out a huge portion of humanity is mentioned once in a while, usually in tandem with tomatoes, the only effect the plague seems to have had was to bring supernatural creatures and witches and so forth out of the closet. If Harrison was not going to incorporate such a enormous societal change in a realistic way, it should not have been included at all as an explanation for a world with open magicking.

By "A Fistful of Charms" the only character I give a hoot about is Jenks. He doesn't emo all over the place, although he does take part in one too many deep heart-to-hearts with Rachel Morgan about her love life and psychological state. This book in particular felt like I was eavesdropping in on a massively long and drawn out therapy session instead of following along in a well-structured adventure/mystery puzzle.

The plot, when it bothered to show up between talking head heart-to-hearts, was sort-of cohesive. There was some weaving together of elements from the beginning of the book to later scenes, but, either I wasn't reading closely enough, or I missed the section that introduced a character (by name) and by who he was arriving with in order to have an assisted suicide. I had to figure out he'd been mentioned cryptically a few chapters earlier, but not by name. He was not a character until Rachel had the chance to ooze emo all over HER ethical dilemma. It made her incredibly self-indulgent and unlikable. I almost found myself wishing she'd been killed in the car wreck, also.

Rachel Morgan's own revelation at the end of the book about her psychological nature of needing thrill-seeking to have sex was just...I won't say repulsive, but really, I didn't need to have it spelled out for me. In fact, I didn't like having every deep personal motive of the every major character spelled out for me in dialogue between the characters, as if they were all in Junior or High School trying to figure out their social status and who they could screw and why not or why it could work or not. Does every character own some sort of speshul knowledge about a key character, as if they all have canted telepathy?

Harrison does have a way with writing hooks in her stories. I just wish she'd reign in the emo-talk, the spelling-out of motivations, and hang her stories together a little more securely. Also, make Rachel less of a whiny sex-driven stereotypical witch, please. Sex is healthy; but I don't want to read about characters endlessly whinging about it!

These books just keep getting better and better. Once again, we're treated to a wonderful mix of humor and drama, action and "softer" scenes, believability and the supernatural.

The characters are all gripping, especially the "main three." There's many interesting developments, among them the fact that Ivy, Jenks, and Rachel feel a lot more like a concrete team in this book. You know they're going to stick together forever now, no matter what happens. It's awesome.

At first I didn't think I was going to like this one...it doesn't have the demons, it doesn't have Trent, and at first I thought it wouldn't have Ivy, either. But it's tough to whine about the "no demons" when you're getting some INCREDIBLE, fun action scenes (the WERES are very prominent in this one), and some great (very, VERY great) character developments...especially when Ivy shows up. *hint hint*

All in all - cannot wait for the next book. I'm glad I found a series like this.

What its about:

Fistful of Charms starts off with a bang, or battle. Rachel has to fight a female werewolf for an alpha position. After fighting for her life Rachel finds out that her partner Jenk's son has taken off with Rachel's ex, Nick. Nick has been captured by some weres up north and Rachel decides to go with Jenks to rescue both his son and Nick.

What is good about it:

In this book we learn a lot more about Nick. We find out what he is really been up to all this time and just what kind of person he is. Nick fans will disappointed but those who disliked Nick will be satisfied. In this novel we also get to learn more about Jenks and pixies in general. Jenks takes a black "charm" to make himself bigger to help survive the cold and Rachel takes a black charm to become a were. In this novel we see Rachel delve more into uncharted territory and see her battle her conscious about what is white magic and what is black and when can a person use black magic?

What is bad about it:

I was pretty annoyed with the whole lets analyze why Rachel does the things she does. Why is she rescuing Nick? Why does she live with Ivy? What is the deal with the vampire lover? It all boils down to the fact that Rachel likes to live on the edge. That is fine but I am tired of everyone talking about it and then telling Rachel what her problem is. Ugh. Lets move on!

I suppose every author has to have a lull. I was surprised to find that the novel does not take place in Cincinnati. The teaser on the back of the book eludes to nothing that actually takes place in this novel. I was disapointed in the pace of this novel so I'm giving this a 3 star review it just didn't capture my attention easily as the author's prior books. On a positive note I do have to say that Kim Harrison(Dawn Cook) did do a good job a advancing the relationship between Ivy and Rachel which had been stale and boring has now been become much more interesting. I do suggest reading "A Fistful of Charms" if you are really into the series however its not the best I've read so far.

I think this one was better than many of the others. I have yet to actually like the main character, Rachel. She's just too dumb! Harrison should have made her a blonde (no offense to other blonds out there;-) Although, Harrison gives an excuse in this novel for Rachel's poor judgements--apparently she gets off on living dangerously. Yeah, whatever. What I really like reading is all the other characters. Man, Jenks is HOT! In this novel, Jenks becomes human size and has all the women in the universe drooling. What makes him even more sexy is the fact that he's completely in love and devoted to his wife. I get the chills just think about it. What I loved, was the fact that he had everyone cowering in their boots, vampire and werewolves alike. The moment they heard he was pixy they practically ran for the hills! After a few fight scenes, it was understandable. The man was vicious!

Nick returns in this book. For all of you that actually like him (I didn't; I thought he was a winney) you will get over him quick in this novel. Kisten and David play a small part in this novel (Boo!). Rachel and Ivy's relationship takes the next step (read to find out more). Overall, I loved it. Why four stars? I just cannot stand Rachel. If she was a real person, I would sooooo not be her friend.

Newest entry in the Rachel Morgan Hollows series, we follow Rachel as she tries to continue her bounty hunting business without the help of Jenks, her pixie partner, who won't speak to her. Rachel attracts danger like no other, but without Jenks by her side, she is finding it more and more difficult to extricate herself intact. When she lured into a trap to protect her standing of alpha Were in the "pack" she joined (for health insurance, of all things), she barely escapes with her life, only to find that her ex-boyfriend Nick has been kidnapped and Jenks' oldest son was with him - and they were in Michigan at the time, which with it's cold weather, could be deadly to the pixies. Rachel manages to convince Jenks that he needs her help, and they hit the road to find Nick, Jax, and the missing Were artifact that got the duo into this mess. Ivy, their other partner and Rachel's roommate, must remain in Cincinnati for vampire power reasons - until Ivy decides that her partners are more important to her, and she meets them after they escape from the Were Island. The entire novel is rife with humor - especially between Rachel and Jenks - but it also shows the confusion and conflict Rachel must face between the black and white of good and evil, and realize there are more shades of grey than she ever imagined.

While I believe that this books and her others could stand alone, it would be much more enjoyable to start at Dead Witch Walking and read them in order. There are a number of continuing characters and subplots that thread throughout. The characters develop and grow throughout. There's lots of action and the main plot starts and is resolved in this book.

One of the things that I like best about this series is that the characters are flawed and don't gain powers in every book. Rather they learn to develop what they have.

There's a price to pay for using demon magic and Rachel doesn't want to use but needs it "just this once". It's a lot easier for her than the earth or ley line magic which she also can do. She twists two demon curses, one to grow Jenks large so that he doesn't freeze to death and a werewolf curse for her protection from the weres. She and Jenks are off to Michigan rescue his son and her ex-boy friend Nick.

Once there, they discover, that's it's a little more difficult than they thought. Nick has stolen something that could start a were/vampire war and everyone wants it.

This is a very enjoyable story with a lot of character development as well as action. When's the next one?

I love this series. My only complaints about this one were 1.) Not enough Kisten, 2.) the "adrenaline addict" stuff? BO-ring and trite, and MOST OF ALL 3.) Rachel/Ivy. I don't buy them as an intimate pairing in any way, shape or form. The scene in the van smacked too much like rape to me, no matter how much Rachel insisted she loved it. I find Ivy and her issues compelling, and I love her UNREQUITED feelings for Rachel, but if that goes anywhere, this series is going to lose me QUICK. I love a good f/f love story, but these two characters do not click on my hot or sweet meter.

That being said, I loved the adventure... ADORED Jenks big (and live in sobbing terror of his future). I never really cared much for Nick one way or another, so his guest starring role was mostly neutral for me. Rachel and David's "barely legal" werewolf pack is hilarious.

Can't wait for the next book!

I'm really loving Kim Harrison's writing, and this wonderful world she's created.

Characters that are vibrantly alive (or undead) with plot twists that totally take you by surprise, and no "neat and tidy" endings to situations -which consistantly keep you on the edge of your seat. (I'm particularly worried about our rapidly aging Jenks... what's going to happen next?)

She is not the writer for you if the characters need to drop in a writhing pile, and explore every orifice on alternating pages (I'm looking at YOU, Ms. Hamilton! What happened to your PLOTS?!)

Kim Harrison IS the writer for you, if you like amazing character development and increasingly engaging storylines.

Fan-freaking-tastic - I'm impressed and blown away by each book she brings forth, and eager to read the 4th in the series.

Keep it up, Kim!

Fistful is probably the most 'streamlined' of the Hollows books to date (I know, I'm a bit late to the party!). While I enjoyed the previous three just as much, if not more in some cases, they tend to wander at times. Which is perfectly fine. While they have a central plot, many of the scenes are 'a day in the life of Rachael and her unusual assembly of friends', and it's great reading! Some of the day to day situations Harrison puts these colorful characters in are more entertaining than some books main plot by far.

Fistful does lean heavily on a central plot: Nick is in trouble. He stole an ancient artifact that could shift the power balance between weres and vamps in the hollows and cause a bloody war. Rachael, happy in her life but still fighting her own demons about how Nick seemingly left her high and dry decides that she's going to help out. There's one other thing that makes this even more personal for Vampiric Charms. Nick enlisted Jenks' oldest son, Jax to help out. Road trip for Rachael and Jenks! The run/rescue mission takes them up north, well out of the comfort zone of Cincinati.

There's plenty of action mixed in with some really great character development here as Rachael's inability to say no to a loved one (or ex loved one) has her crossing more lines than she ever thought possible. It's very engaging to see her work through her moral dilemmas, both with the type of magic she enlists to help people out of a bad situation as well as how she deals with a certain vampire who may want more than she can give. There are some scenes in the book that are truly heart wrenching.

This is really a great, action packed, thoughtful story. We learn a lot more about what makes Rachael tick, both good and bad. We see certain relationships moved forward on shaky ground and some come to unforeseen conclusions and all the while, Rachael is one mean runner, but is always entertaining and likable.

I'm excited to get into the next of the series to see what other surprises Harrison has in store for me. Four books in and so far so fun!

When half of the human population of the world was decimated by a genetically engineered virus, the Inderlanders, those creatures of myth and legend such as vampires, werewolves, shifters, pixies and witches came out of the closet. Rachel Morgan a witch, Ivy a powerful living vampire and Jenks a pixie are partners in a runner (similar to Bow Street) agency Vampiric Charms. When Jenk's son Jax disappears and then calls for help Jenks and Rachel rush to Michigan to pick him up.

He tells them that Rachel's ex-boyfriend Nick the thief is being held on an island populated by Weres because he double crossed them after finding an artifact that has gone missing for centuries. After using a spell to shift into a wolf form so she can fight an alpha were for their freedom, she wins the battle and they manage to escape. However Nick has the artifact in his possession and the Weres will do anything to retrieve it. Somehow, Jenks, Rachel and Ivy who joins them later must find a way to elude the Weres and stop Nick from stealing the artifact otherwise a vampire/Were power struggle will break out with many people injured in what eventually will become a war.

Fans of Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris and Kelly Armstrong are going to love A Fistful of Charms. There is plenty of action, a bit of romance and enough death defying escapades to the please fans of many genres. Rachel is a conflicted individual who isn't always sure of her own feelings and actions and sometimes strays into the dark areas of magic to do the right thing. Kim Harrison is a great world builder, who creates fascinating characters and puts them in a realm where humans and Inderlanders live together, not always in harmony.

