Pale Demon (The Hollows Book 9)

What I really like about Kim Harrison books is she manages to connect to previous books without perseverating on the details of those stories. In the Pale Demon, Rachel Morgan again fights with the witches coven, demons and manages to come through both vulnerable and strong. She accepts who she is and finds she has the power to choose who she really wants to be.

I am enjoying reading this series. I haven't read the first few as I didn't realise the first book I read (White Witch Black Curse) was part way through a series. I don't know if I want to read the earlier ones now as obviously they show how Rachel evolves as a witch and then a demon.

Not only did the book arrive promptly, but the price had changed since I pre-ordered it and I got a teeny refund as well.

Every Kim Harrison book to date has been well written and gripping, this one did not fail to continue to the trend, if you like books about chicks that kick butt, you won't go wrong.

Some series go farther down hill the more you read (Anita Blake, I'm looking right at you!), but this one gets progressively better. This is the ninth book in the series and it is my favourite (so far). Very strong character development, even the "minor" characters, well written, and just plain fun to read.

Kim Harrison is a talented writer. I love all the characters in this series, especially Rachel Morgan. Even though she feels she has something to prove to people, she doesn't take anything form anyone,. She's a strong woman, in the same league as Anita Blake (Laurell K. Hamilton) and Elizabeth Taylor(MaryJanice Davidson)

Best Rachel book yet.... she's finally a character I can stink my teeth into. Only unfortunate thing is that when I try to explain a good part, it sounds like a soap opera... the amount of back story I have to give, lol.

If you like The Hollows, you definitely want to read this one. I don't like giving things away, but the tension between Trent and Rachel goes through the roof. A car trip with Trent, Ivy, Jenks and Rachel with assassins and a demon gunning for them. Oh yeah.

This is a fun series - good summer reading as the books are long enough to be engaging but not 1,000 pages or more like some books I read. This one was not the best of the series, but keeps the story going.

Long time fans of the series should be pleased with the new plot developments. This is the most concise, quickly paced book in the series so far. No wonder it's Harrison's personal favorite. Old questions are answered, while even more intriguing new questions arise. Favorite characters are seen in a new light, and we finally get a sneak peak into the mind and motivations behind the mysterious Trent Kalamack. If you think you had him figured out before, you were probably wrong. Pale Demon is by far the best book in the series, and probably one of the funniest "road trip" novels I've ever read. It took all my self control not to instantly re-read it upon finishing. And left me wanting to shout from the rooftops how much I adore this series.

I found myself interested in the punch-line of the story (which made the book worthwhile) and very uninterested in the all the characters' chatter. I found that the story moved unnecessarily slow. So, I flip-read quiet a lot.

Just when you think you have it all figured out...it all gets flushed away in a spine tingling moment of clarity and reality. Rachel faces her "demons", literally on her own. But where does Trent fit in all this?

This was just soooooooooooo excellent. This author's series is just the best. It keeps you on the edge of your seat constantly. I can hardly wait for the next one to see what happens next and get to visit with all the great characters in these books. Pale Demon by Kim Harrison rocks.

This was a funny, enjoyable, suspensful ride of a book. Rachel, Ivy, Jenks, and Trent take a cross country car trip together and of course that means there were lots of different adventures. Trent and Rachel finally get to know each other better and they seem to be destined to be together. Each is making the trip for their own personal benefit, but they end up helping each other. This is definitely one of my favorite books in this series.

This was another great "Rachel Morgan" book. The action was wonderful, but the ending was somewhat disappointing to me as everyone was practically sitting around singing Kumbaya together. A lot of the plot's dynamic tension dissolved by the end of the book.

Once again Rachel gets herself in for more than she can chew. Once again she finds her way out with help from friends. I was a little dissappointed that she didn't... well, that would be a spoiler, so nevermind. A must read!

What a fun series. It has been a pleasure growing up with Rachel. She has learned so much over the course of the series. I am very excited to see the final book in the series. What is she going to do now?

Do her books really even need a review? This book was just as amazing as the rest. Haven't read a Kim Harrison Hollow's novel that I haven't liked yet. If you enjoy her previous books in the series you are sure to love this one as well!

Being an ex Laurell K Hamilton fan, and knowing EXACTLY what I hate about this genre, Kim Harrison does none of that. As usual, her story is engaging and her characters are deep and loveable. 9 books and going strong!

This book was a really good read, it was exciting, had lots of unexpected twists & turns, and is now my favorite book in this series so far! The anticipation for the next book is going to kill me because of the many loose ends this one created!

I have read all of her "The Hollows Books" except book 13. She is a fantastic writer, and knows how to keep her readers coming back for more.
i can't wait to receive Book 13. It is like being on a roller coaster.......WEEEEEEEE

I strongly suggest you read the previous books in the series (Dead Witch Walking, The good, The bad and the undead, Every Witch Way but Dead, A fistful of Charms, For a Few Demons More, The Outlaw Demon Wails, White witch black curse and Black Magic Sanction) prior to reading this installment.

Several times I pathetically attempted pace myself and savor this book slowly. Even though this installment was not Ms. Harrison's best, I still devoured this story and couldn't to put it down. It's too bad the maturity growth that Rachel exhibited in Black Magic Sanction was not present in this installment. During some sections, Rachel regressed to the bleeding heart little girl of Dead Witch Walking. Her usual shenanigans were ok, but some felt forced. Rachel and Trent both had frequent temper tantrums. The rotten-duo felt like they both suffered from some form of schizophrenia. Both their moods were either high as a kite or pouting and sulking. Rachel is by far NO badass like Kate Daniels or Gin Blanco but I was hoping she'd be well on her way by now. At this point in the series, she is still very much a wimp.

