Pale Demon
The Hollows #9
Kim Harrison

Harper Voyager / HarperCollins
February 2011/ ISBN 978-0061138061
Urban Fantasy
Amazon

Reviewed by Jan Fields

Pale Demon is the ninth installment in Harrison's The Holows series and the second that I've read. Rachel Morgan is on a road trip to her brother's wedding. She just needs to make a quick stop to the annual witch convention in San Francisco where she hopes to be pardoned for using black magic. The trip is complicated by the presence of an elf she doesn't trust, a pixie she does, and her vampire-ish friend and fellow bounty hunter. As if that doesn't mix it up enough, someone in the group decides to unleash a demon that can walk in daylight and pretty much wants to kill everybody. With that kind of mix, the story can't help but have lots of near-death action and snarky good humor. I loved it. I loved the multi-layered challenges Rachel Morgan must face. She doesn't know who to trust. She doesn't know how far even to trust herself and her own demon magic powers. And she's so conflicted about men that she's the poster girl for the American woman. For someone new to the series, there are a lot of characters to make sense of, but the story ride is well worth the effort.

Reviews of other titles in this series

For a Few Demons More #5
The Outlaw Demon Wails # 6
White Witch, Black Curse #7
Black Magic Sanction #8
Pale Demon # 9
A Perfect Blood #10

Into The Woods (Hallows & Beyond)