Alyce Caswell - Author
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Book Reviews

20/80 Vision

7/6/2023

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Every Which Way But Dead (The Hollows #3)
​by Kim Harrison

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Rachel is being stalked by a demon who has made her his familiar, her boyfriend (also her familiar) has skipped town, she's pissed off one of her partners, and now she has to protect Trent (aka Not A Good Guy). She's also struggling to balance her feelings for a vampire with the dodgy stuff he's done in his life. She might come out of this mess in one piece, but will her soul remain untouched?

I really wasn't impressed with this book until the last 20%, which was brutal and epic and everything a climax should be. But I'm not sure it makes up for the crappy 80% that preceded it. The plot, if there was one, rambled aimlessly in unnecessary directions and the only person (the previous love interest) in Rachel's life who understands consent and boundaries just up and left. Still, that last 20%...

And no, this book isn't getting my "LGBTQIA+ representation" tag because it's so badly done.
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Time Wounds Some Books

30/4/2022

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The Good, the Bad and the Undead (The Hollows #2)
by Kim Harrison

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Rachel Morgan is struggling to make bank, to avoid a demon who's marked her, to not get eaten by her vampire roommate - and oh yeah, now she has to catch a serial killer who's going after witches who know a thing or two about ley lines. So it'd be dangerous if she, a witch, also started acting like she knew something about ley lines...

This was a MUCH stronger novel than the first one and I'm glad I gave it a chance. I was really drawn in by Rachel's struggles and she irritated me less - clearly Harrison managed to get a better grasp on her the second time around. I would have rated this more had I read it when it was published...but the rampant sexism - and oof that homophobic joke - had me cringing so hard in 2022.
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Living Book Limping

19/4/2022

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Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows #1)
by Kim Harrison

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Rachel Morgan has just quit Inderland Security to strike out on her own and her former boss has it in for her - as in, he's put a price on her head because she took one of his best employees with her. This makes investigating a guy who is running - possibly evenly creating - biodrugs somewhat difficult. There's also the matter of her vampiric roommate...

Hmm. This is definitely a product of its time. I've reread my fave UF serieses too many times so I thought I'd give it a go...can't say I'm impressed. Dead Witch Walking is a typical 2000s urban fantasy novel and a surprisingly weak first entry for a series of this longevity. Rachel isn't a particularly strong or likeable character, though I'd be interested to see how she develops - hopefully she loses her "gay panic" over Ivy? It's somewhat common for characters from the 2000s to insist "I'M STRAIGHT" in certain situations, but honestly it reads like Rachel/Ivy is meant to be endgame lol. And I know that's not the case.
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    About

    ​Alyce Caswell, when she isn't drinking her way through a giant pot of tea, can be found dabbling in multiple genres and writing forms. She has self-published several titles in her space opera family saga, which is divided into two series: The Galactic Pantheon and The Pantheon War. Her most recent book is The Shadow of the Gods.

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  • Home
  • Books
    • The Galactic Pantheon >
      • The Tortured Wind
      • The Twisted Vine
      • The Flickering Flame
      • The Shifting Ice
      • The Whispering Grass
      • The Creeping Moss
      • The Galactic Pantheon Novellas
      • The Adventures of Grace Pendergast, Galactic Reporter
    • The Shadow of the Gods
    • Dealing with the Demon
    • Love and Lockdown
    • The Eyes of Charon
    • Sweet Delights
  • Other Works
  • Book Reviews
  • Get in Touch