fembuck | Oh. My. God.

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Oh. My. God.

I enjoyed the first seven of Black Magic Sanction. Well, I enjoyed chapters 2-7 of Black Magic Sanction.

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Rachel ... and I can't believe I'm typing this ... Rachel Morgan has gotten smarter. Seriously, like chicha has actually matured and is on occassion displaying good judgement in this book. I mean she's still kind of dick at inopportune times, but compared to her previous dickishness she's a fucking wallflower this book (and when she is a dick it's often actually amusing instead of aggravating, ex. her busted, can't even walk ass being all like, "that's Ms. Morgan to you").

I think ... no, I do sympathize with her so far.

I ... I ... I think I like her again.

You guys, I don't know what to do with myself. I honestly can't work up a rant. I haven't felt this way in like books and books you guys. I ... I ... I ... want to read more!

Like, the story is actually focused on the plot. PLOT! Not Rachel's dumbass romantic woes. Not the beautiful and wonderful and amazing Ivy Tamwood getting screwed over in new and heart-breaking ways. But on actual honest to god plot!

And ... and ... and Rachel and Ivy are acting like honest to god fucking friends!

WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!?!

I mean, Rachel is still all like, "Look at Ivy's ass in those jeans! Dayum. No homo" but I like don't even care because they finally listened to the great philospher Mary J. Blige and there's like no more drama. TBH, even though I wish they were all:

by now, I am enjoying their interactions.

Like, you guys ... Rachel Morgan has wanted and asked for other people's help numerous times. Rachel Morgan. Asking for help. Especially from Ivy. Ivy Tamwood. Rachel Morgan. You guys. I don't think my brain can handle this. Asking for help ... from Ivy *brain explodes*

Seriously, even though the gay is less obvious (though by no means unexistant), that means that there is less angst ... and I kind of ship more because they seem like they actually like each other and add something positive to the others life.

I'm still feel rather fun-spongey

about Ivy/Glenn, but it's not that bad. And Ivy got a couple good little digs in there about Rachel being a notrustnik, pansy-ass who's afraid of her fangs.

Honestly, my problem with the Ivy/Glenn thing is more that I wish she was with a girl. After how Kim trashed Skimmer in the last book, I want to see Ivy with a sane woman who has a positive influence on her, instead of the F/F relationships in the series being different versions of Ivy getting mind-fucked, emotion-fucked and fucked over.

In my mind I had decided that the hot foresenics vampire chick from that one book would be Ivy's rebound/time killer until Rachel smartens up, so me is ambivelent to Glenn (who btw, did we know his name was Matthew before this? I just saw that and I was like O_o. I mean I know he had to have a first name, I was just like ... really?).

Also, just from a pure numbers point of view, Ivy has gotten/chased far more cock than she has pussy so I wanted the playing field to be evened out. She's becoming one of those sweeps week bi-sexuals on network tv that are usually played by Olivia Wilde (Mm, Olivia Wilde).

Also, Rachel still is able to smell Ivy on shit, which never ceases to amuse me. She's like a fucking bloodhound when it comes to Ivy's scent. I dig it.

Wow.

Before reading this I honestly couldn't imagine genuinely being excited for the continuation of this series and I put off reading these chapters cause I was sure they were going to piss me off ... but I am very pleasantly surprised.

Warning: To ye who do not read through all of the comments. My enthusiasm for the book has been thwarted. I am back in RANT mode. The first seven chapters are a smoke screen and rant inducing shenanigans follow.

Buy/Read this novel at your own risk!

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Okay, I'm about 3/4's of the way through the book and.. it's not as bad as I thought it would be. It's probably due to the lowered expectations and having been forewarned about the excessive use of Pierce. But, I really didn't think it was *that* bad...

Now? I'm almost pissed enough to write Harrison an angry/crazed fangirl letter. I'm not sure how spoiled you want to be but something really 'bad' happens and, honestly imo, contains one of the best written scenes of the series. After which, the very bad thing happens, which involves making Ivy look like a wimp so fucking Peirce can be 'special'. And.. argh!!

