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    The Undead Pool
    The Undead Pool
    The Undead Pool
    Audiobook16 hours

    The Undead Pool

    Written by Kim Harrison

    Narrated by Marguerite Gavin

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Supernatural superhero Rachel Morgan must counter a strange magic that could spell civil war for the Hollows in this sexy and bewitching urban fantasy adventure in acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison's Hollows series.

    Witch and day-walking demon Rachel Morgan has managed to save the demonic ever after from shrinking, but at a high cost. Now, strange magic is attacking Cincinnati and the Hollows, causing spells to backfire or go horribly wrong, and the truce between the races, between Inderlander and human, is shattering. Rachel must stop this dark necromancy before the undead vampire masters who keep the rest of the undead under control are lost and all-out supernatural war breaks out.

    Rachel knows of only weapon to ensure the peace: ancient elven wild magic, which carries its own perils. And no one know better than Rachel that no good deed goes unpunished . . . 

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateFeb 25, 2014
    ISBN9780062308870
    Author

    Kim Harrison

    Kim Harrison is best known as the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Hollows series, but she has written more than urban fantasy and has published more than two dozen books, spanning the gamut from young adult, accelerated-science thriller, and several anthologies and has scripted two original graphic novels set in the Hollows universe. She has also published traditional fantasy under the name Dawn Cook. Kim is currently working on a new Hollows book between other, nonrelated, urban fantasy projects.

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    Reviews for The Undead Pool

    4.5/5

    107 ratings29 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Synopsis: 'For the past three months, Rachel has been providing security for Trent Kalamack while Quen is across the country, regulating Ellasbeth’s visit with the girls. When Rachel’s spells begin to misfire, Rachel thinks it’s a reaction to her deepening feelings for Trent. Soon, spells begin to misfire all over the city, creating chaos and weakening the already tremulous truce that exists between the humans and the supernaturals. As Rachel and her friends dig deeper, they discover a plan that will destroy the master vampires and throw the city into an all out super natural war. One thing will stop the catastrophe coming their way; invoking the wild elven magic. Only, that may do more harm than good where Rachel is concerned.'Review: This book works hard at pulling all of the strings together and setting up the final book. These are still as good as the first one.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      What a fun ride! Rachel takes on the wild magic of the Elven Goddess, much to the chagrin of her demon "mentor", Al. Once again saving the world, and now finding love, Rachel Morgan continues to be one of my all-time favorite protagonists.
    • 5/5
      This was a really good book in the series my favorite I think
    • 4/5
      Entertaining read as always :)
    • 5/5
      This installment for Rachel Morgan's life is well thought out and put together. Rachel is faced with her heart and a pissed off goddess, plus she's certain she saw Kisten somewhere in the middle of it all which makes her life a triple deck.

      As she faces off against enemies and realizes the consequences of her actions, Rachel still has to find a way to make it all work. When everyone elses plans fall apart, that's when Rachel and her friends work best...no pixy pus about it.

      I really enjoyed this read by Kim Harrison, in my opinion it's one of the better books of the series. Rachel is her lovable misfiring self as always, which keeps me entertained and Jenks cracks me up with his colorful dialogue.

      There is a lot more of Trent in this book then there has been in the previous ones and at first I wasn't sure about it, but as the book moved forward he grew on me and I find him a good fit in the mess of change and chaos running through cincy and the hollows.

      I was disappointed a little that Al didn't play a bigger part, but I have a feeling after this book big changes are on their way for Al and everyone involved.

