So… banshee?

Heh. Called it.

So basically, we have Rachel dealing with the events/fallout of Dirty Magic (from Into the Woods): wherein we find out what banshees are in the world of The Hollows and see Ivy dealing with one¹².

On top of that, I think this might be the first main book in which we see Robbie (also in Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel)… and he’s not the only one.

So anyways, we have Rachel still dealing with the fallout of Kistin’s death, a new uber-predator on the loose (banshees are basically vampires on steroids it seems), a blast from the past (both in general and Rachel’s specifically), Al, witch sex, auras, and SHUNNING (all caps).

“Sweet mother of Tink,” Jenks whispered from the ladle. “What just happened?"

Quite a book.

Jenks flew two circles around me to stretch his wings, then landed on Ivy’s shoulder. She was staring at the city, mesmerized. “It looks peaceful from up here,” she said when her line of sight was broken by a member of the waitstaff.

Jenks snorted. “It looks peaceful when you get up real close, too,” he said, and I thought of my garden. “It’s only the middle ground that’s ugly.”

But hey, (minor spoilers), we do get at least some forward progress on Kistin’s murderer!

Overall, another solid entry. Onward!

Some fun world building: I enjoy the idea that in the Hollows world, the TSA has ‘always’ employed witches. Those people getting pulled aside for extra screening? Witches trying to fly.

World building question: So, banshees slurp up auras, can they cure smut³. I thought that’s where they were going, but it never quite seemed to develop that way.

Side note: Jenks swearing remains hilarious, bizarre, and so crass at times:

Jenks hovered before us, looking like Lawrence of Arabia with wings. “No way, Rache,” he started, his eyes crinkled in worry. “You’re as strong as a fairy’s hard-on.”

Side note: Bis was first introduced in The Outlaw Demon Wails which had a different narrator. So this time, we get the ‘whoa that’s a different voice’ the other way around!