vrijdag 18 maart 2011

Kim Harrison – Pale Demon

The ninth book in the Rachel Morgan series, published march 2011.

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Condemned and shunned for black magic, Rachel Morgan has three days to get to the annual witches' conference and clear her name, or be trapped in the demonic ever-after . . . forever after.
But a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car going across the country? Talk about a recipe for certain disaster, even without being the targets for assassination.
For after centuries of torment, a fearsome demon walks in the sunlight - freed at last to slay the innocent and devour their souls. But his ultimate goal is Rachel Morgan, and in the fight for survival that follows, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.


This story continues where Black Magic Sanction stops. Rachel wants to go to San Francisco, to the witches’ conference to get the shunning rescinded, but the Council won’t give up that easily. They do everything to prevent her from arriving in time. So when she cannot go on a plane herself, she is forced to take Trent with her, as he wants her. He has some business on the East Coast himself, but doesn’t want to tell her about it. Trouble follows wherever they go, and assassins are hot on their trail. Only they are not after Rachel this time, they are after Trent. And protecting him is not easy. So, Trent summons a demon. And not just any old demon but the only one capable of walking in the sun. And once freed from his prison, he won’t go back.
And spotting Rachel as different, he is interested in capturing her for himself. And not even Al is strong enough to safe her this time. Rachel has to do that herself. And when the witches Council betrays her, claims her to be a demon and have Trent curse her to the ever-after, she has to learn to live with her self. To embrace her demon half. So why should she help the humans after they thrown her out?


This is one series you have to read in order, to get the story. Where one book ends, the next just goes on, without much looking back. Bad things keep happening to Rachel, almost never letting her catch her breath, have fun for a while. No particular man in her life, although there are some who want her. Like Pierce, Al and maybe Trent? But she cannot, dare not, trust them. So you get a story filled with lots of action, and magic. Demons and witches, vampires, elves and pixies. Even when they are driving long hours across America, it is not boring.
This is a series that just sucks you in, and won’t let go until you read the last page.

Even among the action and pain, there is some humor, okay, mostly sarcasm, and no joy. But there is a strong bond between Rachel and her friends, and she is a good person who is given a very hard faith. But in the end of the story, she just might have gotten some breathing room, a choice for what she wants to be. So I am very curious to know what she will choose, or what bad thing will come along so she won’t have a choice anymore.
No love scenes in this one, only a few kisses. And some parts are heavy with emotion, and yes, I did cry once. For Ivy and Rachel.

I did not like this one as I have liked the first ones in the series. Not everything was bad then, and Rachel did enjoy life at least some of the time. But I will keep following this series as it has grown on me, and I just have to find out what will happen next. There is not really a story arc going somewhere, something to be solved. Perhaps the problems in the ever-after, and the demons?

8 stars.


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