lindaunconventionalbookworms's review
5.0
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
Pale Demon brings out the best in all the characters I now know and love! In order to save herself, Rachel needs to be at the annual witches conference to try and clear her name.
Pale Demon brings out the best in all the characters I now know and love! In order to save herself, Rachel needs to be at the annual witches conference to try and clear her name.
finalgirlreads's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
4.0
Honestly, this series is like my Supernatural. I can and do binge read several chapters at a time. It's so damn good and this was another great installment in the Hollows series. Plenty of humor and shenanigans to be had when Rachel essentially road trips with Ivy,Jenks, and Trent?! I really loved this one.
laurenjodi's review against another edition
4.0
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.
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.
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.
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.
lynseyisreading's review
5.0
This is by far the best book of the series to date. And I say that for many reasons, some of which I will get to in a moment, but I'd be a big liar, liar pants on fire if I didn't fess up to loving it mostly because of the amount of Trent there was in it. My enjoyment of any Hollows book is at least partially influenced by that factor, and in this one it was like all my Christmases came at once. Not only does he feature prominently, but the development of his character is absolutely huge. Even if he had to take a number of steps backwards before he could move forwards (The big goober) his progress as a character in his own right and also in how he is seen by other characters, was amazing.
The main plot centres around a road trip (from hell). Rachel needs to get to San Francisco for her brother's wedding, and Trent needs to get to Seattle. He remains, in typical Trent fashion, very tight-lipped about precisely why he needs to get there, and why he needs to go by road and not on his fancy jet, but since Quen won't let him travel without Rachel, and Quen can't go with him because of Ceri, Trent has to ask Rachel for help. I have to admit to getting all excited right from chapter one when Trent turns up on an unsuspecting Rachel in a bikini. You just knew it was going to mean big changes for these two from then on out!
Jenks and Ivy were along for the ride as well and were as wonderful as always. Jenks has plenty of great quote material and it was nice to see him getting on with things after the events of the last book. Ivy has also done some maturing. She has a very honest conversation with Rachel at one point which sort of came out of nowhere but it was a fascinating insight to Ivy's feelings and helped me understand her a lot more.
We also had a few scenes with Pierce. Honestly, I could take or leave his character and I didn't really feel like he added much. And Al! The cutest little demon on the block was there too and we learned more about him and the rest of demon kind too. Seriously it was like one revelation after another. Had Kim been saving them all up for this one book or what?
The whole book had excellent pacing. There was never a dull moment, really. The scenes at Rachel's trial were really well written- very tense and quite shocking as well! Especially what happened just before it began! And the last 30 or so pages were so good I had to read them twice! Obviously I can't say anything about it since it's at the end, but it was absolutely brilliant. It couldn't have been done better. Such amazing story-telling skills. I am flawed.
I have actually just finished reading this for the second time in preparation for A Perfect Blood, and it was just as much fun this time around. I cannot wait to see what happens next and just hope Rachel doesn't regress in any of her forward progress with Trent during the interim.
5 Magic Stars
The main plot centres around a road trip (from hell). Rachel needs to get to San Francisco for her brother's wedding, and Trent needs to get to Seattle. He remains, in typical Trent fashion, very tight-lipped about precisely why he needs to get there, and why he needs to go by road and not on his fancy jet, but since Quen won't let him travel without Rachel, and Quen can't go with him because of Ceri, Trent has to ask Rachel for help. I have to admit to getting all excited right from chapter one when Trent turns up on an unsuspecting Rachel in a bikini. You just knew it was going to mean big changes for these two from then on out!
Jenks and Ivy were along for the ride as well and were as wonderful as always. Jenks has plenty of great quote material and it was nice to see him getting on with things after the events of the last book. Ivy has also done some maturing. She has a very honest conversation with Rachel at one point which sort of came out of nowhere but it was a fascinating insight to Ivy's feelings and helped me understand her a lot more.
We also had a few scenes with Pierce. Honestly, I could take or leave his character and I didn't really feel like he added much. And Al! The cutest little demon on the block was there too and we learned more about him and the rest of demon kind too. Seriously it was like one revelation after another. Had Kim been saving them all up for this one book or what?
The whole book had excellent pacing. There was never a dull moment, really. The scenes at Rachel's trial were really well written- very tense and quite shocking as well! Especially what happened just before it began! And the last 30 or so pages were so good I had to read them twice! Obviously I can't say anything about it since it's at the end, but it was absolutely brilliant. It couldn't have been done better. Such amazing story-telling skills. I am flawed.
