lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
4.0
This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
The Turn was very enlightening on many points, even as it brought me to question many others.
There is something so very special about The Hollows, and reading more about what actually happened prior to the action in the main series was quite thrilling! The reason why humans were so afraid of tomatoes, and what happened to make the paranormals come out, so to speak. The Turn was more than 'just' a way to explain the world and those living in it, though. True to form, Harrison painted some very vivid characters who evolved in a storyline that was well done and quite complicated. And there were some sightings of characters who were part of the series as well.
Trisk was a strong-minded and smart character, one who knew she had to fight twice as hard as the men in order to be taken seriously. Added to this, she was a dark elf, and she was not afraid to use her magic in order to further her agenda, and keep both humans and paranormals safe. The Turn was nicely paced, not too fast, even if the plot managed to move forward fairly quickly anyway. There were no downtimes, and there was a little bit of everything to make a great story. There was a hint of romance, a lot of action, a fight, a mystery, loyalty and - my favorite - there was a pixie!
If you have enjoyed The Hollows, The Turn is a must-read! Even without Rachel and Ivy, there are characters who will make you want to know more, and as you get to know them better, you might even hope there will be more books set in the prequel-era of the series. I enjoyed a trip back to The Hollows before it was The Hollows I came to love and know, and I loved how everything was tied together with the main stories of the future, and how it set up some characters to go on the path we found them on there.
Written in third person point of view, past tense, with dialogues and some inner thoughts from Trisk's perspective, The Turn left me both satisfied and wanting more at the same time.
Trisk and her father had entertained only three employers at her table, all of them more interested in her minor in security than her major in genetic research.
A witch, a vampire, a were, and an elf go out for lunch, he thought sourly, hoping he wasn't the punch line. That he was by far the youngest man at the table didn't bother him half as much as the fat that all four major Inderland species were represented.
The Turn was very enlightening on many points, even as it brought me to question many others.
There is something so very special about The Hollows, and reading more about what actually happened prior to the action in the main series was quite thrilling! The reason why humans were so afraid of tomatoes, and what happened to make the paranormals come out, so to speak. The Turn was more than 'just' a way to explain the world and those living in it, though. True to form, Harrison painted some very vivid characters who evolved in a storyline that was well done and quite complicated. And there were some sightings of characters who were part of the series as well.
Trisk was a strong-minded and smart character, one who knew she had to fight twice as hard as the men in order to be taken seriously. Added to this, she was a dark elf, and she was not afraid to use her magic in order to further her agenda, and keep both humans and paranormals safe. The Turn was nicely paced, not too fast, even if the plot managed to move forward fairly quickly anyway. There were no downtimes, and there was a little bit of everything to make a great story. There was a hint of romance, a lot of action, a fight, a mystery, loyalty and - my favorite - there was a pixie!
If you have enjoyed The Hollows, The Turn is a must-read! Even without Rachel and Ivy, there are characters who will make you want to know more, and as you get to know them better, you might even hope there will be more books set in the prequel-era of the series. I enjoyed a trip back to The Hollows before it was The Hollows I came to love and know, and I loved how everything was tied together with the main stories of the future, and how it set up some characters to go on the path we found them on there.
Written in third person point of view, past tense, with dialogues and some inner thoughts from Trisk's perspective, The Turn left me both satisfied and wanting more at the same time.
Trisk and her father had entertained only three employers at her table, all of them more interested in her minor in security than her major in genetic research.
A witch, a vampire, a were, and an elf go out for lunch, he thought sourly, hoping he wasn't the punch line. That he was by far the youngest man at the table didn't bother him half as much as the fat that all four major Inderland species were represented.
gogglor's review against another edition
It’s a fine book, but it’s non-stop backstabbing, which isn’t my jam
sabregirl's review against another edition
3.0
I got this book as a Goodreads first reads. I had never read any of The Hollows books; nor had I actually heard of the series. I entered this giveaway because the premise seemed interesting. I was pleasantly surprised about this book. While the first half was boring a shit, seriously, I almost gave up on the book a few times. The main character Trisk was powerful but annoying. Wanting to user her knowledge as her tools to rise and prove men wrong in the time of the powerful man and the housewife woman. But then even when she knew that Kal was using her still slept with him. It's like REALLY? You're going to use the excuse of 'free love' of the 60s.
Hrm, well that's not going to turn out well. And it doesn't, which is still a crappy way to end the book. After all this fighting and battling she gets tied to him? What? Half the time the book forgot she was pregnant, I mean for Elves and high risk pregnancy doing all this running exploding and basically forgetting to eat or even that she was pregnant for it to get thrown back out there in the last five pages as a 'ah ha' moment.
But, yeah, it was interesting. I might try to read the series? Possibly,I mean this was an okay stand alone. It didn't really leap into the series, at least that I can tell from reviews of the series and the books.
Hrm, well that's not going to turn out well. And it doesn't, which is still a crappy way to end the book. After all this fighting and battling she gets tied to him? What? Half the time the book forgot she was pregnant, I mean for Elves and high risk pregnancy doing all this running exploding and basically forgetting to eat or even that she was pregnant for it to get thrown back out there in the last five pages as a 'ah ha' moment.
But, yeah, it was interesting. I might try to read the series? Possibly,I mean this was an okay stand alone. It didn't really leap into the series, at least that I can tell from reviews of the series and the books.
algaliarept's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
chaos_tempest's review against another edition
4.0
I received a galley from the publisher/author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
We've spent a lot of time *cough 13 books cough* delving into a world where magic and it's various beings are known to the world, a world that was decimated by what is known only as "The Turn". Before the magical community came out of the broom closet or coffin, amongst other things, they were hidden, some thrived while others wilted away, Trisk is from one of those. Having just graduated from college, practically top of her class in genetics, finding a job that could help save her people is all Trisk wants. Unfortunately Kal, another top geneticist, sabotages both of their chances relegating low-born Trisk to a lab in California, watching the humans, making sure they don't make any life altering advances, advances that could easily harm her people that is. When a tactical virus from that very lab combines with genetically altered tomatoes, a plague is unleashed upon humanity, killing millions and forcing all Inderlanders to make a decision, save humanity and come out or hide and watch the world burn.
