Ever After: A Dark Urban Fantasy Adventure in Cincinnati Filled with Vampires and Witches (Hollows, 11)

In Rachel Morgan's world, nothing is ever easy. Ever After is book 11 in the series, Rachel and her crew have come so very far, been through so much, and the hits keep coming. Through it all, Rachel is getting stronger, more confident, and I love her more and more. In some longer book series (8+ books), the series start to wane. Not this series. I feel that the most recent books have been awesome, the series just gets better and more exciting. I do recommend reading this series in order, elements and characters from earlier books play a vital role in Ever After. Rachel is once again being blamed for supernatural problems. This time, her rival enemy demon, Ku'Sox, has damaged the ley lines and is killing the ever after. The demons are willing to kill Rachel to keep the ever after. On a strict time line, Rachel needs help from the strongest elf around, Trent Kalamack. Rachel and Trent's relationship is complicated, each of them have hurt the other and they fight a lot. However, Trent has begun to open to different perspectives, and really think about who he wants to be. He is becoming, more and more, a fixture in Rachel's life. The pair come together to fight their latest enemy, and try to save Trent's kids and the demons who are so eager to end Rachel's life. It will take a lot of power, trust, and unexpected alliances to defeat this enemy. Kim Harrison definitely did not skimp on the twists, turns, and complications in Ever After. Ever After is an epic story; a wild ride full of action packed highs and devastating tragedies. Characters from Rachel's past pop in to cause trouble, and some past story lines and characters gain closure. The world in The Hollows is changing, and Rachel plays a key role. I found it a bit odd that Ivy did not play as prominent a role in Ever After as she does in earlier books. Rachel's relationships are all changing, it's a bittersweet feeling. I love that the characters are growing, but I have always loved the solid core of camaraderie and family between Rachel, Jenks, and Ivy that is evolving. There is so much to take in after reading Ever After. There were parts of the book that made me ache for the characters, parts that had me laughing, and parts that had me on the edge of my seat, gripping my e-reader eager to learn the outcome of the latest action. Kim Harrison has never shied away from the tragedies and tough hits throughout The Hollow Series, and Ever After is no exception. However, the tragedies are balanced by the humor, action, and growth of the characters. When the main action is over, Kim Harrison sets the stage for more twists, turns, and possibilities to come. Without a doubt, Kim Harrison is a master at anticipation. The minute I finished Ever After, I wanted the next book. Now. Readers, if you enjoy Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal reads, then I highly recommend reading The Hollows series. I eagerly anticipate each book release, and Kim Harrison delivers.

*ARC Provided by the author (cuz she's amazeballs!) It's my new favorite! I normally worry about using that term too loosely because it could diminish the potential quality of the series as a whole, but I genuinely think it's the best book thus far. Kim Harrison has done it yet again and all signs point to her doing it two more times, and in epic proportions. This time the Ever After, home of the demons, is shrinking at an alarmingly fast rate, placing the existence of magic in a pretty vulnerable position; without one there couldn't be the other. So as if our favorite itchy witch, Rachel Morgan, didn't have enough problems, this just sprang up to #1. If she can't solve this one, she won't have any others. If she can't fix it, the demons want her head as her botched leyline creation caused this mess in the first place. And no one wants to see that happen more than her old buddy, Ku'Sox, the former day walking demon who had the misfortune to cross Rachel and lose. He even resorts to abducting her friend and goddaughter as insurance...and boy is it effective. Thankfully she's got Trent Kalamack and Algaliarept by her side to restore balance and take him down once and for all. But the price may be too high for things to ever be the same again. I know there was criticism about not a lot happening in A Perfect Blood, though I personally enjoyed the old-school Hollows style mystery. But for those of you who didn't, for EVER AFTER I think a better question is what didn't happen! There was so much going on that I genuinely can't recall a dull moment. I think I felt and continue to feel every emotion possible, but I ultimately finished the book in pure euphoria. In case you needed a little reminding, Harrison presents really harsh realities and difficult decisions that prove she's an author with guts. I don't think I've experienced so many pulse pounding moments since For a Few Demons More (book 5). This book left me reeling like no other. The scenes that take place in the Ever-After were some of the best of the series. The race against the clock really made this book so intense. Learning the history of the demons and the elves and the eventual degradation of their relationship was great, though I would have loved even more insight. I just can't get enough of it. And that brings me to Big Al, who was totally amazing. Fans will absolutely adore him in this book as we learn more about his personal back story. He's much more prominent here than in A Perfect Blood and that's fine by me because he literally lights up the pages and keeps things exciting in his own peculiar way. After having read Trent's POV in the bonus chapter of A Perfect Blood, I saw everything he did in a whole new light, and boy was it refreshing. He's got his own personal demons to work through and it really makes you feel for the guy. He is in a rock and a hard place, accepting his actions that have led to certain consequences while still working to find the best solution possible. I loved seeing him use more magic. I feel like elves have a pretty powerful arsenal that deserve more exploration, so it was nice to see Harrison skim the surface here with the insinuation of even greater things. Magic is amped up for the elves, while more human qualities are amped up for the demons, so it was an interesting trade off. His teamwork with Rachel was one of my favorite parts of the book. The tension was insane and placed so well all throughout. It's seriously amazing to go back and read passages from Dead Witch Walking and then look at them now. Their progress is usually one step forward, two steps back, but the slow burn for this ship is probably what will make it my all-time #1 favorite if they end up together *fingers crossed*. This book was just about everything I could ask for, but it wasn't 100% flawless. With so much ever after, elf and demon action, the story manages to throw in a smidgeon of development in vampire politics. Unfortunately it felt very much like an afterthought and briefly broke the overall flow. We know vampires won't get a lot of focus until the final book 13, so 10 or so pages of development came off a random at best and forgettable at worst. All in all, this is an absolute MUST READ for fans of the series. Since Black Magic Sanction and Pale Demon the series has been invigorated and manages to improve as we reach the final stretch. That is a rarity for 95% of series that make it this far. I think it helps a lot that Kim Harrison has an end in sight and continues to write towards that. Many others have jumped-the-shark by this point. The Hollows is absolutely revving up for a grande finale and I cannot wait to be there.

