4.5/5 stars.

The Turn is the perfect prequel to the Hollows series. It adds depth, complexity and gravitas; grounding the series in the past. It's an origin story that is told with incredible skill and gives the reader a completely different perspective on Inderlander life than that of Rachel Morgan. Essential reading for any urban fantasy fan.

Gallery Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Turn. This is my honest opinion of the book.

The Turn is the first prequel to the very successful Hollows series. Trisk Cambri and Trent "Kal" Kalamack want to save their species, the elven community, from extinction. When a genetically modified tomato, created to feed the world, ends up host to a lethal virus, the ensuing plague provides the paranormal among the humans with a choice. Trisk's involvement in the project, as well as Kal's, brings with it serious implications and suspicion. Dabbling in black magic as a way to keep what is hers, will Trisk's association with Algaliarept ultimately help or hurt her? With so many half truths, lies, and insinuations, will Trisk be able to figure out who is on the side of right before it is too late?

Considering that The Turn contains the background of one of my least favorite characters in the Hollows series, Trent Kalamack, I was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying this book. Now that some of Trent's motivations and actions are starting to make sense, The Turn has helped me to see the character in a very different light. As far as Trisk Cambri goes, I am on the fence about her. She is smart and intuitive, but also rash and impulsive, not unlike Rachel. My only criticism is that the book is quite long and got bogged down a bit towards the end. I almost wish that the author had trimmed some of the pages and added them to the next in the series. Regardless, readers who enjoyed The Hollows series will be happy with its continuation, as it will help them to gain perspective.

This was the first book I've read in The Hollows series, and I want to thank netgalley for the opportunity. I suspect if I'd read the main series, I would have recognized characters and tie-ins which would have been fun, but without that knowledge I was still fine - I never felt lost in the setting or the story or felt like I was missing any important information. And I guess when I continue on and read the primary series - I'll see some continuation there - which will be fun!

I liked the world of elves, vampires, weres, and PIXIES (my favorite), and I liked that genetic engineering was used to such big effect. The plague was scary. I'm looking forward to reading about the descendants of these characters (and possibly the characters themselves) in The Hollows series.

The date is 1963 and two elves compete for prestige and honor at a job fair after college graduation. Felecia Eloytrisk Cambri (Trisk) and Trenton Kalamack (Kal), have despised one another for years. An argument at the job fair ends up with both of them chastised and no longer top recruiting prospectives. Trisk is offered a job with Global Industries, a human laboratory. Her job is to monitor the lab tests the humans are running, reporting anything of interest back to the elven conclave. When a fellow human scientist, Daniel Plank, develops a biological virus to be used in war, Trisk uses her skills to tweak it so it doesn’t affect any Interlanders (supernaturals). At the same time, she herself creates a strain of almost indestructible tomatoes to try and help end hunger. When Kal is brought in by the conclave to “check” over Trisk’s work, his ego gets the best of him and we are left with a killer tomato that systemically begins to wipe out the human race.

Fans of Kim Harrison’s epic urban fantasy series The Hollows and its itchy witchy heroine, Rachel Morgan, will want to jump on Harrison’s’ newest release, The Turn. This prequel introduces the world, creating a light background bridge of information for first time readers while giving long time fans a chance to see how it all started and get some answers to lingering questions.

Fans will remember that the decline of the human population, the initial reveal of the supernatural community, and the subsequent chaos that followed for YEARS all boiled down to a virus that was blamed on tomatoes. T4-Angel tomatoes to be exact. The Turn explains the hows, the whys, and most importantly, the WHOs that set all this into motion.

Action packed with plenty of intrigue, mystery, a machiavellian like series of plot lines, and Harrison’s winning dialogue keeps pacing smooth and steady. The genre seems to split between UF and mystery/thriller with a strong dose of corporate espionage. Harrison doles out the information is a manner that instantly draws you in and holds you hostage till the end. Strong characterization and dialogue engages as Harrison builds her cast of players-using new and familiar faces. The balance between the story and the characters is well maintained-neither overpowering nor sacrificing for the other. Fans may be disappointed to see that while a romance does slowly develop, it’s awkward and added more for the convenience of the story rather than an organic pairing.

