A Book Obsession..: A Perfect Blood

A Perfect Blood

, by Kt Clapsadl

A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison

The Hollows #10

Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cincinnati, terrifying amalgams of human and other. Pulled in to help investigate by the FIB, former witch turned day-walking demon Rachel Morgan soon realizes a horrifying truth--a would-be creator is determined to make his (or her) own demons. But it can't be done without Rachel's blood, in this latest blockbuster by a "New York Times"-bestselling author.

Despite her limitations from being cut off from most her magic, Rachel is still out in the thick of things with her runner service. However, her latest case hits a lot closer to home when she realizes that the brutally murdered corpses point to someone trying to create their own day-walking demons, and her blood may be the key. And to think, she once thought things couldn't get worse than being shunned by the coven. Now, she'll have to get to the bottom of things fast before she finds herself in the middle of her worst nightmare.

At the beginning of A Perfect Blood, Rachel is in what can be best described as a period of stagnation. Prior to this she was living her life at warp speed, but everything came to a screeching halt when cut herself off from the lines and all of her potential via her elven bracelet compliments of Trent. However, her fear and hiding doesn't really seem to hit home until she realizes that Ivy and Jenks are moving on without her. This realization leads to some pretty hard decisions on her part as well as a good deal of growing up. Still, Rachel wouldn't be who she is without her extreme need to be in the middle of things regardless of the risk or idiocy of her choices. She is such a flawed character, but I love her so very much. It always brings a smile to my face to watch her grow and mature and try to make better decisions, but whenever danger comes about she will always run off half-cocked like an avenging angel. Her friends mean so very much to her, and yet there is still that small part of her that cannot seem to let go and for once let someone else take charge. In fact her friends know her so well that they just plan on her doing something crazy, and are just ready to pick up the pieces in the end, and I couldn't help the smile that came to my face each time.

Putting all of Rachel's other flaws aside, her biggest issue is trust. It just doesn't come easy to her, especially when it comes to Trent. However, in A Perfect Blood, we got to see a shifting in the dynamic between the two of them. It can't be described better than a dance with both of them circling each other, and testing the waters to slowly start to come together. As far as what their actual relationship is, well I'm not entirely sure, and to be honest neither of them seem to have much of clue either. They aren't lovers, or even really friends, but they aren't really adversaries at this point either. For now I think I will just say that they seem to have a mutual respect for one another with a tentative trust. Prior to reading A Perfect Blood, I was gung-ho on my hopes of them becoming a couple like yesterday. However, what occurred in this book was so much more natural, that it felt right. If something more grows from it in the future, I surely won't complain, but for now I am quite content.

Whenever anyone asks for a recommendation in the Urban Fantasy genre, The Hollows series is always the first thing I spout out. It is a true testament to the awesomeness of this series that even after ten books, I am still as in love with the characters and their journey as I was the very first time I read Dead Witch Walking. Each installment has been better than the last, and A Perfect Blood is no exception. I may seem like a bit of a fan girl at this point, but trust me, these books warrant the attention. A Perfect Blood truly was a ride from start to finish and my hat goes off to you Ms. Harrison!

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