      I look forward to the next book. If you have enjoyed any of Kim's books in the past, you will more than likely fall in love with her again with this book.
    • 4/5
      This is a big story in this series because Trent and Rachel finally become a couple. They have been enemies, allies, employer-employee and many other things through the course of this series. They have been flirting with each other and wanting each other and denying each other for what each deems good reasons for two years. Elves and demons are not supposed to have a relationship of equals. After all, elves and demons fought a war which isn't ancient history to the long-lived demons.Both Trent and Rachel are dealing with other big issues too. Strange magic is attacking Cincinnati and spells are going wrong. It is like they are all supercharged. Besides that the Free Vampires have found some way to put all the Master Vampires to sleep which is leaving the Master's vampires rudderless and confused. Then there is the ancient elven goddess who is wandering around. The Free Vampires are trying to catch pieces of her because the pieces are essential to keep the Master Vampires asleep. Rachel becomes a magnet for these pieces of the Elven Goddess and they come very near to making her insane. She has to find a way to free these pieces from the Free Vampires and reunite them with their goddess. Trent is also facing issues with other elves. Ellasbeth is making a play to keep his daughters from him and he is losing his role as speaker in the elven enclave. That means his political influence in Cincinnati is decreasing. This was an excellent story which makes me want to read THE WITCH WITH NO NAME immediately. Luckily, it is on my Kindle waiting for me.
    • 5/5
      I loved it. I love Rachel Morgan. I love Trent. I love Al, Jenks and Ivy. Twelve books in, it's just as fresh and fun as book one. This is a series that should just go on forever, because it never gets old!
    • 5/5
      Not a traditional teen book, but I can definitely see myself recommending the series to an older teen who wants to branch out into urban fantasy after exhausting the teen collection.
    • 3/5
      More like a 3.5. Was disappointed in some of the character progressions, they didn't seem to mesh well with what happened at the end of the last book to me. Perhaps it will make more sense after the last book.
    • 4/5
      I've been sitting on this review copy for a while because the publisher wants reviews to go up closer to the street date.

      The book starts a few months after the last one and Rachel has been working as a bodyguard for Trent the last three month per the request of Quen at the end of the previous book. The three month gig is almost up and of course magic starts to go screwy in the Hollows. Very quickly it seems that the wave of magical misfires seem to be following Rachel. The good news is that she isn't causing it. What is gives you some insight to the elves. There is a plot with the living vampires and the elves that Rachel has to fix since she seems to be the only one that can make it happen. Good story and I think the part I liked the best was everyone coming together to help Rachel. I'm a bit sad knowing that this is coming to end with just one more book but keeping fingers crossed for more stories out of the Hollows even if it isn't about Rachel and gang.


      Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss.
    • 5/5
      Waves of enhanced magic are escaping Racheals line and crossing the Cincinnati area wreaking habit, the dead vampires won't wake up, and Trent and Racheals relationship is being destroyed because of Elf and Demon politics. A fun, great story with constantly evolving characters.
    • 3/5
      While I enjoyed Kim Harrison's latest novel in the Rachel Morgan series, I found it unsatisfying.
      It's a problem that I've had with her last three-four novels, which have increasingly focused on the science of the world and less on the characters inhabiting it. It's almost as if the writer has become more interested in providing a scientific explanation for the supernatural occurrences. The last novel went in depth on the science of ley-lines, this one explores the truth behind wild magic and the Goddess, the elven deity, who is a communal mind, reminding me a great deal of the Borg in Star Trek.

      Which is fine. The author excels at world-building. Her world is detailed and multi-faceted. And the thematic arc regarding inter-species relations, racism, and prejudice is rather up-lifting.

      Unfortunately, it overshadows the characters, who are increasingly taking second to third place to the science or the theme. The plot at times feels like it is at their expense or that it is driving the characters, not the other way around. Various characters who were originally quite complex have become a bit flat and uninteresting in the last three books. Trent, perhaps one of the most complex characters in the story, seems to have become domesticated and a shade too nice. It's almost jarring. Ivy, equally, has lost some of her edge and complexity and has over time fallen deeper and deeper into the background. While the other elves are teased out. We get a little bit more on Jonathan, but it feels like a tease. And Quen resides in the background. Ellasbeth got a bit more development, but not a lot. And Landon and Bancroft felt...a tad cliche and one-dimensional. Making it difficult to care.

      The demons on the other hand continue to get quite a bit of development, we learn more and more about them. But not so much the elves. Perhaps the next book will dig deeper? I was admittedly hoping for a bit more on Rachel and Trent's past in summer camp as well as their parent's pasts. We get a hint of what happened to Trent's family and Jonathan's relationship to Trent and his family, but not quite enough.

      I felt far too much time was spent on trivialities - such as golf, bowling, or ley-line magic, and not nearly enough on character. It's a failing of the more recent novels. The earlier ones - all the way up to Black Magic Sanction and Pale Demon had this development.

