What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. The word building was phenomenal in this book. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.

The Turn by Kim Harrison is the prequel to her well known Hollows series. A bonus for long time fans of Harrison's work, and a wonderful starting point for those that have been nervous about starting such a large series.

Can science save us when all else fails? Trisk and her hated rival, Kalamack, have the same goal, save their species from extinction. Death comes in the guise of hope when a genetically modified tomato created to feed the world combines with the government's new tactical virus, giving it an unexpected host and a mode of transport. Plague takes the world, giving the paranormal species an uncomfortable choice to stay hidden and allow humanity to die, or to show themselves in a bid to save them. Under accusations of scientific misconduct, Trisk and Kal flee across a plague torn United States to convince leaders of the major paranormal species to save their supposedly weaker kin, but not everyone thinks humanity should be saved. Kal surreptitiously works against her as Trisk fights the prejudices of two societies to prove that not only does humanity have something to offer, but that long-accepted beliefs against women, dark magic, and humanity itself can turn to understanding; that when people are at their worst that the best show their true strength, and that love can hold the world together as a new balance is found.

The Turn is a fantastic look at how the world readers of the Hollows series love came to be. I really enjoyed getting to know Trisk and getting an understanding of her relationships with Kal, Quen, Daniel, and others as she works hard to maker a name for herself and do some good. I thought the pacing, world building, and character building were very well done, and reminded me why I fell in love with Harrison's writing style when I first started reading her work. Trisk is strong and independent- but far from perfect. She has her flaws, as do all the characters. I like that even though she is our narrator, her thoughts and actions still sometimes surprised me and proved herself to be more complex a character than I thought. Even Kal, who is a pretty horrible guy, has more layers and complexity than I expected. Even though I knew he was a rat I still occasionally had hope that the moments of his better nature would overwhelm the rest. I was continually at the edge of my seat wondering what they would do next, and what twists and turns each would trigger next.

Fans reading this will enjoy seeing familiar faces, and learning how some of the connections came about. I thought that the balance of characters and situations that were hints and little thrills for fans, and how well the book explains the world and introduces the characters for newcomers was as close to perfect as I have seen, and I enjoyed every minute of the read. This read has me eager to go back andre read the series, and make sure I did not miss any installments.

The Turn is a book I wish I had gotten around to much earlier. I loved revisiting the Hollows and getting a better understanding of how it all started. Fans and newcomers alike will enjoy this read.

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

I've read and reviewed a few of Kim Harrison's books for this blog and they've been met with only mild appreciation. But that has changed with <em>The Turn</em>. This prequel novel sets the stage for The Hollows series and as such, introduces the characters (for thosewho are not tremendously familiar with them) and reminds those who know the series well, of the humble beginnings for The Hollows.

Trisk is an elf, working to be a respected geneticist so that she can keep an eye on human science so that it doesn't kill off her own people. She has been successful in creating a specific, hardy tomato, and she's worked with a human to ensure a virus weapon he's created isn't harmful to Inderlanders ( the supernatural species who share the earth with humans [unbeknownst to humans]).

Everything seems good, with only one hitch. Kalamack. He's a rival and he'll stop at nothing to sabotage her work - including combining the potent virus with her genetically modified tomato, creating a deadly food that is rapid to spread and quick to kill. So quick, in fact, that nearly one-quarter of the human population is killed off in short order from eating any food with a hint of tomato in it (such as ketchup or pizza sauce).

Now the Inderlanders are almost equal in number to the humans and they need to start making some decisions on whether or not to reveal themselves to the humans and how much help they should offer during this time of crisis. And so begins The Hollows.

I definitely enjoyed this book much more than the other books in The Hollows that I've read, and I suspect a great deal of that enjoyment comes from not needing to know what happened before.

However.... I still tend to feel that Harrison is over-writing. This book comes in at over 400 pages and yet so little actually happens. Yes, what happens is kind of big time (a quarter of the population dies, after all) but really this is just so simple. Tomatoes. Rivalry. Death. Stretched on and on. If there's another immediate follow-up to this book, I'd be really interested in reading it, but if the next new book is later in the series, I think I'll pass.

Looking for a good book? <em>The Turn</em> is Kim Harrison's prequel to her Hollows series and does a really nice job of explaining how the world came to be in the shape it is her for Rachel Morgan in The Hollows series.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I really had trouble getting into the book initially and getting caught up in the emotions of the characters. The storyline was good, the blurb was great, but overall the book just fell flat for me. Thought I would love it but didn't live up to the original series.

Plague races across the world, can a paranormal society save it.

This is a good prequel to The Hollows series, and how the world turned. It always interested me how it happened, we were only given a basic outline in the books themselves. Great addition.

