Black Magic Sanction

January 4, 2010
The eighth bewitching but overly dense Hollows adventure (after 2009’s White Witch, Black Curse
) updates the travails of Rachel Morgan, delectable magical jack of all trades. Having recently learned that Rachel is a witch-born demon whose children would be demons, a white magic coven is shunning her and accusing her of black magic. They offer her a terrible choice: sterilization or imprisonment in Alcatraz. Trent Kalamack, drug lord and elf in hiding, offers to get the coven off her back, but her double-crossing “ex-rat ex-boyfriend,” Nick, shows up and lands her in more hot water. As Rachel battles those she thought were on her side, her survival depends on a paranormal cornucopia of elves, demons, vampires, gargoyles, pixies, and even a leprechaun. This thrill ride celebrates the can-do spirit of one of urban fantasy’s most charming witches.

The eighth book in The Hollows series finds witch Rachel Morgan on the run from the Coven and its assassins after they accuse her of using the forbidden black arts. Marguerite Gavin perfectly delivers Rachel's wry tones as she is kidnapped and imprisoned on Alcatraz, awaiting a lobotomy without a fair trial. Rachel's sardonic tones are entertainingly offset by those of a gravelly sounding gargoyle, a sultry living vampire, lighter-toned pixies, and a demon with an English accent. As Rachel learns to fully tap into her magical heritage to save herself, she must walk a fine line with the witch who tempts her to do black magic, which would fulfill the accusations against her. Gavin provides an enthralling narration for Harrison's popular series. J.M. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine