The Turn

This story is a prequel of the Hollow series set in the 1960's. The story features Felecia Eloytrisk (Trisk) Cambri and Trenton Kalamack (Kal) and their rivalry in school and professionally. Trisk is a dark elf which Kal makes sure to put her down every chance he gets. He is actually jealous of her achievements. When he decides to sabotage her he doesn't think it through and causes an apocalyptic event that they have to work together to fix. I really dislike the Kal character but love his fairy companion Orchid. It was a little slow going at first but there was a lot of world building being done so it was necessary. Especially showing how being a woman in the '60s can be limiting. I really enjoyed the ending and I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

The Hollows begins with death...

Those who have been longtime fans of The Hollows series all know how the supernatural creatures came out of the closet. Tomatoes. People looking at this review with no knowledge of the series are probably now thinking...tomatoes? What in the hell do tomatoes have to do with the supernatural?

Elves are near extinction. Modified by the demons before escaping the Everafter, most Elven families cannot bear healthy children. Those children who can be brought to full term must endure painful treatments in order to survive. Because of this, most elves study to become geneticists, each trying to save their dying race.

Trisk and Kalamack are no different. Rivals in school, they each earn top ranks in their class, but there is more than just a difference in their genetic theories. Trisk is a dark elf woman in the '60s when a woman was thought to be best kept at home minding their households. But Trisk has a brilliant mind and despite the bullying she receives, is determined to do what she can to save her race.

Forced to work in a human lab, Trisk toils away at building a crop of tomatoes that can end world hunger. At the same time, she works alongside her fellow scientists ensuring that any tactical virus created will not hurt members of the supernatural races who live in hiding among the humans. While the Elven Enclave is satisfied with the work Trisk has accomplished, they do not fully trust her. After all, how can a woman be so successful? Kalamack is tasked to oversee her work and if he happens to slap his name onto her work and claim it as his own all the better. But hell is about to break loose as the carefully developed tomatoes take on the tactical virus targeted to humans. For years pixies, elves, witches, vampires and the like have been living in secret among humans. But what happens when they are the only ones who survive the deadly tomatoes?

True to The Hollows series, this book is filled with magic slinging action and heart-stopping scenes. This was a bit more technical, involving a great deal of simplified science to explain the work Trisk and Kalamack achieve. While these parts were a bit slow, they were necessary and easy enough to understand.

It was great seeing familiar faces pop up in this prequel. It was fun reading about how they were before the era of Rachel, Ivy, and Jenks. Though I did miss those three so much when reading this! Trisk was a likable character and showed just how hard it was to be a successful woman in the '60s. Frowned on by not only her own race but humans as well, she pushed forward past all the doubt and kept going.

I do have to admit I cringed reading about Kalamack. Seeing how he began, I can't help but know I will be looking at him in a new light when I reread The Hollows. I mean we all knew he was a scummy businessman, but it goes much deeper than that now!

Reading about the T4 Angel Tomato's path of destruction was heartbreaking. The Hollows itself was created from this event. Watching people live in the aftermath in the original series doesn't really show just how bad things were. This novel brings the turning point front and center. You will watch as humans are corralled into quarantine zones, families are torn apart, and children struggle to survive while watching their parents slowly die. It will make you laugh and cry, as Trisk tries to right the wrongs brought upon the world of humans.

Interesting story. It moved a bit fast and the twists and turns were many. I was not pleased with the ending.

This is a prequel but since I was just starting the series I started with it. It goes back into the past to explain what happened to cause “the turn”, where those species that were not human were finally allowed to come out of hiding. Before the turn, no one knew that vampires, elves, werewolves etc were real. They had to alter their appearance to blend in with the humans and if a human were to discover what they really were they had to be killed to keep the secret. I loved this book, which was my first taste of Kim Harrison. I can't wait to read more about the Hollows.