Enter the Woods...If You Dare
For centuries, the woods have been a pivotal part of the wonder and danger of fairy tales, for once you enter anything can happen. Elves, druids, fairies - who knows what you will find once you dare step into the forest?
And now, New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison ventures into these mysterious, hidden lands of magic and mystery in her first short-story collection. Into the Woods brings together an enchanting mix of brand-new, never-before-published stories and tales from Harrison's beloved, bestselling Hollows series.
The tales her include an original Hollows novella, Million-Dollar Baby, about Trent Kalamack's secret elven quest in Pale Demon; two original short stories, "Pet Shop Boys" and "Temson Woods," that explore just what happens when humanity and the supernatural collide; and two novelettes, "Spider Silk" and "Grace," set in new worlds of imagination and adventure. Into the Woods also contains all of the previously published Hollows short stories - together in one volume for the very first time.
Step into the woods and discover the magic for yourself. Original.
Including:
The Hollows
The Bespelled
Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel
Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil
Dirty Magic
The Bridges of Eden Park
Ley Line Drifter
Million Dollar Baby
Beyond the Hollows
Pet Shop Boys
Temson Estates
Spider Silk
Grace
Hardcover, 513 pages
Published October 12th 2012 by Harper Voyager
Four Stars: An anthology of all The Hollows short stories packed into one informative and riveting read.
I am a big fan of The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison, but I know I am not up to date on all the novellas and short stories so I was thrilled to see them all bundled into one book. At last, I could piece together all the missing story lines and have a better understanding of my favorite characters. Best of all, this book has a double dose of Jenks and I loved both of his stories. Of course, it is always hard to review an anthology as there are always stories you like better than others, but I can say that I was entertained by all the tales. I love that I got more back story on Ivy and Trent and I finally learned how Rachel met Pierce. I think my favorite story was Million Dollar Baby that tells how Jenks and Trent managed to steal his baby. I admit in the beginning I was not a fan of Trent, but as the series progressed, I found myself liking him more and more, and now dare I say I hope that he and Rachel will get together? It was nice to get into his head and see how he felt about Rachel. Sure, he is still a bit pompous and he certainly has a thing or two to learn about pixies, as he didn't fully realize what an asset Jenks was at first, but by the end of his adventure he knows that Jenks is a valuable and indispensable partner. Besides, without Jenks what would a Hollows book be without all of the pixie curses? Needless to say, I love Jenks and Trent more than ever after reading this. It was nice to get more on Kisten as well, even though it made me miss him all the more. I also liked the stories featuring the deadly banshee. What can I say? They were all fun and unique and I was so happy to be immersed back into The Hollows with all of my old friends.
Ms. Harrison also includes several stories outside of The Hollows that were all completely divergent from her beloved series. I particularly liked the last story, Grace. These additional tales gave me some insight into what we might see from Ms. Harrison once she finishes The Hollows...(no)! These stories showed me what a talented and diverse writer Ms. Harrison is.
My only complaints for this book was that I found myself missing Rachel. She is only in two of the stories and for some reason, I just felt like the stories without her presence were lacking. I also wished that there was more of Al. He is always fascinating and I would love to know more about him.
If you have not delved into Ms. Harrison's series, you need to check it out. She presents a fascinating paranormal world with all kinds of supernatural entities from witches, vampires, pixies, elves, demons, banshees, gargoyles and more. I love this series and I cannot wait for the next release. This anthology was a nice way to tide me over until Ever After releases in January 2013.
Favorite Quotations:
"He was an artist, and destroying her as he made her into what he wanted, would be his finest masterpiece."
"They say when you're ten, you think your parents know everything. At sixteen, you're convinced they know nothing at all. By thirty, if you haven't figured out they really did know what they were doing, then you're still sixteen."
"You can live above your fate," she mocked. "You can be who you want to be."
"I'm all right," she said, squinting from the morning sun. "I like who I am today."
"She shouldn't be here this soon, but the memory of his love was like the scent of flowers, begging to be inhaled and irresistible."
"You look like a sorority sister in hell week with that discount sheet around you! What is that, a one-fifty thread count? My three-year-old can weave better than that."
A huge thanks to Harper Voyager for the ARC copy of this book. I received a copy in exchange for an honest review and all opinions are my own.