      Another quibble is the editing has slacked off. I don't know if this is just a side-effect of e-publishing. But considering the price of the e-book, the number of continuity errors and grammatical/typos was at times grating. I don't blame the author for this - but her editors and publishers. I tend to give authors and in particular self-published authors, a lot of lee-way in this area, because I know proofing one's own work is difficult. We don't always see our own mistakes.
      But if you have someone else publishing your work and are working with an editor who is paid to edit it, not to mention an agent, then that's something else entirely. It's a failing I've been noticing lately in a lot of professionally published novels, particularly genre novels. Someone is not doing their job. What happened to good editing? Kim's earlier novels do not have these mistakes. Did her editor decide not to bother? Did the publishing company stop copy-editing the work? If I were the author, I'd be pissed and find another publisher. I know some authors have self-published because of this. It's actually quite easy to self-publish now, and I'm starting to think it may be the way of the future.

      That said? I did enjoy the story. And I am liking Trent and Rachel together from a thematic and character perspective, having always been a huge fan of dramatic irony. Their relationship is heavily ironic if you've read all the books. And at this point, you sort of have to, there's no way you could follow this novel without having read the others.

      Also, the author's clever referencing of Clint Eastwood films in her book titles continues to charm. This one is a twist on Eastwood's The Dead Pool. I feel as if I'm playing a game with the author to see if I can figure out the Clint Eastwood film that her book title is based on. It also makes her titles memorable. Here's a quick rundown of a few of the more memorable titles, in no particular order.

      1. Dead Witch Walking - Dead Man Walking
      2. The Good, the Bad, and the Undead - the Good the Bad and the Ugly
      3. Fistful of Charms - Fistful of Dollars
      4. The Outlaw Demon Wails - the Outlaw Josey Wails
      5. A Few Demons More - A Few Dollars More
      6. Ever After - Here After
      7. A Pale Demon - A Pale Rider
      8. A Perfect Blood - A Perfect World

      The use of the titles underlines the noir genre - or dark urban fantasy. Rachel and her friends are much like Eastwood's heroes, Dirty Harry and the Man with No Name - not squeaky clean. But dark heroes walking in a dark landscape, capable of horrible things. Rachel is always on the verge of being overtaken by her power. And each of her friends, and lovers, has committed horrific acts and not always for good or justifiable reasons.

      Harrison is also doing a half-way decent job of wrapping up loose plot ends here and there. But many characters of whom we've grown attached seem to disappear or be summarily written out with barely an explanation. They are referenced in this book, and Rachel does miss them. But. I think the only two characters that were written out well were Kisten and Matalina. Possibly Skimmer and Piscary. Everyone else, not so much. And as a result some of the emotional resonance or heart of the story seems to be lacking. That may have been my problem with it - for a story that is about trusting the heart over the head, it spends far too much too analyzing and on head specifics.

      And...I hate to say this but sex scenes and romance aren't Harrison's strong suite. Friendship, frenemy, and conflict yes - romantic relationships not so much. It always comes across as a wee bit on the awkward side. Again, too much science/head, not enough magic/heart. Harrison needs to set aside the scientist, and let the storyteller play. I think the story would be better if she did.


    • 5/5
      Rachel Morgan is working security for Trent Kallamack, the rich, recently-outed-as-an-elf businessman who also sets Rachel's heart a-flutter. They are on the golf course, and one of the other golfers aims a ball directly at Trent. Rachel nudges it aside in midair with magic, and it blows up as if packed with explosives. Hers is not the only magic that is misfiring that day. The problems seem to be coming in waves, emanating from the ley line she created in a previous book in the series. And then there seems to be a problem with the vampires - all of the undead are asleep, and not waking up, leaving their living vampires to wreck havoc. Trent 's kids are returning tomorrow from their three months with his fiancé, so Rachel is reluctantly realizing she won't be seeing him much in the near future. Her feelings for Trent, her living vampire roommate Ivy's feelings for Nina (also introduced in a previous book), Trent's decision to "pay up" to the elvan Goddess to whom he owed two goats, and the magical misfires all set the stage for a rollicking good ride through the Ever After. Action, paranormal good guys and bad guys, and a touch of romance keep the plot thickening. Rachel gets in over her head, as usual, and therein lies a rousing good tale. Recommended for all fans of the Hollows series - but you gotta start at the beginning of the series. This book is a complete adventure in and of itself, but it also shows consequences of actions in previous books being played out.
    • 5/5
      It's hard to believe that I'm approaching the end of this series. Ms. Harrison really brings the characters to life for the reader and it's going to be tough to say goodbye to The Hollows. I love how much all of the characters (especially Rachel) have grown since that first book. The character development over the series has been incredible