Reading the original series, we think we know what really happened, but there were so many unanswered questions and "The Turn" does a spectacular job detailing life before and during The Turn. The best part was probably the characters, we have familiar faces like Quen and Al (even Ceri plays a part in the unedited Chapter 7, available on Kim Harrison's website), as well as introducing us to Trent Kalamack's dad, but really, in all actuality, I spent a large portion of the book thinking Kal was Trent from Rachel's time, totally my bad, but still!
The rivalry between Trisk and Kal is for the most part entertaining, if not a little long-winded, dragging down the story a bit. Trisk is a unique and powerful individual considering the time period. She is smart and outspoken, and generally respected by her colleagues, Kal being the exception. One thing I didn't like about Trisk was the fact that it seemed like every man she came in contact with fell in love with her, her coworkers, past classmates, etc., all except Kal. Now, Kal is a generally unlikable character, okay no he's a monster of a character. He's a jerk to just about everyone, because he is rich, and he walks on this high ground, like he knows better than everyone else. I felt like for a few pages somewhere not quite in the middle, the writing was trying to be sympathetic to Kal and his way of thought, but it just didn't work.
I really enjoyed reading this, I was fascinated by the story line, by the characters and their interactions, I was even fascinated by the political dynamics closer towards the end (Piscary, really?), but what I find to be the best thing about this book is that it has renewed my interest in the original series. I'm the first to admit, I caught up to the series at book 6 or 7, and at the time, it wasn't a series that I was willing to pick up, in hardcover no less, every year. Now that it has finished and I have this new view on characters and the history of the world, I am seriously wanting to continue on and get the rest of the answers I need.
Last thing, my only real problem with The Turn is that I can't just recommend it as a standalone. Heck I'm not even sure if I would recommend reading it before the Rachel Morgan/Hollows series. It's listed as a prequel, or #0.1, but reading it that way, I feel, would leave more people confused, rather than fascinated like I was. I am glad that Kim's website kind of states that it should be read last, hopefully that will help guide others.
We've spent a lot of time *cough 13 books cough* delving into a world where magic and it's various beings are known to the world, a world that was decimated by what is known only as "The Turn". Before the magical community came out of the broom closet or coffin, amongst other things, they were hidden, some thrived while others wilted away, Trisk is from one of those. Having just graduated from college, practically top of her class in genetics, finding a job that could help save her people is all Trisk wants. Unfortunately Kal, another top geneticist, sabotages both of their chances relegating low-born Trisk to a lab in California, watching the humans, making sure they don't make any life altering advances, advances that could easily harm her people that is. When a tactical virus from that very lab combines with genetically altered tomatoes, a plague is unleashed upon humanity, killing millions and forcing all Inderlanders to make a decision, save humanity and come out or hide and watch the world burn.
Reading the original series, we think we know what really happened, but there were so many unanswered questions and "The Turn" does a spectacular job detailing life before and during The Turn. The best part was probably the characters, we have familiar faces like Quen and Al (even Ceri plays a part in the unedited Chapter 7, available on Kim Harrison's website), as well as introducing us to Trent Kalamack's dad, but really, in all actuality, I spent a large portion of the book thinking Kal was Trent from Rachel's time, totally my bad, but still!
The rivalry between Trisk and Kal is for the most part entertaining, if not a little long-winded, dragging down the story a bit. Trisk is a unique and powerful individual considering the time period. She is smart and outspoken, and generally respected by her colleagues, Kal being the exception. One thing I didn't like about Trisk was the fact that it seemed like every man she came in contact with fell in love with her, her coworkers, past classmates, etc., all except Kal. Now, Kal is a generally unlikable character, okay no he's a monster of a character. He's a jerk to just about everyone, because he is rich, and he walks on this high ground, like he knows better than everyone else. I felt like for a few pages somewhere not quite in the middle, the writing was trying to be sympathetic to Kal and his way of thought, but it just didn't work.
I really enjoyed reading this, I was fascinated by the story line, by the characters and their interactions, I was even fascinated by the political dynamics closer towards the end (Piscary, really?), but what I find to be the best thing about this book is that it has renewed my interest in the original series. I'm the first to admit, I caught up to the series at book 6 or 7, and at the time, it wasn't a series that I was willing to pick up, in hardcover no less, every year. Now that it has finished and I have this new view on characters and the history of the world, I am seriously wanting to continue on and get the rest of the answers I need.
Last thing, my only real problem with The Turn is that I can't just recommend it as a standalone. Heck I'm not even sure if I would recommend reading it before the Rachel Morgan/Hollows series. It's listed as a prequel, or #0.1, but reading it that way, I feel, would leave more people confused, rather than fascinated like I was. I am glad that Kim's website kind of states that it should be read last, hopefully that will help guide others.
stronggirlreads's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this, I haven't read any of the series that this was prequel to but I think I will now.
xaryon's review against another edition
4.0
It was a great book, especially for a prequel. The biggest complaint is that I was constantly reminded throughout the book that it was a prequel. This is a common thing writers do. To me, it becomes a distraction. Beyond that, I really enjoyed it.
stelepami's review against another edition
Uffda. This was written pre-covid and it sure hits differently now than it must have then.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
booksushi's review against another edition
3.0
so great to have a back story on our favourite series....hope there will be another one...