I loved getting to meet the faces behind the events that made up the basis of The Hollow series and also seeing some very familiar faces. Trisk is utterly brilliant in her makeup and showcases the strong and appealing heroines Harrison is famous for. Kal is an egotistical jerk who you will love to hate. Trisk and Kal’s relationship is very similar to that of Rachel and Kal’s son, Trent. Their antagonism is so prevalent in the story it is the fuel that powers everything. It was interesting to see that Trent got his elitist attitude honestly thought there are some things revealed that will cause some to look at the little cookie maker a little differently. Daniel was a delight and I wish we could have gotten to see what became of him. It was great to see Quen, Cormel, and others who held huge roles in Rachel Morgan’s world. Reading this story really made me miss this series.

Though tragic in ways that we know can’t be fixed, Harrison offsets the seriousness with humor, love, and shows us that in times of great need, people will rise to the occasion. She leaves us with a viable ending that leads us into world we came to love and I’m thrilled Harrison choose to revisit it one last time.

Grade: B

The Turn is the highly anticipated prequel to Kim Harrison's bestselling series The Hollows. Readers finally get the story of how the plague takes hold--killing humans, destroying cities and ultimately bringing the existence of supernatural beings (i.e. vampires, werewolves, and witches) into the light.

Along the way we're introduced to Trent's parents and their extremely complicated relationship. 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.

Can science save us when all else fails? Or, will science actually be society's downfall?

There are some series favorite appearances by Quen and everyone's favorite demon, Al. Readers are in store for some long awaited answers, plenty of action, some seduction and a nail biting adventure.

Fans will love to hate Kal, cheer for Trisk and be generally enthralled by the narrative.


Final rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is a great book; this book is the prequel to the Hollows series written by Kim Harrison. If you love the Hallows series, then you need to read this one. It is one of my favorite stories and when I got approved to read an ARC of this book I was so excited, and it didn’t disappoint. 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. This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

I have missed the Hollows world so it was great to dive back into it, even if it was before some of my favorite urban fantasy characters make their appearance. THE TURN introduces us to the story of how his parents came to be his parents and throws in some other character backstories into the mix as a bonus.

Trisk is a spitfire destined for great things and Kalamack is a douche that will do anything to be on top. Their rivalry was pretty epic, but in the end, they end up together. I honestly don't have the words to describe how crazy the events in THE TURN were. Just when I thought things were calming down—or a specific male elf would feel remorse or shame—some other WTFery would come up and smack me upside the head. What a fantastic ride!

Not only do we meet Trent's parents, but we are introduced to a few of our favorite and not so favorite characters before the time of Rachel, Trent, Jenks, Ivy and the rest of the gang. I won't get into all the details, but Al was just as crazy in the past as he was in the future.

THE TURN might be a prequel to The Hollows series, but it's a full-size novel with a lot of action, drama and backstory that I'm so glad I was able to read. Whether you're new to The Hollows or an old fan that has read until the last sentence, you will want to see how it all starts with THE TURN.


* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Intense prequel to the Hallows series!

To Trisk, a dark elf, it seems she's been fighting her whole life for recognition. Her brilliance in the field of genetics goes largely unacknowledged. That's what burns her up. Her elf rival Kal will stop at nothing to interfere with her research.The fact that Kal cannot see beyond his driving ambition and blind jealousy to the damage that he will inflict on all species--human and paranormal plays to Kal's driven obsession. Plague sweeps the planet, and Kal is ensuring that Trisk is blamed.
This is the world before Rachael Morgan. A world where paranormals are hidden, tweaking humanity's developments.
There are some fascinating characters including the human scientist Daniel, Quen her elf friend who's a security wiz, and the pixie warrior Orchid.
I was enthralled, aghast at the darstardly Kal and totally sympathetic towards Trisk.

