A review by chaos_tempest
The Turn: The Hollows Begins with Death by Kim Harrison
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.