Pale Demon (The Hollows #9)

I am completely in love with this series. Kim Harrison has a background in science that shows throughout the series and makes this urban fantasy world and the writing extraordinary. Other fantasy series that tend to be based around romance and religion can not hold a candle to what Harrison has created. First of all, I am obsessed with Al and will be heart-broken if they do not end up together. He is my favorite character of any book ever. He is everything that Rachel needs and the only character that is wild, powerful, and unpredictable enough to keep Rachel from being bored during her long life. I also love that life does not come easy for him. He is poor and enterprising and I love that about him. I am sick of strong women in novels always ending up with the rich guy. The provider. It’s arcahic. Trent is powerful and has money and I have a feeling that he will end up being Rachel’s “happily ever after” but it makes me sad. Reading the reviews it looks like that is what most readers of the series wants. It sucks. Are we in the 1950s where a man needs to be a multi billionaire to be good enough for the heroine? I find him too boreing for Rachel. He also does not have a sense of humor. Let him find a nice elf girl and be done with him romantically. I like him as a friend of Rachel’s, but please give her Al as her “happily ever after.” Al is EVERYTHING Rachel needs. And they’re both the same species. I like Rachel poor, wild, funny, and enterprising and I want her with Al! This book is my favorite in the series (because Al!!!) and I can’t wait to read the next books. Thank you Kim for being such a smart woman and writer and creating a world that I love so much.

So I’m pretty sure that I’ve said this several times already, but just in case you missed it—Pale Demon is my FAVORITE book in this series. Things have been building, and Rachel’s life has been getting more complicated, but by the end of the last book, it looks like she’s finally going to catch a break. Oliver, the new head of the coven of moral and ethical standards, has verbally agreed to remove Rachel’s shunning at the upcoming Witch Convention, as long as she shows up to said convention and apologizes publicly for her use of black magic. So that’s the plan . . . BUT . . . \”As much as I needed to do this, I was so-o-o-o not looking forward to it. I mean, I’d been accused of being a black witch–of doing black magic and consorting with demons, both of which I did. Do. Whatever.\” So yeah . . . life is still complicated, and Rachel (being Rachel) is going to have a hard time apologizing for something that she, 1. is still doing, and 2. is seeing as less and less of a problem. She doesn’t deliberately try to make things as difficult for herself as she can, but she does have a certain knack for it, doesn’t she? And that’s not all, b/c we soon find out that the coven of moral and ethical standards (CoMaES) is a bit more slippery than anticipated. Rachel actually has to get to the convention for the shunning to be removed, you see, and it’s evident that the CoMaES is going to try to prevent that when Rachel is kept from boarding her flight to CA where the convention is being held.<——NOT nice. But not entirely unexpected as Ivy and Jenks took the liberty of packing Rachel’s suitcases with old magazines, and repacking her things in different bags, so that when the airport “lost” her luggage, it wouldn’t be a problem. Did I mention that Trent is trying to catch a ride with Rachel to the West Coast? I didn’t? Hmmm . . . that’s odd. TRENT is trying to CATCH A RIDE with RACHEL to the WEST COAST. That’s like . . . DAYS in a car with Trent. Trent the sexy elf. Trent whom I love to hate. DAYS. With TRENT. And, of course, she says, “NO,” b/c Rachel, but, of course, she changes her mind . . . b/c Rachel. “Why does Trent need to catch a ride with Rachel to the West Coast?” you ask, and that is an excellent question. It is, perhaps, the most excellent question I have goaded you into asking thus far. And when I tell you to READ THE BOOK, I mean it more in this situation than any other time I’ve told you to READ THE BOOK. Trust me. You NEED to know. N-E-E-D. I can tell you that the Withons (Ellasbeth’s parents, and presumably Ellasbeth, herself) are doing everything in their power to prevent Trent from getting to the West Coast, including, but not limited to, sending ASSASSINS. So that’s fun. I’m reluctant to say much about the biggest problem they encounter on the road, b/c it first appears well after the 10% point, which is where my cut-off is for mentioning specifics, but suffice it to say, that there is a BIG problem. A problem so BIG that it’s probably not possible to resolve it entirely in a single installment. And then there’s the Big Deal. The thing that makes Pale Demon my favorite book in the series. The thing that makes me go back and read an entire passage over and over (and over) again. Yes, the plot is awesome, and yes, there is awesome character development—especially where Al, Rachel, and Trent are concerned—but those things alone are not what push this installment into the 5 star zone. If you’re even remotely interested in this series . . . if you’ve let yourself fall behind, and tell yourself that you’ll finish the series eventually, if you are either of those things, this is the book that makes it all worthwhile, and you are doing yourself a MAJOR disservice by not catching up and reading it. It’s frickin’ awesome. It’s on the same level as Kate Daniels #3 in its epic amazingness. Hopefully, you’re convinced, but if you’re not . . . well, you can lead a horse to water, blah blah, and all that. That is all. *runs off to read that entire passage one more time*