A NetGalley ARC
(February 2017)

I've been a fan of the Hollows since book one. I'm not sure if it's the absence of Rachel, Jenks, and Ivy but I felt a longing while reading The Turn. I've always been curious about the virus that wipe out so many humans and made it possible for the supernatural to come out to the world but perhaps starting with this story may have been better than having fallen in love with the main characters from the initial Hollows books. However, the knowledge of things hinted at during the original series that are outline here make up for it.

The beginning has arrived! Most longtime fans of The Hollows have long awaited the full story behind the tomato that rocked the world. The big question of how and why the common tomato became the source of such destruction has been answered! It is both fascinating and frustrating to see how the manipulation of those tomatoes, and the machinations of characters that we have long known, changed the course of the world. New readers will be enthralled by Kim Harrison's amazing twists and turns and will love, and hate, the characters involved. The Turn fits perfectly with other books of the series. I hope Ms. Harrison will break tradition and create more than one book in the time of The Turn.
Unless you are already a fan of the series, you cannot imagine my excitement when my NetGalley request to read an advanced reader's copy of Kim Harrison's The Turn, prequel to her amazing series, The Hollows, was approved. The book was as good as any in the awesome series. The review is of course completely voluntary; I always review books that I love.
Reading the Turn has made me want to begin The Hollow for the third time, and it is sure to lead new readers to want to read the whole series.

As soon as I caught site of this one on the NetGalley catwalk, I knew I had to have it. Like many fantasy fans, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed The Hollows series – see my review of Every Which Way But Dead – where in each book Harrison invariably alludes to the game-changing catastrophe that brought the Interlanders out from the shadows. It is now a delight to have that keynote time actually charted in this entertaining read.

Kim Harrison returns to her beloved Hollows series with The Turn, the official prequel to the series that will introduce fans and readers to a whole new side of Rachel Morgan's world as they've never seen it before! Can science save us when all else fails?

I reserve the right to abbreviate book blurbs as I see fit, as far too many toss one spoiler in after another. But I’m not even giving you the beginning of the this one, as it immediately lurches into Spoiler territory – unnecessary as I’m sure there are plenty of folks out there who have never read Kim Harrison and this is an excellent starting point. So long as you haven’t already been told half the story, already.

We are in the viewpoint of Trisk, a female dark elf and brilliant geneticist whose outstanding work is consistently passed over due to her gender – and her swarthy looks and lack of breeding. Elves are supposed to be blue-eyed, pale-skinned and blonde, like Kal, the spoilt, entitled jerk who made Trisk’s life at school a complete misery. Given that he, too, has gone on to study genetics, he continues to blight her life. And then they go their separate ways – until she makes a major breakthrough in a relatively small, human lab. Could this save the elves from the genetic damage inflicted by demonkind?

I loved this one. Harrison excels at writing nuanced, driven characters who frequently make disastrous mistakes. The worldbuilding is brilliant and the supporting cast every bit as charismatic – for Harrison fans, half the fun of this book is seeing familiar characters pop up at the start of their journey – or their ancestors. I loved Orchid, the gutsy pixy, desperately looking for a buck and refusing to believe that she is the last of her kind and seeing how the imperturbable Quen was before he got to be that way. While vampires regularly appear in urban fantasy reads, few writers manage to evoke the sheer terror and unpredictability of this creepy species the way Harrison does. As for Kal – I keep banging on about how important it is that we have a clear insight as to why the antagonist behaves the way he does and this is a masterclass in how to write one. He has been gifted with so much, but he knows only too well that what he lacks is that touch of brilliance Trisk brings to her work.

The way this book leads up to the disaster that overtakes the world and what happens next is masterfully handled. I very much hope that Harrison will be writing another in this series. I loved this one and it comes highly recommended.

While I obtained the arc of The Turn from the publisher via NetGalley, this has in no way influenced my unbiased review.
10/10

First, let's get the pesky tidbit out of the way -- I received this book as an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Now, down to business. Kim, darling, I know that all good things must come to an end, but this book proves that you're at your best when you're in the world of the Hollows. Don't get me wrong, I adore Peri Reed and the cast of that series. The premise is neat and you add lots of fun twists and turns and bad boys and good boys and cats and a badass lead... but the Hollows is just BETTER. I mean honestly, the Hollows has PIXIES like Jenks and, newly introduced in this book, Orchid. I ADORED her, almost as much as I did Jenks - who happens to be one of my favorite book characters of all time.

A little backstory (see what I did there? this book is a prequel, so it's all backstory!) -- remember in the Hollows when we are introduced to this Urban Fantasy world? Yep, tomatoes + virus = human population decrease and supernatural creatures coming out of the hidden in plain sight closet. This book tells that story. It did such a good job that now I'm hankering for a reread of the entire 13 book (plus myriad shorties) series.

Even though we knew the inevitable ending, the path to get there was fun, the characters were well developed and lovable (for the most part), and we got more Hollows out of the deal. Side note here: we also get some cameos! I won't tell you who, because spoilers, but I loved the cameos!

I think there's enough material for another prequel to get us to the start of the Hollows, Kim, darling... even if it's just a series of shorties or a novella. Don't make me beg (because I will, and it will not be cute).

I'm not sure if I would tag this book as a stand alone or not-yes it is a prequel to a series, but I haven't read the series in years and haven't even bought the last two books and I sort of enjoyed this read.

Why didn't I totally love it you may ask...because the main character's are truly horrible people. Especially Trent. Yes, it is because of their Elven heritage, but still. It does explain so much when Trent shows up in Rachel's world and I never could warm up to him (he is a huge penis head). Although I understand that he and Rachel become a couple towards the end of the series.

What I did love about this book was the last half -the first half was just so much wash-rinse-repeat...the same thing over and over. I wanted the author to stop beating that dead horse and get on with an actual story -which does happen in the second half (thank the Gods and Goddesses!)

I loved learning (again in the end) how the other's came 'out' to the human world and why. And I love that this is encouraging me to re-read the series and to possibly buy the last two books that I am missing!

*ARC supplied by publisher

Oh. My. Goodness. THE TURN was so incredibly good, I'm going to have a very hard time writing this review without overly gushing like an utter fan girl. This book is everything I've been missing without my latest hollows fix. I have to admit I wasn't sure a prequel could live up to the epicness of Rachel, Ivy, Jenks, and Trent, but oh it does. Trisk is fierce and incredibly determined, but an outcast setting her up to be the obvious favorite, and Kal is a privileged slimeball to say the least making me loathe him at times. However, what made this a truly standout read is that neither character fits fully into those good/bad labels. There's just so much more to either of them, but I won't spoil things, just suffice it to say there's MUCH more than first meets the eye with both of them.

Now onto the plot, which while I knew what the outcome of THE TURN would be, the journey was a pleasant surprise every step of the way. I really enjoyed seeing how everything unfolded and honestly now I want to go back and re-read the entire series to see if some of the details in this book were hinted at in the original books. It definitely won't be a hardship. :)

I have searched everywhere to see if this prequel is a standalone, or the start of a new early Hollow series, but I can't find any info. I truly hope it's the latter because this book was utterly fantastic and I want so much more. Simply put, THE TURN was everything I had hoped for, just an utter treat. Fans of the Hollows should have this on their auto buy list pronto!

As a huge "Itchy Witchy" fan, I was dying to read The Turn. First, there was the cover lust. Can you believe how awesome this cover is? I just had to have it!

The Turn is a prequel to the Hollows series. It probably starts about fifty years before we meet Rachel Morgan in Dead Witch Walking, so there's no Rachel. Instead, we get to meet Trent's parents: Elyotrisk Cambri (who goes by Trisk) and Trent L. Kalamack (who goes by Kal).