Harriet Klausner

Not gonna lie, I felt pretty conflicted this entire book. It wasn't that it was written poorly or anything, it just felt a lot like nothing that was happening seem to fit with anything that was already known. That and I just really hate Nick.

Having just finished this book, I have to agree with reviewers who have expressed disappointment about the repetitive nature of the stories and Rachel's increasingly annoying personality.

All the books have the same feel to them - I'm sick of Rachel's constant whining and stupidity. She's actually turning into the worst thing about this series, and I loved the first few! It's highly disappointing.

I started to notice the repetitive patterns in book #3, and in this one it was cemented in to the point that I just didn't even want to finish the story. I actually did force myself to finish because this was Jenks' best appearance - the "fart out my mouth" quote from him still makes me laugh.

Having said that, here are the repetitive things that have begun to grate - I get tired of hearing about how Rachel's heels knock out a sharp staccato on the floor as she walks, or how a curl falls across her eye, or whatever other narcissistic way Rachel describes herself. There's always got to be at least one "close call" in every book with Ivy nearly killing her, endless situations of danger at the drop of a hat - and Rachel's incessant internal dialogue ("God, help me." "God, what was I doing?" "Just this once." "This was bad, REAL bad.") is grating to the point of me wanting to reach in the book and smack her into silence or at least knock some doggone sense into her. Rachel will often be adamant about NOT doing something and in next breath, she does exactly what she'd sworn she wouldn't. From using black magic, demon magic, or letting a vamp bite her . . . she has no idea about herself and is constantly plagued with self-doubt and delusion. She's getting to be disgusting to listen to.

I've gone from loving the series to nearly hating it - all because of the supposed heroine and her predictable pattern of stupidity.

In the beginning, it was endearing, and now it has become (as Rachel endlessly says): bad, REAL bad.

It's a shame, really - because Harrison has an excellent way with words, but the repetitive nature of her writing and the endless repeating cycles with her characters is growing old.

But Jenks is my favorite. If I finish the series out, it'll be all because of him.

Rachel Morgan is a witch with a flair for getting into trouble. She is forced to use a demonic curse in order to Were so she can maintain her status as Alpha of David's pack and keep her insurance rates affordable. After crossing this line once, it is an easy slide to continue using demonic curses.

Rachel finds out that her former pixy partner, Jenks, has a son, Jax, who is lost somewhere up north. Jax has teamed up with Rachel's ex-boyfriend and ex-familiar, Nick Sparagmos, to steal an artifact that now has the Weres ready to kill him. Rachel once again resorts to a demonic curse and transforms Jenks into a human sized pixy for their rescue of Jax and Nick. The situation quickly gets complicated when it turns out that the stolen artifact is one that could tip the balance of power between the Inderlanders. Rachel, Jenks, and Ivy will have to quickly develop a plan that keeps everyone safe while maintaining the balance of power.

A FISTFUL OF CHARMS shows a more introspective side of Rachel. Rachel uses quite a few demonic curses in this novel and the resulting stain on her soul makes her re-examine her entire life. She is also struggling with her relationship with Ivy. Ivy is obviously attracted to Rachel whereas Rachel is only interested in friendship. However, Rachel recognizes that Ivy needs blood as a living vampire and therefore is hoping to find some sort of blood balance with Ivy. This dilemma results in quite a bit of introspection from both Ivy and Rachel.

A FISTFUL OF CHARMS can be read as a stand alone novel but will probably rate lower to readers new to the series. Fans of the series will enjoy the new depth of the characters and the twists that are occurring within the various relationships. However, the novel may appear to drag a bit with Rachel's angst if one isn't aware of the undercurrents in Rachel's history with Jenks, Ivy, and Nick.

Kim Harrison continues to explore new realms with this fantastic series. Jenks as a human sized pixy is both entertaining and intriguing and it was wonderful to see him working with Rachel again. A FISTFUL OF CHARMS takes the series in a new direction that will only leave readers hungering for more.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Obviously I would not recommit this book to anyone who has not read the previous three installments, this series is so mouth wateringly good that you cannot miss a beat; it would truly be a loss for anyone to read this out of order. That aside I will keep the narration of this book short and sweet, ruining or giving anything away is the worst favor anyone can do with this series, the surprises emerge like spring flowers through the snow and action builds up with no sights set up on stopping anytime soon. This book does not disappoint, there's drama, action, love and lots of good old fashioned fighting. I was enamored with this story and where it took the characters, it promises a good story continuation from here on!

Rachel is still amongst the living even though her luck has been stretching thin and what is in store for her in this novel is a big chunk of adventure. Kim Harrison really puts her all in her books, from the moment I open each novel I feel the warm welcome of the cozy church Rachel, Ivy and Jenks live in. The big kitchen with the wooden counter, large windows overlooking the pixy garden and the pots and pans, brownies baking or pizza sauce simmering and constant foods and spells Rachel is cooking up makes he hungry, she also simmers smells and makes charms, while I can't make those, at least reading about her cozy cooking makes me feel teleported into her world. The real charm of these books is the strength of characters and their bond with each other; Rachel the bounty hunter,then there's Ivy, her slinky hot vampire roommate with her almond shaped eyes, wearing leather and always defending her territory like a lioness and Jenks, mischievous and charming pixy with a great attitude, they are all familiar to but but they have a new problem on their hands. Nick, Rachel's missing ex-boyfriend is in trouble, and it includes an island bathed in mist, occupied by wild packs of werewolves. This book made me salivate and drool; finally the vampires make some room for the real monstrums in this book and with the help of some black demon magic, something that I can just tell will bite her back later, Rachel does the unthinkable, she finds a way to transform into a werewolf. I can not saying one more thing, the tale was sizzling and intense and things that happened between Rachel and Ivy almost made me fall out of bed. Hot hot hot....Something is happening between the powers of the wolves and the vampires and Rachel finds herself in midst of a huge new conflict. Read this and you will know it all!

I was thinking that my only complaint would be how long this book was, but honestly, after I read the last page I was looking up across the room for book five and then at the clock, then decided that 2;30 am is not the best time for starting a new Harrison book, it might lead to reading till my eyes fell and having to call out of work, not fair to others, so here I am, sitting here and trying to restrain myself from devouring the next installment. It's always a battle to try and hold on, the author is not only a generous and wonderful woman but she writes with so much love and humor and passion I hope she lives to be a thousand and writes millions of these books. She's funny like Xena, you know the warrior princess with brains and brawn, well she's just like her but a whole new combination of strong and cool, something you want in a writer that will knock you socks off.

- Kasia S.

#4 in the Rachel Morgan "Hollows" paranormal mystery cum paranormal romance series. Why, why, WHY does every good paranormal series I read start out so great and slowly devolve into a pseudo-romance full of sexual tension, descriptions of clothing, hair, body parts and with a veritable smorgasbord of sexual choices for the heroine?

I really liked the first two of this series. The third one was okay, but I could see where it was headed, which is probably why I took so long to get to this one. It's happened to sooooo many series I started out raving about, though...it drives me insane!! The story, the real story of what is happening in this paranormal world between the vamps and Weres and Pixies and witches, etc. gets lost in all the sweating, mingling of scents, rapidly beating hearts, descriptions of washboard abs, sexy bottoms, leather clothing, exchanging of bodily fluids. Bah!

I finished this book two days ago but I can barely recall what it was about. And it's rather an irrelevant point since I won't be continuing the series anyway. I'm sad about it, because I really liked Rachel in the first couple books and I enjoy the author's writing style. I'm in no way, shape or form a prude, it's just that it feels like sex and sexual tension is so pervasive in so many books, often taking over the story line, and it's frustrating as all get out. I know the romance part is what a lot of people like about this genre, but personally if I want to read 'romance' I will pick up some good erotica instead of what passes for romance in most books.

This series is awesome! Even though this book wasn't my favorite of the series, it is definitely an enjoyable and entertaining read. The Rachel/Ivy angle was pretty annoying to me...I frankly think Ivy is selfish and kind of mean at times. Don't get me wrong, she has her good points, but she just won't get the picture that Rachel's "just not that into her." Ivy is just a bother and won't leave Rachel alone. I LOVED Jenks!! He was hilarious, fun, and interesting in this book. He's always cool, but he really shines in this one. I do think more of Kisten was needed in this book. I just love him and I think he makes a great addition to these books. The plot was great overall (with lots of witty repartee), and definitely worth the read!

Harrison has delivered again and from this latest installment has clearly honed her craft to firmly and defiantly carve out "the" preeminent position of being "the vampire and werewolf" chronicler.

With a genre that has been lapped up seemingly by independent and conglomerate publishing companies alike, the alternate-verse reality novels have become big business as well as succor for the hosfrau masses who delight in those tales that cross-over into "vampire romance" ultimately manifested by the perpetual cha-ching of the cash register. But with the steady influx of both interest in the genre and hikes in sales, so comes lackluster authors such as Christine Feehan, Laurell Hamilton, and Amanda Ashley, whose unsteady craft, poorly developed characters, and grade school dialogue is slowly diluting a genre that was once vibrant and exciting to read. It seems that you can barely shake a cat in a roomful of authors who are penning the latest substandard "vampire" or "lycanthrope" novel.

Not so with Kim Harrison. Harrison has taken the best elements of the lore and melded it with an ingenuity and imagination that is all her own. The suburbs of the Hollows have a sense of "realness" to readers, with little or no additional back-story that is so played out and prevalent with lesser novelists. It is a rare skill and economy of words to carefully hone the complex characters of Rachel Morgan, Ivy Tamwood, and Jenks the fearless pixy that readers can identify with: their humanness wrapped up tidily in their otherworldly-ness as well as the frail balance that exists between the Inderland population from that of humans.

In Fistful of Charms, new readers and devotees alike will clamor to absorb the rough and tumble world once again with a supreme payoff. There is not a hint of Trent, Piscary, Big Al or any other of the regular baddies in this 3rd book of the series but is solely a tale of the intricacies that are woven between the partners of Vampiric Charms. What will make them fall apart? What will hold them together as they struggle once again to save Nick from himself? This time. Nick has in hand an artifact that could unravel the Vampire and Were balance completely...and Rachel must plunge directly into demon majick to save him. Can she escape the stains on her soul to save the others? While on this complicated journey, Ivy and Rachel's relationship takes a dramatic and frightening turn. Fans please hold in those gasps...it will be stunning....and I simply cannot spoil it for you.

Brilliantly written and great fun, Fistful of Charms is highly recommended, and has established Kim Harrison as the reigning diva of supernatural thrillers (sorry Laurell!) Bravo! (c)Nicola Mattos 2006

Just finished reading this book and WOW, what a great read. Nick, Rachel's former boyfriend is on the lam with Jax,Jenk's son and with a very valuable Were-Statue. Of course soon Rachel and Jenks follows suit and goes after them. Won't go into too much more just to say that we learn more about Rachel,Jenks and Ivy and even Kisten. I do have a comment about Nick though, even though he did alot of stupid things to Rachel and her friends and even sold her out to the Demons,we have to remember that Nick is human and was bound to do these things,but I still think that he still truly loves Rachel and in a way wanted to make it up to her,he was just in over his head. On the other hand I'm glad he's out of her life,humans wouldn't understand the relationship between Ivy,Rachel and even Kisten let alone throwing Piscary into the mix. I miss Trent in this book and even the other Pixies. Thought Jenks becoming Human was a blast as well. Now can't wait for the next book in this great series. Rock On Kim, will be buying the next book in HB next year. Keep writing these great books and love this series.

