Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

Condemned and shunned for black magic, Rachel Morgan has three days to get to the annual witches’ conference and clear her name, or be trapped in the demonic ever-after . . . forever after.

But a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car going across the country? Talk about a recipe for certain disaster, even without being the targets for assassination.

For after centuries of torment, a fearsome demon walks in the sunlight—freed at last to slay the innocent and devour their souls. But his ultimate goal is Rachel Morgan, and in the fight for survival that follows, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.(courtesy of Amazon)

I was finishing my last 60 pages or so, while I had on the Academy Awards as "background" noise.  The Presenters for best script came up and said 'they say you know a great script when the words flow right to your heart' - - if that works for books, then Pale Demon is not just great but Academy Award winning.  The 9th book in the Hollows series by Kim Harrison, Pale Demon keeps the unspoken promise of not disappointing.  Had this been a script for a movie, there would be no question of it winning every award.

I'm not sure how Harrison does it, her words drag every emotion straight from my soul when I read this series.  Just trying to survive, our main heroine Rachel, has been forced to make life damning choices.  And surviving those choices, just about takes away every chance of happiness.  One the edge of your seat thrills and twists as the mysteries unfold, you are rooting for Rachel.  Harrison manages to add unforgettable humor with our favorite pixie Jenks...as if you needed another reason to enjoy the books.  With a vampire roommate like Ivy, I'm not sure I'd be able to make a decision either ;).

Pale Demon gives Rachel a chance to get her life back together, one thing she needs to give her hope.  Of course, it's never that easy.  Trent has his own agenda where Rachel is concerned and he may be her only option to succeed.  As always Harrison, throws in action and drama, unfolding a new side to our favorite demon, the ever after, and saving the world from our least favorite demon.  Harrison gives you genuine emotion in her books.  There is no unneeded passion, it's reality (well as close as you can get); and the heartache, elation, and tension she's given us for Rachel only have me hoping for book 10 and develop Rachel even further.  There is so much to this book, wrapping and unwrapping the series.  It definitely earns a  6 slice rating!