I received a copy from Netgalley.

Since The Hollows is one of my favourite urban fantasy series, and probably one the series that got me hooked on urban fantasy in the first place, a prequel to the Hollows was a must have. I put in a Netgalley request as soon as I saw it. (Even though I’m only up to book 7 in the series).

Though after reading it, I can’t honestly say I liked it all that much. It was okay, somewhere between a two and a three star read for me. The first half of the book was full of science stuff that I found incredibly boring and a slog to get through. I’ve never DNFed a Kim Harrison book before, so series and author love made me determined to finish it.

I found it quite confusing, it didn’t help also that I could have sworn there was a Trent Kalamak in the Rachel Morgan series. It was only when I was reading reviews on Goodreads and saw the questions about this book section that someone else had asked the same thing that was puzzling me. Not the same character, two different characters (though there was a ding! moment towards the end of the book that made me go aaaah, that’s why).

One or two familiar characters also popped up, demon Algaliarept (who’s name I can’t pronounce to save my life) was his usual delightfully obnoxious (and somewhat amusing in a snarky way) self and Quen. One of the vampires makes an appearance towards the end as well.

This is all about two dark elf scientists who are fighting it out for funding, Trent and Trisk, both of whom hate each other, Trisk’s created a genetically engineered tomato that will supposedly end third world hunger. Forced to work together each have their own separate agendas. As I said, the first half was all very technical and the two of them playing off each other to get to their own goals. (I had to keep reminding myself this was set in the 60s as well). Favourite classic songs are on the radio as new music.

But of course, jealousy rears its ugly head and one thing leads to another, something goes hideously wrong. This resulting in a wide spread disease that nearly wipes out the human race, bringing out the fear and repercussions of a bunch of vampires, witches and other species trying their best to get head of it and survive as well. While at the same time Trisk and a companion, the Dr who created the virus in the first place, there’s links to her genetic tomato, and Trent trying to keep on top of things.

The second half was much more exciting as things went from bad to worse and Trisk and her friends try to fix the problem. There’s something – satisfying is not the word I’d use – but there’s definitely a so that’s how it all happened feeling about now knowing how The Hollows all started, but it’s certainly not a favourite novel. Though I am glad I read it, and would certainly recommend to Hollows fans.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for approving my request to view the title.

When you are away from a beloved series for a while, it’s easy to forget just how much you loved it. And boy, do I love The Hollows. I was so sad to see it end, but Kim Harrison did such an amazing and satisfying job it was hard to argue with the results. She ended it so well, in fact, that I questioned whether I wanted to give this book a try. What if it didn’t measure up? How could it measure up? I am so very happy to report that it absolutely measures up. And it has left me hungry to return to this world again and again.

Obviously, this is not a Rachel Morgan story. It is a prequel and takes place long before she’s born. But don’t let that turn you off. There is no mistaking that this is anything but a Hollows book. Trisk, the new lead, is absolutely worthy of carrying the book. She is a dark elf. She is brilliant, but it’s the 1960s and the contributions of a woman, especially a dark elf considered substandard to her golden counterparts, are made something less by the circumstances of her birth. At the same time, Kal is blonde and male and everything the elves think is right and perfect. He’s not as smart as her. He’s not as worthy as she is, but sometimes society isn’t fair. She’s sent off to work with the humans, but her brilliance shines through anyway.

I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that this is the origin story of the tomato debacle that nearly destroyed his humanity. And Trisk and Kal are at the center of it all. This book completely sets the stage not only for the big reveal of supernaturals living among the humans in this world, but it also sets up the people and families that are so vital to the rest of the series. Remember, Inderlanders are very long lived, and people that series fans already know are very much in force in the story.

I kept thinking I knew what was going to happen, but I was totally wrong. There is so much happening, and though you know how much of it ends, it doesn’t take away from the journey. It’s fast-paced. The world building is phenomenal. There is some sexy and hint of romance. Betrayal. Action. Just everything.

For people who have not read The Hollows books, I would not advise you to start here. It will spoil so many wonderful surprises for you later in the series. This is the perfect gift for people who have read the series from beginning to end. It ties all of the pieces together beautifully. Strands I did not even realize that needed to be tied together.

My hat is off to Kim Harrison. She is a master. I loved this book and I’m going to stop talking now before I embarrass myself.

Rating: A

I wasn't sure about this "prequel" trend - suddenly it seems everyone is writing prequels to their established (or even finished) series... I was skeptical, it seemed like such a marketing ploy - a way to revive flagging interest, to bring new readers in and keep tired ones holding on... Still, I really enjoyed the Rachel Morgan series, so when I saw this one on NetGalley, I thought it would be worth a look at least. I'm SO glad I didn't heed my skepticism - this was a great book, as either a stand-alone OR a way to answer a lot of unanswered questions from the series...