...made it very difficult for me to like this book as much as I could have. I read the first 3 books in the series one after the other and realized that Kim Harrison has a tendency to use the same phrases and words over and over again in her writing. I got so annoyed with this I put the series down for a few months and just recently worked my way through "Fist Full of Charms". And as soon as I started reading it, I was reminded about what I like and dislike about her books.

Likes:
I love the world that she's crafted. It's very creative, detailed and well-constructed. I find her characters well-developed and interesting.

Dislikes:
Rachel is sooooo whiny! I wish I had counted the amount of times she used the phrase "It's not fair!". That phrase alone as well as the amount of times she calls herself or her behavior "stupid" absolutely grates on my nerves.

I'm hoping that Rachel's whiny attitude and self-pitying behavior are just part of her character development. In future books, I'd like to see her character own her behavior and see herself as less of a victim.

Rachel is on a case with werewolf insurance man David, when they meet up with his boss and several other weres. Turns out the witch is being challenged for her position as David's alpha; unfairly, for the usually pack-exclusive weres are bonded to give Rachel's opponent increased advantage- sort of akin to using steroids.
Later she is reunited with Jenks, who is going to Michigan. His eldest son, Jax, and Rachel's ex Nick stole something from werewolves, who want it back. Nick has been tortured, and the young pixy is alone. An uneasy truce leads to a rescue attempt on Mackinac, where Rachel and Jenks confront three bonded were packs.
Ivy soon joins them and Vampiric Charms is embroiled in a drastic effort to prevent a vampire-werewolf war. During all of the action, Rachel -and we- sees her partners in different, more dangerous lights.
We also see Kisten and Ceri, the elf first encountered in Harrison's last book. And we meet Brett and Rex, intriguing in their own right. My one negative is Nick. I've just never liked the character. Nothing about him is sympathetic, and I hope he's gone for good (as I hoped after his first appearnce).
Each of the partners changes and grows, and we experience it with them. Interesting times portend.
'A witch, a vampire, and a pixy walk into a bar, I thought, as I led the way into Squirrel's End. It was early, and the sun had yet to set when the door swung shut behind Jenks, sealing us in the warm air smelling faintly of smoke. Immediately, Nick yanked it open to come in behind us. And there's the punch line.'

A Fistful of Charms (2006) is the fourth Urban Fantasy novel in the Rachel Morgan series, following Every Which Way But Dead. In the previous volume, Rachel almost caught Stanley Saladan, but Lee jerked her into the ever-after, where they were confronted by the demon Algaliarept. Rachel escaped only with the assistance of the very powerful Newt, but returned to the real world with another demon mark.

In this novel, a group of Werewolf alpha males, including David Hue's boss, are upset about her status as the alpha female of David's pack. They lure Rachel and David to a deserted building, escort David back out, and strap Rachel so that she cannot use ley line magic. Then Karen -- an old flame of David's -- challenges Rachel for the position. Since Rachel is not a Werewolf and cannot use her magic, it will be Rachel in human form fighting against Karen as a wolf.

Rachel learns something new about Werewolves during the fight. A pack can share their power with a member. Karen turns to wolf form in thirty seconds flat and doesn't feel any pain despite the injuries inflicted by Rachel. Then David returns without his escorts and starts distracting the remaining alpha males.

Karen soon learns that the human form can inflict pain on a wolf. Rachel punches, bites and throws Karen around the floor and every bit of it causes pain. When David tosses the splat ball gun to Rachel, the fight comes to an abrupt ending. Since the three alpha males who went out with David never returned, the requisite eight alphas were not available to witness the fight, so Rachel wins on a technicality.

After that unexpected occurrence, Rachel gets together with Ceri and they modify a ley line spell to allow Rachel to turn into a wolf. The next time anyone tries to challenge her for alpha status, Rachel is going to give them a surprise. She can become a wolf on the whisper of a single keyword.

In this story, Rachel also has problems with fairies. Ever since Jenks -- the pixie partner in Vampiric Charms -- moved out with his family, the churchyard garden has been open to invasion by fairies. Now Rachel has a nest full of the hateful creatures tearing up the herbs and dandelions just to get at bugs and she isn't doing too well at driving them off.

Luckily, Matalina and Jih -- the eldest daughter -- come visiting to ask Rachel for a favor. Upon seeing the fairies, Matalina draws an arrow in her bow and orders the fairies off the property. Jih waves her silver sword at the fairies. After a single arrow through a fairy wing, the garden is soon free of the fairy presence. Pixies are very deadly little creatures.

When Matalina returns from checking out Jih's garden, Rachel learns that her ex-boyfriend Nick Sparagmos had talked Jax -- the eldest son of Jenks and Matalina -- into going with him to steal a statue. Matalina told her husband to ask Rachel and Ivy for help, but Jenks refused. Now he is trying to raise money to take a plane to Michigan to rescue Jax, which only shows how poorly he is thinking since pixies get really sick flying in planes due to the pressure changes.

Rachel finds out where Jenks will be working and ambushes him in an alley. She forces him to listen to her as she casually mentions that she will soon be driving to Michigan and might have room for him in the van. Unfortunately for Jenks, he agrees to go with her before learning that Rachel plans to transform him into human size so that he can help drive and eat human food on the way.

The next day, Rachel and Jenks are on their way to Michigan. Ivy and Kristen remain behind to watch out for Piscary's interests. Jenks is dressed in an old set of sweats donated by Kristen, so Rachel plans on a shopping excursion as soon as they reach Mackinaw.

This story achieves a new high point in tensions and action. Rachel finds herself in situations that she had never previously even imagined. Maybe she IS an adrenaline junky!

Highly recommended for Harrison fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of preternatural creatures, high adventure, and some sexual antics.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I am late in starting this series but I just have to comment on this book.

The story is great and I love where it is going however, Rachel, the main character, is the worst written character I have ever read and I have been reading for a LONG time. The first 3 books she was bad but this one, she is horrible and I am debating on continuing because of her.

Rachel Morgan aka Witch, is flat out stupid! She is a condensending, self centered moron and the way the author explains away her faults is just rediculous.

I have the next book in the series so I will read that one but if the character of Rachel does not change, it will be the last one I read in this series because as much as I like the story and the secondary characters, I just cant stomach Rachel. I find myself throwing the book down in disgust.

With each book in the Hollows series I read, my respect for the author's ability to build such an interesting, unique and believable world increases. She does a great job making sure all of her characters are fleshed out and whole, and there is not one character -- main or supporting -- that I'm not interested in or care about. If you like urban fantasy, this is a great series

I love, love, love this series! It is easily in my top two that I've read in the last couple of years. There's tons of action, a little bit of romance, and more witches, vamps, weres, and pixies than you can handle. Harrison has created some surprisingly complex characters that grow, change, and adapt in book after book. Especially Rachel, who continues to find out that some people aren't what they seem, and that it's hard to live your life in black and white -- sometimes those shades of gray are necessary. Jenks takes a pretty (ahem) big part in this one as he searches for his wayward son, something that could have been really gimmicky but instead worked seamlessly. There's so much packed into this book, it's hard to believe it only takes place over the course of a week. I have a feeling I'll be listening to the next book sooner rather than later.

I adore this series, and this installment was no exception. Watching Jenks become full sized was enormous fun--until you realized that his life was so short that he would be a beautiful teenager until he died. It's this sort of bitter-sweetness that makes these books--in spite of the fantastic premise--feel very lifelike. It makes the witches and pixies and vampires feel very human. I would like to see more of Rachel's relationship with Kist--I liked her surprise at how much she felt for him, I would like to see more of their cozy interactions. (Readers of my books know that these are the moments I enjoy the most:-) I also like the fact that she's expanding her definition of how her little family should function--her offering to Ivy was no more than her realization that friendship can mean many things. I REALLY like the fact that Rachel doesn't just pick up new powers without dire consequences. Whether it's in responsibility or in marks on your aura, exercising power should hurt--Kim Harrison's view on the world is very accurate, whether it's in the ever-after, the hollows, or the world we walk when we're not reading her wonderful novels.

This was a great continuation of the Rachel Morgan drama! Fun and entertaining while chasing down an old boyfriend to rescue him and Jenk's oldest son Jax. She fights off a few packs of Were's and wins alpha status. Jenks gets to live life a little bigger for a while. Ivey comes to the rescue when Rachel gets in over her head and makes a move that changes everything. You have to continue to read this ongoing story! I am hooked!

My wife and I have been rereading the whole series while we await the February launch of the next book - which tells you how much we like the series - and I thought I'd comment that this book seems to me to be weaker than some of the others. It's really impressive, reading through the whole chain, how the thunderous action of Book 1 is equalled by Books 2 and 3. I'd still recommend reading all of them - but if you find this book a little less captivating, skip on to book 5, or even 6 - which is one of the best in the series.

Fans of the Hollows will revel in the depth of character development found in this, the fourth volume in Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series.

Although it is the best installment to date, the first bit of the book is, I reluctantly write, somewhat tedious. The action scenes, while highly imaginative and inventive, drag on with details more befitting the direction of a screenplay than of a novel's narrative flow.

Hang in there gentle reader, because like a vampire seizing its victim's throat the plot suddenly engages around Chapter Nineteen, when it is revealed that Nick, the stereotypically wanker-ish ex-boyfriend has stolen a priceless Were artifact, The Focus: an object which could change the world's balance of power. Rachel, Ivy, Jenks, and Jax must thwart the best efforts of a group of paramilitary Weres ruthlessly intent upon mayhem, murder, and recovery of the icon. Our heros head off in a van, slinking through motels, convenience stores, and middle class America as they seek to destroy the Focus, defeat the Weres, and keep danger away from the Hollows.

The swashbuckling action scenes at the beginning of the book are balanced by the deep introspection of the middle. The road trip becomes a metaphor for each of the character's journeys of self discovery. While on the lam, Rachel undergoes a crisis as she reflects upon her dalliance with the black arts - employed by her as a desperate measure to rescue Nick. This angsty self examination gives us such deliciously corny lines as "My soul was black but my body was perfect".

As Rachel enters this pre-midlife crisis, we are shown a great deal of her companions as they too, reveal their own life struggles and identity issues. Jenks, accusing Rachel of being an `adrenalin junkie', helps her face the fear of her own true identity and source of power all the while facing his own impending mortality. Ivy presents Rachel with even greater pathos and emotional challenge which I won't spoil except to say that sometimes those you love the dearest are the ones you hurt the most deeply. And the fact that you don't know you do it says everything.

Tink's knickers, this is not one to miss. I sense it is the set up to a spectacular fifth story.

This book was so good that 20 pages from the end of the book I tried to figure out when the next one was coming out. Her first book was good, but a bit of a mess. Now that she has a couple under her belt, she has really hit her stride.

I wasn't sure if some of the plot twists towards the end made much sense, but I was enjoying it so much that I tried not to get too distracted by it.

The author continues the sexual tension between Rachel and Ivy, dishing out just enough to give a romantic thrill, and yet keep tension for the future books. I think that takes a lot of skill and shows Ms. Harrison's gift as a writer.

We also get treated to some of Rachel's deep dark emotional angst. Considering that was what made Laurell K. Hamilton's books so good (back in the heyday) it was a joy to read. I'm so excited about the rest of the series and happily recommend this book.

3 and a half stars. Now, don't take this wrong, I liked A Fistful of Charms. However, there is something about this particular book that bothers me. I really can't put my finger on it except to say that that book seams unfinished or that the plot is to shallow, something. I read the book twice, just to make sure and before writing this review. But both times, it was hard for me to get into. I tried twice because the first time I read Dead Witch Walking, the first in this series, I wasn't sure about it either. DWW was considerably better on the reread. In Charms, Kisten is not dominant, Jenks is purposely cursed into bigness, weres are trying to take over the world, and Nick is back. We find out why Nick left town was Rachel and "Big Jenks" follow Nick and Jenk's oldest son Jax to the upper peninsula of Michigan. Ivy follows bringing in some vamp politics and Rachel has to deal with her reconciliation with Jenks, feeling for Nick and Kisten, her relationship with Ivy, her membership with the weres as an Alpha, her love and need for risky situations, and the growing taint on her soul. Charms seems like a filler or transition book, not a series advancement.

