Title: The Turn
Author: Kim Harrison
Series: The Hollows #0.1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 4th – 16th April 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Pocket Books Fiction
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: Hesitating, she went over it again to make sure the holes were filled.

Can science save us when all else fails?

Trisk and her hated rival, Kal, have the same goal: save their species from extinction.

But 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 rises, giving the paranormal species the choice to stay hidden and allow humanity to die, or to show themselves in a bid to save the human race.

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. Not everyone thinks humanity should be saved, though, and Trisk must fight the prejudices of two societies to prove not only that humanity does have something to offer but also that long-accepted beliefs against women, dark magic, and humanity itself can turn to understanding; that when people are at their worst, the best show their true strength; and that love can hold the world together as a new balance is found.

I really, really wanted to give this novel a much, much lower rating. Actually, when I first put it down I did… but the more I think about it, the more I realise that I loved it. Alright, I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending (hence the slightly tanty that I threw when I finished this), but it was an incredibly powerful and intense story. One that I won’t forget at any point soon. And one that I will definitely read again and again and again…

I have honestly never wanted a character to die more than I did in this novel. I even had to stop reading this for a while because I was getting so damn ragey at Kal. And it’s probably because his villainy and actions hit a little too close to home. After all, every single horror in this story comes from the jealousy of a man, and his pride and belief that a woman cannot possibly be smarter than him. Better than him when she doesn’t fit the roles that he assigns to her. Like I said, it struck way too close to home. And it made me want to smack him around the head, and make sure the vampires and witches actually managed to kill him… I’ve really never gunned for a villain to die so badly. I’ve cheered before when they have… but I’ve never screamed when they haven’t…

This might be the first book I’ve read that features a female scientist. At least, the first fantasy tale (I’ve read plenty of non-fiction stories by female environmental scientists, but never a fiction tale). I may be an environmental scientist as opposed to a geneticist, but the drive to publish and create new avenues of research for myself is still there. I completely understood why Trisk was so determined to get her name on her own research, and the fine line that she had to walk. Alright, I don’t have to deal with many of these issues because the story is based in the 60’s, but there are echoes of them in every researchers life. Which is probably why I was so aggressively determined to see Kal end, and painfully if I had my way.

It’s obvious that I’ve been reading a lot of gushy, happily ever after tales lately. Because I fully expected that of this story. I didn’t for one moment think that I might not be happy with the ending. And I really didn’t consider that it would make me roar a little bit in rage (my poor partner was more than a little confused at my reaction). But, the more I’ve thought of it, the more I’ve actually liked it. After all, there aren’t the happy ending, everything tied in a neat bow finales in real life, so why shouldn’t there be less-than-perfect endings in the novels?

Image source: Goodreads