The backdrop of all of the action in the Rachel Morgan Hollows books is The Turn - the moment in history when supernatural creatures came out of the closet, in response to the decimation of the human population after a bioengineered tomato killed off vast swathes of humanity. Information is dropped in, here and there, but the full situation is never really explained. It's history in the Hollows, and a history everyone knows, so there was never any need to go into detail beyond that needed to set the stage for the contemporary events. This prequel gives the history - and so much more. It is a marvelous stage-setting for the full series, but it also reads as a wholly original, free-standing, story of its own.

The story is well-developed, as are the characters. There are explanatory references scattered throughout: it's exceedingly cool to learn how Al came into the picture, to get Quen's background, to get a peek behind the curtain at the world of the elves. But they're all handled as though this was the first time any of them were encountered. That must be tough to do in a prequel that follows thirteen books and numerous short stories, but Harrison manages it handily. I found myself eager to reread the series, to see how many other back stories I now understood. I haven't read the books in a while now, and am sure there are questions that I now have answered that are long forgotten over the course of the thousands and thousands of pages of Hollows stories I've encountered...

Whether you are new to the Hollows or a native, this is a great story and a heck of an adventure.

I'm back! This is my first WIR since last January. Did you miss me? I have been reading debuts and they get full reviews and I have been a bit slow at reading other books. Although I am back now with the books I have read in between debuts. Let's get to it. What did I read?

I received Kelley Armstrong's novella Lost Souls from the publisher via NetGalley a few weeks go. This story is set in the world of the author's Cainsville series with Gabriel on the case to debunk a popular urban legend of a girl in a white dress hitchhiking on a quiet back road. Gabriel is a lawyer and wants to solve the case but his investigator (and love interest?) Olivia is out of town. Determined the solve the mystery Gabriel has to face his past in order to find the clues that leads him to the woman in white.

I haven't read any of the book from the Cainsville series but I still enjoyed this novella. The story was told through POVs from two of series' characters - Gabriel and the supernatural Patrick. Through their inner dialogue we get to learn both about the opposite character but also about the background characters such as Olivia and her boyfriend Ricky. I really enjoyed how the urban legend played out and thought it had just the right amount of creepy....just like a good urban legend. Fans of this series need to check out Lost Souls.

Another book I received from NetGalley was The Turn by Kim Harrison. This is the prequel to The Hollows series and set in the late 60's. Trisk is a woman and dark elf trying to make a name for herself in a male, light elf dominated world. When her genetically modified tomato gets hacked and becomes the carrier for a virus that kills off hundreds of thousand humans Trisk is left on the run in order to save herself, her race and humanity.

I really liked The Hollows series with Rachel, Ivy and the caustically funny fairy Jenks. I am not sure what I was expected with The Turn but I really struggled to finish it. Many of the characters were back as their younger selves but almost unrecognisable. Trent was particularly loathsome. I kept trying to find out if it was the same Trent from the original series as I couldn't believe how horrid he was and wondered how he could actually become Rachel's love interest 30-40 years later. I think that Harrison spent too much time building up the conditions to have the virus released via tomatoes and could have spent more time after the tomato induced apocalypse. For big fans of the Hollows series I wouldn't be in a rush to read this one. If you haven't read any of the series then maybe start with The Turn which will make the other books all that much better.

That is it for me this week. Fingers crossed with more for me to tell you about next week.

TURN & THE DRAFTER: I read these Kim Harrison bestsellers back to back. I haven’t read The Hollows and I thought it’ll be a good intro to start with TURN, the prequel to KHarrison’s epic urban fantasy series. I’m unsure about TURN, as a prequel I was expecting this to have a “standalone” feel, like an arc that’s completely separate from The Hollows novels, yet I felt like I’m the plus one in a high school reunion.

As for THE DRAFTER, I have to say that I’m super impressed by the work that went on in the plot. There’s a lot of ins and outs, lots of forwards and backward that only a master storyteller can pull off. I took breaks in between reading just to marvel how utterly brilliant KHarrison is while trying to imagine what her plot chart looks like. My mind went BOOM! by the sheer complexity of this series’ universe and plotline. Dare I say that KHarrision outdid herself, and perhaps other sci-fi fantasy authors, by adding the word “omnipotent” to her resume?

Now although I enjoyed these two novels, I also felt a certain degree of disconnect with KHarrison. At firs,t I thought THE DRAFTER is too intricate for my puny mind to grasp but TURN also felt almost alien to me. It’s one of those things that I can’t specify like was it the dialogue or the style? I can’t say for certain, all I know if that I was unable to fully connect with KHarrison’s voice in both novels.