Rachel Morgan, witch and detective/bounty hunter, is once again up to her earrings in supernatural doo-doo! The loss of her pixie partner, Jenks, leaves her bereft and without back-up. Fortunately, circumstances conspire to create a situation where Rachel must work with Jenks again--who is super-sized by Rachel's magic for a trip to Michigan to rescue Nick, Rachel's ex, and Jax, Jenks's son.

Upon arrival in Michigan they succeed in finding Jax, but must mount a major assault on a local werewolf clan on a secluded island to rescue Nick.

This involves a challenge to an alpha female which Rachel wins in wolf form. Ivy joins them in defiance of her vampire leader and helps Rachel and Jenks find a way to permanently elude the tenacious werewolves.

This series just gets better and better. Harrison's characters are lively, interesting and unusual. She has a knack for building an intricate story line that is suspenseful, action packed and entertaining. It is definitely a requirement to read the story from the first novel, Dead Witch Walking, otherwise the relationships and supernatural lore are too complicated to understand. Highly recommended!

This is a totally sweet, kick a** and fun read. Easily my favortie Paranormal Adventure read this year, and that's in stiff competition with loads of new series and great authors.

Rachel and Jenks are off to rescue friends and loved ones who've gotten themselves into trouble, and end up getting sucked in deep into a worsening situation that could lead to all out war between Vampires and Weres. As well, the delicate balance between Rachel and Ivy begins to teeter, as one of them is ready to take things to a new level, will their friendship and hearts survive? Ivy and Rachel are one of my fave ongoing plot points, and this is one book that sends me into total heaven, *^_^*

Fudge, Scuba Diving, Bitch Fights, Karaoke, French Fries, Flirting, Magical Artifacts, Plotting!, Betrayal, and so much more!

Especially a good novel for JENKS fans. Oh my! JENKS!!!

It doesn't get any better than this for action adventure, and magical world building, not to mention characters you will love to love. *^_^*

mcx

Harrison's strongest book yet, this one is a pleasure to read. She tilts the balance between plot and character development a little more toward character in this book, without going to the unfortunate lengths that have plagued the later Anita Blake books. I really enjoyed the developing story with Ivy; it's well done but doesn't overshadow the plot, which is a fun one.

The book seems to be a bit better edited than the previous ones (which weren't great examples of the craft of editing) but, still, when you come across howlers like "mute point," it's really hard not to wince and get pushed out of the story, however briefly. Even basic proofreading ought to catch something like that, let alone professional editing.

Still, if you like this genre, I highly recommend the series, and this book in particular.

I just loved this book. The characters are so real they jump off the page. There is lots of action and even a love triangle. You are sucked in from the opening sentence to the last page. It was hard to put down and I never thought I'd like this kind of book, but I'm already reading the next one, completely hooked.

Kim Harrison has created a very complicated world here, and the life of her protagonist Rachel Morgan is getting very complex along with it.

In this book, poor Rachel has to contend with moral dilemmas related to her exercise of magic, old boyfriends, an unexpected turn in her relationship with her vampire roommate, and the unrealized mortality of close friends. I wonder how she keeps it all together myself!

Oh and let us not forget lots of werewolves.

This series is certainly not a standard take on legendary beings. If you contrast it with Laurell Hamilton's Merry Gentry series, that takes a much more mythical view of the world. This one is a much more pragmatic take on "what if those guys really all did exist and came out into the open?". For that, I like it and find it somewhat easier to engage with.

Rachel, Ivy and Jenks are on the road in this book, leaving the Hollows to take care of itself. They drive up North where they must come to terms with Nick and the consequences from his most recent dealings. Except this time his dealings are with a werewolf coalition instead of demons. Rachel wrestles with several issues such as who's the love of her life, and can a white witch who just happens to do black magic to save someone still good? Ivy vacillates between what is good and what she desires. And Jenks, well Jenks is as always his funny clever self who has an endearing growth moment. In the end, they still are neck deep in trouble, but they do find each other. The drama in this book is compelling, the action is fast paced and the humor will make you laugh out loud. A must read! I wait anxiously for the next book in the series.

A Fistful of Charms, the 4th entry in Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series, is easily the best story in the series. (At least so far; I haven't had a chance to read books 5 or 6 yet!) The story is wonderful, and this stellar entry elevates a solid series into a great one.

Ironically, it's not the main plot that makes this book shine. (Although it is a good one.) Instead it's the sub-plot involving the personal relationships between Rachel, Ivy, and Jenks that makes this book a "page-turner." The author finally gives us some real insights into the reasons behind Ivy's emotional struggles as well as why she is so obsessed with Rachel. Seeing Rachel come to terms with these revelations and begin to open herself up to Ivy is sweet, touching, and even a bit erotic. (No spoilers! You'll have to read the book for all the juicy details.)

Jenks is back, which makes the book very fun to read. (I sorely missed him and his sense of humor in book 3.) Jenks's efforts to rescue and reform his son Jax really adds depth to his character, and you get the sense of someone who may look young but is actually very world-weary.

It's especially nice to see Rachel making better decisions about who to trust and how to run her life. It is sometimes irritating in the earlier books to see Rachel constantly resisting her friends' efforts to help her. It's was especially wearisome to see Rachel get in over her head and barely manage to survive over and over again. One of the strong points of this book is that you (and Rachel) finally get some insight into WHY she often finds herself in those situations.

That is also a strong selling point for the main plot. For once, Rachel (with Jenks's help) manages to complete a run without everything spiraling COMPLETELY out of control AND without getting beaten to a bloody pulp. (Both of which seem to happen with alarming frequency.) Seeing Rachel rescue Nick and Jax and then successfully fend off several packs of Werewolves was very interesting, and the author did an excellent job with it. It was also nice to have a break from the seemingly constant threat of Demons gunning for Rachel. Having the bulk of the story take place in Mackinac was icing on the cake for a Michigan native like me!

For the first time with this series, I can't wait to get the next book! While the fist book was excellent and the second book was decent, the third book was a bit of a chore to read. (Except for the well written love scene between Rachel and Kisten.) I was ready to relegate this series to the "nice but not worth the price" category until this fourth entry. Now I'm hooked for good!

As a former fan of the Anita Blake and Meredith Gentry series I was happy to stumble upon Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan. The first book started off kind of iffy but it got better as it went. Though skeptical at first (LKH's books started off strong in the beginning as well) I thought lets see if this is an author who can get it right. Fist Full of Charms is obviously more of a filler. Many of the story lines that I thought would contine to progress have not. You know the whole "Ceri/Trent/Elves-are-a-dying-species" dilemna and what about "Newt" the scariest demon ever who has gotten its sights set on Rachel? I wasn't bothered by the change of setting as some readers were. I thought it might be interesting to see how the rest of the world was dealing with inderlanders outside of cinn-city and the hollows. But Harrison decides to instead tie up the loose ends with Nick, which is why she doesn't bring Kist anywhere into the action (at least that's my guess). Besides not being bothered by her deviation from setting I really did enjoy her development of Jenks. However, things start to get a bit annoying with the Rachel/Ivy thing (not to mention i'm not all that wild about Ivy anyway. Its not her sulky broodiness that irks but rather her elitist-I'm-better-than-everybody-else-but-i-really-just-don't-want-everybody-to-know-how-much-i-hate-myself thing. Plus she's just too clingy despite her tough act and has a bit more psycho than i like in my women). Even before Al pumped her full vamp juice she clearly had an interest in it. The only thing holding her back is her own issues of shame that come with her desire. It really takes from Rachel's character and makes her seem childish. Other than that I enjoyed the book. I hope the series progresses the original storylines and I would like to see more of Kist. Though I hope Harrison doesn't diminish him or that he starts to grow boring (you know the whole not dominant thing). Just to have to wait and see.

In the first 20 pages, Rachel Morgan is challenged by a werewolf for the leadership of her two-person pack (she's not a were, she only joined for the benefits of the health insurance, which she really needs in her profession). She discovers she's going to have to 'were' to keep defending herself. The only way Rachel can see to 'get fuzzy' is to do some demon magic, which is bad juju for a white witch.

Next, she discovers Jax, the son of her ex-partner the pixie, Jenks, is working with Rachel's ex-boyfriend Nick and she suspects they're working as thieves. She and Jenks are hot on the rescue.

The action's fast-paced with a good amount of wit. I like the introspection in this novel. I'm very much looking forward to the next.

The fourth in this series does mark somewhat of a change from the previous three. Rachel is still caring and daring and in-over-her-head. BUT the plot is focused almost entirely on a single story/problem - saving Nick because of an object he acquired - rather than the complex multiple problems in the previous books. There are complications - Rachel and Ivy explore their relationship, Rachel and Jenks have to deal with their break, and we get more insight into Nick, some of which is only hinted at in the second and third books. Also, we see Rachel continue to struggle between her abilities and her morals. Overall, the book is interesting, a good read, and a good progression of the characters, but it wasn't quite as compelling as the first three. With those, once I finished, I turned right back to the first page for a re-read. Three days later, and I'm still waiting for that craving for this one.

I love this series. Its still new enough that the author has had the good taste to keep the characters fresh and true. I respect that she doesn't throw in gratuitous scenes to fill up pages and take the place of plot. **Spoiler** While i hate the fact that Rachel gave up and let herself get bitten, i like that it didn't have to involve some sordid sexual encounter and Rachel stuck to her essential nature. Now could we PLEASE leave Nick behind and see what is going to happen with Newt's and Al's demon marks? I loved that Jenks got big. And i'm glad Nick got kicked to the side because Kisten is sexier. But i was hoping this book would be about the demon marks and their resolutions. I guess we'll have to wait for the next book. <sigh!>

I haven't yet read every book in the series but I have to rate this book a 5 star. It was fun, entertaining, and the ending made me do a mental fist pump in the air. The characters were great and their personal growth was amazing! I know that I need to start at book one and read them in order and I will. But this book took me for one helluva ride. A must read and re-read. Simply A-MAZING!

This was a fun read. The complications were intriguing and Rachel is a pretty cool witch. Her relationship with Ivy is kind of weird, and she definitely needs to relieve some of her tension (hint, hint) but a great ride all the way to the end.

Kim Harrison has done it again. Rachel Morgan is back and now she must save her ex boyfriend Nick from a bunch of werewolves. But she'll need help and Ivy can't leave the city, so she turns to her only other choice; her long time partner Jenks. Jenks tries to forgive and forget but there is still a problem, Jenks is too small. So Rachel, with the help of her friends performs a dangerous dark spell to make Jenks bigger. And boy is he sexy big! Jenks only wants to save his son Jax, but goes to help out Nick because it is what Rachel wants. But Nick hasn't changed his selfish ways and Rachel has to decide if she can trust him. It all leads up to an epic ending that leaves you craving for more. The next installment, For a Few Demons More, is due out in late Febuary and early March in hardcover! Ms. Harrison's first hardcover release for the Rachel Morgan series. I can't wait for her next novel!! This is a must read if you loved all of the Rachel Morgan books.

Rachel Morgan is at it again, and it is better than ever! She's still a strong, savy, wonderful character with real depth, and an awesome first person voice.

Harrison has built a rich and complex world, in some ways wonderfully familiar, and in other ways entirely new and original, and has managed to flawlessly blend the two in such a way as to make the entirety all the more interesting, all the more easy to become lost in.

She has peopled her world with full, rich, fascinating, sometimes funny, sometimes sexy, sometimes highly sympathetic characters, and tells of them in an intelligent, insightful, highly believable first-person voice.