Trisk and Kal hate each other. They were classmates and Trent made her life miserable. Trisk's a very smart dark elf and due to Kal's interference in school, she almost doesn't get offered a job after graduating. In the end, she's sent by the Elven Enclave to spy on Dr. Daniel Plank's research. Daniel's a human who has created a virus which can make people sick without killing them and the Inderlanders (supes) want to make sure it's safe for them as well. After three years of Daniel and Trisk working together and both succeeding in their research, Trent is sent to oversee the procedure.

For those who have read the Hollows and have met Trent (the son), we know he can be selfish, power-driven and arrogant. Well, his daddy is ten times worse. Only a couple of times, he wasn't a total bastard. His jealousy and desire for recognition were his downfalls.

Trist was not very different from Rachel. She was living in the sixties and she was trying to get her name out. It was hard for her because she was a woman but also because she was a dark elf. It didn't matter that she was a geneticist. She still had to break down biases and fight in a world dominated by men. She wanted to help the world. She created the T4 Angel Tomato which could end famine since it was immune to drought and disease. She cared for Quen and Daniel and I do believe in a strange way she cared for Kal.

It was wonderful going back to the Hollows world and revisiting such great characters like Al and Quen. The Turn also introduces a very cool pixie, Orchid. She didn't have as much of Jenks's foul language but she was feisty.

I hope we get more books!

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Gallery Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book a lot. I have only read a few of the early books in this series but I knew that I had to read this book as soon as I saw it. I always thought that the history of the world we saw in Dead Witch Walking was extremely interesting. I didn't even know half the story. This book really grabbed my interest right away and held it until the end.

How did a simple tomato kill a large percentage of the human population? We finally find out in this book. Trisk and Kal are both elves and are geneticists at the top of their class. Oh yeah, I should mention that they don't like each other...at all. Trisk ends up working at a human lab working to tweak a virus that is going to be used a weapon so that it cannot harm interlanders. She has also engineered a tomato plant that can survive in almost any condition and is hoped to help solve the world's hunger problem. Kal is asked to also take a look at her work to make sure it is safe before it is released on the world. Let's just say that things go horribly wrong.

The events in this book take place in the 1960's so there aren't too many characters that appear in the series. Every time a character I knew showed up in the story, I found it very exciting. Since I haven't read the whole series, there may have been more well known characters from the series that I just didn't recognize.

The main characters in this story were mostly new to me and I really liked most of them. Trisk was pretty awesome. She works hard and does what is right. When things don't go her way, she makes the best of whatever situation she finds herself in. Daniel is a human working closely with Trisk at the lab. He is actually the man who designed the virus. Daniel became more likable for me the more I read. I absolutely loved him by the end of the book. Orchid is a pixie in a world without a lot of her kind. She's not Jenks but she is pretty awesome. Kal was the kind of character that I love to hate. He is really pretty horrible in just about every way imaginable.

This was a book that I found myself liking more and more as I read. The beginning of the story was interesting but I really got hooked once things started going wrong. I had to know how they were going to deal with what was happening. The characters really proved what kind of person they were during the tragedy. The pacing of the story was well done and once I hit the second half of the book, I had a very hard time putting it down.

I would recommend this book to others. I enjoyed it a lot even though I am nowhere near caught up with this series. I think that it could be read as a stand alone although readers of The Hollows will get a little more from the book. I actually think it is possible we may see more books in this time period. Maybe? I hope so. In the meantime, I will continue to work my way through the original series.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books via NetGalley.

I’m sure fans of The Hollows series have been curious to know how plague known as The Turn occurred in the 1960s. Who was responsible for the accidental release of the genetically modified tomato that killed a quarter of the human population.

Well, Kim Harrison has decided to reveal what happened in The Turn, the prequel The Hollows series.

