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A Fistful of Charms (The Hollows, Book 4) | 
 enlarge | Author: Kim Harrison
Publisher: HarperTorch
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
Buy Used: $2.80
You Save: $5.19 (65%)
New (47) Used (36) Collectible (4) from $2.80
Rating:  136 reviews
Sales Rank: 15636
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 544
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.4
ISBN: 0060788194
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780060788193
ASIN: 0060788194
Publication Date: July 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Standard used condition.
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Product Description
The evil night things that prowl Cincinnati despise witch and bounty hunter Rachel Morgan. Her new reputation for the dark arts is turning human and undead heads alike with the intent to possess, bed, and kill her -- not necessarily in that order. Now a mortal lover who abandoned Rachel has returned, haunted by his secret past. And there are those who covet what Nick possesses -- savage beasts willing to destroy the Hollows and everyone in it if necessary. Forced to keep a low profile or eternally suffer the wrath of a vengeful demon, Rachel must nevertheless act quickly. For the pack is gathering for the first time in millennia to ravage and to rule. And suddenly more than Rachel's soul is at stake.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 131 more reviews...
 I Want the Next Book Now! July 5, 2006
K. Montgomery (Columbus, GA)
63 out of 68 found this review helpful
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!
Good Witch, Bad Dog September 23, 2006
Marc Ruby™ (Warren, MI USA)
24 out of 31 found this review helpful
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.
more introspective than the previous books June 30, 2006
Deborah Wiley (Winter Haven, FL)
14 out of 16 found this review helpful
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
Pix Me Baby One More Time August 14, 2006
Debra Morse (Southern California)
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
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.
 Great series. Weak book. July 12, 2006
C. Wachter (San Francisco, CA)
13 out of 20 found this review helpful
I think my great disappointment with A Fistful of Charms is exasperated by the great appeal of the previous books in the Hollows series. The old charm just isn't evident here. Firstly, AFOC isn't set in Cincinnati. Trent and Al--important characters to the evolving story--are absent. Ivy, Rachael, and Nick read like entirely different characters from one book to the next. Finally, there is the hundred odd pages of yelling. Everyone seemed so nasty. A good story need not focus on likeable characters in order to be enjoyable; however, they should still draw one into their story.
Essentially, all the good ingredients in the Rachael Morgan series are missing.
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