Kim Harrison again builds nicely on what's come before, while working in short, pithy, reminders. She does not solve every mystery just yet, maintaining that edge of the seat tension over some details(although you do find out some new and interesting information!) and leaves that delightful trail to follow on to the next story, while still resolving the central issues of the current one.

Sexual tension is high where appropriate. Related scenes are exceptionally well written without being smutty, unbelievable, random, or taking the place of actual plot. Romances and romantic issues are nicely blended, and flow well with the rest of the story.

There are some very good, solid laughs to be had, and the great, often prankish and exceptionally witty sense of humor from the other books carries over well.

Without posting actual spoilers, I will say that Jenks figures prominently in the story line, and that David the werewolf makes a showing, as do Kisten, Ivy, and others.

Although not altogether necessary, I would highly recommend reading the first three books if the reader has not yet had the pleasure before experiencing this one. The story here stands alone well, but some of the richness of detail might be lost for not having read the entirety of the series. Too, the other books are massively enjoyable. I would give them ALL five stars.

If you liked Laurel Hamilton's earlier works, The Harry Dresden Novels of Jim Butcher, LA Banks, Kelly Armstrong, Charlaine Harris, or even the wit of Mary Janice Davidson's Undead series, you will LOVE these, as they combine elements of all of the best of the others in a fresh, new, wholly unique way.

I simply cannot recommend this book highly enough!

-Mo-

From the very beginning I've never been completely on board with Harrison's writing style or the very complex universe she has constructed. I find her to be a ridiculously verbose writer - she details every single little movement her characters make and spoon feeds the reader absolutely everything. For examples, most writers will say "Rachel walked to the car" whereas Harrison will say "Rachel walked to the bright red Fiat, her brown spike high heels making rhythmic taps on the burning hot asphalt" etc etc. I don't need that much detail - it gets exhausting and turns what could have been a red hot exciting 300 page book into a dragging 500+ page book.

Ivy and Rachel are going to end up together in one form or another, and that has been obvious since book one. I'm getting bored with the way that arc is being dragged out. Harrison writes good secondary characters and I'd like to see Ceri, Trent, Kisten, Piscary etc explored more. Rachel gets annoying - she's self obsessed and continuously makes the same mistakes. Not to mention that she never seems to get hurt all that badly despite ridiculously dangerous situations.

I'm growing bored with this series, so if the next book doesn't serve as a marker for a whole new direction, I'm out of the Hollows for good.

I have to say, I read Laurel's new book before this one (they came out on the same day) and I am glad. I was never a dessert first kind of girl. This was really fantastic. There was lots of plot and I kept turning pages and bit the head off of anyone who interrupted me. I am exceedingly glad that the whole no-one-is-gonna-suck-my-blood thing is over, as it can be a painfully sanctimonious thing to have to listen to over and again (as evidenced by certain other authors who shall remain nameless) and I am very glad that there was a good closure to Nick as him just leaving was very unsatisfying, and a little unbelievable in the last novel. Yes, we all love Kisten-the-typically-perfect-vamp, but I understand why he had to take a back seat this time. Frankly, sometimes love has to take a back seat to plot. The wonderful thing about Kim Harrison is that she realizes what JD Robb (Nora Roberts) has been doing for years with a great deal of financial and critical success: romance sells, but too much kills your book. Thanks for such a great book!

I've been a fan of this series from the beginning, but I was rather disappointed and unhappy with this book. In my opinion, several of Harrison's Witch novels have started off a little slow, but did a nice job of building a story that ended up really taking off. This one starts the same way: SLOW . . . but it never took off for me. A big reason is because I am NOT a Nick fan. I never have been. In fact, I was thrilled when he wasn't really in the last one. Instead, A Fistful of Charms revolves around Nick, his actions, his betrayals, and cleaning up after his mistakes. It just got to be too much for me. It was incredibly frustrating to read about Rachel, this supposedly strong character, acting so unbelievably weak when it comes to this not so compelling character. I didn't want Rachel to get involved with rescuing him in the first place let alone rescuing him again and again even after we learn of his betrayals. How many times is this guy going to hurt her before she grows a spine?

Another reason I was disappointed with this book is because my favorite characters: Trent, Al the demon and the newly introduced Newt, are not in it at all. I knew of Trent's absence, but the entire time I was hoping for Al to make an appearance, especially after the entire last book centered around him, him trying to make Rachel his familiar, and the demon marks. Unfortunately, that entire plot development, a large one that I really enjoyed, is entirely ignored and set aside for this book.

I was also not too happy with the Ivy biting Rachel plot line. It's been building up for several books, and I liked it that way. There was an incredible amount of tension between them that made for some great scenes. Now, I'm just worried all of the future books are going to turn into some soap opera between them like it did at the end of this one. The Ivy/Rachel subplot has always been that for me: a subplot. I really hope it doesn't become more than that becuase if it does, I'm worried it's going to start resembling the more recent Anita Blake disasters.

So what's good? Jenks is, surprisingly enough for me. In prior books, he pretty much just got on my nerves. Here, he is back and much more likeable than before. We really get to learn more about him- he's no longer just the annoying sidekick, but a fully developed character of his own.

As you can probably tell, my complaints are really that of a fans. Although slow, A Fistful of Charms is well written. Basically, much of my disappointment lies with the choices made about these characters that I feel so strongly about. Despite a disappointing addition to the series, I'm still very much a fan. For fans of this series, it's certainly worth reading.

My head tells me that this is at most a 3star story but I'll give it a four because I think Harrison shows promise. I liked it, well, parts of it but I feel cheated. Rachel seems like Anita Blake's good twin. There were times when I could barely distinguish the two sepatate characters. I had read all of Harrison's book prior to reading Hamilton's series about Blake, but since reading most of the Blake series this summer I have come to realize just how suspiciously alike Anita and Rachel are and this disappoints me. Points off for lacking orginality (in reviews of Hamilton's book I chastised the author for the main characters repeatedly saying things like "yipee" and "riiiiight" and instead offered The Hollows as a better read and here Harrison puts that crap in here!) I don't believe that the story line was as bad as some reviewers have made it out to be, although it does lose "flow" after they rescue Nick. I love the character progression of Jenks, however, the other characters are kind of stationary in this novel despite the Ivy/Anita occurence (nothing was really resolved.) In summary, I think Harrison just wanted to deal with Nick in a way that he isn't a necessary charcter to include in the books to follow (hopefully) and then she can focus on everyone else (thankfully!)

I truly enjoy this series. The characters are well-rounded and seem to have independent lives, except when they're co-dependent. I have been sorely disappointed with Anne Rice who seems to be caught up in her own hype and now writes more for herself than her fans or characters. Also, the promising world of Anita Blake, as told by Laurell K. Hamilton has turned into a land of soft- (and not-so-soft-) core porn. I fervently hope that Ms. Harrison remains true to her characters and continues their riveting development.

This book is significantly better than average for the genre (I only give 2 stars for average or slightly below).

Jenks has moved out and is not talking to Rachel or Ivy her vampire roommate. Rachel has taken up with Kisten as Nick her ex boyfriend has disappeared without a word but with Jax Jenks' oldest son who he is training to help him as a thief.

The book gets off to a rousing start when Rachel helps David--a were Insurance Claims Adjuster--who is going to interview an earth witch and needs help to keep from being scammed. Rachel is registered as his alpha so she can get health insurance. It turns out to be a trap as Rachel is challenged by a were to fight for her position (weres can only expand their numbers by having children by other weres) and the other weres David works for want him to dump Rachel and get with it. Rachel wins narrowly, but things get complicated when Jax gets in touch with his father needing to be rescued. He's hiding out in Mackinac Michigan and Nick has been captured by a group of weres. They hired him to recover an artifact and told him it was something it wasn't. It turns out to be extremely powerful, and could cause serious problems for all the Interlanders including an all out war between the weres and Vampires. Nick had tried a double cross and it backfired.

Kirsten has given Rachel some books on Daemon magic and Rachel decided to stir a curse that will let her turn into a wolf. She also talks Jenks into taking a ;potion to make him human sized for the rescue. She can stir curses because she is both a Earth and Lay line Witch and because she can handle the daemon magic. Daemon magic tarnishes the aura not because its necessarily evil but because it upsets the balance of nature. She is aided by Ceri an elf who was AL's (a daemon) familiar for a thousand years. As a result of the curse Jenks comes out as a 6' 4" hunk.

There's nicely done humor as when Rachel and Jenks pick up a rather weird collection of items at the grocery and the clerk archly assumes that they aren't cooking. So the put on a good act as swingers who like foursomes and pudding this shocks Terri (the clerk) and rapidly spreads through the gossip chain. With the result that when they turn up at the Squirrels end (a local northern redneck hangout) Becky (a waitress) assumes that Ivy is the mythical Alexia and that Nick is Tom. The results and comments are hilarious. Good characters and nicely done plot with a nice twist at the end. Some unintentional humor is provided by a mute point (the opposite of a talking point I guess) which should have been moot and a lightning spell instead of lighting. I'm relieved to see that the spell checker occasionally gets some one besides my self.

I have been impressed with Kim Harrison from the beginning. Growing up I've always been fascinated with legends and lore, like elves, vampires, werewolves, pixies, you name it. So I was interested in her series from the beginning. I wasn't disappointed then and I haven't been disappointed since. Her fertile imagination is so complete in it's details that you would think the impossible was possible. I missed Jenks in the previous story and was glad to have him back in action. Her characters continue to grow in complexity and you feel like you have known the main characters for years. If you have been reading her series, you will not be disappointed in FISTFUL OF CHARMS. If you haven't been reading her series, and you like stories involving things made of legends and lore, mixed in with a pinch of adventure, a dash of romance, and a fistful of charm, you need to start.

Eh...

This was passable. Something about this just didnt grab me.
The action was okay. The characters went places and did things, which is what you look for.

I just didnt find many of the personal interactions among the main cast very engaging, or compelling.
I will probly try a few more of these, but I think the bloom is off this series.

I have loved the Rachel Morgan series from the beginning. I found the latest installment to be just as compelling as the last book in the series. Ms. Harrison has created a world that is full of interesting and funny characters and incredible action.

I loved the interaction with Jenks. (Every time I hear "American Woman" I will think of him.) I also thought that the side story with the Weres, as well as the plot line developments with Nick and Jax, made this book a keeper. I did however miss Kisten, Trent and Big Al.

***SPOILER***

I rated this book with five stars even though I found the whole blood thing with Ivy to be somewhat disturbing. I agree with the other reviewer. I can not read about Rachel's romantic lead being Ivy. I just can't relate to it. Also, the whole idea of Rachel wanting a blood balance with her is also strange. Why open a door, you can't close, especially when the other party wants more than you can give?

I suppose Ms. Harrison will resolve these issues in the upcoming book. I look forward to it.

I nearly didn't read this book after the amount of negative reviews on the store when it came out (I let reviews influence me way too much), but then a friend persuaded me to give it a shot and I am glad that she did.

For those of you looking for the progression in the story line and improvement in the overall quality in this series that has occurred over the last three books, you may be a little disappointed. I found the first book in the series OK, second half of the second book really started cooking and I motored through the third. Fistful of Charms feels like a side trip to me more than anything - the book does not occur in Cincinnati and key characters Trent and Al are both absent. Most core elements to the central story take a breather. The only new significant plotline is the limited time left to Jenks due to the short lifespan of pixies. I have no problem with taking a novel off to have a one-off adventure as every series needs to keep things fresh. Laura Hamilton used to do this well in her early Anita Blake novels - sadly she does not anymore.

That being said, if you were hooked on Big Al and demon plotline, as I was, it was disappointing that those elements were completely omitted from this book. I fully expect Al to be back in force in the next book.

