Book Review: A FISTFUL OF CHARMS by Kim Harrison

[Brown Rat]

A Fistful of Charms
Kim Harrison

Review by Carolyn Hill

In A Fistful of Charms, the fourth book in Kim Harrison’s Hallows series, Rachel Morgan and her partners must rescue Jenks’s son, who has been drawn into Nick Sparagmos’s theft of a dangerous artifact that could cause all-out war between werewolves and vampires.

Rachel and her partners—Jenks, a four-inch pixy warrior, and Ivy, a practicing vampire—are pushed beyond their physical and emotional limits as they leave the familiar confines of Cincinnati for a small town in the north. Jenks allows Rachel to turn him six-feet tall so that he will survive the journey, but being taller doesn’t protect him from the vagaries of father-son relationships and issues of aging as he nears the end of his natural life. Ivy follows Rachel out of love and friendship, but in leaving the big city she tosses aside the constraints that the master vampire Piscary has placed on her and, thus, risks losing all that she holds most dear. And Rachel repeatedly steps over lines she has drawn for herself, making heavy use of demon magic, becoming a wolf to survive combat against the Weres, and embracing her adrenaline-junky appetites.

Ivy and Jenks play larger roles in this book than in the preceding, both in the action portions of the plot and in the emotional arc of the novel. A Fistful of Charms offers satisfying resolutions to several conflicts in their relationships with Rachel, and readers come to see why these three individuals make such a solid team. In particular, we come to understand Ivy more fully—and those who have been rooting for her will have much to celebrate as Rachel makes a fateful decision.

In exploring the explosive consequences of events in the first three books, A Fistful of Charms takes the three partners deeper into the dark and closer to the truth.

[I, Brian]

Thanks for the reviews - how did you feel about the book? Did you think it drew yourself as a reader in much, and how did you find the treatment of dark themes?

[Brown Rat]

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I'm excited by the darker direction the series seems to be taking. The themes of trust and self-awareness resonate strongly with me. Ivy, in particular, is a compelling character, combining lethal instincts and noble aspirations, simultaneously quite vulnerable (because of the abuse she underwent as a child) and strong (because she's managing--barely--to recover from that abuse and resist temptation). And Rachel's growing understanding and acceptance of herself--and of what she and Ivy have to offer one another--make me celebrate the redemptive and healing power of friendship (despite the inherent danger in opening yourself up and, possibly, being hurt by your friends).

[I, Brian]

Thanks for that - sounds interesting.

[Lissa]

Great review. I thought the book was very good myself.