      This installment was so great! Chaos descends on Cincinnati when someone begins manipulating the ley lines to create magical waves, causing dangerous spell misfires and a slew of other problems. As usual, Rachel finds herself in the center of the trouble, but this time she has Trent's help. I LOVE the chemistry between Rachel and Trent! I have to get this off my chest: FINALLY! WOOT WOOT!

      I also really enjoyed seeing the different factions band together to fight for their city. It brought a feeling of resolution and cohesiveness to the story. I've read other reviews that called this installment EPIC. I couldn't agree more!
    • 5/5
      This is the twelfth book in The Hollows series by Harrison. There are thirteen books planned for this series with the last book in the series expected to release in 2015 (as yet it is untitled). This was an absolutely excellent book in this series. This series lagged a bit for books 7-9, but it is back in full swing again and the most recent books have been spectacular, I am so happy I kept reading it.Rachel is working security for Trent and when she tries to stop a stray golf ball from hitting him her curse goes horribly wrong and explodes. Quickly she realizes that all over the city magic is going horribly wrong. There seem to be waves of something disrupting magic charms and curses alike. Then it is found out that the same magic waves have caused the Master Vampires to go to sleep. Now not only is magic causing chaos but rogue vampires are too. The tension between the human and Inderlander populations is climbing and threatening to tear the city apart.This was a fantastic book in The Hollows series. This was a wonderful story in this world involving lots of interesting things. Demons, elves, vampires, and all of their history play a big part in the story. Of course Rachel is the only one with the unique ability to straddle all of these worlds. Rachel and Trent are in the story a ton and I loved watching the way they have both changed over the course of the series. Rachel has finally started to trust those around her and accept their help. Trent has started to question his place in Elven society and how that runs his life. The tension between the two is delicious, this is a pivotal book for this couple. Although I will admit watching Rachel and Trent interact was my favorite part of the story, romance wasn’t the only driver for the story. There are a lot of other things going on here too. Politics between demons and elves have always been tense and that comes to a head in this book as we learn more behind the history and reason for their hatred.All of our favorites are in here too: Ivy, Jenks, David, Bis. It was a wonderful addition to the series. Things end in a great spot and it makes me curious as to what the upcoming (and final) book in the series will be about.Overall a fantastic addition to The Hollows series. I highly recommend this whole series if you are looking for an excellent urban fantasy series that is action packed, has great world building, and has a fantastic cast of characters. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see what the final book in the series holds for us!
    • 4/5
      Absolutely amazing. The characters have grown and matured. The last three months may have been hard for Rachel but her character has learned responsibility and to think before acting. Loyalty earned is so much more valuable than loyalty paid for. And that good things....really good things come to those who wait and stand their ground.