Overall I enjoyed the book and hope Harrison returns to form in her next novel.

To start off I really didn't think I would enjoy this series as much I as I have when I started to read the first book. That said each book just keeps getting better and better. Ms. Harrison's characters are always tightly written and have a "life" of their own.

The relationship angle between Rachel and Ivy is just one of the great parts of this series. Jinx is also a great character. I really had to force myself to put down the book when I wanted to go right through and finish it.

With this series you get several different aspects of the paranormal world. The usual vamps and wolfs are here as well as trolls, elves, pixies, and banshees to just name a few.

I see this series going on for several more books.

As I said in my title for this review, magic has truly been created with this book as well as the whole series.

Roger Howell

Georgia, USA

Rachel goes on the road to save the worthless Nick and hopefully gets him totally out of her system. You realize reading on that the relationship cannot possibly work with Kist because they can't procreate. She being a witch and him a Vampire but you gotta love Kist. He's totally romantic and loves Rachel to death (heehee).

Rachel seems to be coming to terms with Ivy's dependance on her and hopefully they keep it platonic. I love Ivy but I feel no heat there and it would feel a lot like incest.

I love love love Tink. I hope Rachel finds a way to lengthen his life because I will definitely cry if and when he dies.

I'm thinkin maybe Trent will be a good match for her. He doesn't seem to be the too bad a guy she originally made him out to be..We will see..Oh and what about wolf guy David he seems to be special...ah hah..lots of posibilities.

This was a good addition to the world of the Hollows series. I enjoyed the added interaction between the main characters, the plenty of action packed scenes and the addition of new characters who I feel we will see in future books. The thing I enjoyed most about this book was that the relationships between Ivy, Rachel and Jenks seems to be evolving and is moving into new territory. I can't wait to find out what new directions this will steer future books in. The only thing I missed in this book was the presence of Trent. I highly recommend this book to anyone. If you haven't read this series yet go out and get all four and get started.

In Ms. Harrison's latest novel we follow Rachel and Jenks far away from their home in the Hollows to the often chilly Michigan as the two search for Jenks' fallen son, Jax. They find Jax relatively easily, but Rachel refuses to go back until she is sure her shady ex-boyfriend Nick is okay. In doing this, she opens a can of worms bigger than she could have imagined... or handled alone. Luckily, she is not alone. She of course has Jenks, and Ivy quickly follows.

Some have complained that many of the regular characters didn't make enough of an appearance in this book. While I did miss Ceri, Keasly, Al, and of course Kisten, I felt their lack was made up for in the development of the three main characters. This book takes us deeper inside Ivy's basic nature, and reveals things about Jenks (and why he left) that we didn't know before. Rachel even learns things about herself she never thought possible.

In my opinion, if anything, this book was an even better read than the rest of the series.

There are so many wonderful aspects to Kim Harrisons series. She sets up her stories so that you can really identify with the main character, Rachel. Being a woman, you can automatically identify with the confusion that comes with being a memeber of the fairer sex.

Rachel has work, love, and otherwordly issues that follow her through the series. The latest book takes on some of each. Her love life leaves a lot to be desired by anyone. She has an ex boyfriend who deals with the "devil" on a regular basis, and is selfish in nature. Her new beau is a handsome fellow, and she can't be sure exactly where his loyalties lie. Then, her lesbian vampire roomie has the hots for her. What sets this book apart from any other in the genre, is the idea that love can be more than physical attraction to one sex over the other. Kim Harrison does a wonderful job of exploring the true meaning of "love", and I'm thrilled that there is finally a heroine in the sci-fi realm that isn't afraid to love with her whole heart, despite the package that love may come in.

Kim Harrison does a unique job describing the other world and the issues that face witches and vampires, pixies and fairies. Rachels job takes her into the world of were's in this latest addition. There is a heirarchy to every society, and lots of secrets they would rather have kept. Rachel, as always, gets into situations that she'd like to think she can handle alone, and learns relying on others ok.

I can't wait for the next book to arrive. I hope that Kim Harrison follows a different path, and that the love between Rachel and Ivy can flourish.

Kim Harrison presents her readers with yet another satisfying chapter in the life of Rachel Morgan. Paranormal urban fantasy fans of LKH and KA should pick this series up and rejoice that although the genre is 'undead' it is far from deceased!

Rachel is faced again with an old flame, challenges the were community and grows both as a person and a friend in 'A Fistful of Charms'. It has been a long time since I've had such a satisfying read that I cheered at the ending. Tink's panties Ms. Harrison, you rock!!! Thanks and keep 'em coming.

A Fistful of Charms, as previously noted, follows the continuing adventures of Rachel Morgan and her business partners Ivy Tamwood and Jenks. I enjoyed this latest paranormal adventure and was pleased to see Jenks, my favorite Harrison character thus far, featured predominantly in this story. However, because of plot purposes, his character goes from pixy size to human size. Once this happens Rachel seems to lust after Jenks half the time and that became annoying. Jenks is great precisely because he's a pint-sized, sarcastic dynamo. Bigger, he's just another stereotypical himbo.

Nick, an interesting but underdeveloped character from the previous Hollows books also features in this story and he's gone from Rachel's main squeeze to greedy, semi-baddie. I was sorry to see this turn in Nick's character but hope he's around in future stories and becomes more fleshed out and real.

Ivy, as usual, spends way too much time feeling sorry for herself, and Kistin, in my opinion, is a weak character and if both of them disappeared forever I wouldn't miss them one bit.

Rachel agonizes incessantly over her choices. Who cares! Make up your mind and deal with it. It's also starting to show that every man Rachel meets is interested in her sexually and I really, really, really hope that doesn't continue because that's the path that other authors have taken with their series and it always ruins it.

The next Hollows book will be in hardback. Hopefully the quality and freshness of Rachel's adventures continues. Harrison has created a wonderful supernatural world and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. This book gets 4 instead of 5 stars because of several typos. Please, hire a competent editor!! Books are too expensive to have so many errors.

I admit it, I was wrong. My review of of "Every Which Way But Dead" (found here [...] ) was critical of the disturbing parallels between the Ms. Harrison's earlier writing and L.K. Hamilton's Anita Blake. I have been delighted that in each book since, Ms. Harrison has found her own voice. In particular she has avoided the trap of falling into soft-core porn that has so plagued L.K. Hamilton. The characters continue to develop and the plots continue to delight. Kudos and Congratulations. I take back my earlier criticism. Rachel Morgan is FAR more interesting than Anita Blake.

I agree with the other reviews who gave this novel a 1 or 2 star. The series has potential, but sadly this novel does nothing to expand the world in which the novels are based in. Instead, the reader is subjected to more Ivy-Rachel angst, and an overly convoluted plot that left me often wondering why the characters do what they did. I find myself fast forwarding-flipping the pages in chunks.

The summary, Rachel found her boyfriend had engaged Jenk's son Jax in a theft that left them in trouble, so it's up to Rachel to save the day again.

Simple enough, but there seems so many unnecessary subplots and turns of event that are a waste of ink and a tax of concentration for me. Pages are wasted with Rachel agonizing that she had turned into a black witch. Yes, I got it! She's a white witch, forced to twist demon curses, and she hates it. There's no need to remind the user again and again how terrible she felt.

That Nick is a thief was already established, but despite him saying he loves Rachel, he just keeps emphasizing he paid 1 years' salary to steal the artifact and that it belonged to him, despite the fact that this will endanger Rachel (from the Weres). And naturally, more Nick-bashing in pages and pages to come.

Then there's more angst between Rachel and Nick.

AND yet more between Rachel and Ivy.

In the end, I find myself getting no new information about the characters or the world. This book has done nothing for the series. It just bores (and irritate) the heck out of me.

To be honest, compared to Kim Harrison's previous efforts, A Fistful of Charms is a bit disappointing. Rachel Morgan, witch and 'runner,' manages to get Jenks the pixy to return to the team so that they can try to extricate his son, Jax from a difficult situation. It seems that Rachel's ex-boyfriend, Nick, has talked Jax into a life of crime. The pair has started out by finding a sacred werewolf artifact and holding it for ransom. The were have captured Nick and are happily torturing the information from him in Northern Michigan, while Jaz has fallen afoul of a butterfly collector. Rachel, of course, to the rescue.

Or it might be a rescue if only Rachel would stop trying to commit suicide. She arrives up North with a giant sized Jenks in tow and manages to discover the location of the werewolves by the simple strategy of throwing herself in their path repeatedly. This is the volume in which Harrison has chosen to reveal that Rachel is an adrenaline junky who is turned on by fear. We've suspected it all along, but this time the witch comes out of the wardrobe. In no time Rachel (who is not a werewolf) has twice fought a female alpha for pack dominance, swum Lake Michigan in freezing weather, and been hunted across an island by wolves armed with noses, fangs, and AK-47's.

Then Ivy the living vampire shows up to help out and Rachel nearly manages to be bitten to death by her best friend. The relationship with Ivy continues to be a spastic one, with Kim Harrison dragging out the inevitable courtship for yet another volume. Whether or not Rachel is straight is moot, as it's pretty clear that she's not going to stay that way. The plots are following the same timing as Laurell Hamilton's which means that, in a volume or two all pretense will disappear. I hope it takes a little longer, because this series is also the product of a woman who can write superbly. Sex scenes, no matter how erotic, really contribute little to the plot past the first few.

This book does have a well constructed plot, even if the primary device is Rachel's inability to make a clearheaded decision. One has to relish the comedy of Jenks' discovery of what life is like as a human. He becomes the world's single largest consumer of fudge and the closest thing this book has to a nutty philosopher. Jenks may be a pixy, but he's a wise one. And he obviously cares more for Rachel than she does herself. You'll find this book quite readable, but you may discover that Rachel wears thin as it goes on.

I love this series. No, I mean I REALLY love this series! A quick rundown of its finer points: It's got action, though not over the top. It has a smidgeon of romance that lends a slight sensitive air to an often dangerous and suspenseful atmosphere. It has amazingly strong characters, from villain to heroine, that make you feel and know who they really are. And finally, though never least, it has a solid plot that advances satisfactorily with each progressive installment.

Rachel Morgan has had some tough issues to deal with in less than one year. She's been marked for death by the organization that she once worked for and survived. She's been marked and almost claimed by a rather nasty demon, yet managed to best even that complex being. And so achingly close to home, she's still coming to terms with her scattered love life, confusingly twisted around her roommate Ivy, her lover Kisten and former boyfriend Nick. It's not a love triangle, but it comes durn close! When her estranged partner, Jenks, comes on board for one last run, they're off to Michigan to pull Nick and one of Jenks' sons out of trouble. As always with our dear, flawed Rachel, she gets way more than she bargained for and soon they're fending off the unwanted attentions of some disturbingly unified Were packs. Why are the Weres uniting and what will it bring as the normally submissive species climbs its way towards top of the supernatural food chain? Nothing good for the vamps, which have much to lose if the packs do unite. With ultra aggressive Weres sniping from every direction, and more undead looking on her with not so subtle lust, what's a poor earth witch to do? With Rachel, it's an open book and fans may be surprised at the lengths she's willing to go to in this one.

If Harrison's new book is on the shelves, every other book I've got waiting to be read will just have to wait longer. Harrison pulls readers right in once again with this excruciatingly enticing installment, which I am completely convinced is the best of the series to date. Told in the first person, we're allowed a depth of Rachel's character that seems so much more personal than with books told in third person. Readers will feel every punch, every wound and recovery effort Rachel takes on throughout the story, as well as every emotion. This is an emotional wringer, with Rachel, Jenks and Ivy's problems laid barer than they've ever been before. There are two levels of betrayal that raised the bar in this one, one towards Rachel, the other towards Jenks that helped set this one apart from the previous books. And of course, the ever suspenseful situation of Rachel and Ivy... Kim Harrison is an amazing author, one I am so happy to see continuing with this thrilling rollercoaster ride we're on with her. Waiting with not much patience here for the next one!