Frustrating, painful, and beautiful. But if you've been reading this series, you already know that, don't you? This one is more so on every mark than most. The writing is tighter, even as the magic seems more random and subject to the needs of the plot more than consistency. The demons are revealed to have a completely different original form from the one that was assumed to be their first form seen in "A Perfect Blood." Also, the relationship between the elves and demons is further explained with stuff that we'd never seen before. Like the nymph, I get the feeling that stuff has been mentioned outside the books that I'm assumed to know. And yet, yeah, it's a near-note-perfect Rachel Morgan book. Ms. Harrison's writing is as silky and seductive as ever, though it feels a little less manipulative because the stakes really are that high and the terrors and shocks are really that horrible. Ms. Morgan's world (or, more accurately, worlds) are as brutal as ever and Rachel's nose is rubbed deep into just how broken its institutions and traditions are. The ending is hard and brutal as well, and very human. If Rachel's back to nabbing banshees and thwarting terrorists next time, I'll be disappointed. She has bigger fish to fry, though the frying of those fish will be the biggest shift in tone and theme and action this amazingly mutable series has yet experienced. I hope fervently that Ms. Harrison embraces that change; it could be the most amazing thing to come out of the urban fantasy genre yet.

After waiting a year with bated breath, revving myself up with tidbits, hints, early cover releases (and debates because of the "blonde hair"), early chapters (of which I only read one to prevent further torture since the release was imminent), and even getting the little collectable coat tag hanger from the author as part of it's promotion, I must say it was worth the wait, every second of it, and is likely the best yet of the bunch. We get a slew of returning and main characters and ample time to soak in most of the goodies - Trent is present for nearly the entire book, so Trent fans should be more than happy with events. Al, my personal favorite, was heavily present in the first part of the book, then appears again later, but sadly was not present for the middle and bulk of the story. Ivy makes an entrance and that's about it, as her story - as Kim Harrison has stated - is leading her off on her own paths. The vampires were thrown in almost as an afterthought, maybe a prequel of things to later come. Ever After is a double whammy, double tragedy. I won't spoil it, of course, but as was warned by the author herself, this is a sad one. Those on the top of my suspect list to bite the big one did not necessarily do so, and instead I was surprised as to who really permanently falls. Kim Harrison has a knack for writing grief and making it convincing without muddling the waters with melodrama, cliches, and unrealistic responses. She did an excellent job having Rachel and others grieve for the loss of another major character earlier in the series. Instead of writing it in one book and then basically moving on, the character was grieved for with several books and is still brought up (as they should be, this is more realistic.) Not all authors embrace this realism but I'm happy Harrison does. This book follows those lines with convincing shock, surprise, anguish, and after effects. The beginning is not a heady rush into action, but more of a slower buildup into a giant, rolling boil. When the action does ignite, it is nonstop from there, with small pauses for breathing, reflections, and regrouping. The ending was incredibly brilliant, especially with the trio team, and the battle was likely the best of the series thus far. The ending wasn't an abrupt wrap up - Thank God! - and was an appropriate aftereffect and promises of more to come. The villain - Ku'Sox (yuck) - is truly dark, demented, and hated for ample reasons. He steers the story with his deviousness, but the main act behind everything is always and should always be Rachel. She is growing into her own, not fretting as much about who and what she really is and what she can accomplish, but also still staying true to her main character and the morals which makes her the splendid "itchy witch" she is. While a clear five writing for pacing, action, characterization, events, dialogue and enjoyment level (let me just say clearly, WOW), there are minor flaws. These don't derive from the star, the goodies make up for these. 1) One is a small bit of inconsistency from earlier books that don't add up. There are also questions in my mind such as when she lists the group of people who have her summoning name (one shouldn't be on the list as far as I can see.) Also, Trent tries to question her on what she would have done with something he did in the first book which she greatly disapproved of, putting a spin on it that wasn't really there. I have re-read the first book recently, and it wasn't exactly greed why the guy was running, he was concerned and disturbed about Rachel's predicament. This new twist to try and making Trent's action seems a bit nobler now rings a little false. 2) This book was focused on the Ever After big time, but Rachel really doesn't spend that much time there besides a few key parts. I was expecting from the title, description, and buildup, for that to be a little more sketched out. 3) A small thing, but it kept standing out to me, and became a bit unrealistic, that Rachel kept shouting so much. Strange as this sounds, she seems to shout A LOT in this book. At the trial, at the enemy, on the brink of a whim she seems to respond by shouting randomly without hesitation and at the drop of a hat, when no one else is shouting, making her look a little unwise with how she handles things. These issues are miniscule compared to the mountains of goodies in this book. It's dark, it's demented, and it's a tragedy. But it's true to the series, an important turning point, and this series really does get better with age. The longer it's written, the deeper the world evolves, but the characters all stay true to themselves even as more is revealed as further layers of them peel away before our eyes. Outstanding stuff, I can't wait for the next one, and sadly there are only two more. With the talented pen of Harrison, this series is a long-running one that deserves to be the length it is, not losing any of it's steam as it soars, not chugs, along.

