Book #135 - Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows #1)

Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows #1), Kim Harrison
urban fantasy
416 pages
Started 12/1/12
Finished 12/13/12
3.5 STARS

I seemed to be on a good urban fantasy roll, so I decided to see if my luck would hold with a new-to-me series and author. After the first book, I'm not sure which side of the fence I fall on with this one.

After a plague spread by tomatoes wipes out half the human population 50 years ago, otherworldly creatures have taken their place in modern society. Rachel Morgan is a witch who is a lowly runner for the supernatural version of the FBI. She hates her job and her boss, so she decides to quit, but that puts a price on her head. To call off the assassination attempts, Rachel decides to try and take down a criminal that her former boss has been gunning for. Could be the last thing she ever does.

Honestly? Dead Witch Walking left me with a big MEH feeling. It wasn't bad. It wasn't great. I didn't feel a great affinity for any of the characters. When Rachel was forced to fight or use her magic mojo, she was pretty cool. Anytime she interacted with Ivy, I wanted to strangle her, she was so annoying. Rachel had a major superiority complex and treated her horribly - it was in those moments that I seriously contemplated not finishing the book.

But, I did stick with it, and ultimately, I'm glad I did. The ending was pretty good, and I like how things fell into place for Rachel toward the end. I wish there would've been some sort of romantic entanglement, but I can understand why there wasn't. It seems to be a theme with UF - the first book very much lays the groundwork for the rest of the series, which doesn't leave much time for mushy stuff. That all comes later. So, if I do continue with this series, I hope that I see more warm fuzzies.

Overall, I'm not sorry I read it. It could've been better, but it passed the time and gave me a good introduction to Kim Harrison's work.