Pale Demon

This is the 9th book in the Hollows series by Harrison. Last I heard Harrison is contracted for twelve books in this series. I got an advanced copy of this book both from Librarything's Early Reviewer program and an e-book copy from netgalley(dot)com. I have to admit I wasn't big on the previous two books in this series so I was a bit worried about where this book would take the series. Well, I shouldn't have worried! This was an absolutely excellent book in the series.

Rachel has cut a deal with the Coven, if she comes before them and apologizes for using black magic then her shunning will be revoked. Only Trent has other ideas. Trent is going on an elf quest of sorts and wants Rachel to help get him to the west coast since she is show more already going there for her trial. Rachel is reluctant to agree but after the Coven prevents her from flying it looks like a road trip with Trent might be her only option. So...it's time for a crazy road trip. What happens when you get Ivy, Jenks, Rachel, and Trent in a car together...well lots of crazy stuff of course! Will Rachel's shunning be revoked? Exactly what is Trent up to? Will the fact that all witches are just stunted demons finally be revealed?

This was an absolutely wonderful book. We finally have our old Rachel back. I was not impressed with the 7th (White Witch, Black Curse) and 8th (Black Magic Sanction) books in this series and was worried that the series was going to get worse. Well it didn't it got better. There was a lot of the things I love about this series in this book and none of the stuff that was annoying me.

Finally we are back to the main plot (no strange side stories about banshees) and Rachel is dealing with her shunning and with the realization that all witches are demons. We get to learn a lot more about Trent in this book and that is a wonderful thing. He has always been a mysterious character and you learn more about him and his past than ever before. You also get to learn a lot more about Rachel's demon tutor Al; some awesome things are revealed about the Everafter and the demons who dwell there.

Gone is the whiny, indecisive Rachel that plagued the previous two books. The Rachel in this book is the Rachel of old, but smarter. She can kick-butt (and does quite often in this book), she is focused, smart, and not ashamed of who she is. It was great to see Rachel finally find her feet in this book and get back to the things that mattered.

I was also relieved that Ivy and Rachel don't dwell on their relationship (I feel like that has been hashed and re-hashed in this series). They work great as a team and have learned how to keep things in balance. This book feels like the series is on the edge of some major changes for all of the characters. Things are changing with how the characters interact and what we know about them.

The ending wraps up the main storyline well, but still leaves you yearning to read more...just like the earlier books did. This book was full of all of my favorite characters and lots of action; it was very hard to put down and very well written.

Overall an absolutely stellar addition to this series. If you thought the previous couple books in the series were lackluster, fear not, this book redeems the series. All of our favorite characters are back, Rachel is ready to deal with her life again like a big girl, and we get to learn a lot more about Trent and Al. Loved it and cannot wait to read the next book in the series. show less

What do you do when you’re 8 books into a series and you need to shake up the character dynamics a bit?

You take all of your main characters and shove them into a Buick and make them drive cross-country in three days.

Harrison could have written an entire book just about that road trip. Friendships and alliances are tested, and new alliances are formed. Along the way they’re challenged by elves, pixies, and one particularly nasty demon. But some of the most interesting things happen once they reach their destination.

Not only are the interpersonal dynamics in flux, but Rachel also changes a lot. She’s forced to look very hard at herself and make some decisions, once and for all, about what it means to be a white witch or a black show more witch. And the result of it all could be a sea change for the series

I am still in love with this series. I’ve enjoyed how Rachel has grown and matured, even if she still slips into old behaviors from time to time. Trent is a particularly intriguing character in this book, though I did guess his big secret almost immediately. He could have easily been written off as bit player early in the series, but instead he’s more important than ever. The one big criticism I do have has to do with his quest. I understand that the point of view the book is written in doesn’t allow us to go on the quest with Trent without Rachel going along, but there were still things about it that bugged me. Like, how in the heck did they get back to San Francisco in that amount of time? Ah well.

Harrison has left us at a very interesting crossroads in The Hollows, and I can’t wait to see what comes next. show less

I've always felt this series is a bit uneven, but when it's good, it's really great. This book is the best in the series so far. HUGE plot, that never stops, TONS of character moments, and great style. I'm not sure why Rachel has to kiss, well, pretty much everyone, in the book, but that was fun too. I love the direction this is going. I rarely feel like re-reading a book right after I've read it, but this one fits the bill! Highly recommended.

What happens when a witch, a pixy, a vampire and a fairy take a road trip? Sounds like a setup for a bad joke. Rachel, Trent, Jenks and Ivy have to get to the West Coast in three days. Rachel has to get to the annual Witches' Meeting where she is supposed to have the sanctions on her lifted. Trent has his own secret reasons for needing to go to the coast too. Jenks and Ivy come along to help Rachel and Rachel agrees to help Trent with his journey in exchange for his positive testimony at her hearing.

I loved the family dynamics and the sly humor of the road trip. I cracked up when Trent asked the universal question, "Are we there yet?" But it wasn't an ordinary road trip. Along the way they are joined by Coven witch Vivian who was show more following along to report to the Coven if Rachel did any black magic and Pierce who is sent by Al to keep Rachel alive even though he currently hates her for preventing him from killing Al.

They also have to deal with a group of pixies kidnapping Jenks and a day-walking demon named Ku'Sox who has the nasty habit of eating souls and who is more than a match for Rachel's skills. I liked that Rachel is learning more about her demon powers and coming to some self-acceptance. I also liked that the long-running conflict with the Coven looks like it is coming to some sort of resolution.

