Black Magic Sanction

I remember the earlier books as being more fun, but this one certainly was better written and it felt like it mattered more. Rachel has grown up, as have her friends. The stakes are higher now than they were in the first books, she's grown in power, and now she's going up against a coven of powerful white witches who are determined to see her stripped of her powers and permanently confined in a solitary prison for life - or some of them are.

Seeing Rachel try to figure out who she could trust and what her mistakes might cost the people she loves was touching. In earlier books she felt very young and fairly callow, and I really didn't care much for her. She's much more likable now, which surprised me. That speaks well for Harrison.

Rachel is bearable in small doses. One book every few months, no more. She can come with a clever idea, but why, for instance, would she ask Al to get her summoning name back, and then question everything he did to do as she asked? I do wonder sometimes that Al did not strangle her, no matter how valuable she is :->.

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Black Magic Sanction

Rachel is trying to keep her life as normal as she can despite being shunned. But every time she turns around, another person is gunning for her. She's come to terms with the paths she's chosen, but most don't believe a witch can walk the line between white and black magic and not be evil. To the coven of moral and ethical standards, shunning isn't enough. They would prefer Rachel to be tucked away in their prison and magically neutered. While they don't expect her to go quietly, they have no idea what they are in for when Rachel's team fights back. She's gained quite a few allies, and she won't go down without a fight.

Each book in The Hollows series continues to escalate the situations Rachel must face. Kim Harrison isn't afraid to put her in tough situations, and Rachel is going to have some heartbreaking and eye-opening experiences this time around. Black Magic Sanction is one of those books that makes you step back and realize just how much Rachel has progressed throughout the series. Having been through so much, the long term toll on her is reflected in her behavior and actions. But even with all the experience under her belt, nothing ever goes according to plan and Rachel might be in over her head this time.

There is never a dull moment in Black Magic Sanction. Some of the better known members of Rachel's team will take a back step, but this allows for a fresh mix of conflict and tension. Past and present characters will collide to force Rachel to make decisions on who to trust in the blink of an eye. I will never tire of The Hollows series. It has the perfect blend of action, romance, and humor to keep me reading as long as Kim Harrison keeps writing books in the series.

Rachel, Rachel, Rachel...I just don't know what to do with you...

I'd actually dropped this series once, but a coworker convinced me to give it another try. A few books later, and I'm second-guessing myself. I spent most of this book wishing I was reading something else. And honestly, the problem is Rachel herself.

For someone who navel-gazes as much as she does, she's pretty stupid about herself. She talks about learning from her mistakes, but she doesn't. First and foremost of these is her inability to actually listen to people–friend, ally, unknown–before jumping to a conclusion about what they're saying/offering/doing/intending.

Why, oh, why do her friends put up with her? She wines, she places them in danger, she needs their help constantly, and what does she give back? Not a whole lot, honestly.

This cast deserves a better leading lady–Ivy would work. She is so bleepin' underused, misused and ignored that it's maddening.

The insight we got into pixie culture (which, as hard as it is to believe, is more than just using Tinkerbell's name in various and sundry curses)–despite the tragic context–was quite interesting (best part of the whole book), we need more of that.

At a bare minimum what we need is a book with a pretty open-and-shut case. Sure, you need a little carry over from book to book, some ongoing storylines. But we also need to see Rachel and her team take on a case that has nothing to do with all the drama in her life, that gives them all a chance to show how competent they are–and make a little bit of money while they're at it, not relying on what Ivy does off-screen and in between books.