Book Review: The Turn by Kim Harrison

The Turn by Kim Harrison is the prequel to her well known Hollows series. A bonus for long time fans of Harrison's work, and a wonderful starting point for those that have been nervous about starting such a large series.

Can science save us when all else fails? Trisk and her hated rival, Kalamack, have the same goal, save their species from extinction. Death comes in the guise of hope when a genetically modified tomato created to feed the world combines with the government's new tactical virus, giving it an unexpected host and a mode of transport. Plague takes the world, giving the paranormal species an uncomfortable choice to stay hidden and allow humanity to die, or to show themselves in a bid to save them. Under accusations of scientific misconduct, Trisk and Kal flee across a plague torn United States to convince leaders of the major paranormal species to save their supposedly weaker kin, but not everyone thinks humanity should be saved. Kal surreptitiously works against her as Trisk fights the prejudices of two societies to prove that not only does humanity have something to offer, but that long-accepted beliefs against women, dark magic, and humanity itself can turn to understanding; that when people are at their worst that the best show their true strength, and that love can hold the world together as a new balance is found. 

 

The Turn is a fantastic look at how the world readers of the Hollows series love came to be. I really enjoyed getting to know Trisk and getting an understanding of her relationships with Kal, Quen, Daniel, and others as she works hard to maker a name for herself and do some good. I  thought the pacing, world building, and character building were very well done, and reminded me why I fell in love with Harrison's writing style when I first started reading her work. Trisk is strong and independent- but far from perfect. She has her flaws, as do all the characters. I like that even though she is our narrator, her thoughts and actions still sometimes surprised me and proved herself to be more complex a character than I thought. Even Kal, who is a pretty horrible guy, has more layers and complexity than I expected. Even though I knew he was a rat I still occasionally had hope that the moments of his better nature would overwhelm the rest. I was continually at the edge of my seat wondering what they would do next, and what twists and turns each would trigger next. 

Fans reading this will enjoy seeing familiar faces, and  learning how some of the connections came about. I thought that the balance of characters and situations that were hints and little thrills for fans, and how well the book explains the world and introduces the characters for newcomers was as close to perfect as I have seen, and I enjoyed every minute of the read. This read has me eager to go back andre read the series, and make sure I did not miss any installments. 

The Turn is a book I wish I had gotten around to much earlier. I loved revisiting the Hollows and getting a better understanding of how it all started. Fans and newcomers alike will enjoy this read.