I was really generous and didn't balk from this book, simply on the merit of Rachel and Trent's childish and stupid behavior; yet my payoff in the end for reading such an adventurous book.......was a completely fizzle. I really wanted to rate this five-stars, however, the ending was so disappointing. I feel like the book was hot and wild magical-action and suspense, and I was completely engrossed in the storyline. Then you get to the end and it was just so depressing and bland. In addition to depressing, Rachel's character does a complete 180-turn in the end. After enduring all of Rachel's annoying antics, and no pay-off in the end, I feel almost cheated and misled.

Besides the crappy ending, everything else was pretty much perfect. The cover was a perfect fit to the story and Al was hilarious as usually. And as a bonus, we actually get to see a domestic side to Al and some other interesting and funny little tidbits.

I highly recommend this book and series to fellow dark urban fantasy fans, however beware, this series requires a lot of patience. I also look forward to the next book in the series due out some time in 2012.

I also recommend:Secrets of the Demon (Kara Gillian, Book 3)
Blood Song
Spellbent
Grave Witch (Alex Craft, Book 1)
J.A. Saare - Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between

I love The Hollows series, but was really dissatisfied with White Witch, Black Curse. I almost stopped reading the series, but I picked Black Magic Sanction up, and enjoyed it---but was still hesitant that the series would return to what I disliked in the former (sloppy plots, bizarre character choices). Rest assured ya'll, Pale Demon is none of that. It has all the trademark Harrison goodies--humor, action, adventure, and lots of good character development in this one. Loved it!

Kim Harrison never disappoints me! This book is humorous, sad and exciting; it touches all of your emotions. Pale Demon kept me interested from beginning to the end. I agree with many others that this is one of the best books in the series. Ms. Harrison does an excellent job detailing all of the characters relationships with Rachel. Many have commented on Rachel and Trent's relationship as being the center piece of the story and I don't disagree however I also liked how Al and Rachel's relationship has developed. This book even portrayed a somewhat sane Newt. Rachel is still impulsive in this book but she has matured and her magic skills are off the chart!

Rachel Marianna Morgan is still smack in the middle of about 10 people's schemes. Enjoyable read, great moments with Ivy, Jenks, and Al. Trent is still Trent (same goes for Pierce) and is using Rachel and about 100k innocent humans in his plans this time. Overall, just another interesting, fun, outrageous read.

Downside - None of these people have learned how to work together openly yet. If anyone, ANYONE, would simply say what they were thinking, about 90% of the issues that cause the death of a lot of people would be avoided. That's irritating.

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

It was almost the same plot as in previous books; not-stop fights, barely a chance for the reader to catch a breath, Ivy and Jenks the same, but everyone else out to get her, etc., etc. It was almost as if I'd read the same book before. Trent was Trent, at least at first - whiny, spoiled, used to getting his way by paying others, needing to be protected so a wispy hair doesn't get out of place <grin... couldn't resist>, etc.

Then it got better toward the end (everything started to resolve), but still didn't add up. Two plot threads didn't seem to go anywhere in spite of repeated references to it (Milkduds and sunglasses... was there supposed to be something important there?).

The author tried to build Trent into a man who was finally worthy of Rachel (capable of taking care of himself, a badass, magic-user, etc), but it just didn't ring true after 8 books of him being somewhat of a pansy where he paid others to do his dirty work so he wouldn't have to dirty his hands/aura.

Al as a potential match for Rachel was much more believable. The author should just follow her gut with those two and let it happen. It seemed she tried to do something with Ivy and Rachel's relationship, but it fell flat.

She seemed to come full circle yet again with her non-acceptance of what she is. I wish the author would quit waffling about that and let her grow up, accept who she is, and move on.

Overall, I was disappointed. Other than the interaction between Rachel and Al, the rest seem like the same old story. The ending was interesting and redeemed the story a little, so I rounded up to a 4 instead of down to a 3.

Nine books into any series, I typically start to fade and on the last book of The Hollows, I was starting to wonder if perhaps it was getting time to move on. Though I was still enjoying the books, Jenks curses which once amused me, were getting tired and cliche. The dynamic in the church was beginning to stagnate. I just felt the characters were starting to fall into a bit of a rut and that we may have run our course with Rachel and the gang. At the end of the day, it's hard to keep a series moving forward for this long and stay fresh.

I'm pleased to say that this book was perhaps the best in the series. Without spoiling anything and divulging too much, it suffices to say some major developments happen in Pale Demon that had me riveted in way I can't remember before in the series. You learn a lot about Al (easily one of my all-time favorite characters) and Trent, who is starting to grow on me. I especially found myself empathizing with Rachel in a way I hadn't in previous books. Things just felt fresh again. Add in the fact that the pacing was fantastic and you have the recipe for a real winner. I couldn't put this one down. The book ends with Rachel facing a major decision that will have major ramifications on the story line. I eagerly await the next volume in the series. Bravo Ms. Harrison.

I love that Rachel is finally accepting who she is and her powers. I hope this leads in future stories to her learning amazing new spells, maybe she will learn how to travel the ley lines by herself? I would also love to see a whole book where she teams up with Newt to do a little housekeeping on the witches who have been persecuting her throughout the series. Also, a hook-up with Trent? This may be more of wishful thinking then a true review but anyone who loves this series will love this book!

KIM HARRISON ROCKS!! My sister and I have been reading this series from the beginning and Rachel Morgan's exploits never fail to keep you on edge. I. Was so scared for her this time. Maybe her and Trent should... I think they have a secret thing ..or not so secret