WOW...This series is definitely one of my favorites and this particular book topped the list of favorite in the series. The Good Rachel is growing into herself and making much better decisions. Since I'm in her head, it's nice to hear her think to herself that in the past she would have gone about a circumstance in a different way than she is now. She exhibited even more power than I have seen before. This girl has skills! And friends...which brings me to... Trent..I don't know exactly what to say about him, except for the fact that I loved him in this book. There was even a situation that went down where he made a choice that looked similar to something he used to would have done, and it ended up being someone else's idea and was initially against his better judgement! Every single scene with the two of them in it was an exceptional back-and-forth. The action was paced very well. The book is very exciting. Yes, it does slow down at times, but those parts are all necessary to see the decision-making processes and understand what will be happening next. This read was so fun to follow. The characters were all enjoyable to me reading this time around...even the ones I can't stand. Jenks calls a demon that can walk under the sun and is more powerful than any of them, Cute Socks. I think maybe my favorite part was that this was set so much in the Ever After and I did get to see much more of the demons. Al and Newt are back in full force with their personalities shining through, and I also got to see more of Al than I have before. That was exciting, and I hope I learn even more about them in future books. The Bad Bad? I really have to wrack my brain to come up with anything wrong with this one! I devoured it. I guess I would have to go with some of the choices that Harrison had to make to move the story along. However, since I understand everything behind those decisions, I don't really consider them as bad just a sad part of the story. The Romance A ton of tension and emotions flying around! I don't really want to say much to spoil this so I will just say that I am a FAN. Conclusion This was my favorite in this series so far. I thought it would be hard to beat Pale Demon, but Harrison has done it. The story moves along at a great pace, is in a setting that is different and exciting, shows new sides of characters, and the ending absolutely doesn't disappoint. Oh, I just figured out what the bad thing is...that I have to wait another year for the next one.

If you haven't read this series here is the link to book one, Dead Witch Walking. Ever After is a kick ass story all on its own, but this is an urban fantasy series and the journey of these characters is what makes it emotionally satisfying. While I won't give any spoilers away for Ever After (and boy, are there some biggies!) there are some character relationship issues that would spoil the beginning of this series for you. Waiting for the lucky folks getting to start the Hollows journey to go away Where to even start!? This is book #11 (out of #13) and Kim Harrison is still bringing the Boom! The story is moving along with a focused direction and we are still learning new things about The Hollows world. This book focuses on the demons and the Ever After. Where did it come from, why does it look the way it does, and most importantly why do demons behave the way they do? It is actually a little heartbreaking. Since we are dealing in the Ever After we get to see a lot of Al. I have no idea what Al's HEA is going to be but it has sort of begun in this book and you won't look at him or any of the demons, the same again. For all the Trent and Rachel shippers out there I am cautiously optimistic. Their relationship has come to a turning point (don't you love how vague I am!?) for the better. There is a permanent trust between the pair now, and they have one hell of fight coming up, along with a ton of diapers, in the next two books that they plan on facing together. There isn't a lot of Ivy in this book and I find I don't really miss her, but Rachel made a promise to help Ivy get her soul back. After seeing what happens to aging vampires, Rachel is more determined than ever to help Ivy and all vampires so I suspect we will find out how and if this can be done in the next two books. Jenks is starting to be more open minded and understand there is more to life than just the "Pixie" way. Harrison hasn't given us too many clues as to where is HEA is heading in this book. Bis also comes of age in Ever After; I LOVE that little gargoyle! The gargoyles play a big part in helping Rachel try to save the Ever After. Most of you have heard there are some sad parts. Storylines have to be tied up and when you are dealing with a demon like KuSox people are going to die. I was floored by one of them. The book as a whole is fabulous. The series arc is moving at a good pace and the book arc was an action packed page turner. I have been following this series for a long time and I am completely invested in them. When the last book comes... I don't even know what I will do. I think Dr. Seuss said it best... "Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened" - Dr. Seuss Yeah, I'll cry anyway... 10 "I just did that!" sheep [...]