      So worth the wait, it was really hard not to completely devour it in one sitting. Readers will not be disappointed. chapter 22 ...enough said I'll post more as I go back for a second read.
    • 5/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: So many feelings…elation! Joy! A wee bit of melancholy. This installment was action-packed with an enemy that was a tiny bit confusing. Overall, it was an excellent read!Opening Sentence: How does the man make checkered shirts and pastels look good?The Review:The Undead Pool was everything and more than I could have wished for. This story was action packed, crazy and rewarding. Although I was a little confused about the “mystics” in the beginning, more on that later in the review. There was only one thing I was disappointed about, I can’t speak of it because it happens towards the end, even though I was disappointed it was actually something very redeeming so I really shouldn’t have a problem with it even though I kinda do. I’m weird, I know.After reading the synopsis for The Undead Pool I really thought this novel was going to be Ivy’s redemption novel since it involves vampires so everything that happened was a complete surprise and kind of out of left field. The novel begins with Rachel finishing out her three months as Trent’s bodyguard. Although most of that time was spent daydreaming about Trent, or should I say trying not to daydream about Trent. As most things for Rachel go, things can’t stay to humdrum for long so the fact that magic begins to misfire has her on a new mission.“Mystics” are a little hard to describe without giving too much away so let’s just they are a crazy energy. They are coming out of the ley line that Rachel created and making magic misfire. So once again, there is something wrong with Rachel’s line. There seems to be a pattern that the mystic energy follows and it is up to Rachel to find out why. Later in the book, there is some interaction with the “mystic” energy that did leave me a little confused as to what was going on (the how and the why of it.)Cincinnati is not in good shape with the magic misfiring, half of the city is in flames. Living Vampires are attacking people because the Master Vampires have fallen into a deep sleep and cannot be woken up. Rachel has to rely on her sharp wit and skills rather than resorting to her magic since it is not reliable.I have always anticipated reading the scenes between Rachel and Trent. I love their interactions together, even if I want to slap one or both of them sometimes for being completely stubborn. The Undead Pool is not short on scenes between the two of them. I am so glad that I was finally able to read this novel.The demons are pretty scarce. Al doesn’t get much page time so that was a little disappointing so that was quite disappointing if you like the crazy demon. I think the stuff with Trent made up for Al not being there. Although, I still enjoy the insane demon stuff.Overall, the ending was blissful and heart breaking all at the same time. Rachel’s life is drastically changing and I’m not entirely sure I can handle it. I was left with so many feelings after reading this installment. I absolutely cannot wait to pick up The Witch with No Name! I want to know how it ends before it is ruined for me.Notable Scene:Trent’s voice raised, his anger clear as he said, “I didn’t ask you here to test her morality. I asked you here to help solve a problem.”“I think she is the problem,” Landon said, not a hint of remorse in his voice. “She is covered in smut. Smut caused by demon magic. She admits it.”“She admitted to doing black magic?”“No, but that’s the only place smut comes from.”What part of our conversation weren’t you listening to? All of it? I wondered, feeling icky as I strained to hear Trent say, “I watched her use a demon curse this week. It created a ball of light. It hurt no one, not even herself, and it caused smut. It was not black. Your logic is unsound, Landon. And I will stand in the enclave and say the same thing. Back. Off.”But my relief was short-lived. “Sa’han, if I may be candid, the reason the dewar is insisting on this marriage is because of your continuing association with demons.”“Rachel is—““Not a demon? Yes, she is, and you can’t pull her back once you have pushed her across that line. I’ve seen all I need. Drop this association or you will lose what little support you still have. Marrying Ellasbeth is no longer enough to maintain your standing, living heirs or not.”Shocked, I slipped back into the stall as I understood what he was saying. Trent was being forced into this marriage because of me. To maintain control of the enclave and elven society, he had to marry Ellasbeth. He’d helped me survive, and I helped him in turn, and now he was going to lose everything.FTC Advisory: Harper Voyager / Harper Collins provided me with a copy of Ever After. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 3/5
      Still enjoyed this installation series, but I feel like it is finally starting to lose steam. Previously, I did like Trent and Rachel as a potential pairing, but it seems to be making both of them less like themselves. Also, the alternate physics of this world that have been very tight throughout the entire series seemed to take a less cogent turn with all the wild magic weirdness. Also, where is Ivy? Why is Ivy being phased out? All she did was moon over Nina for most of the book.
    • 5/5
      I love this book. I love it so much I pretty much read it straight through. I love it so much I was disappointed when I was done because I wanted there to be more. I love it so much I'm re-reading parts of it multiple times. I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! It is an awesome continuation of the series. If you are a Hallows fan get this book immediately and read it! If you've never read the book start at the beginning because it is a really wonderfully told story, from book to book.The Undead Pool picks up 3 months after the last book ended. Rachel Morgan (a witch and demon) is doing security for Cincinnati's richest resident, Trent Kalamack (recently outed as an elf). Three months ago they shared a kiss, but now they aren't talking about it, or what it may mean. Instead they are focusing on waves of magic moving through the city and causing spells to misfire, with sometimes deadly consequences. Add to that the fact that the undead vampires won't awaken, so the living vampires are wreaking havoc, and you've got a city in turmoil. As usual, Rachel and her band of friends are right in the thick of things.Usually by this far into a series I start to tire of the characters who don't seem to change and the repeat situations. Harrison, however, makes each book fresh. Her characters have matured and changed a lot over the course of the series. In this book some important relationships end and others grow. The emotion seems so very real that it's easy to get swept away in it. This series is beyond a doubt one of the best I've ever read, and it just gets better with each successive book.
    • 5/5
      The Undead Pool (The Hollows #12) by Kim Harrison continues with another winning book in the Hollows series. I love the interaction between vamps, elves, demons, were, humans, and more. In this book, many things are going on but the many thing is a magic attack in not only attacking the city but tracking Rachel. Something is putting the master vampires to sleep...Rachel is feeling more for Trenton....ah...I love these books!
    • 5/5
      Rachel and Trent thrown together again. I loved this book, I feel it is the best in the series so far. Most of the same characters are there and as enjoyable as ever. I love the suspense of trying to discover why magic is messed up as well as what is or isn't happening between Rachel and Trent. I was literally glued to this book all the way to the end. Enjoy!
    • 5/5
      This one made more sense, hung together better, not so far-out surreal.
    • 5/5
      The Hollow series is one of the few series I have been able to keep up with, the author to me has never written a dull book in the series. Always tons of emotions that I am grateful for making laugh, cry, and love each character individually. One of the best series if you ask me, looking forward to the continued work Kim Harrison.
    • 5/5
      his has to be my favorite urban fantasy series of all time. I would love to be best friends with Rachel Morgan. The story still seems fresh and new even in this one, (which is the 12th one) and also the next to last in the series, sadly.