I really like Harrison's writing. I don't think I would have burned through 354 pages in two days if I didn't. But this is my biggest criticism of hers, she gets *way* too enamored of her male characters.. especially when she shouldn't, especially when it comes at the expense of other characters, like Ivy and Jenks.

The biggest problem with Peirce is that he's NOTHING WE HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE! It's all 'been there, done that' especially with Rachel and her 'ooh, he's a bad boy with secrets.. *whine* but I don't *want* him.. ooh, yes I do'. He's neither exotic nor mysterious, the only thing that sets him apart is the stupid way he speaks. Which only gets more aggravating when it's revealed he speaks that way BY CHOICE!!

Do I think it's worse than 'White Witch, Black Curse'? At this point, I'm going to have to say 'yes' because it's more about showing how Pierce 'isn't such a bad guy' so Rachel can bone him. And, shit, we got less characterization with Marshall.. and Rachel boned him too!! Peirce should get a job as a pornstar with all the 'fluffing' he gets in this book!

The only thing I want to know before I keep reading is whether or not Peirce fucking dies. Because I don't think I can keep reading this series if he does. Okay, that's a total lie.. I'm just not gonna plunk down the cash for the hardcover!

ETA: Something else that pissed me off...

One of the things that I really like about the series is that Rachel is a sexually active woman who's not punished for a) liking sex and b) wanting to get laid and/or thinking about getting laid. Heh, all those repercussions are for Ivy!

And then comes along 'Black Magic Sanction'. Rachel gets saved by Nick.. yes, that fucker's back too (I said Harrison gets *way* too enamored of her male characters). While sitting in Nick's apartment, they get into an argument and Nick throws Rachel's sexual history in her face. Instead of telling him to fuck off, Rachel feels all guilty and tells Peirce, I shit you not, here's the exact quote from page 171:

"I'm not a particularly chaste woman. Compared to the women of your time, I'm probably a whore."

I just.. I just don't have the words!! Rachel thinks she's a whore because Peirce is so chaste and morally upstanding and.. GAH!! It's just more fucking fluffing over a character that's JUST NOT THAT FUCKING INTERESTING!!

While sitting in Nick's apartment,

O_o I know Nick's back, but what the fuck is Rachel doing just chillaxing at his place? Seriously, bitch spends more time hanging out with people she "hates" than she does with her own "friends"! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

"I'm not a particularly chaste woman. Compared to the women of your time, I'm probably a whore."

This sounds like it could have come out of Bella Swan's mouth.

With savior's complaints about Rachel being weirdly passive, and now this compliant about her being all apologetic for having her own mind and having sexual desires (like everyone else on the planet) it's really like Kim is trying to do everything possible to kill everything about the character that people originally liked.

Rachel thinks she's a whore because Peirce is so chaste and morally upstanding and..

Edward Cullen.

R.I.P Rachel Morgan series. I'd cry but I've hated you for two books so ... I guess I'll just throw this

wilted flower at you and that will be that.

Seriously, this series is like that really good friend you had in high school, who has slowly turned into a douche that steals your shit, only calls you when they need a ride or want to borrow something, and then asks you 'what's the matter with you?' when you get justifiably angry them.

Edward Cullen.

Heh, I'll go one further and say he's the Northern version of Bill Compton from True Blood. I don't know, it feels like, instead of continuing writing in the way that made the books successful, Harrison's aping other author's themes. And I'm like 'goddamn woman, you're a NY Times best-selling author. People should be mimicking YOU. Not the other way around!'.

Seriously, this series is like that really good friend you had in high school..

Lol, so true. I guess the part that sucks is that there are parts of this book I legitimately like. I really enjoyed the first ten chapters, it read like classic Hollows, and then it turns into 'The Pierce and Rachel show, guest starring Al'. And the contrivances Harrison uses to get Ivy *and* Jenks out of the way are just.. teeth grinding!

I'll go one further and say he's the Northern version of Bill Compton from True Blood.

Heh! Yeah, I can see that too. Only Bill (at least tv!Bill) bothers me far, far less than Pierce. There are moments where I quite like tv!Bill. I have not liked Pierce for one moment and I know that I'll never like him not even for a nanosecond.

So she aping other people's formulas and doing it badly.

nd I'm like 'goddamn woman, you're a NY Times best-selling author. People should be mimicking YOU. Not the other way around!'.

This. Harrison's writing and Harrison's ideas made the series popular. I didn't love book 3, but I long for that quality now. But I went through the first 5 books mostly singing this woman's praises and recommending the series to anyone I could.

Now ... *shakes head* I don't understand how it went so very, very wrong. It's almost hard for me to remember loving these books now.

I guess the part that sucks is that there are parts of this book I legitimately like.

This. Even as much as I loathed WWBC there were aspects of it that I liked, little sections that had me whooping with my old excitement, but then the crap would come again.

At first the series was lots of awesome with minor irritating moments. Now the series is lots of irritating moments with minor moments of good.

And the contrivances Harrison uses to get Ivy *and* Jenks out of the way are just.. teeth grinding!

If you can stand writing about it, lay it on me. I'm a glutton for pain.

If you can stand writing about it, lay it on me. I'm a glutton for pain.

Just remember.. YOU ASKED!! Just sayin'!

The first time the church is attacked, Ivy's arm is broken. Since the coven is tracking/hunting Rachel, they all decide the best course of action is for Rachel to go on the run (which is why she ends up at Nick's). Leaving, of course, Pierce as the only one who can go with Rachel since Jenks has to stay behind and protect the church and Ivy, well, she has to go to the hospital.

Like I'm really supposed to believe Ivy would let something like a broken arm keep her from protecting Rachel? (Or that Jenks didn't think his family was competent enough to protect the church in his absence?) Which would have been fine if it'd been a couple hours of separation as Ivy got her arm put in a cast but, OH NO, this goes ON AND ON. The last time Ivy and Rachel are in the same room together is page 134. They don't reunite again until page 215. Heh, I bookmarked it.

It's not even bad just lame because it's nothing more than a contrivance to get more 'Rachel and Pierce alone time'.

The first time the church is attacked, Ivy's arm is broken. Since the coven is tracking/hunting Rachel, they all decide the best course of action is for Rachel to go on the run (which is why she ends up at Nick's).

Wow! Wow! That's some new and amazing levels of cock-blocking from Cock-Block. Really, a broken arm keeps Ivy out of the action? Ivy is a bad ass, Ivy could have two broken legs and she would find a way to gnaw someone's leg off to protect Rachel. Lame.

And Jenks having to stay behind to protect Ivy? LAME squared. And I'm sorry, dude leaves his family behind all the time and they're fine, so why is this time so different? LAME LAME LAME.

The last time Ivy and Rachel are in the same room together is page 134. They don't reunite again until page 215.

Wow. *shakes head* I'd say I'm disappoint, but this is Cock Block McGee we're talking about so I'm always disappoint.

It's not even bad just lame because it's nothing more than a contrivance to get more 'Rachel and Pierce alone time'.

UGH! UGH!

I'm not sure how spoiled you want to be but something really 'bad' happens and, honestly imo, contains one of the best written scenes of the series. After which, the very bad thing happens, which involves making Ivy look like a wimp so fucking Peirce can be 'special'.

I'm pretty much completely spoiled for the book, so I know what you're talking about involves fire and Rachel changing her mind mid-spell. I won't say more in case people are scrolling down, but I know what the consequences of her action are, and how Kim totally screws Ivy over as well. And just reading the description of it pissed me off, I don't think I would have been able to handle actually reading it.