The Hollows Series is easily one of my top ten favorites. The characters are compelling, the writing is truly excellent, the action is heart-stopping and the romance is just guh. Gorgeous and swoon worthy, giving you all the feels that good romances should give you. But my absolute favorite part about this series is that although classified as a paranormal romance, unlike most others of its genre, the romance doesn't dominate the books. You're not reading page after page of graphic sex scenes with a splash of plot thrown in. Rather, The Hollows series gives you all the action and character development you could hope for, with just enough romance thrown in to make you fangirl ever time Trent Kalamack shows up. And to be honest, one kiss between Trent and Rachel is hotter than many of the sex scenes I've read in other books. Ever After, the 11th installment of the series, is the best yet. Of course my favorite part of the book is all of the Trent and Rachel awkwardness and flirtation. I've been a Trent/Rachel shipper since book one, despite the fact that he's sometimes also Rachel's biggest nemesis. This book was filled with the great romantic tension, and of course denial, that has come to define their interactions in the last few books. This installment was also filled with some serious action and heavy-duty development of not just the characters, but the demon's world in the ever after. This book gave some great insight into how the demon's interact with each other, as well as their past and Rachel's slow acceptance of her place among them. The book was filled with Al and Newt scenes, which brought their own special brand of hilarity. They might be the best characters in the series. I loved seeing just how far all the characters have evolved from the first book, whether it was Trent and Rachel working together, rather than against, or Rachel and Quen's almost familial interactions with each other, not to mention Jenks living with a fairy. It's fun seeing all these characters who have worked against each other for so long becoming family to each other, even if they don't realize it themselves. I also enjoyed the lack of Ivy in this book. An unpopular opinion, I know, but she's always been my least favorite character and her absence did not bother me one little bit. Things I didn't like about the book: The return of Ellasbeth. Mostly because I know Trent is going to choose his duty to his people and marry her rather than choosing his own happiness and being with Rachel. Even outside of that Ellasbeth is just a really bad person. Also was not amused by two characters coming to their demise off-scene. I felt the readers definitely deserved better than that after growing attached to these characters over multiple books. Also, I really don't understand why Nick isn't dead yet? HOW DOES HE KEEP SURVIVING? It is a mystery, but hopefully he'll die before the end of the series. I can't believe there is only two books left. Overall it was just a really fun, roller-coaster ride and I can't wait till next year.

Ever After continues Rachel’s story with her problems in both realms she can inhabit. The Ever After is shrinking, and someone wants to make Rachel pay for it. As she tries to figure out what has happened to the rift she made in reality when she traveled the ley-lines to save her favorite demon. Rachel and Al look at the rift from both realities, and Al is so incapacitated he has to stay in deep sleep for a while. And without knowing who she could possible turn to, Rachel again turns to Trent – because he also has a bone to pick with a certain crazy and not completely natural demon who has been trying to trip both of them up for months, all the while causing both them and other people a lot of grief. Rachel truly gets to show her guts and her fighting skills in Ever After, especially because there are some things she has to do without turning to Ivy for help. But she manages to be strong even when her closest ally is not at hand, and it is always enchanting to see Rachel being the best she can be in all worlds! Nothing is easy for her, though, and she needs to spend a lot more time in the Ever After than she would like to, but she needs to if she wants to save her life, the world, and the ever after, too. Fast-paced and filled with excitement, Ever After is just as awesome as the other Hollows stories. I am always in awe when I read one of these books, because the overall storyline and the exceptional character development are so well done. This series is now my all time favorite paranormal urban fantasy series, both because I love Rachel, Jenks, Trent and Ivy, and because the world-building is beautifully done, and the stories always draw me completely in.