In The Turn, the main characters are Trent Kalamack’s parents, two individuals who we have never met but have heard of in The Hollows series. Trisk despite being the smartest of her class is overshadowed by her hated rival all because she is a “dark elf” and a woman. Upon finishing school, Trisk, is given an opportunity to work in a human lab in order to keep an eye on the humans and their discoveries. Despite not getting her dream job, Trisk has enjoyed her time in the human lab. Not only has she managed to create a tomato which would feed the hungry but she has also improved a human coworker’s virus so it could not harm any supernatural species. Trent Kalamack who prefers to be known as Kal has bullied on Trisk since they have known each other. In fact, it was a heated argument between them that caused Kal to ruin his opportunity at getting a well known job at NSA. After time has gone by, Kal is assigned on inspecting Trisk’s work and making sure that it is exactly as she’s claimed it to be. If there were mistakes then Kal would be allowed to take over her work and take the credit when he perfected it. As you can see, this just spells disaster which is exactly what happens.

If you are a fan of The Hollows series then you will definitely enjoy it. If you haven’t started the series then The Turn is a great installment to start. Personally, I was glad to finally learn in detail what caused the tomato virus and why did it lead to supernaturals deciding to come out of hiding. I was also happy to see certain familiar faces The Hollows series in The Turn. Regarding the main characters, Trisk and Kal were not what I expected. Okay, Kal was what I expected and I’ll be honest, he was very hard to like. Trisk’s character on the other hand was unexpected. She reminded me a lot of Rachel but I can also see some of Trent in her. At least we know where the good in Trent came from.

Overall, it was a great installment and I know people will love reading it as I did.

I was completely thrilled when I got the chance to review this book, the prequel to the Hollow series, and I can honestly say that it is well worth the read. Any Hollows fan will tell you they often pondered the tomato virus and the story behind it, but I don't think we got anywhere close to this story and for that I'm completely grateful. I was distraught when I read the last book to the Hollow series, but this book definitely makes up for it and fills in so many blanks the previous books made you question. The characters are amazing and you get to revisit some of the characters in the Hollows but you a actually get to see the beginning. The blend of the old and new hit the nail on the money. I can honestly say that any worries you might have in it being a prequel is out the door. You will fall in love all over again with this amazing storyline and the characters. You will find that Trisk has some endearing qualities that drew us in with Rachel. An outcast in her world but still fighting her way through. There is of course a lot of the tangled emotions and relationships just like the Hollows that hasn't went out of style in the prequel. I think that this book is what all Kim Harrison fans have been waiting for.

Thanks Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books and netgalley for this ARC.

Kim Harrison goes in a whole different direction with this one, and gives us the reason for the Hollows. It's awesome to finally get the beginning of the story.

Kim Harrison’s The Turn is a leap backwards in time in the Hollows world to just before the Tur, when the human race was decimated by tomatoes. No it wasn’t the Attack of the Killer Tomato, but a genetically engineered virus that became transmitted to humans on a tomato plant. For those of us that love and miss The Hollows, this is our chance to re-engage and learn about how this atrocity happened as well as catch up with some much loved or at least familiar characters (minus Rachel and her gang).

In the later Hollows books The Turn is referenced and is a pivotal moment when the other races; vampires, witches, were’s, pixies, etc. came out of the proverbial closet, or were outed. It was interesting to see that moment happen, and to see the involvement of some of the characters we knew, moments that were just hinted at before. As the story played with my own memories, I kept glancing at my bookcase where all of the other books were stacked trying to tie together these characters with those stories, and failing utterly.

Even though the storyline was familiar, the content was new. I got to meet Quen and Trent in their youth. I still loved Quen, but the Trent Kalamack portrayed in this book was not the Trent at the end of the Hollow series. His black past was certainly part of his history, but to go from loving his character to the total lack of caring to others he portrayed in this book, was really difficult for me to swallow. I did love Trisk and Daniel, so did have someone to root for in this book, but it was harder to put Trent in that bad guy role again. I just wasn’t ready to do it. However, that did not take away from the fact that the story needed to be told and I loved being back in the Hollows. I did miss Rachel though…