Black Magic Sanction is yet another wild ride for Rachel and her friends, and it sure is for the readers as well! It’s impossible not to feel for Rachel in this installment, because so many things happen to her, and she just can’t catch a break. And there are some tough things she needs to come to term with. Both when it comes to herself and the society of witches known as the coven.
My review of Black Magic Sanction is pretty much spoiler free, but there are spoilers from prior books, it’s impossible to review the 8th book in a series without talking about some of the things that have happened before, especially in a series that has some really well thought-out long-term plots that span over several books. I try to keep even those spoilers to a minimum, but if you are unfamiliar with The Hollows, you might want to check out my review of Dead Witch Walking and maybe start reading the series before you continue reading this review :)
As Rachel continues to work with Al, and tries to compartmentalize her life, telling herself a curse is just a different kind of spell, the coven continues to track her down by all means necessary. Even when Rachel tries to talk to the head honchos in a rational way, all they see is white spell vs black curse. The fact that Rachel uses the curses for good is not something the coven wants to even consider, especially because they use their white spells to kill. It always amazes me that Rachel truly is morally sound and saves other peoples’ lives even when her own life would be a lot easier if she just let them get killed or snatched by demons.
The pace is pretty fast, but slows down in important moments, and Black Magic Sanction shows the readers a lot about Rachel as a whole, how she is always trying to make the right choice even when she is at risk herself. I love that the readers also get to know even more about Trent, he is a very interesting, intriguing and secretive character whom I have appreciated from the get-go. He might be a criminal, but like Rachel, he appears to have good reasons for doing what he does.
One of the curses Rachel has twisted in the past is used again in Black Magic Sanction, but for the opposite effect, and for the best reason there ever is to use a curse and take the stain on her soul : to save someone she loves with all her heart. And the way she deals with loss and the possibility of even more of it is very well done. Rachel shows a softer side when she comforts someone else, a side that she doesn’t often have to put to the forefront.
In order to make sure the coven will leave her alone, Rachel comes up with a plan that is both hilarious and dangerous, and that danger is there in part because she needs her ex Nick to pull it through. I loved how Rachel dealt with this particular problem, though, and I appreciated it even more that Ivy and Jenks had finally thought of something to make sure Rachel would not ever fall into any of Nicks traps again. Because man, that guy is slippery!
I can’t give enough praise for The Hollows series, and I will be forever thankful to Brandee, Jaclyn and Robyn for telling me I needed to read this. So now, I’m returning the favor, if you haven’t read Black Magic Sanction yet, go pick it up! It’s awesome. There aren’t many series that keep being awesome through so many books, but here is one. And I wish it would go on forever, Rachel continues to surprise me, the side characters are always extremely well done, and the writing is close to perfect.
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There are 18 books in this series.
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This option includes 18 books.
Bundle price:
Kindle price
$21.47
Bundle price:
Kindle price
$37.45
Bundle price:
Kindle price
$82.40
Bundle price:
Kindle price
$162.82
By placing your order, you're purchasing a license to the content and you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.
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A great time!
I had a great time with this book! I read the first few books in this series years ago but am just now getting around to reading further in the series. I am definitely late to the party but am glad that I finally decided to dive in. This is a series that I would highly recommend reading in order since each installment builds on the events in earlier books. I found this book to be very entertaining.Rachel can’t catch a break. She has been shunned by the witch community and now a group wants her to suffer a much more extreme punishment. Needless to say, she wants to avoid that fate. On top of that, she has to deal with Al, who has sent Pierce to be her babysitter for the time being. Things will get pretty intense in this installment and there were times that I was really worried for both Rachel and her friends. Rachel will be forced to work with a few characters that I am not sure should be trusted which added to the drama.Marguerite Gavin does a fabulous job with the narration for this series. I love all of the voices that she uses for the various characters in the story. They just seem so real and really come alive during the audiobook. I think that she was able to add just the right amount of emotion and excitement into her reading. I definitely think that her performance added to my enjoyment of the story and believe that audio is the way to go with this book if at all possible.I would recommend this series to others. This is a really well-done story in a series that just seems to keep getting better and better. I cannot wait to see what is in store for Rachel and the rest of her group in this next book.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2013
Top reviews from other countries
- Samantha caddickReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2022
Another excellent novel
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- Harmony K.Reviewed in Canada on February 26, 2010
another great book in the series
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