      Rachel Morgan is a witch turned day walking demon, and in this book, she’s dealing with an issue in her town that is making magic do things it shouldn’t do, (misfires, things blowing up etc) and she also has to figure out why the ever after is shrinking. The vampires are unable to help due to an evil necromancer who can summon them and make them do what he wants.

      But she has backup in the form of an elf, a pixy, a living vampire and a couple of demons. I would have to say that Jenks (the pixy) and Algaliarept (a demon) are my favorite characters in this series, but all of them are written so well, that you feel like you know them. I’ve watched these characters evolve for the last 10 years, and each one is intriguing and just plain fun to read about.

      Rachel and Trent are FINALLY acting on their attraction. Series fans have been waiting for that for almost the entire series. For awhile there, I was wishing it would be Ivy, but their friendship is so strong, that I don’t want to see that ruined by adding a complicated emotional relationship. Despite being strong, the friendship is complicated enough as it is, but Ivy and Jenks will always have Rachel’s back and Jenks is just laugh out loud funny, If you haven’t read this series (and I recommend that you do) start with book 1. The writing is stellar and it sucks you in. I’ve also written a review on the 8th book in the series called Black Magic Sanction here.
    • 4/5
      Loved this book....
    • 5/5
      The Undead Pool, book 12 in Kim Harrison's Hollows series, just about rocked my sucks off! As a long time fan I am extremely looking forward to and yet dreading the end. I have to say right now if this were to be the last book I would walk away with a big cat got the cream smile on my face. Fortunately, this isn't the end! So all we can do is wait in happy torment for the last book! Luckily this one ends on a great stopping point such that we won't be aggravated while waiting for that final book. The Undead Pool leaves us readers in a perfect spot, as I think pretty much all of the books have. That is one thing I have got to give to Harrison, I never felt like she employed the cliffhanger tactic. You go girl, you know how to get it done!

      Tempt me, Tease me, You do everything to please me!
      - Exactly! Oh the romantic tension! All I could think about was, how long I've wanted and waited for this! What the hell took you so long! Oh but the wait made it all the more delicious, all the more satisfying, just this side of painfully exquisite! I can only say I've been hoping for years that this is where Rachel was headed romantically, and I hope I'm not alone in how excited I was over these developments.

