Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows, Book 1)

Twilight fans may like this, but it wasn't deep enough for me. (2010-07-27) : 3/5
I got this for free from one of the Free Fridays e-book offers B&N is doing on their e-reader / nook blog, so I'll try to be nice.

Overall, I was sort of underwhelmed by this novel. I'm not much into the whole supernatural realism / urban fantasy trend that has been growing, but this book didn't manage to turn me off immediately, so I guess that's a positive. The characters were introduced pretty well and the back-story of the alternate history was filled in piecemeal in the earlier chapters, though it was a bit shallow in the details and it felt like only a partial recap. Overall the story was well planned out, however many of the plot threads were left unresolved at the conclusion in an obvious attempt for a continuing series. Some of there characters were only sparingly described as I suppose they would be featured more prominently in later novels, but as this was the first book in the series, I was left disappointed with what I got. Between the less than impressive writing style and the plot that did not manage to keep me hooked, I won't be reading any more of the series (unless they pop up for free, but even then it still wouldn't cause to drop whatever book I'd be in the middle of at the time).

I gave it a 3/5 since it was free and I actually read the entire book, but if I had to base my decision on the sample chapters, I wouldn't have bought it. It had a lot of potential that just wasn't filled.
Great series! (2010-07-16) : 5/5
I was an avid reader up until I had my first child, but the demands of motherhood slowed me down. I began many books, however, I found myself less than enthralled and couldn't will myself to finish them. I got back on the so-called saddle once I picked up Twilight. My love of reading was rekindled and I have been devouring every book that piques my interest since, especially now that I have a Kindle. I was feeling a loss at the end of the Twilight saga and I was itching for a supernatural story that was exciting, fun, sexy, and full of witty characters. I found that in The Hollows, I absolutely LOVE Kim Harrison's style. Don't listen to the critics, these books are fantastic.
Great read and great series (2010-06-16) : 5/5
After reading the first Twilight book, I didn't think vampire, witch, "otherworld" books were for me but Kim Harrison proved me wrong. She develops the characters so fully, I felt they were real. I honestly missed them when the book was finished. I read the whole series and can't wait for more.
Bland and uninspiring (2010-06-16) : 3/5
As a fan of urban fantasy with sassy/snarky protagonists, this book was very disappointing. The created world did not seem very original or even believable (tomatoes? really?). The plot plodded along with a bland main character in very predictable ways. As a fan of the Dresden Files, early Anita Blake, and the Cal Leandros series, I found this book sorely lacking.
Should I give it the sixth chance? (2010-06-05) : 2/5
I started reading this book five times. I really tried. The characters were ok, but the amount of fantasy world explaining that the author has to do to introduce you into this world makes reading laborious and not really fun. After the fifth time I decided that I don't really have to struggle. I just want a fun fantasy read. Maybe if this book was in a movie form and some artists already put all the explanation into the visual, then I could get the story and not be stuck in trying to get the details. I read some review that said that the first chapter is too slow. Maybe I should give it a sixth chance? Start from the second chapter? I don't know. Meanwhile I am looking into the option of deleting it off my Kindle entirely.