Review: A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison

Title: A Perfect Blood

Author: Kim Harrison

Format: Hardcover, 438 pages

Publication Date: February 21, 2012

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cincinnati, terrifying amalgams of human and other. Pulled in to help investigate by the FIB, former witch turned day-walking demon Rachel Morgan soon realizes a horrifying truth--a would-be creator is determined to make his (or her) own demons. But it can't be done without Rachel's blood, in this latest blockbuster by a "New York Times"-bestselling author. (from Goodreads)

My Thoughts: I have been a fan of The Hollow series since the very beginning. This is the 10th book and while I can't honestly say I have loved all the books I found this particular book to be highly enjoyable. After 10 books a lot of series have a hard time keeping it fresh and there were a couple books in the middle of this particular series that I wasn't too keen on. Mostly because I was finding the books starting to be a bit repetitive and I felt it had lost some of the adventurous feel of the earlier books that I loved so much. But, much like her main character Rachel Morgan, Kim Harrison has really started to come full circle with these novels.

I felt as though this book was really about Rachel "growing up", so to speak, and accepting who she is. She is finally realizing she can't change what has happened to her, and in starting to accept her reality, I felt the character finally start to move forward, even while struggling with the perceived idea of her friends moving on without her. And, of course, being Rachel, she still does some really stupid stuff, which can be frustrating and make you want to smack her upside the head. But, in the end I was really happy with her continued character development and I have high hopes for Rachel.

(THIS PARAGRAPH CONTAINS A MINOR SPOILER!) I thoroughly enjoyed the further possibility of a love interest in Trent that has been spanning a few books now. I like that Harrison is giving it to us in small doses because it is nice to have that tension and it is something to look forward to. And come on! Who doesn't love a sexy, powerful, dangerous elf? But, beyond that, this is another element that is really coming full circle. Rachel is finally starting to trust Trent (although who can really blame her for not trusting him in the first place for all he has put her through) and not only are they starting to look like they may actually be able to carry on a romance, but they are also looking as if they could work as a work-related team.

I highly recommend this to any fan of The Hollows series. I would definitely recommend the Hollows series as a whole to anyone who hasn't read any of Harrison's books, but I would not start with this book if you are new to the series. There is just too much info and back story in the other books that you need to know for everything to make sense that definitely does not make this a stand alone novel. All in all this is a great book. It has good action. It has our sassy heroine once again getting herself into all kinds of trouble. It has some truly nasty villains. And, of course, it has the familiar cast of characters Rachel calls her friends and teammates, who I for one, know and love.

What I did find interesting though is Harrison has recently started that there are only going to probably be one or two more books in the series, however she introduces some elements in the story, which I will refrain from talking too much about since I don't want to give anything away, that seem like they are going to be an integral part in the future and I just am not sure how she is going to be able to wrap it all up in only a couple more books! I guess we will just have to wait and see.