Book Review: Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

Black Magic Sanction

Author: Kim Harrison

Publication: Harper Voyager; 1 edition (February 23, 2010)

Description: Rachel Morgan has fought and hunted vampires, werewolves, banshees, demons, and other supernatural dangers as both witch and bounty hunter—and lived to tell the tale. But she's never faced off against her own kind . . . until now. Denounced and shunned for dealing with demons and black magic, her best hope is life imprisonment—at worst, a forced lobotomy and genetic slavery. Only her enemies are strong enough to help her win her freedom, but trust comes hard when it hinges on the unscrupulous tycoon Trent Kalamack, the demon Algaliarept, and an ex-boyfriend turned thief.

It takes a witch to catch a witch, but survival bears a heavy price.

My Thoughts: Rachel seems to go from one crisis to another is this the eighth book in the Rachel Morgan series. We begin the book with Rachel shunned by the Coven - an association of white witches - for using demon magic. They want her dead or, if not dead, at least sterilized and lobotomized (which probably isn't a word even though it doesn't raise a spelling flag). Naturally, Rachel is not in favor of this action. 

She is also busy learning more about her demon heritage, discovering new talents, and frantically pretending to be "normal." Al, the demon who has taken Rachel as his student, assigns Pierce to be her bodyguard. Pierce is also a black witch and Al's familiar. He is way to eager to use black magic for Rachel's tastes but she likes him. She doesn't want to get close to him because of her previous bad experiences. The men she loves either die or betray her. 

Rachel is cautious in choosing those she can trust. Ivy and Jenks are the inner circle. This book kept Ivy as very much a side character but Jenks got a larger role. This is the story when his beloved Matalina dies. But unlike most pixies, Jenks doesn't follow her into death. Rachel isn't willing to let him leave her and uses extraordinary measures to convince him that she needs him.

The story was exciting and twisty. It both resolves some old issues and sees Rachel learning and accepting her new powers. Fans of the series won't want to miss this one. 

Favorite Quote:

Together Ivy and I looked at the innocuous-seeming thing. The knots were hard under my fingertips, the hari they were made from silver and black  It tingled as if the power was leaking out. Elven magic. Wild. Unpredictable. God, I hoped I wasn't making a mistake. Trent had mad it, and I didn't know how good--or evil-- he was. Knowledge is power. Frowning, I fingered the first knot. Ignorance is bliss.

But curiosity--even if it had killed the cat--was king, and heart pounding, I moved the box from the bed and sat down. "You won't leave?"

I bought an copy and had it autographed at a book signing a couple of years ago. You can buy the book here.