Pale Demon (Early Review)

Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

The Hollows #9

 Condemned to death for black magic and shunned, Rachel Morgan has three days to somehow get to the annual witches convention in San Francisco and clear her name. If she fails, the only way she can escape death is to live in the demonic ever after . . . for ever after.

Banned from the flight lists, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack, headed for the West Coast for her own mysterious business. But Rachel isn’t the only passenger along for the ride. Can a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car survive for over 2,300 miles? And that’s not counting the assassin on their tail.

A fearsome demon walks the sunlight, freed after centuries of torment to slay the innocent and devour souls. But his ultimate prey is Rachel Morgan. While the powerful witch with nerves of steel will do whatever it takes to stay alive, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.

In a last ditch effort to escape a permanent residence in the ever after, Rachel heads west by car to try and clear her name. Much to her surprise, Trent comes along for the ride, with a mysterious task of his own. It's a trip bordering on insanity when you add Jenks and Ivy to the mix, and it will take nothing short of a miracle to keep them from killing one another before they reach their destination. The trip alone would have been more than enough to handle but then a crazy day-walking demon shows up and sets its sights on Rachel. If she is to survive, she must face her biggest challenge yet, trusting Trent.

Sometimes I really feel bad for Rachel. She can be so very naive, almost to the point of insanity. She has such a strong sense of honor, and honestly believes that others will uphold to honor as well. She is crushed time and time again when they don't. It never ceases to amaze me how everyone can label her black and evil when she has morals that will outshine and outlast anyone. To survive what she has without any real "blood" on her hands is amazing and makes her so admirable. I can only hope before the series is over that everyone will finally look past the surface and see her for who she really is. Most people could learn a few life and morality lessons from her example.

I haven't felt a connection to any of the men in Rachel's life since Kisten. His death hit me harder than any other death in all the books I have read. I knew at some point one of the characters would effect me enough to feel a real connection for that person and Rachel, but I never would have guessed that person would be Trent. When I first started this series I thought that Trent was an absolute slime ball. Now however, I'm starting to really think that he and Rachel would be perfect for each other. Now that I have this new opinion, as I look back through the series, all of their interactions seem to have new meaning. Perhaps I'm just seeing what I want to, but I really think there might be something there, it's just a matter of them admitting it. I hope.

This book is one big roller coaster and it grasped me almost instantly and just wouldn't let go. It kept me up until the wee hours of the morning and stayed in my mind through my dreams and even now the next day. It has been a long time since a book has really affected me as much as this one. If you are a fan of this series, this book cannot possibly disappoint. The ending really twisted things up, and I cannot wait to see how Rachel handles everything that has changed.

(Received via Netgalley)

Rating:

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Pale Demon (The Hollows)

Challenge Categories:
Outdo Yourself
Horror and Urban Fantasy
Vampire