And the way Ivy's character was not assassinated, but definitely made to look ridiculous to make Pierce look better ... *RAGE SMASH RAGE* I honestly think Kim if not hates, than doesn't like Ivy and is resentful that she's stuck with her. I bet if KH thought she could kill Ivy off without like 90% of her fan-base going ape-shit she would do it. It's like writing about Ivy is a chore for her (except for when she's torturing the character).

ut this is my biggest criticism of hers, she gets *way* too enamored of her male characters.. especially when she shouldn't, especially when it comes at the expense of other characters, like Ivy and Jenks.

This. And it's becoming worse and worse as the series goes on. What I liked about the series at first was that it wasn't all about Rachel and love interests. It was plot first, romance second. That's why Nick didn't really bother me in the first two books, because he was secondary. Even Kisten was fine (when he was alive that is, the retconning of him into Dreamy McDreamerson is annoying as fuck) because it was really more about how he effected Rachel AND Ivy.

Now, it's just Kim going on and on about the male characters because they make her panties moist. This is especially apparent when it comes to Pierce. There's just no excuse for him, other than Kim thinks he's dreamy.

Pierce is Kim's Edward Cullen. Yeah, I said it. The only difference is that S. Meyer managed to somehow make Edward appealing to her target audience, while Kim's fans almost universally hate Pierce and want him to die (for good).

The complaints about Pierce (and the way he talks) were around from WWBC, and still she shoved him down our throats in this book because SHE likes him. And she continued to have him speak like a total douche because she thinks it's charming, even though the fans fucking hate it. *slow clap* Bravo, Cock-Block, bravo!

It's like, why don't you just fucking end the "Rachel Morgan" series and write a whole series about Pierce if you love him so much Cock-Block? That way, fans that actually like Rachel, Ivy and Jenks (you know, the characters the books are supposed to be about) can just not read the Pierce series and be saved the pain.

The only thing I want to know before I keep reading is whether or not Peirce fucking dies.

I honestly can't say for sure. But I think he's still alive at the end. On the Rhombus boards there was a post about how one thing everyone can agree on is that Pierce has to go, so that says to me that the fucker is still breathing at the end of BMS.

Honestly, I'm not going to read the book. I am still perversely interested in knowing what happens though, so if you think there's any pertinent information, feel free to message me and spoil and ran away about the bullshit being thrown at us.

And the way Ivy's character was not assassinated, but definitely made to look ridiculous to make Pierce look better ... *RAGE SMASH RAGE*

I'm not sure what about that scene pissed me off more, Ivy not willing to take a little smut on her soul to help her BEST FRIEND or Rachel not pausing long enough to try and convince her. In essence, Ivy was ditched so Pierce could be the one to 'get through to Jenks'.

It's like you said. I really don't think she expected the character to become as popular as she has and now she's stuck with her. Considering she hasn't released a non-Hollows novel since 2006, I really do think she should take a break from it and write whatever it is that she's forcing into the Hollows.

I am glad to know Pierce is universally loathed by the fandom. It'll be interesting to see the sales numbers for this one. Because my recommendation is definitely of the 'don't waste your money on the hardcover' variety.

Ivy not willing to take a little smut on her soul to help her BEST FRIEND

Oh dear god, I didn't realize THAT'S why Ivy chickened out. We've seen her before wary of magic and I just figured that she was scared. But to have the reason be that she didn't want to dirty her aura ... I don't even know who to express my outrage in typing.

Rachel not pausing long enough to try and convince her

The sad thing is that's pretty typical Rachel behavior. Ivy behavior is really surprising, but Rachel being a douche is pretty par the course.

I really don't think she expected the character to become as popular as she has and now she's stuck with her

I really think this is it. Especially with how she changed her opinion on Ivy from being her favorite to write to being the hardest to write. It's almost like she heaped way too baggage on Ivy, and then didn't know how to write her after making her so fucked up. So she just heaps more shit on Ivy because she can write Ivy when she's all tragic and suffering, and then ignores her when she's not being tortured because she doesn't know how to write 'happy' Ivy.

I really do think she should take a break from it and write whatever it is that she's forcing into the Hollows.