Kim Harrison has now become my favorite author. I was very impressed with the beginning of this series and was anxious to get my hands on this new edition. Boy was it worth the wait!

I loved the fact that Ms. Harrison was able to show Rachel's torment over working demon magic which corrupts her soul. Even more important - the reader sympathizes with Rachel and is able to see that, yes, some things are more important than a little kharmic debt. But, the reader also realizes the slippery slope that Rachel is beginning to slide down. Two Deman Marks and now she's blackening her soul with demon magic? Maybe her father was justified in warning Rachel about her talents.

I have to say that I was even more impressed with Ms. Harrison's handling of the relationships in this edition of the book. Call me prejudiced, but, up until this book, I had a hard time taking Jenks and his family seriously. He gets big in this book and now I have a better understanding of just who Jenks is and how he figures into Rachel and Ivy's lives.

And Nick - I knew from the beginning that that relationship was going to end badly and I was right. What I had no idea of was just how badly it was going to end. I liked the fact that Rachel stuck to her convictions and told him no. I also enjoyed the fact that Ms. Harrison was able to skillfully make me so mad at Nick that by the end of the book (when he gets what's coming to him) I was gleefully enjoying it all the way.

Rachel's relationship with Ivy had me cringing a little bit because I wasn't sure which way Ms. Harrison was going to go with it. I was more worried whether or not I was going to want to go in whichever direction she was going to take it. The situation in the book was perfect, though. There was no need to worry. We get a little taste of how it could be between the two characters - nothing uncomfortable. But the added depth of emotion between them is stunning. And neither character acts outside of their nature. Rachel is thinking it over and willing to compromise for Ivy's sake while Ivy is totally unwilling to risk harming Rachel for something that she wants so badly.

I highly recommend this book. You should definitely start at the beginning of the series, though. I made the mistake of not re-reading all three books prior to the release of this one and was a little lost at times when my brain was slow in remembering exactly who some of the secondary characters were and some of the previous sub-plots.

The first 3 books in this series are my absolute favorite books of all time. I read them voraciously - in single sittings - unable to put them down. I was amazed by Kim Harrison's writing style - her creativity - and her invocation of smells and tastes into her writing.

The 4th book in the series is incredibly dissapointing. It was, above all, unoriginal. Plotpoints seemed ripped out of everything from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade to Harrison's contemporary authors - Laurell K. Hamilton and Kelley Armstrong.

Harrison focused this book on werewolves - and brings absolutely nothing new to the genre, it seems ripped out of a Kelley Armstrong book - militant weres in the remote northlands...

What Harrison does well is Witches and Demons - she had previously infused the supernatural genre with the wonderful world of the Hollows, ley lines, the 'ever after', and demon marks. None of the most intriguing characters made a showing in this book - I was really looking forward to learning more about Newt, Ceri, Rachel's relationship with Trent, Perhaps a meeting of Ceri and Trent, and of course, Al. But these characters were all lacking except for Ceri, briefly in the beginning.

Harrison had a really good thing going, and this book seemed like a time out - a seperate story that added very little to the overall story arch. It felt like filler. Like unfulfilling filler.

I hope the next book returns to the Hollows and the characters the first three books have spent developing and building up.

A Fistful of Charms, the fourth book in the Hollows Series, plunges right into the action as Rachel Morgan finishes up her latest bounty hunting mission by taking down an alpha Were. When she returns home to find that her ex, Nick, has recruited her partner Jenks's son in a criminal enterprise. Getting them both imprisoned by Weres in Michigan, apparently for stealing a priceless Were artifact. Rachel uses some slightly black magic in order to grown Jenks to human size so he can accompany her on a mission to rescue his son. The task quickly spirals out of control after finding Jenks's son.

I enjoyed A Fistful of Charms it's a good follow up to the other books in the series. The romance stuff is getting to be a little bit much but the story is fun.

Bounty Hunter Rachel Morgan has a teensy, tiny problem. Her former partner, Jenks the Pixie, is still not speaking to her. Try as she might, he refuses to forgive her for not spilling the beans about Trent Kallamack's, local millionaire and sometimes bad guy, "supernatural" status (he's an elf). But when Rachel's former love Nick recruits Jenks' eldest son Jax to be part of his own personal criminal enterprise, the two former partners are forced to start speaking, and fast. Nick has stolen a statue from a military trained pack of weres. They will stop at nothing, not even torture, to get that statue back. Rachel and Jenks, with a little help from the living vamps Ivy and Kisten, must save Nick and Jax before it is too late.

I have sort of a love/hate relationship with Kim Harrison. Sometimes, she pleases the heck outta me and then other times she super disappoints. Fistful of Charms was definitely not as good as the book prior. The story seemed to drag on and on and on. I felt like I was reading the novel for 10 years. The plot was convoluted and overly complicated. There were so many tangents and sub-plots, I had trouble keeping track of what was going on. Hopefully, her next book in this series will be better. Harrison has proven in the past that she can be a very skilled writer. This book is just not the best representation of that skill.

The best I can say about this bok is that it was better than it's predecessor. It wasn't exactly bad but it wasn't nearly as god as the first two of Ms Harrison's Hollows series.

Nick was totally out of character when compared with the first two books. I just didn't buy it. Trent was totaly absent which disappointed me since I find the relationship between him and Rachel to be one of the most interesting in the series. Rachel's angst over her relationship with Ivy is getting tedious. It's been going on for four books now, enough already. I've also been hoping that she would explore the social dynamics between humans and Interlanders. Granted that humans are quite literaly at the bottom of the food chain and the Interlanders probably don't care what their next meal feels about the situation but the total lack of any look at the dynamics of the two species annoys me.

I really couldn't wait for this book to come out and I truely am glad that I read it but...

the action was great and there were some great moments where I couldn't put the book down but the book seemed to drag on and on. I really could care less what Nick got himself into, however we needed to know some of it to find out about Jax (Jenks' son). but to base the whole book about what he did and then to help him- come on Rachel don't you have a backbone? Allright she'll do anything for the people in her life and I respect that. I just hope that Nick is done with in the next book.

I can't wait for the next book because I think it has potential and KHarrison is a great writer. I just hope to see a little more of Rachels true personality and to see her develop as the main character even more.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I can't believe Rachael's boyfriend betrayed her - the idiot! Well, that happens in life I guess. I never trusted him though. Every since Rachael meets him in the second series. There was always something secretive about him. I'm glad Rachael caught on to him and got him back. I didn't like how Jax betrayed his father, Jenks though. That bothered me. A must have!!

-Speedi

I really like the world of the Rachel Morgan books, and that's what has kept me reading even though I never warmed to Rachel as a character. This last book, though, has made me wonder if it's worth the bother to get the new volume coming out this month.

Rachel performs demon magic and assumes, without checking, that it's not black magic. Rachel tries to play around with Kisten, knowing what she does about vampires and pheromones, and "doesn't realize" she's pushing him too far. Rachel jerks Ivy around for yet *another* book, this time with nearly disastrous results. Rachel, in other words, is her usual self-centered, short-sighted self. I can't understand why anyone would want to help her/ work with her/sleep with her; I can't understand why anyone wants to *know* her.

As I said, I love the world (though it always leaves me wanting pizza with extra sauce), but the main character is such a selfish, thoughtless person (and not even in an entertaining way) that I just can't recommend the books.

Best thing about this book is probably the cover. It is way too long and padded, and barely anything happens. Extremely disappointing after the first ones, and definitely showing signs of deterioration. It is also definitely showing signs of needing editing.

A book like this shouldn't be 500 pages long I am pretty sure. Lame, and lacking in adventure. Give it a miss.

I found this hard to write because I am such a big fan of Kim Harrison's books. However, I just didn't like a Fistful of Charms as well as her other three books. I see from reading some of the other reviews that I am definitely in the minority, but felt I just had to "talk" about it for a minute. Her previous books are so good that they lingered with me for days after I read them.

Trent was not in this book and Kisten was barely there. I even missed Al, the demon. And, don't forget Keasley--I am hoping she develops his character a little more. Anyway, the above-mentioned characters were, in my opinion, sorely missed. I also do not like the development of the Rachel/Ivy relationship. Even within the parameters of the Hollows, I don't think their strong friendship need involve the giving of blood, and certainly not sexual tension. Conversely, in my humble opinion, there was not enough romance with the men in her life. I think one of the things Ms. Harrison does very well is write a good love scene that actually means something to the book. With all of her previous books, I have gone back to read the "good parts" several times, but I found I couldn't think of a "good part" I wanted to go back and read in this book (and I am not just talking about love scenes, but interactions between the strong characters, like Trent and Rachel).

I think part of the reason I didn't like this book as well, too, was because we weren't in the Hollows for most of the book, which is a great deal of the charm of these books.

I realize her readers don't get to decide what goes into a book or where the plot goes, but I am hoping for something a little bit more like the first three books in the next book.

I stumbled across Kim Harrison while looking for the latest Kelly Armstrong book. It's a quick light read that you'll enjoy if you like paranormal and action. It could have moved a little quicker for my taste, but I enjoyed it enough that I'll pick up another Kim Harrison book in the future.

This was the best one yet as Rachel takes a walk on the were side. Had me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. The only thing I didn't like was not getting enough of Kisten, my new fave non-sparkling vamp.

I have waited impatiently for this book to come out, and I would love to say all my waiting and wanting were worth it...but I'd be lying. I think this book is the weakest in the Hollowverse series. Yes, it has some wonderful character moments with great interaction between the three partners, yes, it answers long standing questions about Nick. Yes, we learn more about Ivy's Twisted Past with Piscary (and oddly, I didn't feel nearly as sorry for her as I know I was supposed to). Yes, we watch Rachel struggle (though I wish it had been a bit more well thought out) with her moral lines. But the setting (far from the Hollows) gave the book a "normal human vs. preternatural" outlook that was uncomfortable and the Revelations regarding Rachel's supposed psychological make up (and her resulting actions) simply didn't ring true for me. The other books were so much MORE - more subtle, more complicated, more interesting. I will buy the next book, for sure...but I won't be waiting with bated breath for it to come out.

I have to say I'm really disapointed with this book. Having read the other Hollows books, and enjoying them greatly, I came to expect a bit more from the author.

Looking back at the other books, one can notice a steady improvement on the quality of the story and the author's storytelling. A Fistful of Charms is a step back, and I rate it as the worst of the lot. Not that the book is bad itself, it is just disapointing. Kind of like a spinoff story, with most of the action happening far from Cincinnati, basicaly a single plot (not paralel storylines) and an overall predictability. No Trent, almost no Krist, master vampires show up in about 2 pages. Lots of weres and Nick, tho, so if you enjoy them, be prepared to be even more disapointed. Nick is portraided as a character without any dept, and the weres are, for the most part, boring.

I really can't tell if "Hollows as we know it" is ended, or this is just a mistep, like Marion Zimmer Bradley used to say about one of her books: Lets pretend it didn't happen.

If you are a fan of the Hollows books, yes, you should pick this one. If you are a casual reader, just ignore it, and wait for the next.

And it's not to say this is a bad book; it isn't. It still trumps anything Laurell can write, with a hand and two feet tied behind its back. The focus on Nick and how he isn't the normal human they thought he was is perfectly fine, and not surprising. The fact that he gets his arse handed to him is great, because he has it coming. But the almost total exclusion of Kisten is a disappointing shame, considering it took three books to get him where he is, and he gets shunted off for the ex. And the blood tryst subplot is deplorably ridiculous. Rachel has been adamant about not sharing blood and has been traumatized because of her demon attack, but in the back of a van she has a revelation? Give me a break. And the explanation of her inviting danger to keep herself feeling happy is laughable. I could see Anita Blake being pinned with this, but Rachel Morgan? Uh, no. Way to turn your character into a sad little masochist. The next book will hopefully be better.