      Growing up is hard to do.
      - Seriously, we've seen Rachel come a long, long way over the years. There were times when I felt she trapped in her own bad habits and I just wanted to shake or face palm her..except with a fist. But here I finally saw just how much of a responsible adult she has become. She knows when to ask for help, she knows that not everything revolves around her, and finally she knows when she needs to let go.

      What the hell are you waiting for?
      - If you haven't already started this series, then hell you need to jump on this train. We have only one book left before the series ends, don't let the number of books already in the series scare you. I love that she's going to end the series with the lucky number 13. The Hollows series and The Undead Pool demands to be read right now! Don't make me threaten you with paper cuts...
    • 5/5
      Rachel has gotten herself into many pickles since the beginning of this series but the pickle she gets into in THE UNDEAD POOL is right up there at the top of the list. The vampires have lost their minds. Seriously. Rachel kicks butt as usual but we have some heart pounding situations and a huge run in with the Goddess that will leave you with your mouth hanging openEven though Ivy and Jenks are still very much in this book they are continuing to begin their life on their own that has been coming for the past few books. Its sad but it is going in a way that truly makes sense and I know that no matter what the three of them will always be there for each other. I absolutely love Trent's little girls. I love their personalities, I love the way they interact with Trent and I love the way that Rachel has made it into their lives and the way they act towards her. Kim should do a spin off with them when they are older. I just know those two are going to be hand fulls of entertainment. Ellasbeth continues to be the bitch we all know and hate. There were plenty of interesting moments that she was involved in and although she sucks they were entertaining so I can't hate her that much and hey, she gets what she deserves. Another great thing about THE UNDEAD POOL is that we get to understand Newt a whole lot more. I understand why she is like she is and I kinda like her more for it.If you have already read EVER AFTER you have an idea of the relationship turn between Rachel and Trent. If you have not read EVER AFTER I suggest you go directly to the store, buy it and devour it as fast as you can because you wont want to miss THE UNDEAD POOL! I can't even begin to describe the amount of sexual tension that is involved in THE UNDEAD POOL. It seriously is out of this world and I refuse to tell you anything more because you must suffer like I did!The ending leaves us off in a way that we have NO CLUE as to what could possibly happen in the last book of The Hollows Series. Sure we have a few things in play but they could go ANY WAY and I didn't pick up on any clues to help me come to any conclusions which makes me want the last book even worse than I would normally want it. The Hollows Series is seriously a slam dunk and I am so glad to have been on this journey with Rachel and her gang of friends. Bring on book 13 before I explode!* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
    • 5/5
      I think this is my favorite book in the series. It was simply perfect.
    • 4/5
      Wow, this story felt off to me. Not quite like the prior books in the series, and I’m trying to figure out exactly what the difference is. Yes, I know there is only one book left in the series and the author has provided revelations in the last couple of books that guide us to the wrap up in the last book. We get some more here on a few fronts. I have no problem with that. But the story felt fairly scattered for a good chunk of the book and this one took me days to get through.While trying to figure out why wild magic is coming in waves from Rachel’s ley line and the master vampires aren’t waking up—many living vampires are now out of control—we get introduced to the goddess the elves worship; or at least some do. No real history on that or why they should worship her or what they’d gain by it. Just that the demons hate her due to what she’s done in the past, and quite frankly, she’s nuts. This is a huge aspect of the story and some of it is confusing.On the other hand, another large part of the story is Rachel and Trent’s relationship which should be no surprise to anyone. We’ve been slowly exposed to a different side of Trent and in this one we get what he’d be like without expectations from others. I like this Trent and how the relationship is handled. We get sexual tension as both are attracted but Rachel knows it can’t go anywhere because he’s committed to marrying Ellasbeth for political reasons.Everyone is on hand and it’s great to see all of the different species working together in Rachel’s corner as she attempts to stop the havoc which puts the city in lock down.An aspect that really bothered me though is that no one seems to be grieving for Ceri. She’s only been gone for three months, but when mentioned, it’s in the context of why Al had her for so long. Quen is so stoic he’s practically wooden, although not on scene much. Could be his way of dealing with it; or his not liking what Trent is doing. Who knows. But I don’t think we ever see him interacting with his daughter.It will be interesting to see how the author wraps up Rachel’s story in the last book and what other revelations are made.