In the latest installment in The Hollows fantasy book series by Kim Harrison, our stubborn, impulsive and extremely likable witch Rachel Morgan discovers that there are other things far worse than working part-time for a demon.

Like fighting off deadly white magic witches.

As in the previous book “White Witch, Black Curse”, Rachel’s not really sure what she is. Although at her core she’s an earth witch, when she was young she suffered from a condition called Rosewood Syndrome, a genetic blood disease that manifests itself when a witch is born with abilities that are more akin to demons. Although most young witches die of this condition Rachel was lucky enough to be sent to a special camp for supernatural kids with health problems. The good news is that she was eventually cured. The bad news is that the cure apparently altered her DNA and now, as a witch with a demon mark she’s able to twist demon curses and hold an inordinate amount of ever-after in her body, something unheard of for witches.

This makes her somewhat of a hybrid: part witch/part demon, although Rachel refuses to claim the demon part. Nonetheless, Rachel’s abilities have attracted the attention of the ruling white witch coven. And not in a good way. They’ve discovered that any offspring she bears will likely be demons – demons that are able to walk the earth and not be bound to the ever-after. They plan to solve this problem by either forced sterilization or eternal imprisonment in Alcatraz. As you can imagine, neither option appeals to Rachel.

As I was reading Rachel’s attempts to survive the attacks by the coven I couldn’t help but think of the following life’s lessons for her:

-you never know when an enemy (read, ex-boyfriend) may help save your neck;

-the lives of the many outweigh those of the few;

-when the survival of you and your loved ones hangs in the balance, pull up your big girl panties and fight fire with fire.

Kim Harrison has once again written a fast-paced fantasy thriller that draws you in from the start. Rachel’s ordeals are realistically described and readers will find it hard not to root for her as the story progresses, even if her stubbornness is sometimes frustrating. In fact, her character flaws make her all the more believable and add to the overall enjoyment of the book.

Harrison’s storytelling skills make the secondary characters in the book interesting as well: Ivy has a new romantic interest whose identity readers will be surprised to discover, Jenks becomes a stronger patriarch for his family, and Biss, the young gargoyle, takes several risks in order to protect Rachel. And Al, the murderous and self-serving demon that Rachel is tied to, actually shows a bit of introspection (there’s a wonderful grilled cheese sandwich scene between Al and Rachel that you’ll love).

As I finished reading Black Magic Sanction I couldn’t help but wonder what else was in store for Rachel. I assume we’ll learn more about her demon-like abilities and no doubt Kim Harrison will continue exploring the whole “Rachel can birth demon spawn” storyline. But I’m personally looking forward to reading more about the like/hate relationship between Rachel and Trent Kalamack. I love reading about Trent because he’s hands-down one of the most complex and multi-dimensional male characters in the fantasy book genre right now. He’s the bad boy whose past transgressions we all want to forgive. You never know what you’ll get with Trent and I love that. There’s more to his story that I’m hoping will unfold as the series progresses.

Whatever the case, I’m definitely on board for whatever Harrison throws our way!