Book Review: Pale Demon
by Kim Harrison
Hollows # 9
Rachel Morgan needs to travel to San Francisco for the annual witches convention in order to clear her name and have her sanction listed. Blocked from flying by those who want to maintain the sanction, she takes a cross country car trip accompanied by a motley crew: her partners, Ivy and Jenks, and her semi-foe, Trent Kalamack. Along the way they face vengeful witches, aggressive elves and a powerful demon.
It's true that it's harder to critique books you enjoy than books you didn't like. It's difficult to describe how much you found favor with while sounding intelligent and not gushing. I have that problem here. I've been reading Harrison's Hollows series for several years now. She's actually one of the handful of authors that I pre-order.
Rachel Morgan has become one of my favorite modern characters (and will be on a Top 5 list posted in the next week or so). One of the reasons I like her so much is that she is flawed. She screws up. She accidentally hurts the people she cares about. Even with all that, she never gives up. She keeps on going and trying her hardest to live a life she can respect. Rachel is just like the rest of us (well, disregarding the whole witch/demon thing). She is the type of friend that is worth having, one who will do anything in her power to support and help. In Pale Demon, she faces the highest witchy authority who fails her, and a demon that even other demons fear, but finds an ally in an unexpected place.
Kim Harrison has done some wonderful character development with this series. She brings all their faults and successes to live with a vividness that makes the characters seems all the more real. Ivy and Jenks continue on their paths but this novel particularly brings Al, Rachel's demon teacher, and Trent, Rachel's 'it's complicated' to the forefront. I must admit, I like Al. I have liked him since A Few Demons More. Even while being an amoral son of a bitch, you can still tell that he cares for Rachel and values her. Trent has grown on me as well. In this book, we gain more insight into why he does what he does and see how his life has changed since meeting Rachel. He, like many of her friends, has become a stronger, and better person.
I wouldn't recommend jumping straight into this series with Pale Demon. There is too much back story a new reader would be missing though it is covered fairly well. You won't lose by reading the entire series. It's a winner and promises to continue with style.
Pale Demon by Kim Harrison on Bookshop.org.
BIS Rating: 5 nightlights (I stayed up to 2 am to finish this one.)
BIS Rating system:
1 nightlight = put it down and didn't care to pick it back up
2 nightlights = finished the book
3 nightlights = enjoyed the book but probably wouldn't re-read it
4 nightlights = had a hard time putting the book down
5 nightlights = stayed up way too late to finish instead of going to bed
(originally published 2 March 2011)