I have actually just finished reading this for the second time in preparation for A Perfect Blood, and it was just as much fun this time around. I cannot wait to see what happens next and just hope Rachel doesn't regress in any of her forward progress with Trent during the interim.
5 Magic Stars
r2wend2's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
chelseavbc's review
5.0
This review was originally posted at Vampire Book Club.
Things were already tense for Rachel Morgan at the end of Black Magic Sanction (The Hollows #8). Now she’s got the chance to be absolved for using black magic. All she has to do is get to California in one piece and hope that the necessary people keep their words. Things are never that easy, though, and the Coven would really like it if she just didn’t make it.
She sure can’t get through security at the airport, so the only option is to take her mom’s Buick cross country. And going solo? Hardly. Our favorite pixy Jenks, vampire BFF Ivy and even that scheming elf Trent come along for the otherworld version of the Great American Road Trip.
Kim Harrison has a great way of using mundane situations to propel her characters and the humor. We all know spending days cooped up in the car with your family — and there’s no doubt Jenks and Ivy count as family here — can make tension percolate. Add in being hunted, fire, ancient evil and tons of running for our lives and you have so many of the pieces that make this series so strong.
We’re keeping this review spoiler-free, but we promise there are several moments that will have you shaking your head, muttering “oh no” and begging for a bit more. In other words, we promise Pale Demon is freaking amazing.
Overall, Pale Demon is impressive in that nine books in Rachel Morgan has grown a crazy amount and we love her all the more. The plot twists were perfectly placed and the darkness always balanced with just the right amount of pixy swearing to lighten the mood. Sometimes longer series lose their relevance and core connection, but Pale Demon does just the opposite. If nothing else, it further invigorates the series and characters. We have no clue where Harrison will take the series next but we’re already dying for more.
Sexual content: Allusions to rape and a few sexual scenes
Things were already tense for Rachel Morgan at the end of Black Magic Sanction (The Hollows #8). Now she’s got the chance to be absolved for using black magic. All she has to do is get to California in one piece and hope that the necessary people keep their words. Things are never that easy, though, and the Coven would really like it if she just didn’t make it.
She sure can’t get through security at the airport, so the only option is to take her mom’s Buick cross country. And going solo? Hardly. Our favorite pixy Jenks, vampire BFF Ivy and even that scheming elf Trent come along for the otherworld version of the Great American Road Trip.
Kim Harrison has a great way of using mundane situations to propel her characters and the humor. We all know spending days cooped up in the car with your family — and there’s no doubt Jenks and Ivy count as family here — can make tension percolate. Add in being hunted, fire, ancient evil and tons of running for our lives and you have so many of the pieces that make this series so strong.
We’re keeping this review spoiler-free, but we promise there are several moments that will have you shaking your head, muttering “oh no” and begging for a bit more. In other words, we promise Pale Demon is freaking amazing.
Overall, Pale Demon is impressive in that nine books in Rachel Morgan has grown a crazy amount and we love her all the more. The plot twists were perfectly placed and the darkness always balanced with just the right amount of pixy swearing to lighten the mood. Sometimes longer series lose their relevance and core connection, but Pale Demon does just the opposite. If nothing else, it further invigorates the series and characters. We have no clue where Harrison will take the series next but we’re already dying for more.
Sexual content: Allusions to rape and a few sexual scenes
hoosgracie's review
4.0
I thought this was one of the better books in a great series. It could have used a bit of editing as the road trip felt a little long, but other than that putting Rachel, Ivy, Trent, and Jenks in a car together on a road trip to California was a brilliant plot idea. I also thought that this was game changing.
reasonpassion's review
4.0
The moral difficulty Rachel finds herself in is here in this story brought to front and center. I've been frustrated lately with how absurd the black and white thinking of Rachel has gotten her into so much trouble, particularly in the world in which she lives. While there have been struggles, the result was always a further identification with being different than others in an attempt to remain "pure." That journey makes sense given the history, but I was curious when it was going to move forward. Here it does and in spectacular form. The road trip with Kalamack is like a fantastical version of a comedy skit and the space provided for Trent to expand as a person is delightful. Throw in a particularly messed-up demon and a further fleshing out of the world Harrison has created, the result is one of the best of the series.
jsmith3's review
5.0
I don't think I could do a review that truly gives Pale Demon justice. It was everything I had hoped for and more, and I feel really satisfied after having finished it. Of course now I can't wait for the next installment. All I can say is fans will love it, and basically: read it.