Chelsea
Written on Feb 18, 2020
The eight stirring instalment of the urban fantasy-thriller series starring Rachel Morgan. A pacey and addictive novel of sexy bounty-hunting witches, cunning demons and vicious vampires.
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, Rachel’s best hope is life imprisonment – the 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 theif. It takes a witch to catch a witch, but survival bears a heavy price.
- ISBN13 9780007578900
- Publish Date 11 September 2014 (first published 28 January 2010)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
- Imprint HarperVoyager
- Format Paperback
- Pages 496
- Language English
- URL http://harpercollins.co.uk
Reviews
tellemonstar
Written on Jun 26, 2013
A lot of stuff goes down in Black Magic Sanction. It also has one of the saddest moments in the entire series, and some fantastic moments with Al and Rachel.
So Rachel got shunned for using black magic in to try and sort out the Banshee situation, and deal with Al in the previous books. Although technically, only some of what she did could really be classed as ‘black’ – some of it was fairly standard witchy stuff, but because it was bound by blood that made it black magic. Or something. Some of the semantics were a bit confused – even by the ethical standards witches.
Nick, the idiot, is back in Black Magic Sanction and no-one particularly likes it. Even Rachel has no good feelings towards him, which I think is a good thing, since she has a tendency to pick guys that are all wrong for her. Also, it will come as no surprise to anyone who has read the previous books that he tries to screw everyone over (repeatedly) throughout this novel as well. Thankfully, Jenks’ son comes back home in this one though, because even he can see Nick for what he really is.
Pierce is starting to get really annoying – especially since he will quite happily use ‘proper’ black magic without trying to figure out if there was another way to handle the situation. Also his whole, “I’m the big strong man and so I will keep you from harm” schtick is getting old. I mean, I understand that he is 100 years plus, but he needs to at least let Rachel know if he is going to do something different, because he is starting to screw things up for her.
The first 100 or so pages of Black Magic Sanction are all pretty action-filled, which is good because it’s a long one. The sad moments is not really something I can tell you without spoiling it, but it is something that the previous few books have been preparing us for. That whole section of the book gets a one full star because it was really well done.
Berls
Written on Feb 25, 2013
Wow! This installment into the life of our favorite Witch/Demon (who knows?) is definitely a page-turner. This is one of the faster paced books, with action around every corner as Rachel faces off against the Coven of Moral and Ethical Standards responsible for her shunning. Her friends, ever-supportive of Rachel, get drawn into the battle with some heart-wrenching consequences. Rachel is forced to question her own limits and to weigh protecting herself and her loved ones with what her conscience will allow.
Trent continues to be a gorgeous yet frustrating thorn in Rachel's side - the tension between them is great and you'll only be disappointed that he doesn't get more screen time. Nick reappears on the scene as well and, as usual, he's not exactly a welcome sight. But he has his role to play and I found his reappearance equally frustrating and rewarding. Two surprising characters start to come to the fore: Al and Bis. Al has been a pretty important character for a while now, but in this book he's become surprisingly endearing. And then Bis... I just love this little gargoyle and he earns more of your love in this book. Oh and there's Pierce. Oh Pierce....
Prepare to hold your breath, have your heart broken, and cheer her on as she continues to grapple with who she is, what she can do, finding love, and oh, of course, Trent. Another incredible read from Kim Harrison.
kimbacaffeinate
Written on Jun 26, 2011
ibeforem
Written on Mar 14, 2011
I love that Harrison throws us directly into the action. We’re mere pages into the book when things start to go south for Rachel. This isn’t one of those series you can just jump into at any point and understand. And that’s perfectly alright.
If you *do* jump in without reading the books before, Harrison is adept at weaving in the relevant back story without it feeling ham-fisted, forced, or completely out of place. It’s also a nice reminder for when there’s a year or more between the reading of volumes.
I love that Rachel is far from perfect. She repeats her mistakes. She has questionable taste in men (though I happen to like Pierce). She’s protective of others to a fault. She has irrational attachments. She’ll push forward with plans she should know won’t work. She sometimes trusts in the wrong people. And she has an infuriating stubborn streak, not to mention her inability to see in shades of gray instead of black and white. Even though she sees that white magic can be just as dangerous as black, she still treats black magic (and those that practice it) as the scum on the bottom of her shoe. But a lot of the enjoyment of this series is watching what she does and then yelling at her for it. I wouldn’t have her any other way.
I love Trent Kalamack. Yes, the ruthless, conniving elf is one of my favorite characters, even more than Ivy. His relationship with Rachel has many levels, and I’m not sure either of them really understand it. But he won’t rest easy until she’s under his thumb.
I’ve even developed a certain amount of respect for the demon Al.
Most of all, I love Rachel’s fight. Even when she’s misguided and wrong, tired and hungry, hurt and lost, she never stops fighting.
A bonus is Marguerite Gavin’s incredible narration on the audiobook. She will always be the voice of Rachel for me.
Melanie
Written on Mar 8, 2010