DNF Review – American Demon (The Hollows, Book 14) by Kim Harrison (3/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 495 pages
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: June 16, 2020
ASIN : B07Y7P1S7M
Stand Alone or Series: 14th book in the Hollows series
Source: eBook from Library
Rating: 3/5 stars
What happens after you’ve saved the world? Well, if you’re Rachel Mariana Morgan, witch-born demon, you quickly discover that something might have gone just a little bit wrong. That the very same acts you and your friends took to forge new powers may have released something bound by the old. With a rash of zombies, some strange new murders, and an exceedingly mysterious new demon in town, it will take everything Rachel has to counter this new threat to the world–and it may demand the sacrifice of what she holds most dear.”
Series Info/Source: This is the fourteenth book in the Hollows series. I borrowed a copy of this book from the library. I actually got “Million Dollar Demon” for review and didn’t realize that I missed the publication of “American Demon” last year. Previous to “American Demon” the last book in this series (which was advertised as the final book in the series) was published in 2014.
Story (2/5): I set this aside at 40% through it. I liked the way the series ended after Book 13, “The Witch With No Name”, and this book just felt unnecessary and boring. Mainly Rachel is dealing with the fallout from her outing the demons and shifting things in the Ever After. There was a good summary of what had happened so far in the beginning to refresh readers’ minds since Book 13, The Witch with No Name, was published way back in 2014. Initially I was eager to revisit this world, I thought it would be fun to spend time in the Hollows world and revisit all my favorites….I was wrong. There is a mystery about people killing each other and a mysterious demon. However, this storyline plays back seat to all of Rachel’s internal drama and the external drama she creates through her rash actions.
About half way through the book I realized I didn’t care anymore and I wish I had left these characters and this world where it was at the end of “Witch With No Name”. So, I returned the book to the library and decided to just let it be. I am disappointed but I haven’t really thought much about this book since I stopped reading it, so I think it was the right thing to do.
Characters (3/5): While it was kind of nice to revisit these characters, I still found Rachel in particular to be really frustrating. Rachel is still super insecure about her relationship with Trent, when he’s been nothing but kind about everything. I am so over all her angst about this. Rachel continues to be very impulsive, doing her best to make everyone’s life more difficult, which is so frustrating. It made me realize that I expected some sort of growth from her as a character but there just isn’t ever going to be any.
Setting (3/5): This is set in the same familiar setting. Rachel and Jinks are somewhat displaced because of repair work being done to the church, so they spend a bit more time on Trent’s property.
Writing Style (3/5): The writing was okay I guess, it just felt like the story wandered a lot and was unfocused. The main mystery takes a backseat to Rachel’s insecurities and all the politics around her previous actions. The whole thing feels a bit like a soap opera. I normally whip through these books but really struggled with this one. Just not an engaging mystery and not enough character growth.
My Summary (3/5): Overall I wish I had stopped reading this series with Book 13, “The Witch With No Name”. That was a great place to leave things. This story felt like it didn’t know where it was going and the characters felt just as lost. I completely lost interest in the whole thing about 40% in and just decided to drop it and notified the publisher that I won’t be reviewing “Million Dollar Demon” for them.