A strong pre-quel to those already into the series. As a standalone book to those not already a fan of the series it would not be as engaging. However the excellent world building and good character development rated 4 stars in my opinion.

I just could not get into this, and I really wanted to love it.

Full review to come next week on my blog
General thoughts: It was an enjoyable prequel. The story was darker and had a healthy dose of conflict and struggle with I think lessened my ability to devour it quickly but all in all it was enjoyable.
4 Stars

Four and a half stars: An excellent trip back to the Hollows that takes you back to where it all began.

Trisk is tired of coming in behind her arch nemesis, Trenton Kalamack. Kal has cheated off her and made her life miserable all through school. Now as they prepare to graduate, Kal will likely land a terrific job with NASA and achieve everything his heart desires, while Trisk, a woman in the 1960's, will be lucky to land a job in security. Fate steps in, and Trisk, who is an elf, finds herself working undercover in a human genetics lab. It is Trisk's job to make sure the humans don't create a tactical plague that could wipe out the paranormal species, especially since elves are on the brink of extinction. Things are going well until Trisk discovers that Kal has been sent by the powers that be to check her work. Then, Kal does something despicable in hopes of ruining Trisk and saving his career. His tampering lets loose a plague transmitted by tomatoes that quickly decimates the human population. Will Trisk be able to stop the plague and prove who set it loose?
What I Liked:
*I have long been a fan of Kim Harrison's The Hollows Series, so I was thrilled to see her take us back in time to where it all began. It was so fun to see the forerunners to all of my favorite characters in The Hollows, and I enjoyed getting a better understanding of the Plague that created the world for the Hollows. This was an excellent book, and I hope there is more.
*Trisk was a wonderful female protagonist. I know I am not alone in having plenty of irritations with Rachel Morgan, the heroine in The Hollows Series. Thankfully, Trisk is nothing like Rachel. She is smart, mature, sophisticated and capable. I loved watching her fight against all the prejudices and still come out on top. She is fantastic. Quen is back in this one, and I enjoyed getting to know him in his younger years. Even though I missed Jenks, I did love Orchid, a formidable pixie woman. I can't wait to see how she is related to Jenks. Al is back, and he is a bit nastier, but still Al. Daniel, a human geneticist, ended up being a favorite as well. There is also a snippet of Rachel's dad, Takata. Needless to say, I loved the characters, and I especially liked figuring out how they were related to the characters in The Hollows.
*Trenton Kalamack is quite the conundrum. He is a character I loved to hate especially because he behaves so despicably time and time again. Yet, there were moments when I thought he could possibly be likable, after all, I had a strong love hate relationship with his son. Needless to say, he is the most fascinating character in the book, and I am hoping that I will be able to further peel back his layers and see if there is some goodness in there.
*I liked that this book is set in the United States during the sixties, but instead of the space race, the Americans are focused on genetics and biowarfare. NASA isn't geared toward space exploration, instead they are all about bacterias, viruses and genetics.
*Once the plague hits, the book takes off. Civilization falls quickly. I liked that I finally had an understanding of the Plague that I had read about in the Hollows. It was great to finally see it all unfold.
*The ending was satisfactory in that it concluded most of the story lines, but it ended in way that I indicated there will be more. I can only hope that further prequel Hollows books are in the works because I want more Trisk, Daniel, Quen and Orchid.
And The Not So Much:
*I was disappointed that the relationship between Trisk and Quen wasn't explored further. I wanted to dig deeper and see beneath the facades. I thought there would be romance. I am guessing there is more.
*The book started off a bit slow. Once Trisk is established in the lab, the pace plods along as Trisk and Kal play head games with each other. I was a bit bored at this point, but thankfully, once the plague hits, things take off.
*The book left so many things unanswered. I can only hope this is because there is going to be further books in this series, I hope so because I want to see how things play out between Trisk, Kal, Daniel and Quen.

The Turn is an excellent read. I loved going back in time and seeing how the ball got rolling for the Hollows Series. It was interesting to get to know familiar characters in their younger years as well as becoming aquatinted with some new faces. It was wonderful to revisit the Hollows, and I can only hope that additional books are coming.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This prequel was much better than I had hoped for. I am going to go back and re-read the Hollows series now. Lots of backstory and details that fill in this fascinating world. Trisk and Kal were interesting and not blameless characters whose varied motivations were very, very readable.
Thanks, Ms. Harrison!

I love anything Kim Harrison! I've read and reread her series. I've read this book slowly, as to savor it. It was wonderful in its characterizations of Trisk, Kal and Quen. Even Al was represented. Love him ! The surprise for me was adding in Piscary towards the end, didnt see him coming. All in all, it was a great prequel to The Hollows series, explained a lot for me.