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 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.

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A great series! A mix between Laurell K Hamilton and Rachel Marie Moning that makes you want to read them over agin! I still own all of these books and am re-reading them now. This one is one of my favorite books of all.

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Pale Demon may just be the best book in Kim Harrison's Hollows series. I don't know about anyone else, but I was getting kind of tired of Rachel getting pushed around. It seemed she could not catch a break. But in this book, she is back to the character I fell in love with in the first book. She makes her own luck and I love to see her strong and confident again.
I will keep on reading the series if Ms. Harrison continues to show Rachel growing as a person.

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I am going to preface this review by saying that a series with nine books isnt always going to please everyone. Me included. I love this series but had the hardest time getting through this story. There is some crazy stuff happening in this series that had me contemplating giving up and walking away. Im glad I stuck it out because the events I feared did not happen and I pray they dont.

I saw Trent and Al differently in this story and I struggled with that with great difficulty because it has been relatively easy for me to despise both of these characters for the last 8 books. If they are able to be somewhat likeable or at the very least, tolerable in this story then how does that bode for Rachel? Will there be a truce between her and Trent? We already know they have history and there are definitely feelings that always seemed to run to the hate side of things. But you know what they say about there being a fine line between love and hate right? I just dont know if Im ready for Rachel and Trent to explore that line. I absolutely do not want her to explore any lines of any kind with Al either! I get the definite impression in this story that Als feelings for Rachel are definitely changing. He seems to be softening towards her. Hes still a demon, hes still repulsive and I may be completely off base here, but my impression is that hes developing feelings for her.

Jenks is still my favorite character in this series and even he surprised me in this story by taking a less aggressive stance with Trent and even helping him on his quest. Jenks does get into a little bit of trouble that Im sure he would have been able to extricate himself from, but its always good to have friends there who have your back and Rachel and Ivy certainly do have his back.

I love the way Kim Harrison creates characters that evoke large reactions from me. Especially the villains. In addition to Trent and Al, there are some villains in this book that made my blood boil with their appalling behavior. The day walking demon, KuSox is terrifying. A day walking demon is bad enough but he eats people. Literallygobbles them upewwww

Rachel has a lot on her plate. Between battling the big bad KuSox and convincing the witchs coven to reverse her shunning, she has her hands full. Keep your eyes on the ball, Rachel and your mind out of the gutter and you may just make it out of this mess in one piece. The fans of this series are eagerly awaiting the next book.

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