The most interesting part of the story for me was Rachel's changing relationship with Trent. She has always had sort of a love-hate relationship with him. Trent doesn't make it easy to love him as he is extremely guarded and shifty. We get more of a chance to see into his character in this one than we have in previous books. I look forward to continuing on in the series to find out what happens next with that relationship.

This story had a lot to do with changes. Rachel grows and changes throughout the series but this one seemed especially to focus on her growth. Rachel wants to have her life back and resume the activities she did earlier in the series. She is kind of blind about what is happening to her. It takes Ivy talking to her for her to realize that she isn't the same anymore and has to find a new normal.

This story was well-written and engaging but not a good entry point for readers new to the series. Fans will love it and not want to miss it though. show less

I'm going to preface this review by saying that if I hadn't read interviews and blog posts about this and future books then I would've awarded more stars. Perhaps I'll calm down later and see the light but for now, I'm a bull pawing the sand with my head lowered snorting in anger and frustration despite the fact that I quite enjoyed this book. It's where we go from now that troubles me.

The first half was slow with only a couple of blood-pumping action scenes. The road trip itself, although giving the characters time to bond with Trent was a bit tedious. I was beginning to believe the book had been misrepresented to me and was tempted to abandon it. And although it got better, I was kind of right. It's not what I expected at all.

This show more book was supposed to be about two things: Trent and Rachel becoming closer and Rachel's fight to get the shunning removed. I was in it for the former but couldn't see it happening with Trent becoming criminally dangerous with his arrogance.

I assumed, as I'm guessing many others will, that Rachel and Trent would have a fling, Trent would ruin things and they both would move on. Not so. Something more serious transpired. They learned to trust each other. Trent rightfully earned everyone's trust. He sacrificed much for Rachel and instead of imposing his will, he gave her a choice. A very important choice. Trent changed in this book partly due to a rather surprising development he'd been keeping secret which now has him tied to Rachel in a way that would have me believing Rachel and Trent will become an item in the next book, the last scene backing me up on this.

However, and this is where I get annoyed, Harrison has stated that Rachel and Trent will not become long term romantic partners. She has even been dropping hints about Rachel's future love interests (all current ones except Trent are no longer possible) in blog posts. This made me angry. I feel like I've been manipulated despite knowing all of this going in. The writing was so good regarding this that I believed they would become an item. Everything points to it becoming a done deal. I don't understand why she would do this, other than to make Trent Rachel's protector, which she now desperately needs to survive.

All of this makes me wonder what Harrison's long-term plan with this series is. I'm concerned about repetitiveness at this point. Rachel's predicament by the end of PD is a return to one she had at the beginning, just replace "black witch" with "demon". This is the 9th book. It almost read like the last. I could happily not read another and not just because I'm disgruntled. I can imagine what could come next but it probably doesn't match what Harrison has in store for us.

I've been questioning my commitment to this series. Kisten's demise led to a break away from it and since then I've missed him. Trent is/was someone I could see Rachel settling with because even though he has, as she puts it: a 'disrespect of innocent lives' and the law, they have great chemistry and now they care and perhaps even love (at least a little) one another. Trent has proven he'll do anything, and I mean anything, to protect what and whom he cares about so I'm failing to understand why...Oh, never mind. This is embarrassing. I'm an action fan, not a romance queen. I'm whining so it's time to shut up now. show less

"I've always felt this series is a bit uneven, but when it's good, it's really great. This book is the best in the series so far. HUGE plot, that never stops, TONS of character moments, and great style. I'm not sure why Rachel has to kiss, well, pretty much everyone, in the book, but that was fun too. I love the direction this is going. I rarely feel like re-reading a book right after I've read it, but this one fits the bill! Highly recommended."

Pale Demon
4 Stars

In need of protection during his mysterious elf quest, Trent Kalamack cajoles Rachel into allowing him to join her as she travels west for a Coven meeting, and the situation goes downhill from there. With assassins and demons on their trail. Rachel and company will be lucky if they arrive in one piece.

The road trip format of this installment is very entertaining and allows readers to gain some real insight into Harrison's characters, especially Trent whose actions and motivations have been quite obscure until this point. As a fan of Trent's from the first book, it is rewarding to see the humanity lurking beneath his cold and haughty facade, and to realize that his actions, however misguided, have noble intentions. show more

Jenks and Ivy also join in although neither plays a significant role in this book. In fact, for the first time, they are both rather superfluous in the narrative and function as nothing more than the ubiquitous sidekick and damsel in distress. This is unfortunate as they are both compelling characters in their own right, especially Ivy whose backstory is so appealing, and it is a pity to see their potential being wasted.

Algelirept, on the other hand, becomes more interesting with each installment. The cruel and sadistic demon of the first few books has become both a mentor and a champion for Rachel (although he still reveals his diabolical tendencies from time to time). Moreover, there is some sort of secret in his past that is hinted at and I am hopeful that the details will be forthcoming sooner rather than later.

The villains in this one are both decidedly nasty. Whether it is Oliver, the cowardly and hypocritical leader of the Coven of Ethical Standards, who is not above murdering an innocent witch for his own self-righteous reasons, or the sick and twisted day-walking demon with a huge chip on his shoulder. Both appear to get their just desserts; however, it is still possible that we have yet to see the last of them.

Finally, Rachel is in her element here whether she is fighting off elven assassins, murderous witches, bloodthirsty pixies, or demented demons. She is also beginning to accept her true nature and the powers that come along with it.

In sum, Pale Demon is an action packed and exciting read. The developments in Rachel and Trent's relationship are so intriguing and I cannot wait to see what happens between them. show less