This. Please. Spare us. We'd rather have to wait longer for a new Hollows book, then have them turned out at a rapid pace and LOATHE them. Handle yer shit, then come back to the series.

It'll be interesting to see the sales numbers for this one. Because my recommendation is definitely of the 'don't waste your money on the hardcover' variety.

See, the thing is, I think people might have been tricked and the sales might be okay. Because the beginning of the book is GOOD. Like you said, it's classic Hollows. If people read the first seven chapters on line they probably rushed out to buy it. And if they picked up a book in store and read it, they probably bought it because by 7 chapters in you think you have a good idea what the book is going to be like.

If that was her plan, to lull people into a false sense of quality with the first 7 chapters so they'd buy it, then well done Cock Block because it probably worked.

I wonder is sales for the next one will down though. It's kind of a 'fool we once' scenario where I'm now not gonna be tricked by the opening of one of the books and others might not be either.

Still, the cynical part of me thinks that her sales will go on being good enough to justify keeping the series going simple because people are invested enough from the first 5 books to keep on reading on the hope that things will get better (even though they're just getting progressively worse and worse). I know, I wish I could walk away entirely, but I'm still loitering around ... hoping (though that hope is steadily fading).

Sorry to barge in on the ranting, but I can't let you think that Ivy refused to take the spell because of smut. She did it because she actually saw what went in it and "couldn't do it." Better? Worse? I don't know, but that's her reason for you.

****SPOILERS (BIG ONES)****

I don't know if you know, but the spell in question made you pixy-sized. Rachel used it so she could go give Jenks a hug after Matalina died in an attack on the church. That Ivy backed out of that made me want to strangle something cute and fuzzy.

I'm totally with Trancer about that scene. What the fuck was KH thinking forcing Pierce into it? Ivy should have been there. Ivy knows loss. As a vampire, she lives in a society that is completely centered on loss, grief and ghosts. It could have been a perfect opportunity to have at least ONE fucking moment for Ivy to shine in the whole. But noooo, you got more Pierce shoved down your throat. It's definitely the story of BMS.

I don't know, but that's her reason for you.

Yep. You're right. Her reasoning's aren't explained very well. I just assumed that whatever was in it scared Ivy enough to not want that kinda smut on her soul, ya know.

But, yeah, that was one of those moments that really should have been about Jenks, Rachel and Ivy. Then KH just Pierce-pissed all over it!

Yep. You're right. Her reasoning's aren't explained very well.

It was just contrivance. There is no logical way to have Ivy make a decision like that, which is why I'm guessing it was glazed over. It's also probably why Rachel didn't try to convince Ivy, because there would have been no way to have Ivy continue to refuse when it was pointed out how nonsensical her position was.

Pierce-pissed all over it!

LOL.

She did it because she actually saw what went in it and "couldn't do it."

Still incredibly lame and out of character. This at least doesn't make her seem like a douche, but it still makes her seem like a stupid, scaredy-cat idiot which is just as bad when we're talking about Ivy Tamwood, you know.

What the fuck was KH thinking forcing Pierce into it?

KH was thinking that Pierce gives her girl-wood and she wanted to write more of his to get her jollies.

As a vampire, she lives in a society that is completely centered on loss, grief and ghosts. It could have been a perfect opportunity to have at least ONE fucking moment for Ivy to shine in the whole.

You are so spot on about this. If ever there was a scene tailor made for Ivy to have a moment, this should have been it. Ivy's whole life as been loss.

This is one of those things that has nothing to do with Ravy rage, and is just respect for your characters, consistency of plot, and development of your CORE characters rage.

Kim's like a three year old who gets distracted by new characters like they're shiny new toys and then throws her old toys down the stairs so that she doesn't have to think about them when she's playing with the new ones.

But it's like, 'Guess what? Your fans ... you know the people giving you money, THEY LIKE THE OLD TOYS!!!"

*sigh*

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Oh. My. God.

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