I thought the series was OK, & like many thought it had potential. But, each book seemed to get more slow moving than the previous. Also, not really enough romance for me, and Rachel's actions contradict her thoughts so much that she can seem trivial at times. It gets annoying.

This series is everything that the Anita Blake series used to be. Harrison has created a very interesting world set in present day Cincinnati full of witches, pixies, vampires, werewolves, demons and other creatures. All the main characters are likable in some ways and you really want to see how they grow individually and together. No, these books aren't perfect, but the series is by far my favorite on the market today.

I loved the well developed characters, the fast paced action and sexual tention in this latest Rachel Morgan book. For once I didn't wish that I could change any part of it. The main character is strong, clever and brave without being over board about it. She knows what she can and can't do and is not averse to calling for help when needed. It allows for the rest of the characters in this book to have their time to shine.

All in all its a book worth reading.

This book shows why I consider Kim Harrison at the top of the genre. I loved the first three books, but this was the best by far.

The plot was great, but the character development was even better. In this books Rachel, Ivy and Jenks all grew in a way that you could follow because it was hinted at in previous novels. Rachel is getting stronger, but she is aware of this and constantly questions whether this is good or bad.

I can hardly wait for the next installment (a hardcover!)in March.

Wow!! Kim Harrison does a knockout on this one! Rachel Morgan returns more screwed up then ever. She has to leave Cinnci for a while to help out David, but as always, things dont go according to plan. Then she hears word that her past lover, Nick, has been spotted around that area and is in deep trouble. And as the good witch she is, she puts aside her feelings and tries to help him. Meanwhile, things start to heat up with her and Ivy, and makes the most important decision she will ever make. Will it save or ruin their relationship? You'll have to read and find out in "A FistFull Of Charms". The gang is waiting for you...

I always enjoy a visit to the Hollows but this one left me a little disappointed. I do not want to see Rachel become mired in the same goo in which Laurel Hamilton has placed Anita Blake. Anita went from being a strong decisive character who solved mysteries to star of badly written pornos. As a previous review stated, I also think of the situation with Ivy as a subplot and not a very interesting one. Also, the idea that Rachel is an adrenaline junky demeans the relationships she has developed and makes her appear shallow. I loved Kist and Jenks and hope to see more of Trent. Hopefully, in the next book, Rachel will have more substance. I have really liked this series and would hate to see it fall apart now.

I was really enjoying this series, and even this book right up until for some bizarre reason, Rachel decides to let Ivy bite her. Up until now, she's supposedly been terrified of this, and now she welcomes it out of curiosity--because she wants to show Ivy she trusts her--to "help" Ivy? Stupid. And the whole bi-curious thing is not something I'm enjoying reading about either. If these books are going to start going the way of LKH's Anita Blake books, all sex and smut and no plot of substance, then I will be bitterly disappointed. Oh, and now Rachel also decides she's going to let Ivy continue to bite her and after she sucks her blood and almost kills Rachel, guess what--they're still best buds. Blech. I wish someone would just stake Ivy. Twice.

I thought the idea of giving Jenks a potion to make him full size was a really interesting, fun idea--really enjoyed that. I like the characters of the Hollows and how the story was going in the first three books--I want to know more about Trent and to see how Rachel creatively manages to stay a white witch and stay out of danger, despite the temptation of demon magic.

Why do these authors have to go in a negative direction in the name of character progression when the books start out so great? Do they just run of out ideas? Makes me sad, I was really enjoying the storyline until now. Why do the vulnerable but strong heroines have to take a nose dive into self destructive and jaded nymphos.

Some series slow down or the plots get tired after 3 or 4. Not Kim Harrison, a Fistful of Charms is her best yet! Jenks is a hoot, the Tinkerbell references had me laughing for days, and the toothbrushes...

This one was kinda hard for me to get through. All the crap Rachel was going through for Nick really irritated me. Once it all started falling into place and plans were following through, it was easier to read with all of the action thrown at you.

I love Kim Harrison's world of the Hallows and the interesting characters she has created. However, Fistful of Charms is not a good addition to the series. The focus of the book on Weres was just not interesting to me and I think removing the setting outside the Hallows was not interesting either. How about a book set in another city's "Hallows" instead? Also, I must be the only reader who is getting tired of all the angst around Ivy. Why not just hook her up with someone interesting and work out of the whole Rachel/Ivy will they or won't they routine. I'd hate to see Harrison start going off track into Laurel Hamilton territory--a writer I used to enjoy but now wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. Ms. Harrison has developed wonderful materials to go forward with--like Keasley and Ceri--let the Hallows rock!

I only mildly enjoyed book 1, but I saw potential, so I went ahead and purchased books 2 & 3. They were by far much better books and I was excited to read the 4th. Unfortunately, it was a very sorry addition to the series. None of the characters do any growing and the only real plot development is the addition of werewolves into the mix, which does nothing to improve the story. It just bogs down an already complicated story line started in the first three books. For some reason we leave all of the interesting side characters behind for these flat underdeveloped weres. I'm sorry but it turned Rachel into a poorman's Anita Blake. Hopefully, book 5 will get back on track, but I'm waiting for the reviews before purchasing.

I didn't give this book a 5 because I was exhausted after reading it. I mean, so much happens in such a short of time (like LKH books), that I felt I, nor Rachel, really got to process a lot of the action. While I enjoyed the read, I too, am not sure how I feel about the whole Rachel/Ivy romantic entanglement. I am not, however, the author, so really, Kim gets to decide that issue. I enjoyed learning more about pixies though, I hope she expounds on the other supernaturals in the next book.

I have read alot of this series. I love it. Rachel morgan is a great character. Not gonna lie i read the book more for ivy. Hot and complex. Yumm. So really good book, my favorite one so far. I just reallly wish rachel was more open minded. Lol. Thats just me.

This novel takes a step back in terms of writing quality and plot intricacy. The protaganist and supporting characters tend to use narrative repetition to get points across:

"Jenks looks sexy lifesize! Rachel likes to live dangerously! My relationship with Ivy is screwed up. I am doing black magic, and I don't want to!"

This is in lieu of real character interaction, and it grates on the reader. The interesting storylines like Vampiric Charms, the demons, Trent, and the Cincinnati social and political scene are glossed over in favor of a apparently world threatening but abandoned deus ex machina-type relic and a horde of armed werewolves so powerful, two main characters can disarm and drop dozens of them while being attacked in a crowded alleyway.

Add a ridiculously convoluted and drawn out plot resolution and a lot of constant heavy-handed interaction with the northern 'locals', and you can't help buy wonder what happened here. The tension building between Rachel and Ivy built up culminates in the back of a van in a hotel parking lot, and promptly falls into half a book of MTV style angstfest between two jilted, confused girls with superpowers. With the exception of Ceci, David, and some progress with Rachel's magic skills, this book is a black hole of character development when compared to the previous novels.

In conclusion, it was rushed, and most likely a filler novel to capitalize on Ms. Harrison's recent success, since her previous books go at a crisp pace and I doubt the story arcs can go on forever. I hope with the remaining novels, the publishers take a bit more time for editing and Ms. Harrison sticks to the outline she started with for this excellent series.

I, being from Michigan, really enjoyed reading this book it was on track with theother books in the series and was a really fun read for me.

I like some other reviewers hope she does not turn Rachaels characture into just an excuse to write sex scenes.

please please MS Harrison dont do it!!!

I thought it was interesting what happened with Rachael and Ivy. and what does the future hold for Jenks and Jacks!!!???

I loved the first three Rachael Morgan books. When I picked up this book I got out the first three plus and sat down to read them all in order.

I started with Ivy's short story in Dates From Hell which was OK, then went to the first book which was good. The second book was better - you could see some character improvement. By the time I finished the third book I was really excited.

One quarter of the way in I became very disappointed. I disliked the turn that Ivy's and Rachael's relationship took. I missed Kist and Trent etc.. The writing didn't seem as sparkly.

I don't know if I'm going to buy another book in this series because I feel it may have jumped the shark. And that makes me sad because I truly cared about the characters.

This book was awesome! As well as the other four. I can't wait for the 6th to come out. Kim Harrison really has a way of keeping the suspense going so you never want to put it down, & then just leave you hanging in your seat waiting for more. If you've thought about reading this book, don't think twice! Pick it up, & have at it!

I enjoyed this book although not as much as prior books in this series. In my opinion this book has less action and suspense than the previous books. That being said, I would still recommend it. It moved the story forward and I do look forward to the next installment.

In the last book. Are witch Rachel Morgan met Al. The shorting of his name. He was ready to collect his debit from Rachel but she found a loop hole. And his last assistant a elven princess about a thousand years ago. Name Ceri. She was his assistant it polite of saying slave servant. She found away to help her too. She was trap on the ever-after all that time. Alone with her demon masters. It took awhile for to adjust to Earth a thousand years later. And she found out she is it the last of her kind. That the elves were hidden in plain sight.

I'm not taking anything away from the writing or the depths of the characters, I just wasn't impressed with the action of the book. I merely wanted to just get through the book. It was hard. I wanted to read a book about a witch and I just didn't get that.

I like Rachel a lot, and Jenks was great, but I am so sick of Ivy! She's beautiful, powerful, and it's still not enough. The ongoing tension between Ivy and Rachel has just put me off these books. It never moves forward. Until Ivy gets over herself, I can't read anymore.

I loved the previous three books in the Rachel Morgan series but this one was horrible. Very boring, lack of character development, and horrible character voice. I hated this book. I think Kim Harrison has ruined her books! I am sorely disappointed. The plot is awful. It is poorly written.

Exboyfriends are bad news. Rachael should have known better than not go after Nick and try to save his ass. This time she got in trouble with werewolves and their sacred object. All the weres wanted to have it to balance the power of the political world: the vamps would not be the ones ruling with the power to be born as vamps as well as turn humans to vamps, because with this sacred were-object also weres could turn humas with a bite....

I would give 5 stars for Jenks. He is funny and wise.
I would give 4 star for Rachael and Ivy. Their relationship is still not settled and there are some twists in this book that I did not expect to happen...
I would give 3 stars to Nick. He seems to be the typical liar and cheating ex-boyfriend

And a couple of quotes of this fine story:

Plan B?' Ivy said. 'What is plan B?'
Jenks reddened. 'Grab the fish and run like hell,' he muttered, and I almost giggled."
-- Kim Harrison (A Fistful of Charms)

"Jenks enthusiastically leaned against the counter and opened the box. Bypassing the plastic knife, he broke off about a third of it and took a huge bite. Ivy watched, appalled, and I shrugged. His mouth moving as he hummed, Jenks finished unpacking the sacks. I was half dead, Ivy was whoring herself to keep me safe, but Jenks was okay as long as he had chocolate."
-- Kim Harrison (A Fistful of Charms)

Purchased book 4 to complete my collection. Not quite as good as 1, 2 or 3, but still a good book. I really enjoy Kim Harrison's writing, she has a new and fresh take on the vampire/ witch/ otherworldly creatures and that is nice. It's a good read, give it a try.

I had been waiting for a reasonably priced Hardback version of this book - I have them all except this one. I love Kim Harrison's work - this series was my first urban-fantasy series and now I am hooked on the genera and Kim Harrison.

I loved the previous three books in the Rachel Morgan series but this one was horrible. Very boring, lack of character development, and horrible character voice. I hated this book. I think Kim Harrison has ruined her books! I am sorely disappointed. The plot is awful. It is poorly written.