Kim Harrison: Black Magic Sanction

And another installment of Rachel Morgan is behind me. :) I really like the world this story is set in (genetic modifications in tomatoes killing a lot of population so that the witches, vampires and the rest of non-human species get public in order to help with the problem).

Anyway that's the beginning of series and in no way has anything important to do with this book only to give people who haven't read any of the Rachel Morgan books an overview of the world.

I noticed this before but I'm putting to words now, even though I enjoy the books and the characters and I never know where the story is going to end up (which is probably the consequence of what I'm going to say next) - I cannot for the life of me get in the head of any of the characters, but that is especially the case with Rachel Morgan. I just cannot understand her reasoning and that is probably one of the reasons I never can guess what is going to happen, i.e. what is she going to do next.

Btw, I couldn't help but notice the opposites in this book with Anita Blake. Rachel has a chande to deal with some trouble by killing those who are doing it but decides against it at the last moment and deals with the consequences - which are manyfold and make her life even more complicated. And Anita has to kill in order to keep all her loved ones alive - of course, I don't mean to judge any of the characters who have to kill. Rachel is not a vampire executioner so she never meant to do that in her life and is basically a good witch (or not a witch, it's debatable what exactly Rachel is) - but even using demon (=black) magic does not make her a bad person because any kind of magic can be used for both good and bad. What I still don't get is how come that reason never came up in Rachel's problems, especially in this book where white magic is used for some bad stuff.

So, basically, you get another set of Rachel's problems, very interesting ideas, previous bad guys turning not good, but positive, and some previous ok guys turning seriously bad (some of that was expected but some definitely wasn't).

If you enjoyed previous books, you will like this one as well. I wonder what else can be in store for Rachel in the future since this book finally ended on a positive note.

Pic by: www.kimharrison.com

Weekend reading

Yesterday I was celebrating the start of spring with some perfumes. Today I'll talk about the books I've read over the weekend. I finished the White witch, Black curse by Kim Harrison and read also the Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward.
The way Kim's White witch ended, I'd say we are going to be seeing more of Rachel in the future. :) Good to know. It was good as usual, but it got me thinking. I cannot get into characters' heads and I can't predict what they are going to say or how they are going to act or why they do what they do. By that I don't mean to imply that Harrison is doing it badly, but quite contrary. Those are witches, vampires and pixies and the bottom line is that they are different from humans. So, I actually think she did a good job making it hard for me as a human to get their motivations completely. Well, that is my explanation anyway. :)
REgarding, JR Ward, her Black Dagger brotherhood has already reached its 7. installment (to come out later this month) and it is in my opinion in the same category as Keri Arthur, L. Hamilton and Kresley Cole but in a way darker. More violence, more deaths and more tragedy. Although I read only to relax (that is my anti-stress therapy) I like her books because they feel more real in a way (OK, I know we're talking about vampires, but still). The thing is, real life is unfortunately full of tragedy and she somehow makes it more real than the rest. For her books, I have to be in a right state of mind while for the others, I simply take them and read them. Both scenarios are fine with me. :)
And to end this with a sketch from my morning life which proves I do not function in the morning. One of my favorite shops Martimex, has a special Easter promotion, you buy 2 perfumes and you get them 50% off (of course, this is only valid for a part of their offer, but that didn't stop me from finding something). :) anyway, they gave me samples, and instead of using one of those I bought, I decided to spritz on the sample of Guerlain Insolence, thinking I might not have been right when I remembered it as definitely not for me amd reading the notes on the card. Which just proves that I cannot think early in the morning. I was right that first time and I'm never repeating this experience with any new sample I get even if it seems fine after reading thenotes. One good thing though, I was instantly awake. :) Beats me, but I have no idea where those read berries are in this because all I get is some powdery awful thing that I detest (guess it could be iris)...

Photo: spring across the street (mine)

Cops, witches and mutant tomatoes

Ok, I haven't got a clue how this might sound to people, but to me it sounds like a couple of days of total fun. :)
As I have already mentioned my love for romance, the only thing that makes me want to stay awake is reading. And I just got my new fix. I absolutely love my local bookstore Algoritam which keeps me stocked with all the books I like (I order regularly).
Now, to get to the title of the post. I got two books the other day, J.D. Robb's (in real life that's Nora Roberts) latest installment of Lt. Eve Dallas and her beautiful Roarke, and Kim Harrison's White witch, black curse - hence the witch and tomato connotation. For all those who haven't read about Rachel and the world where vampires, elves, witches, weres and the rest co-exist publicly with people due to an outbreak of a deadly disease that came about from mutating tomatoes, I have to say that the idea was so original for me, I had to see what it was all about, and I'm hooked. Now, most people no longer eat tomatoes, but the Interlanders do. :) Anyway, I just started the White witch and can't wait to see what awaits me. I have to admit I'm usually quite surprised with the way plot finishes.
The cop from the title is of course Eve Dallas, and I don't think I can give a short overview of everything that comes to mind when I say that. If you like romance, crime, a bit of SF, well, try it and see where it leads you. Where it led me is to a full shelf (there are more than 20 books in that series and I don't think it is going to end anytime soon). Lucky me. :)
So, those are the books that keep me going these days while I'm waiting for the spring to reveal its sunny side.
That's it for this rainy Monday.

Image: reneesbookaddiction.wordpress.com