Charles Shingledecker Pale Demon (book 9 of The Hallows series) has solidified Kim Harrison, at least in my mind, as the best Urban Fantasy writer working today. Yes, better than Jim Butcher. The Hallows series has evolved, from its good beginnings with Dead Witch Walking, into one of the all time great fantasy series of the last twenty years. I try, at all costs to avoid Spoilers, and will do so here as well, but Pale Demon drags the reader along through a gauntlet of emotions: thrills, pain, comedy, gut wrenching moments that will tug on those proverbial heart strings, a car chase (which. Harrison, somehow makes exciting. No easy task for a novelist), and numerous awesome battles with a crazed demon! The magic system of The Hallows is layered and complex, but clear and simple to understand. However, for those who dig for the depth to such things, there is plenty for us to dig into. The history of the elves (and these are no clichéd, epic fantasy elves, BUT they are ELVES) the history of demons, witches, and how their histories intertwine is one of the most fun things about this series. And then there are the relationships! The relationships between the characters have always been interesting and multilayered. But what has amazed me is that characters you once thought were pure jerks, turn out to have sides to them explaining why they project that facade out into the world. Whether it\’s Rachel and Trent, Rachel and Al, or Rachel Ivy, there are no black and white, easy answers to our heroines ongoing problems. Nor are there easy answers for us, the readers on Rachel\’s journey. But the journey is always fascinating, surprising, and satisfying. This is the best book of the series, this far. And I\’ve just bought book ten, A Perfect Blood. I can\’t wait to begin reading it. One word of warning, I\’m not sure if you could pick up the series with book nine and know exactly what is going on. I suppose you could, but you would miss a LOT. I highly recommend you, at the very least, pick up the series at book 6, which is a good midway point for the series arc. But Harrison is such a skilled writer! I\’m sure beginning with book 9 would be possible. But you\’ll miss part of Rachel\’s journey from where she was at the beginning (a witch working outside of the bounds of the norms) to where she is NOW! No spoilers, but damn, this series is good! Give it a try. By far the best Urban Fantasy on the market today!

Not only is Pale Demon my favourite of the nine books in The Hallows series so far, but I would go as far as to say its one of my favourite books ever. I have loved each of The Hallows series but this book has surpassed them all. It grips the reader from start to finish, with a thrilling storyline filled with twists and turns and also fantastic characterisation, all tied together neatly and at the same time moving the series forward as a whole. The basic premise is that Rachel has three days to get to the annual witches conference to appeal to the Coven of moral and ethical standards to revoke her status of \”Black Witch\” and remove her shunning. As well as a gripping plot Harrison uses Pale Demon to show the reader sides of each of the characters that we won\’t have seen before, revealing motives and reasoning behind why some of them behave the way they do. I personally found myself seeing certain characters in a whole new light, warming to them in a way I didn\’t think I would. Her writing style is as quick witted and humerous as always with snappy dialogue and excellent descriptive narrative. A definite must for all fans of the Hallows and would highly recommend that people new to the Hallows pick up Dead Witch Walking (Rachel Morgan 1) (Book one of the hallows) as the entire series is fantastic. I can\’t emphasise enough how much I enjoyed this book! You won\’t be disappointed!

Well done Kim Harrison. I couldn\’t put this down, but tried to slow myself down because I wanted to make it last. If you have been enjoying the Rachel Morgan series this won\’t disappoint. Rachel still suffers from her slightly blinkered approach to life (she needs to think more) but is as engaging as ever and you keep on hoping she might just get the Coven of (supposed) Moral and Ethical Standards to rescind her shunning. Getting to the witches conference to do just that is the focus of the book, and naturally the Coven doesn\’t play fair. As ever, the politics of the situation are just as important as the magic. What should be a simple flight cross country quickly turns into a world-shaking road trip. Of course it does, this is Rachel Morgan and pals (they keep on blaming her, but I think they should look to their own behaviour, particularly Trent!!). I can\’t say much more without giving away the plot, but certain questions are answered, new mysteries are hinted at, and there are plenty of surprises, even if you are fairly sure of where the plot is generally heading. I think that is one of the best things about Kim Harrison\’s writing. Even if she hasn\’t stated something might be happening, certain things (like with Trent planning certain things) don\’t come across as \’cheating\’ because you would expect someone as manipulative, successful, powerful and rich like Trent to be doing exactly that. Also, Harrison has clearly mapped out her world in decent detail, and thought about what might happen if Rachel and co are crossing the country in car. The norms of Cincinnati don\’t apply everywhere. And therefore the surprises that Rachel and co don\’t anticipate are surprises for the reader too, again, without you feeling that you\’ve been fed a red herring. And congratulations to the publishers for finally hitting on this sort of cover. I have never really like the US or UK covers to date. This seems to capture the essence of Rachel to me, and I\’m hoping you can start adding in some of the other characters too…

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