A Perfect Blood

by Kim Harrison

Published by: Harper Voyager

My Rating (3.5 of 5 Stars) 

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

My Review:

A Perfect Blood is book 10 in the Hollows/Rachel Morgan series, so if you are not familiar with the series, be aware that there will be spoilers from earlier books.

Book 9, Pale Demon was my favorite book in this series so far.  I was left very curious about what Rachel would choose to do and how her life would change.  I was a bit disappointed, but I can’t say that I was very surprised.  After the events in book 9, Rachel was charmed to hide her demon magic, and inhibited from even using ley line magic.  She could still use SOME earth magic, but Rachel was at her weakest magically in this book, and that is where most of my disappointment lies.  Rachel has been publicly declared a demon, but she holds none of the powers.  When a human inderlander hate group begins experimenting with demon magic, Rachel is put on the case, which ends up being a combined effort of both the human police (FIB) and the supernatural police (IS).

There were so many characters involved in this book, aside from Rachel and her usual posse (Ivy and Jenks), Rachel’s new bodyguard Wayde is actively in the story, a new, creepy old dead vampire has his eyes on Rachel and Ivy, new villains are out to kill all supernatural species, and a whole new questionable crime fighting team makes an appearance.  With so much going on, there is never a dull moment in A Perfect Bllood.  I have to hand it to Ms Kim Harrison, she writes compelling books that make me want to keep reading and never put the book down.

A Perfect Blood is a complete change of pace from Pale Demon with the focus switching from angry witches and demons going after Rachel, to angry humans wanting to eradicate all supernatural species.  While the case with the human hate group itself is interesting enough, it is a change from Rachel battling demons and traveling back and forth from the ever after to reality.  I find that I missed some of the magic and paranormal elements that are usually present in the Hollows books.

Rachel gets her booty kicked throughout all the books, but I felt that in A Perfect Blood she didn’t give back more than what she got.  On the other hand, Trent really stepped it up.  Trent’s character is evolving, along with his relationship with Rachel, and I really like the changes.  He is learning more about magic, becoming less straight-laced, and (due in part to his daughter) starting to actually act like he cares for others.  Another character of note for me in A Perfect Blood was Wayde, the bodyguard.  Kim Harrison starts giving hints about the tight-knit relationship between Ivy, Jenks, and Rachel beginning to loosen, which makes me wonder how Wayde fits into the group and with Rachel.  I am curious to see if he will be a long-lasting figure in the series, or if he will be moving on.

A Perfect Blood, while not my favorite in the series, is another excellent installment in the Hollows series.  I am very pleased with how the story ended up, and once again I am looking forward to seeing what Rachel will do next, what will come for Ivy and Jenks, and what will happen with Trent.  Rachel learned some valuable lessons in A Perfect Blood and circumstances are changing for all the characters in the Hollows series.  I already can’t wait for book 11.  Urban fantasy readers, you will love this book and this series, I very highly recommend the entire series.

A Perfect Blood is a new release!  You can find it at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |  The Book Depository