This book was referred to me by the manager of a Borders back in 2005. This was before Goodreads, a plethora of book review sites and numerous book bloggers. I was desperately looking for something new to read. I read this book and found it captivating. I did end up reading every book until after reading book 7. For those who wonder why I haven't written reviews for this author lately, it is because I stopped reading her. Now I will explain why.
As I am catching up with my missing reviews in Goodreads (over 500), I noticed I never wrote a review for Ms. Harrison's earlier books. This series started out strong with Rachel Morgan in a bind. This world building was still fresh with not as many vampire stories competing in mid-2000. Ms. Harrison was a bright and shiny new author who mixed vampires with witches and fae! To make it even more interesting, we learn the world of supernaturals came out because of... tomatoes. Yes, tomatoes. This bizarre twist and how humans learned about "other" is a fascinating new look in Urban Fantasy back in 2005 and I enjoyed it.
My issue with this series quickly became apparent. I didn't like Rachel. I did find Rachel to be a little bit whiny with a leaning towards doing things that only caused herself trouble. She made life more difficult for herself and she constantly cut off her nose to spite her face. I can't stand this kind of character. Her self righteousness and belief that her rules trump others became a bit too much for me. Her increasing powers and specifically her resistance to play well with others, even those who tried to help her aggravated me. In many series, a character is flawed and there is a growth progression that matures the character. I love this kind of writing style. With Rachel, she seemed to be perpetually stuck fighting "The Man" and causing collateral damage along the way. Some may thing she is an underdog fighting the good fight. For me, she is a pebble in a shoe, always aggravating and in the way. So whilst the first book started out well and the second book hooked me in, the series went downhill for me and I stopped reading this author all together. The YA-ish aspects are unappealing for me. This series may be good for readers who enjoy the self-inflicted drama and the YA leanings.
